A comprehensive study on the spatial and temporal variation of BTEX and asbestos in the northwest of Iran: Human risk assessment.

Substances like asbestos and other air pollutants, such as BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene), are hazardous compounds due to their adverse effects on human health. This study aims to investigate the levels, seasonal variations, spatial distribution, potential sources, and associated health risks associated with BTEX compounds and asbestos fibers in the ambient air of Tabriz. Air samples were taken at 16 different locations during the 2020-2021 period. Glass containers with charcoal were used for sample collection, and the BTEX content was determined using the GC-FID method. Phase-contrast microscopy (PCM) analysis was conducted with a low-volume peripheral pump for asbestos fiber sampling. The results showed that the average concentration of ∑BTEX was 37.94 and 27.98 µg/m3 in autumn and spring, respectively. The same parameter was 2.26 and 1.68 f/L for asbestos in the autumn and winter, respectively. The contribution of BTEX to ozone formation potential (OFP) in the research area showed that xylene and toluene were the major contributors to ozone production in different seasons. The risk of exposure to benzene compounds was 24 × 10-4 in children and 55.9 × 10-4 in adults, while the risk of exposure to ethylbenzene was 3.78 × 10-4 in children and 3.25 × 10-4 in adults. The estimated lifetime cancer risk was found to be the highest for benzene, followed by ethylbenzene. The estimated cancer risk for benzene and ethylbenzene exceeded the threshold values set by EPA, which signals a significant carcinogenic risk due to exposure to these substances in the ambient air of Tabriz. According to the EPA guidelines, the low carcinogenicity risk levels are between 10-4 and 10-6. According to the findings for the exposure to asbestos fibers, the maximum values of excess cancer risk (ECR) and estimated lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) were observed in the 16-30 age range across all locations, suggesting increased exposure to asbestos fibers compared to other age groups.

Shannon entropy of performance metrics to choose the best novel hybrid algorithm to predict groundwater level (case study: Tabriz plain, Iran).

Predicting groundwater level (GWL) fluctuations, which act as a reserve water reservoir, particularly in arid and semi-arid climates, is vital in water resources management and planning. Within the scope of current research, a novel hybrid algorithm is proposed for estimating GWL values in the Tabriz plain of Iran by combining the artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm with newly developed nature-inspired Coot and Honey Badger metaheuristic optimization algorithms. Various combinations of meteorological data such as temperature, evaporation, and precipitation, previous GWL values, and the month and year values of the data were used to evaluate the algorithm's success. Furthermore, the Shannon entropy of model performance was assessed according to 44 different statistical indicators, classified into two classes: accuracy and error. Hence, based on the high value of Shannon entropy, the best statistical indicator was selected. The results of the best model and the best scenario were analyzed. Results indicated that value of Shannon entropy is higher for the accuracy class than error class. Also, for accuracy and error class, respectively, Akaike information criterion (AIC) and residual sum of squares (RSS) indexes with the highest entropy value which is equal to 12.72 and 7.3 are the best indicators of both classes, and Legate-McCabe efficiency (LME) and normalized root mean square error-mean (NRMSE-Mean) indexes with the lowest entropy value which is equal to 3.7 and - 8.3 are the worst indicators of both classes. According to the evaluation best indicator results in the testing phase, the AIC indicator value for HBA-ANN, COOT-ANN, and the standalone ANN models is equal to - 344, - 332.8, and - 175.8, respectively. Furthermore, it was revealed that the proposed metaheuristic algorithms significantly improve the performance of the standalone ANN model and offer satisfactory GWL prediction results. Finally, it was concluded that the Honey Badger optimization algorithm showed superior results than the Coot optimization algorithm in GWL prediction.

Microscopic and Molecular Identification of Cyclospora cayetanensis and Cystoisospora belli in HIV-Infected People in Tabriz, Northwest of Iran.

