Guillain-Barré Syndrome During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Pre-pandemic Periods

Background: Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune disease that may occur after infections. As Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) may bring about GBS, it is important to assess the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on this disease Objectives: This study aimed to compare the distribution and characteristics of GBS during and before the COVID-19 pandemic in an academic referral hospital in the north of Iran. Materials & Methods: This retrospective study assessed GBS distribution and characteristics during the COVID-19 pandemic period (from March 2020 to the end of February 2021) and before the pandemic (from March 2019 to the end of February 2020) on 5340 patients referred to the Neurology Ward of Poursina Hospital of Guilan Province, in Iran. Results: There was no significant difference between GBS distribution during (0.03%) and before (0.04%) the COVID-19 pandemic (P=0.413). There were also no differences between the two periods regarding the gender (P=0.659) and age (P=0.417) of the patients. The most common subtype of GBS during the COVID-19 pandemic was Acute Motor and Sensory Axonal Neuropathy (AMSAN) (71.4%). In both periods, the most common type of treatment was intravenous administration of immune globulin. There was no significant difference between the two periods (P=0.838) regarding the patients’ treatment response. Conclusion: The distribution of GBS, its subtypes, type of treatment, and response to treatment were not different between the two study periods.

Trichostrongyloid nematodes in ruminants of northern Iran: prevalence and molecular analysis

Background This study was carried out to investigate the prevalence and analyze the molecular characteristics based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 2 region of the ribosomal RNA (RNA) gene of trichostrongylid nematodes in different ruminants from Guilan province, northern of Iran. Methods The gastrointestinal tracts of 144 ruminants including 72 cattle, 59 sheep, and 13 goats were collected from an abattoir in Guilan province during July to September 2018. After isolation the helminths, male specimens were identified based on morphological parameters. PCR and partial sequencing of the ITS2 fragment were conducted. After phylogenetic analysis, the intraspecific and interspecific differences were calculated. Results The prevalence of total infections with the nematodes was 38.9, 74.6 and 84.6% among cattle, sheep and goats, respectively. Eleven species of trichostrongylid nematodes including Haemonchus contortus, Marshallagia marshalli, Trichostrongylus axei, T. colubriformis, T. vitrinus, Ostertagia trifurcata, Teladorsagia circumcincta, Marshallagia occidentalis, O. lyrata, O. ostertagi, and Cooperia punctate were recovered from the ruminants. The most prevalent trichostrongyloid nematodes in cattle, sheep and goats were O. ostertagi (26.4%), M. marshalli (64.4%) and T. circumcincta (69.2%), respectively. Phylogenetic tree was discriminative for Trichostrongylidae family, while phylogenetic analysis of the ITS2 gene represented low variations and no species identification of Haemonchidae and Cooperiidae families. Conclusions This study suggests the high prevalence and species diversity of trichostrongyloid nematodes in different ruminants, indicating the importance of implement antiparasitic strategies in north regions of Iran. As well, this study showed that the ITS2 fragment is not a discriminative marker for Haemonchidae and Cooperiidae families, and investigation of other genetic markers such as mitochondrial genes would be more valuable for better understanding of their phylogenetic relationships.

Polygala guilanica (Polygalaceae), a new species from Guilan Province, N Iran

A new species, Polygala guilanica (Polygalaceae), is described from Kooh-Roubar, Gasht-Roodkhan protected area in W Guilan province, N Iran. The new species is distinguished based on its prostrate stem; small, lanceolate, ovate and rhombic, sessile leaves; tiny pink-white flowers in lax terminal racemes; 6 or 8 stamens with sessile anthers, a filiform style and brownish seed with 3-lobed caruncle. Detailed morphological description of the new species, photographs and distribution map are provided. Polygala guilanica is compared with the morphologically closest species: P. kurdica, P. hohenackeriana and P. anatolica. An updated identification key is provided for the Iranian species.

