Recurrent arthritis by Candida glabrata, a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge.

Infectious arthritis due to Candida glabrata is very rare. A 40-year-old Iranian man had developed a painful swelling on the left knee since a year ago. A surgery (meniscectomy) was performed on his knee. However, in follow-up visit after 2 months, the patient's condition was deteriorated. Direct examination of synovial fluid with Gram and hematoxylin-eosin stains were negative for any bacterial or fungal infection or crystal elements; however, inoculation into BACTEC™ Mycosis IC/F and Plus Aerobic/F culture bottles led to the isolation of a yeast strain. The macroscopic examination on CHROMagar™ Candida medium combined with microscopical examination on CMT80 agar made a presumptive identification of the isolate to be considered as C. glabrata, and it was later on confirmed by ITS sequencing. Initial empirical treatment was started with intravenous amphotericin B for 4 weeks followed by oral itraconazole which was unsuccessful. Prescription of an oral 150-mg tablet of fluconazole was considered for a 2-month course. All symptoms completely declined, and no recurrence of infection was detected. Antifungal susceptibility testing (AFST) was performed for this isolate, and the result showed sensitivity to both amphotericin B and itraconazole and less susceptibility to fluconazole while clinical recovery was achieved by fluconazole. In any suspected clinical case caused by infectious agents, application of an effective fungal diagnostic test should be considered to avoid complications due to misdiagnosis. The correlation of AFST result with real in vivo therapeutic responses can be strain or patient dependent, and this should be considered for a successive treatment.

Association between vitamin D level and prognostic factors among patients infected with SARS-CoV-2.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to evaluate the presence of any relationship between vitamin D and prognostic factors among patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted among patients admitted from March to August 2020 in a referral hospital, Tehran, Iran. All patients aged 18-65 who had not any comorbidity participated in the study. The diagnosis of COVID-19 was established using the rRT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 detection. Then the incidence of lung involvement and biochemical markers including vitamin D level, c-reactive protein, D-dimer, lymphocyte count, platelet count, white blood cell count, and lactic acid dehydrogenase, were extracted through medical records. RESULTS: Altogether, 84 patients met our study criteria, and the information of 68 (80.9%) participants were collected. Among all 68 patients, 45 (66.2%) were male. The mean (SD) age of all participants was 52.4 (10.4) years old. Among 24 (35.2%) clients who died due to SARS-CoV-2, 20 (83.3%) patients were male (p=0.02). The mean (SD) of vitamin D level was 24.1 (13.6) ng/dL. No association between vitamin D level and prognostic factors, including CRP, lymphocyte count, D-dimer, LDH, and HRCT scan score, was observed. Also, the vitamin D level of the dead patients was not significantly different from that of the treated patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicated no significant relationship between vitamin D level and prognostic factors or outcomes of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Cost and effectiveness analysis of the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches of group A Streptococcus pharyngitis management in Iran.

BACKGROUND: A sore throat is one of the common causes behind visits to the physician and antibiotic overtreatment in the world, especially in Iran. There are six ways of approaching pharyngitis patients. It is necessary to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis and find the best approach in all situations on group A streptococcus (GAS) pharyngitis management to propose a pharyngitis guideline. METHOD: The decision tree of managing pharyngitis and its complications was drawn. The probability of every status and the branches of the tree were derived from the literature, and the cost of related diseases and complications were calculated based on the dossiers of the patients in two main pediatric central hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Further, cost-effectiveness, sensitivity, and threshold analyses were conducted to find out the best management strategy. Moreover, for a situation analysis of pharyngitis management in Iran, a questionnaire was designed and given to general practitioners and pediatricians; 130 subjects responded to it. The results were then analyzed. RESULTS: The rapid test antigen (RTA) and culture strategy were proved to have the highest effect on the quality-adjusted life year. In addition, a less expensive strategy was solely observed to be the RTA. The worst effect gained (most quality-adjusted lost days) was, however, from the "treat none" strategy. CONCLUSION: According to our cost-effectiveness analysis, the best management of pharyngitis occurs in RTA alone, followed slightly by culture strategies; the "RTA then culture if needed" and "RTA and culture" approaches become possible options after them. The "treat all" and "treat none" approaches, however, were not proper strategies in any case.

The effect of macroeconomic indicators on health-care expenditure in Iran.