Opportunistic pathogens such as Cryptosporidium, Cystoisospora belli, and Cyclospora cayetanensis cause various gastrointestinal and non-digestive disorders in people with HIV/AIDS. These symptoms are especially severe in HIV-infected people who have a CD4+ count of less than 200 cells/mL. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of C. belli and C. cayetanensis infections among people living with HIV in Tabriz, northwest of Iran. This descriptive study was performed on 137 people with HIV who had been referred to behavioral disease counseling centers in Tabriz. Then, after receiving written consent, fecal samples were collected and evaluated for the detection of parasitic infections using direct methods and modified acid fast staining, as well as polymerase chain reaction (PCR).From the 137 fecal samples collected (98 males and 39 females, between 20 and 40 years old), 1.5% were positive for C. cayetanensis and 2.9% were positive for C. belli. Due to the prevalence of C. cayetanensis and C. belli in people with HIV in Tabriz, essential measures, including personal hygiene training for infection control and prevention, seem necessary.

Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA contamination in water supply resources of Tabriz metropolitan during a peak of COVID-19 pandemic.

It is crucial to have access to clean water resources during the COVID-19 pandemic for hygiene, since virus infection through wastewater leaks in metropolitan areas can be a threat. Accurate monitoring of urban water resources during the pandemic seems to be the only way to confirm safe and infected resources. Here, in this study, the amount of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2's Ribonucleic Acid (SARS-CoV-2 RNA) in the Tabriz urban water network located in the northwest of Iran was investigated by an extensive sampling of the city's water sources at a severe peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sampling process comprised a range of water sources, including wells, qanats, water treatment facilities, dams, and reservoirs. For each sample, a combination of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and sodium chloride (NaCl) was used for concentration and a laboratory RNA-based method was conducted for quantification. Before applying the extraction and quantification procedure to real samples, the proposed concentration method was verified with synthetic serum samples for the first time. After the concentration, RNA extraction was done by the BehPrep extraction column method, and Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) detection of the virus was done by Covitech COVID-19 RT-PCR kit. In none of the water supply resources, SARS-COV-2 RNA has been detected except in a sample grabbed from a well adjacent to an urban wastewater discharge point downstream. The results of molecular analysis for the positive sample showed that the CT value and concentration of the virus genome were equal to 32.57 and 5720 copies/L, respectively. Quantitative analysis of real samples shows that the city's water network was safe at the time of the study. However, given that the positive sample was exposed to wastewater leakage, periodic sampling from wells and qanats is suggested during the pandemic until it can be proven that the leakage to these water sources is impossible.

Exposure to ionizing radiations and changes in blood cells and interleukin-6 in radiation workers.

Long-term exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) can cause dire health consequences even less than the dose limits. Previous biomonitoring studies have focused more on complete blood counts (CBCs), with non-coherent results. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between exposure to IR and cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) along with hematological parameters in Tabriz megacity's radiation workers. In this hospital-based study, blood samples were taken from 33 radiation workers (exposed group) and 34 non-radiation workers (control group) in 4 hospitals. Absorbed radiation dose was measured by a personal film badge dosimeter in radiation workers. The studied biomarkers and all of the selected covariates were measured and analyzed using adjusted multiple linear regression models. The exposed doses for all radiation workers were under the dose limits (overall mean = 1.18 mSv/year). However, there was a significant association between exposure to ionizing radiation and IL-6 (49.78 vs 36.17; t = 2.4; p = 0.02) and eosinophils (0.17 vs 0.14; t = 2.02; p = 0.049). The difference between the mean of the other biomarkers in radiation workers was not statistically significant compared to the control group. This study demonstrated that long-term exposure to ionizing radiation, even under the dose limits, is related to a significantly increased level of some blood biomarkers (Il-6 and eosinophil) that, in turn, can cause subsequent health effects such as cancer.

The relationship between thermal sensation and cardiovascular patients' admission rates in Tabriz, Iran.

