Detection of different variants of SARS-CoV-2 RNA (genome) on inanimate surfaces in high-touch public environmental surfaces.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) disease started in late 2019 and still continues as a global pandemic, spreading among people around the world. There is limited knowledge about the role of contaminated environmental surfaces, especially high-touch public surfaces, in the transmission of the disease. The objective of the present investigation was detection of different variants (Delta, UK, and Omicron) of SARS-CoV-2 RNA (genome) on inanimate surfaces in high-touch public environmental surfaces in different seasons. Automated teller machines of banks (ATM), point-of-sale (POS) machine, gas station pump nozzles, and escalator handrails of malls were selected as high-touch environmental surfaces in public places. Overall, 75 samples were collected from these places and examined for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA (genome), and 21 samples (28%) were positive. Although the role of fomite transmission of COVID-19 is understood, more studies should be conducted to determine the virus survival rate as well as the required efforts to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 such as frequent cleaning and the use of efficient disinfectants on environmental surfaces, especially high-touch public places. In conclusion, the results address the importance of touching contaminated inanimate objects as well as transmission through environmental surfaces, and they could be used to establish an effective protocol to prevent indirect environmental transmission of SARS-CoV-2, slow down the spread of the virus, and reduce the risk of infection.

The effects of normal vaginal birth simulation training on the clinical skills of midwifery students: a quasi-experiment study.

BACKGROUND: Vaginal birth management is vital to midwifery education and practice in which midwives are most likely to be directly involved. This situation requires strong cognitive, technical, communicational, and teamwork skills. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of normal vaginal birth simulation training before formal clinical education on the clinical skills of midwifery students compared with routine clinical education. METHODS: This quasi-experimental study was conducted at the Shoushtar Faculty of Medical Sciences from September 2018 to August 2021. Sixty-one midwifery students participated in the intervention group (n = 31) and in the control group (n = 30). The intervention group participated in the simulation-based training before entering the formal clinical education courses. The control group received no simulation-based training before their formal clinical education. The clinical skills of these students for performing normal vaginal birth in the real field were evaluated by observational examination in the three years (fourth, fifth, and sixth semesters). Data were analyzed by descriptive (mean, SD, and percentage) and inferential statistics (independent t-test and chi-square). A P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: The mean score of midwives' skills in the control group was (28.10 ± 3.42) and in the intervention group, it was (31.15 ± 4.30). The difference in the skill score between the groups was statistically significant (3.40 ± 0.68). The results showed that in the intervention group, 29 students (93.93%) were evaluated from a good to an excellent level, while only ten students (32.71%) in the control group achieved a good level, and others (n = 30) were evaluated at a low level (p < .001). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study indicated that the simulation situation for critical skills, such as vaginal birth skills, was significantly more effective than workplace-based learning situations.

Side Effects Comparison of Coronavirus Vaccines Among Healthcare Workers in Shoushtar, Iran.

Objective: Vaccination is one of the effective ways to fight against COVID-19 disease. Various vaccines have been designed during the coronavirus pandemic. Each of the used vaccines has beneficial effects as well as side effects. Healthcare workers were among the first vaccinated persons against COVID-19 in different countries. The current study aims to compare the side effects of AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Bharat, and Sputnik V on healthcare workers in Iran. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted from July 2021 to January 2022 on 1639 healthcare workers who received the COVID-19 vaccines. Data were collected using a checklist that contained questions related to systemic, local, and severe side effects of the vaccine. The collected data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis, Chi-square, and trend chi-square. P < .05 was regarded as a significant statistical difference. Results: The most commonly injected vaccines were Sinopharm (41.80%), Sputnik V (36.65%), AstraZeneca (17.75%), and Bharat (3.80%), respectively. At least 37.5% of participants reported one complication. The most common side effects after 72 hours of the first and second doses were as follows: injection site pain, fatigue, fever, myalgia, headache, and chill. Overall complication rates were reported as follows: AstraZeneca (91.4%), Sputnik V (65.9%), Sinopharm (56.8%), and Bharat (98.4%). Bharat showed the highest overall side effects, while Sinopharm had the lowest overall side effects. Also, our results indicated that individuals with a previous history of positive COVID-19 infection had a higher rate of overall complications. Conclusions: The majority of participants did not show life-threatening side effects after the injection of 1 of the 4 studied vaccines. Since it was well accepted and tolerable by the participants, it can be used widely and safely against SARS-CoV-2.

The effects of Ziziphus Spina leaves' Hydro-Alcoholic Extract Vaginal Cream and Clotrimazole on Candida albicans in Wistar Rats.