INTRODUCTION: A sharp increase in expenditure is one of the challenges of the health system in Iran. Every macroeconomic variable affects health, and if it is disregarded, it will lead to higher macrobudgets. Physical and mental health as well as the use of health services change according to the macroeconomic conditions and business cycles (boom and recession). The present study aimed to determine the effect of macroeconomic indicators on health expenditure. METHODS: This study was descriptive analytical. The required data related to macroeconomic indicators and health expenditure in public and private sectors were collected during 1995-2014. The data were analyzed using the time series models in econometrics, Vector Auto Regression, and Granger causality technique. RESULTS: The results of this study indicated that health expenditure has a positive bilateral relationship with gross domestic production (GDP), gross national production, national income, and national consumption. On the contrary, expenditure has a negative bilateral relationship with liquidity rate and inflation rate. In addition, budget deficit has a negative unilateral relationship with health expenditure while population rate has a positive unilateral relationship with health expenditure. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicated the increase of health expenditure in Iran that GDP is the most critical determining factor of health expenditure. In general, the total expenditure in the health sector in the world increases when the countries become richer. In line with the increase of resources, innovative financing methods and efficiency improvement are required for providing basic health services in low-income countries.

Epidemiological Distribution and Genotype Characterization of the Hepatitis C Virus Among HIV Patients in Kashan, Iran.

BACKGROUND: Parenteral transmission is a common route of transmission for both human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV); therefore, hepatitis C viral infection is highly prevalent among people infected with HIV. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to examine the epidemiology and describe the clinical manifestation as well as the HCV genotypes in patients from the city of Kashan, Iran, who are coinfected with HIV and HCV. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This descriptive study was conducted in 2014 in the city of Kashan. The population consisted of all the HIV-infected patients who were referred to the behavioral counseling center and jail in Kashan. Demographic information and HCV- and HIV-related risk behaviors were obtained through the use of an interviewer-assisted questionnaire. After the participants gave written informed consent to participate, 10 cc venous blood samples were collected. The serum samples were screened for HCV infection using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In the event of a positive test for HCV, the RNA was then amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. The HCV subtypes were determined via the direct sequencing of the amplicons. All data analysis was performed using SPSS version 16.0 for the descriptive statistics, and then the chi-square test and Pearson coefficient were performed for additional analysis. RESULTS: The results of the analysis indicated that 54 (85%) of the 63 HIV-infected patients were males who were also HCV positive and who had less than a high school level education. There was a significant association between HCV infection and both occupation (P < 0.0001) and level of education (P < 0.05). All the HIV/HCV coinfected cases had a history of illicit drug use, while 92.6% had a history of imprisonment and 40.7% had high risk sexual contacts. Overall, genotype 1 was found in 75.9% of HCV patients, while genotype 3 was found in 24.1%. Some 94.4% of HCV patients had subtype A. There were no clinical symptoms of chronic hepatitis C. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of HIV-infected persons in the city of Kashan were also HCV positive. Genotype 1 was the predominant type, alongside subtype A. Considering the high prevalence of HCV among the HIV-infected persons, as well as the impact of occupation, education, illicit drug use, and imprisonment on the incidence of both infections, health policy makers must introduce health programs and plans to reduce the prevalence of these infections.

Determination of Tetanus Antibody Levels in Trauma Patients Referred To Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Kashan, Iran, 2014.

BACKGROUND: There is a noticeable difference in serologic immune status against tetanus among different age and social groups in various countries due to different national vaccination policies and methods. OBJECTIVES: Considering that the immunization status of trauma patients against tetanus is not-known or uncertain and they may need to receive the vaccine and tetabulin, this study was conducted to determine the tetanus antibody levels in patients referred to the trauma emergency ward of Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Kashan City, Iran. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on 204 trauma patients referred to the trauma emergency ward of Shahid Beheshti hospital in Kashan City, Iran, in 2014. After obtaining a written informed consent from the patients, a questionnaire consisted of demographic information and tetanus vaccination record was completed by the patients. Afterwards, a 4 - 5 mL venous blood sample was taken from each patient and the tetanus antibody level (IgG) was measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. The tetanus antibody levels equal or more than 0.1 IU/mL were considered protective. Data were analyzed using chi-square test, independent t-test and one-way ANOVA with SPSS software version 16. RESULTS: From a total of 204 patients, 35 cases (16.7%) were females and 169 (83.2%) were males with the mean age of 40.9 ± 3.7 years. There was no statistically significant difference in the tetanus antibody levels between both sexes (P = 0.09). Moreover, there was no significant difference in immunization status between the patients who had a history of tetanus vaccination and those who had not received the vaccine before (P = 0.67). The antibody levels were significantly reduced with the passage of time since the last vaccination (P < 0.001). Also, 87.3% of the patients had the high protective level of immunity to tetanus. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the present study show a high level of tetanus antibody among trauma patients in this hospital; so, taking the tetanus vaccine history can be misleading. It is suggested that further studies be performed in different regions of our country and with larger sample sizes and detection of the immunization status of patients by measuring anti-tetanus antibody levels among trauma patients is recommended to make suitable policy for a national vaccine protocol in the future.