Atmospheric conditions in any place can affect people's health. In recent years, researchers have focused on heat stress and its effect on the exacerbation of some diseases. The main objective of this study is to identify the bioclimatic conditions and its relationship with the admission rate of cardiovascular patients in of Tabriz city. In addition to meteorological variables, daily cardiovascular patient admission rates were obtained from Shahid Madani Heart Hospital in Tabriz during the statistical period of March 27th, 2007 to February 17th, 2017. To do so, the bioclimatic conditions of Tabriz were identified on a daily scale based on bioclimatic indices including Perceived Temperature (PT), Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) and Predicted Mean Vote (PMV). Then, the relationship between each bioclimatic condition and the number of cardiovascular patients' referrals in Tabriz was investigated using Kruskal-Wallis test. Findings illustrated that the impact of cold stress in the rate of cardiovascular patients was more than that of the warm stress, which was obtained for all study indicators in a similar way. On the other hand, the results showed that based on PET and PMV indices, there is a significant difference between various bioclimatic classes in the rate of cardiovascular patients' admission. The results of Kruskal-Wallis test include Sig = 0.040 and Sig = 0.049 for PET and PMV, respectively. However, Sig values for and PT indice showed no significant difference between bioclimatic classes in the rate of admission of cardiovascular patients. Generally, it was found that there is a significant difference (Sig = 0.000) between the three classes of bioclimatic cold, warm and comfort with the number of hospital admissions of cardiovascular patients.

Ambient air pollutants and respiratory health outcomes in Tabriz and Urmia, two metropolises of Iran.

Polluted air affects human life and it is crucial to assess air pollutants to inform policy and protect human lives. In this study, we sought to assess the respiratory outcomes associated with PM10, O3, SO2, and NO2 in the Iranian population. The required data, which included concentrations of air pollutants, meteorology, and population size, were obtained from the department of environment and meteorological organizations. The validity of the data was evaluated, and appropriate calculations were conducted on the data to extract the required values and parameters for modeling (using the AirQ2.2.3). This study was conducted in two megacities of Iran (Tabriz and Urmia) with over 2 million population. The annual averages of SO2, NO2, and PM10 concentrations were 9, 73, and 43 µg/m3 in Tabriz and 76, 29, and 76 µg/m3 in Urmia, respectively. Excess deaths from respiratory diseases associated with PM10 and SO2 were estimated to be 33.1 and 1.2 cases in Tabriz and 31.6 and 24.7 cases in Urmia, respectively. The proportions of hospitalizations for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) attributable to SO2 and NO2 in Tabriz were 0.07% and 1.61%, respectively, whereas they were 2.84% and 0.48% in Urmia. O3 had an annual average of 56 µg/m3 in Tabriz and with 44.5 excess respiratory deaths and 42.5 excess hospital admissions for COPD, it had the greatest health impacts among the pollutants studied. Findings from this study add to the growing literature, especially from developing countries, that provides insights to help authorities and decision-makers develop and implement effective interventions to curb air pollution and save lives.

HLA alleles and haplotypes in Iran Tabriz Azeris population: genes and languages do not correlate.

Azeri people are at present day mainly living in an area which comprises North (Azerbaijan) and South (Azeri Iran provinces) parts, living the biggest population in Azeri Iran provinces with about 17-20 million people. They were studied HLA-A, -B, -DRB1 and -DQB1 allele and extended haplotype frequencies in unrelated Iranian Tabriz Azeris from a rural area close to Tabriz City. The HLA extended haplotypes with highest frequencies are: 1) HLA- A*24:02-B*35:01-DRB1*11:01-DQB1*03:01, shared with Mediterraneans and southern Russians (Chuvash, which also show Mediterranean characters); and 2) HLA-A*01:02-B*08:01-DRB1*03:01-DQB1*02:01, found also in Chuvash and other Azeri samples from Tabriz. Neí's DA HLA-DRB1 genetic distances, HLA-DRB1 Neighbour-Joining dendrogram and Vista analyses show that population with closest distance is Kurdish, followed by Iranian Gorgan and Southern Russia/ North Caucasus Chuvash; probably these latter groups and Azeris were populating North Mesopotamia/ Caucasus Mts. since prehistoric times. Kurds (in Iraq and Iran) do not speak Turk while Azeris do: they are both genetically close, but they are not genetically close to present day Anatolia (Turkey) Turks who also speak Turk language and show a typical Mediterranean HLA profile. In summary, Azeri population studies show examples that genes and languages do not correlate, contradicting the postulate asserted by others.