Screening of Suspected Liquids to Alcoholic Drinks by a Qualitative Chemical Kit

Alcohol consumption is prohibited in Iran and it has caused many problems in various fields. This research is done to evaluate a new qualitative screening kit (for rapid detection of alcoholic beverages from nonalcoholic liquids) and to avoid more wasting time and money. For this purpose, the ethanol content of 839 suspected liquids prepared from the alcohol lab of legal medicine (Guilan province, Iran) was measured by a gas chromatography apparatus. At the same time, a newly designed kit based on the sulfochromic acid method was also used to separate negative samples (with ethanol equal or less than 3% volume/volume) from the others. Out of 839 samples, the ethanol content of 163 (19.43%) cases was appraised negatively. While most of the samples (676 cases or 80.57%) had ethanol more than 3% (positive results) with a mean of 21.68mg/L. Three samples (0.36%) had high levels of methanol which were interpreted as false positive due to the nonspecificity of the used method. Our results suggest the used kit has suitable efficiency for screening ethanol content of suspected liquids because the negative results of the kit have definite diagnostic value. However, a confirmative test (like gas chromatography) is needed for validation of the positive results.

The role of correlated factors based on Pender health promotion model in brushing behavior in the 13–16 years old students of Guilan, Iran

Background Tooth decay is one of the diseases that is closely related to people’s behaviors and it can have adverse effects on their performance and their success in the future. Brushing twice a day is the simplest and most effective way to reduce tooth decay. The study aim was to determining the roles of correlational factors based on the Pender’s health promotion model in brushing behavior of ninth grade students at urban public schools of Guilan province during the academic year 2019. Methods The present study was cross-sectional and had a descriptive-analytical type. We performed the multi-stage random sampling on 761 ninth-grade students (374 girls and 387 boys) at urban public schools of six counties (ten cities) of Guilan province in 2019. The primary tool was a questionnaire on oral health behaviors focusing on brushing behavior. In the present study, which was conducted only on brushing behavior, we revised and changed the initial questionnaire during the sessions of the research team, and then confirmed its validity and reliability. The questionnaire consisted of three parts, demographic characteristics, constructs of health promotion model, and brushing behavior. We analyzed data in SPSS 21 using regression models. Results 20.1% of students brushed their teeth at least twice a day. Optimal behavior had a statistically significant relationship with parents’ education level, and gender. Based on the regression model, the health promotion model constructs described 58% of the variance of the commitment to plan of action. Perceived self-efficacy, situational influences, and perceived barriers of action had significantly stronger relationships with commitment to plan of action respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that one-unit increase in scores of commitment to plan of action and self-efficacy increased the chance of desired behavior by 12 and 14% respectively. Conclusion Due to the low rate of brushing behavior in the students and the predictive power of the health promotion model in brushing behavior, we suggest planning and implementation of educational interventions for this group with an emphasis on influencing the commitment to plan of action, self-efficacy, and also the level of knowledge.

Prevalence and Incidence of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in Guilan Province

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Guilan Province) and to compare the standardized prevalence by the factor of age in this province. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional design that was conducted in 2018 at the Guilan MS Society (GMSS) on people with multiple sclerosis and examined the 654 people with multiple sclerosis case. In this study, the trend of MS disease was examined from 2009 to 2019 and in order to investigate the rate of cumulative incidence of the disease, new cases were defined based on the date of diagnosis of the disease from the beginning of 2018. Data collection was performed using a checklist that was collected during the GMSS registration by a registrar in the form of a structured interview. Prevalence rate was compared between different subgroups using Chi-Square and Fisher's exact tests. Field characteristics were described by using absolute and relative frequency indices or mean and standard deviation using Stata 13 and SPSS 19 statistical software. Results: The results showed that 71.4% of all patients were female. The mean age of the patients was 36.5 years and the highest frequency of MS was observed in the age group of 30-40. The MS patients lived in the urban were 81%. The highest initial manifestations of people with multiple sclerosis were reported in numbness or tingling, vision problems, weakness, other symptoms, and walking (Gait) difficulties, respectively. The highest prevalence of MS was in Lahijan and then Rasht and Astaneh-ye Ashrafiyeh citie.. Conclusion: From the results of this study, it is concluded that there is no significant difference between the prevalence rate in Guilan Province and the standardized rate with the age adjustment based on the WHO standard population, although no analytical comparison has been performed in this study.