Characterization of CTX-M-Type Extend-Spectrum ß-Lactamase Producing Klebsiella spp. in Kashan, Iran.

CONTEXT: The CTX-M family consists of more than 50 ß-lactamases, which are grouped on the basis of sequences into five subtypes including CTX-M-1, CTX-M-2, CTX-M-8, CTX-M-9 and CTX-M-25. OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to detect subtypes of CTX-M extended-spectrum ß-lactamases (ESBLs) among ESBL positive Klebsiella isolates from patients in Kashan, Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 100 clinical isolates of Klebsiella were collected and the isolates, which showed resistance or reduced susceptibility to cefotaxime, ceftazidime and/or aztreonam by the disk diffusion method were selected. These isolates were identified as ESBL-producing isolates by double disk synergy tests using clavulanic acid, cefotaxime, ceftazidime and aztreonam. The blaCTX-M type determinants were identified by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method followed by DNA sequencing. RESULTS: Of the 100 Klebsiella isolates, 41 (41%) demonstrated resistance or reduced susceptibility to ceftazidime and/or aztreonam and 35% (n = 35) were ESBL-producers. Twenty-eight (8o%) of the ESBL-producing isolates carried the blaCTX-M type genes. Based on PCR assays and sequencing of blaCTX-M genes, CTX-M-1, CTX-M-2 and CTX-M-9 were identified in 21 (60%), 15 (42%) and nine (34%) of these isolates, respectively (GenBank accession numbers KJ803828-KJ803829). CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that the frequency of blaCTX-M genes among Klebsiella isolates in our region is at an alarming rate. Also, we found a high prevalence of blaCTX-M-1 ß-lactamase in Klebsiella isolates in Kashan.

Prevalence of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen in Pregnant Women in Beheshti Hospital of Kashan, Isfahan.

BACKGROUND: The transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is parenteral, sexual and prenatal. Prevention of vertical transmission of HBV is extremely important, because HBV infection in early life usually results in a chronic carrier state. There has been so much debate about hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) screening in pregnant women. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HBsAg+ among pregnant women referred to Beheshti hospital in Kashan in 2012. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This descriptive study was carried out on 768 pregnant women, hospitalized in Beheshti Hospital of Kashan in 2012. After obtaining consent forms, the questionnaires including demographic and HBV infection-associated risk factors were filled through interview and then 5 mL blood was taken from each patient and HBsAg was examined by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. These data were analyzed by statistical package for the social science (SPSS) software. RESULTS: A total of 12 (1.56%) out of 768 pregnant women were HBsAg+. The mean age of HBsAg+ cases was 24.5 ± 4 years. Most of the HBsAg+ cases (66.6%) were uneducated; 17.7% of the pregnant women were not Iranian, of which 7.4% were HBsAg+. There was no high-risk job, recent dentistry interruption or skin tattoo among the HBsAg+ cases. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, 1.56% of pregnant women were HBsAg+, which was higher than the previous studies. This increasing prevalence may be due to the increase of non-Iranians' migrations to Iran. Control of migration and screening and vaccination of these groups should be considered by health policy makers.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Methods Used to Control Liver Bleeding: A Review.

CONTEXT: Despite advancements in the science of surgery, minimizing bleeding from parenchymal tissue of the liver continues to be one of the challenges surgeons are facing to protect patients' lives. However, the number of surgeries needing incisions in the liver tissue, e.g. metastatectomy, is constantly increasing. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A MEDLINE and conventional search of the past 50 years of the medical literature was performed to identify relevant articles on hemostasis in the liver parenchymal tissue. RESULTS: The studies that have been published on hemostasis in the liver parenchymal tissue can be classified into 3 categories: 1. surgical procedures; 2. methods affecting body hemodynamic; 3. pharmacological methods. The purpose of these studies are to identify the best therapeutic approaches that not only minimize the bleeding, but also save the maximum amount of the liver tissue and minimize the use of partial liver resections. CONCLUSIONS: The excessive blood loss and the long time needed to control the bleeding during liver surgery impose several side effects and complications on patients. Topical hemostatic agents such as ferric chloride, potassium aluminum sulfate (alum) and aluminum chloride are safely applicable in patients. These agents might be used along with other current methods to minimize the blood loss and the need for blood products during liver surgeries.