A scenario-based approach for urban water management in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and a case study for the Tabriz metropolitan area, Iran.

The world's poorest countries were hit hardest by COVID-19 due to their limited capacities to combat the pandemic. The urban water supply and water consumption are affected by the pandemic because it intensified the existing deficits in the urban water supply and sanitation services. In this study, we develop an integrated spatial analysis approach to investigate the impacts of COVID-19 on multi-dimensional Urban Water Consumption Patterns (UWCPs) with the aim of forecasting the water demand. We selected the Tabriz metropolitan area as a case study area and applied an integrated approach of GIS spatial analysis and regression-based autocorrelation assessment to develop the UWCPs for 2018, 2019 and 2020. We then employed GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis and a CA-Markov model to analyze the water demand under the impacts of COVID-19 and to forecast the UWCPs for 2021, 2022 and 2023. In addition, we tested the spatial uncertainty of the prediction maps using the Dempster Shafer Theory. The results show that the domestic water consumption increased by 17.57% during the year 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The maximum increase in water consumption was observed in spring 2020 (April-June) when strict quarantine regulations were in place. Based on our results, the annual water deficit in Tabriz has increased from ~18% to about 30% in 2020. In addition, our projections show that this may further increase to about 40-45% in 2021. Relevant stakeholders can use the findings to develop evidence-informed strategies for sustainable water resource management in the post-COVID era. This research also makes other significant contributions. From the environmental perspective, since COVID-19 has affected resource management in many parts of the world, the proposed method can be applied to similar contexts to mitigate the adverse impacts and developed better informed recovery plans.

Source apportionment and deposition of dustfall-bound trace elements around Tabriz, Iran.

The monthly and spatial variations of atmospheric dustfall (DF) and their elemental components were determined. The DF sampling was performed using the ASTM method D-1739 from April 2017 to March 2018 in four urban and suburb sampling sites around Tabriz, Iran. The ICP-OES was utilized for the determination of the elemental components of DF.The results showed that the level of DF varied from 1.3 to 27.6 (8.0 ± 3.4) g/m2.month during the sampling period, and the level of DF was higher in warm seasons than cold seasons. Also, it was revealed that the mean DF has a direct and significant relationship with temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity.The elements of Fe (11,997-17,093 mg/Kg and 71-81%) and Al (2903-6852 mg/Kg and 14-25%), which are the main elements of the Earth crust, were the dominant metals of DF among the analyzed elements. The lowest average value of the enrichment factor (EF) was for Al and was < 1, while the highest EF belonged to Hg, Pb, Cu, Sr, Mn, Co, Ni, and Cr, which were > 10 in all the sites, indicating that anthropogenic emission sources spread a considerable amount of trace elements in DF compared to the Lake Urmia bed or soil. The EF values for various elements (except than Cu and Hg) in cold seasons considerably increased compared to warm seasons.In all the study sites, Fe (540-1307 mg/m2.yr) had the highest deposition rates among the metals. This study revealed that the Earth crust is the main source of DF in the region.

Temporospatial variation and health risk assessment of trihalomethanes (THMs) in drinking water (northwest Iran).