Background: In vitro, Ziziphus Spina-Christi (ZSC) leaves have been shown to have antimicrobial and antifungal effects. This study aimed to examine the effects of Ziziphus Spina leaves hydro-alcoholic extracts with Clotrimazole against Candida albicans in female rats. Methods: Four groups of rats were infected vaginally with C. Albicans, and 1 group not infected was considered negative control. The infected groups received the following treatments: 2 groups were treated with vaginal 5%, or 10%, of Ziziphus Spina extract creams. One group received 1% clotrimazole, and 1 group did not receive any treatment considered a positive control. Results: The mean number of colony-forming units (CFUs) before the intervention was 195.83 ± 395.126 in the 5% ZSC group, 346.33 ± 396.719 in the 10% ZSC group, 345.17 ± 507.431 in the clotrimazole group, 212.20 ± 148.304 in the positive control group (P = .604), and 0 in the negative control group (P = .003). After 1 week, the average number of CFUs considerably dropped to 65.14 ± 36.03 in the 5% ZSC group, 1.43 ± 3.60 in the 10% ZSC group, and 0.43 ± 1.13 in the clotrimazole group. The number in the positive control group remained unchanged (212.20 ± 148.304) (P = .005). After 2 weeks, the average number of CFUs was 0 in the 10% ZSC group, Clotrimazole and negative control groups and was 4.57 ± 23.99 in the 5% ZSC group (P < .001). Conclusions: Our findings indicated that the effectiveness of Vaginal creams containing 10% Ziziphus Spina is similar to Clotrimazole in eliminating C. Albicans.

Machine learning approach for automated predicting of COVID-19 severity based on clinical and paraclinical characteristics: Serum levels of zinc, calcium, and vitamin D.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Considering that no standard therapy has yet been found for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), identifying severe cases as early as possible, and such that treatment procedures can be escalated seems necessary. Hence, the present study aimed to develop a machine learning (ML) approach for automated severity assessment of COVID-19 based on clinical and paraclinical characteristics like serum levels of zinc, calcium, and vitamin D. METHODS: In this analytical cross-sectional study which was conducted from May 2020 to May 2021, clinical and paraclinical data sets of COVID-19-positive patients with known outcomes were investigated by combining statistical comparison and correlation methods with ML algorithms, including Decision Tree (DT), Random Forest (RF), and Support Vector Machine (SVM). RESULTS: Our work revealed that some patients' characteristics including age, gender, cardiovascular diseases as an underlying condition, and anorexia as disease symptoms, and also some parameters which are measurable in blood samples including FBS and serum levels of calcium are factors that can be considered in predicting COVID-19 severity. In this regard, we developed ML predictive models that indicated accuracy and precision scores >90% for disease severity prediction. The SVM algorithm indicated better results than other algorithms by having a precision of 95.5%, recall of 94%, F1 score of 94.8%, the accuracy of 95%, and AUC of 94%. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that clinical and paraclinical features like calcium serum levels can be used for automated severity assessment of COVID-19.

Follow-up the severity of abnormalities diagnosed in chest CT imaging of COVID-19 patients: A cross-sectional study.

Background and Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the severity of diagnosed lung abnormalities of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients based on the pre-and postrecovery follow-up chest computed tomography (CT) scan findings done at regular intervals. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in three phases. The severity of lung abnormalities was recorded and compared based on the initial and follow-up chest CT findings carried out pre-and at regular intervals (3 and 6 months) of postrecovery of COVID-19 patients. Statistical data analysis was conducted using SPSS-Version 26. Pearson Chi-square test was used to analyze the results. p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Regarding the initial chest CT findings, although ground-glass opacity (GGO) was observed as the most common lung lesion, almost all the evaluated COVID-19 patients had multiple lung lesions and involvements, especially with more involvement of the lower lobes. concerning the frequency of lung lesions and involvements in all phases of the study, almost no statistically significant differences were observed between male and female COVID-19 patients and different age groups. However, older age groups had relatively more lung abnormalities due to Covid-19 based on initial CT images which take more time to be eliminated. Lung abnormalities of Covid-19 patients decreased significantly during the follow ups based on chest CT findings at different study phases. Conclusion: According to evaluated pre- and post-recovery chest CT scans, the frequency of lung lesions and lung involvement distribution decreased significantly in COVID-19 patients, 3 and 6 months after recovery, and most of the recovered patients had no lung lesions or involvement anymore.

The Prevalence, Subtypes and Obstetric Risk Factors of Urinary Incontinence in Reproductive Age Women Referred to Community Health Care Centers of Dezful, Iran- 2015.

BACKGROUND: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common health problem and has a profound effect on the quality of life and psychosocial aspects of the affected women. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of UI in reproductive age women. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 2000 reproductive age women from February to June 2015. The women were selected from all of the primary health care centers of Dezful, using easy access sampling method. Body mass index (BMI) was measured and data were collected by demographic, detailed information regarding obstetric and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire- Urinary incontinence - Short Form(ICIQ-SF) ICIQ-SF questionnaires. RESULTS: The women's mean age was 33.6±8, and 57.7% (1154) of them reported UI. The prevalence of UI subtypes was recorded in 38.2% (441) stress UI (SUI), 44.9% (518) mixed UI, and 16.9% (195) urge UI. There was a significant association between the mean of pregnancies, mean of deliveries, mode of delivery, abortion, neonate>4 kg, irregular menstruation and UI (P<0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age, irregular menstruation and vaginal delivery increased the risk of UI in this age group. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that a significant proportion of reproductive age women were undiagnosed with UI and MUI was the most common type of UI in this age group. Regular menstruation was a protective factor but older age and vaginal delivery were risk factors for UI in this study.