Trihalomethanes (THMs) are one of the most common classes of disinfection by-products. In this study, the temporospatial trends and health risks due to exposure to THMs in the Tabriz water distribution network were investigated. THM series were analyzed using gas chromatography equipped with electron capture detector. The non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks due to exposure to THMs were calculated using Monte Carlo simulations. Mean concentrations of THMs in winter and spring were 10.2 ± 9.3 µg/l and 252 ± 185.9 µg/l, respectively. More than 80% of THMs identified were bromodichloromethane. The mean values of lifetime cancer risk (LTCR) of THMs were calculated as 4.23E-06 and 2.38E-04 for winter and spring, respectively. This study showed that there were noticeable levels of THMs in Tabriz water distribution network, especially in the center of the city. Although the non-cancer risk through THMs was below permissible recommended levels, the cancer risk likely remains due to high levels of THMs in some locations.

Extraction of Land Information, Future Landscape Changes and Seismic Hazard Assessment: A Case Study of Tabriz, Iran.

Exact land cover inventory data should be extracted for future landscape prediction and seismic hazard assessment. This paper presents a comprehensive study towards the sustainable development of Tabriz City (NW Iran) including land cover change detection, future potential landscape, seismic hazard assessment and municipal performance evaluation. Landsat data using maximum likelihood (ML) and Markov chain algorithms were used to evaluate changes in land cover in the study area. The urbanization pattern taking place in the city was also studied via synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data of Sentinel-1 ground range detected (GRD) and single look complex (SLC). The age of buildings was extracted by using built-up areas of all classified maps. The logistic regression (LR) model was used for creating a seismic hazard assessment map. From the results, it can be concluded that the land cover (especially built-up areas) has seen considerable changes from 1989 to 2020. The overall accuracy (OA) values of the produced maps for the years 1989, 2005, 2011 and 2020 are 96%, 96%, 93% and 94%, respectively. The future potential landscape of the city showed that the land cover prediction by using the Markov chain model provided a promising finding. Four images of 1989, 2005, 2011 and 2020, were employed for built-up areas' land information trends, from which it was indicated that most of the built-up areas had been constructed before 2011. The seismic hazard assessment map indicated that municipal zones of 1 and 9 were the least susceptible areas to an earthquake; conversely, municipal zones of 4, 6, 7 and 8 were located in the most susceptible regions to an earthquake in the future. More findings showed that municipal zones 1 and 4 demonstrated the best and worst performance among all zones, respectively.

Predictors of fatal outcomes in pedestrian accidents in Tabriz Metropolis of Iran: Application of PLS-DA method.

Objectives: Road traffic deaths in walking pedestrians are a global public health problem. Considering that in Iran pedestrians have a high proportion of deaths caused by traffic accidents, the objective of the present study was to investigate mortality rate and related factors of fatal injury in pedestrian crashes in Tabriz Metropolis of Iran as the largest and most populous city of the northwest of Iran.Methods: The design of this study is case-control based on police and Forensic Medicine Organization data. All registered fatal pedestrian crashes in Tabriz Metropolis from 2014 to 2015 (146 cases) were included in the study as the case group. Also, 292 pedestrians (the ratio of cases to controls was 1:2) with non-fatal crashes were considered as the control group. Due to high dimensional data and multicollinearity issue, Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was used for data analysis. Importance of the variables was determined by the VIP (Variable Importance in the Projection) index. Performance of the model was assessed by using training and test set validation method. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) and classification error rates were calculated for the test set. R software version 3.5.1 (mixOmcs packages) was used for data analysis.Results: According to the results of PLS-DA, the most important variables related to fatal outcome in pedestrian crashes with VIP > 1 were: pedestrian age (positive effect), type of vehicle (light machinery with a negative effect), kind of vehicle plate (private plate with a negative effect), season of accident occurrence (winter season with a positive effect), type of driver's licenses (Class A with a positive effect), pedestrian gender (male with a positive effect) and Fault of Pedestrian (At-fault with a positive effect). The overall accuracy for the fitted model and AUC were 0.77 and 0.79, respectively.Conclusions: The results show that predictors of a fatal outcome in pedestrian accidents in Tabriz can be attributed to the pedestrian characteristics (which notably account for differences in vulnerability in case of an accident), the car and driver features, and weather (which may all notably influence the amount of energy involved in the collision, through the car mass, speed, and conditions delaying the braking response or reducing the braking effectiveness). Regarding the statistical method, the PLS-DA is a powerful method which can be used to analyze high dimension data with multicollinearity issue.

Temporal and spatial variations of deposition and elemental composition of dust fall and its source identification around Tabriz, Iran.

Coarse particles are primarily deposited via sedimentation, commonly referred as dust fall (DF). This study presented the monthly and spatial variations of atmospheric DF and their elemental components (Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, Sr, Ti, V, Si, and Hg). Dust samples were collected from four urban and suburban sampling sites around Tabriz, Iran, by using the ASTM method D-1739 during April to September 2017. Moreover, the ICP-OES was used to determine metal components of the DF. The obtained results showed that the DF amount ranged between 1.8-27.6 (7.4 ± 5.6) g/m2.month. The elements of Fe (11863-13,906 mg/Kg and 85%-89%), Al (858-1205 mg/Kg and 4%-8%), and Si (274-386 mg/Kg) were the dominant elemental concentrations of the DF. The average value of enrichment factor (EF) for Hg, Pb, Cu, Sr, Co, Ni, Mn, and V was greater than 10 in all the samples, showing that anthropogenic sources emit a considerable amount of elements in DF rather than the soil or Urmia lake bed. The result of correlations between the concentration of dust fall with humidity, temperature, wind speed, and precipitation showed that there was a direct relationship between the amount of dust fall and wind speed while humidity, precipitation, and temperature were inversely proportional to the amount of dust fall. This study revealed that earth crust and anthropogenic activities such as vehicle traffic, combustion of fossil fuel, and different industrial activities were the main sources of the DF in the studied areas.

Effect of age, sex, and season on the prevalence of Linguatula serrata infestation in mesenteric lymph nodes of goats slaughtered in Tabriz, Iran.

This research was conducted to determine the prevalence and intensity of infection with nymphs of Linguatula serrata in mesenteric lymph nodes of the goats from northwest of Iran. Moreover, the intensity of infection of mesenteric lymph nodes was compared based on gross appearance and the morphological changes in these nodes. In addition, the effects of age, sex, and season on the prevalence of Linguatula serrata were assessed. In this study, mesenteric lymph nodes (n = 16,284) were randomly collected from 2132 goats slaughtered in the abattoir of Tabriz, Iran, from September 2013 to September 2017. The samples were categorized based on their gross appearance (color and consistency) and then were cut into small pieces and immersed in normal saline (0.9% NaCl) solution and left for 5 to 6 h to allow nymphs to come out from the tissue. The results showed that 1241 out of total 2132 (58. 2%) goats and 9282 out of total 16,284 mesenteric lymph nodes (57%) were infested with the nymphal stage of Linguatula serrata. It was also revealed that the infestation rate was age-dependent: as the goats grow older, the infestation increases. Further, the prevalence of Linguatula serrata nymphs in the mesenteric lymph nodes in various seasons was not significant (P > 0.05). The prevalence of infestation rate in female goats was significantly higher than of male goats (P < 0.05). Besides, the infestation rate in the black-colored lymph nodes (75.88%) was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those of hemorrhagic nodes (54.94%) and normal-colored nodes (22.65%). Moreover, the infestation rate of nymphs in the soft lymph nodes (83.91%) was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those in normal (21.85%) and hard (32.43%) lymph nodes. Given the fact that the Linguatula serrata is a zoonotic parasite; thus, the inspection process should be meticulously done in an abattoir, especially in areas where residents consume raw or under-cooked liver and/or visceral organs of herbivores.

The identification of risk factors associated with patient and healthcare system delays in the treatment of tuberculosis in Tabriz, Iran.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious health concern, particularly in developing countries. Various delays, such as patient delay (PD) and healthcare system delay (HSD) in the TB process, are exacerbating the disease burden and increasing the rates of transmission and mortality in various global communities. Therefore, the aim of this study is to identify risk factors associated with PD and HSD in TB patients in Tabriz, Iran. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 173 TB patients in Tabriz, Iran from 2012 to 2014. Patients were interviewed with a semi-structured questionnaire. Frequencies and percentages were reported for patient categories of sex, age, and education. The median and interquartile range (IQR) were reported for the time intervals of delays. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions of delay in respect to socio-demographic and clinical variables were performed. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: The median values for delays were 53 days for HSD (IQR = 73) and 13 days for PD (IQR = 57). Odds ratios (OR) associated with PD were: employed vs. unemployed (OR = 5.86, 95% CI: 1.59 to 21.64); public hospitals vs. private hospitals (OR = 2.64, 95% CI: 1.01 to 6.85); ≥ 3 vs. < 3 visits to health facilities before correct diagnosis (OR = 2.35, 95% CI: 1.08 to 5.11); and male vs. female (OR = 2.28, 95% CI: 1.29 to 4.39). The OR associated with HSD were: ≥ 3 vs. < 3 visits to health facilities before correct diagnosis (OR = 9.44, 95% CI: 4.50 to 19.82), without vs. with access to TB diagnostic services (OR = 3.56, 95% CI: 1.85 to 6.83), and misdiagnosis as cold or viral infection vs. not (OR = 2.62, 95% CI: 1.40 to 4.91). CONCLUSIONS: The results provide for an important understanding of the risk factors associated with PD and HSD. One of the major recommendations is to provide more TB diagnostic knowledge and tools to primary health providers and correct diagnoses for patients during their initial visit to the health care facilities. The knowledge generated from this study will be helpful for prioritizing and developing strategies for minimizing delays, initiating early treatment to TB patients, and improving TB-related training programs and healthcare systems in Tabriz, Iran.

Frequency of anti-Chlamydia trachomatis antibodies in infertile women referred to Tabriz Al-Zahra hospital.

BACKGROUND: Infertility is one of the major issues in society and its incidence is estimated to be almost 10-15%. Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) is an important cause of sexually transmitted diseases leading to infertility. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to determine the frequency of anti-C. trachomatis antibodies in infertile women at Al-zahra hospital, Tabriz, Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the blood samples were collected randomly from 184 infertile women (case group) and 100 pregnant women (control group). The frequency of specific IgG and IgM anti-C. trachomatis antibodies were evaluated using ELISA method. RESULTS: The frequency of IgG anti-C. trachomatis antibody in the control and case groups was 18% and 35.88%, respectively. IgM anti-C. trachomatis antibody was found in 2% of controls and 5.44% of infertile women. Our results showed the significant differences between the case and control groups in anti-C. trachomatis antibodies (IgG, p=0.035 and IgM, p=0.004). Also, no significant relation was seen between the frequency of anti-C. trachomatis antibodies and age, location, and tubal factor infertility in our two study groups. CONCLUSION: According to high frequency of antibody anti-C. trachomatis among infertile women in competition to the control group, evaluation and treatment of Chlamydia infections is necessary in these patients.

A survey on Sarcocystis spp. infection in cattle of Tabriz city, Iran.

Sarcocystis is one of the most prevalent protozoan parasites in the striated muscles of livestock slaughtered for food such as cattle, sheep and goat. Meat that is heavily infected may be condemned as unfit for human consumption. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Sarcocystis spp. in slaughtered cattle in Tabriz, northwest of Iran. The prevalence of Sarcocystis spp. infection was investigated in 670 cattle, slaughtered from April 2013 to October 2013 in the Tabriz abattoir, Iran using naked eye examination for macroscopic Sarcocysts, and peptic digestion, muscle squash, squeezing methods for microscopic types. Muscles from oesophagus, tongue, heart, diaphragm and cervical and abdominal of 670 slaughtered cattle were examined for Sarcocystis spp. cysts. The prevalence of microscopic Sarcocystis spp. cysts in cattle was detected in 100 % and there was detected in macroscopic cyst 8.2 % in examined cattle. There were no significant differences among the infection rates of the different organs (P > 0.05). There were no significant differences among the infection rates of the different ages (P > 0.05). The prevalence of macroscopic infection in the oesophagus was higher than that of the other organs (P < 0.05). The infection rate was independent of sex (8.25 % in males and 8.13 % in females, P > 0.05). This suggests that meat should be cooked sufficiently, since a macroscopic inspection may not provide true results. Also, it has of great importance the farmers to be trained not to feed their dogs and cats with uncooked meat, and the abattoir remnants to be burned, in order to be effectively broken of infection cycle between the intermediate and the definitive hosts in Tabriz city, northwest of Iran.

The role of sheep in the epidemiology of Sarcocystis spp. in Tabriz area northwest of Iran.

The parasites of genus Sarcocystis are among the most commonly found parasites in domestic ruminants and some species of Sarcocystis can generate important economic loss when causing clinical and subclinical disease. In the present study, three techniques-direct inspection, impression smears and digestion method-were used for the diagnosis of Sarcocystis infection in 130 slaughtered sheep in Tabriz abattoir from April 2013 to October 2013. A total of 620 slaughtered sheep were selected randomly and their oesophagus and diaphragm were inspected using naked eye examination. In the second stage, 130 carcasses out of the 620 which had no apparent infection were selected randomly and their meat investigated using two techniques: impression smear with staining and pepsin digestion. The percentage of macroscopic cysts found in the oesophagus and diaphragm muscle was 5.64 and 2.74 %, respectively, and microscopically, infection was found in 100 % of the organs. There was no significant difference between different ages or between males and females. Although all of the sheep were found to be infected with Sarcocystis, majority of the cysts were demonstrated microscopically. This suggests that meat should be cooked sufficiently, since a macroscopic inspection may not provide true results. Also, it has of grea t importance the farmers to be trained not to feed their dogs and cats with uncooked meat, and the abattoir remnants to be burned, in order to be effectively broken of infection cycle between the intermediate and the definitive hosts in Tabriz city, northwest of Iran.

Child-specific food insecurity and its sociodemographic and nutritional determinants among Iranian schoolchildren.

Despite strong evidence of the prevalence of food insecurity in adults and households with children in different areas of Iran, the prevalence of child-specific food insecurity in Iran and especially in Tabriz has not been evaluated. Therefore, the objective of the current study is to evaluate the prevalence of food insecurity in schoolchildren and to identify its social, demographic, and nutritional determinants in Tabriz, Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted between April and September 2014 among 330 schoolchildren aged 7-11 years comprising 170 boys and 160 girls from ten public schools in Tabriz, Iran. Demographic and socioeconomic factors had been obtained from participants. Food security status was assessed by an eight-item U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Security Module previously validated for use in Iran. Dietary information was obtained by a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). In our findings, the prevalence of food insecurity among children was 30% with 29.1% being low food secure and 0.9% being very low food secure. Mean weight for age Z-score (WAZ) in the food insecure group was significantly lower than in the food secure group. The prevalence of food insecurity was more prevalent in boys (p = .006). Food insecure children had a significantly lower intake of energy, carbohydrate, protein, and meat (p < .001) and higher prevalence of wasting compared with their counterparts in the food secure group (p = .004). These results suggest a proportionally high prevalence of food insecurity in schoolchildren in Tabriz and its significant association with poor nutritional status and dietary habits. Our findings also ensures the necessity of nutritional support programs and nutritional education in Iranian low-income families to improve their overall health.