Prognosis of COVID-19 patients using lab tests: A data mining approach.

Background: The rapid prevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a pandemic worldwide and affected the lives of millions. The potential fatality of the disease has led to global public health concerns. Apart from clinical practice, artificial intelligence (AI) has provided a new model for the early diagnosis and prediction of disease based on machine learning (ML) algorithms. In this study, we aimed to make a prediction model for the prognosis of COVID-19 patients using data mining techniques. Methods: In this study, a data set was obtained from the intelligent management system repository of 19 hospitals at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Iran. All patients admitted had shown positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results. They were hospitalized between February 19 and May 12 in 2020, which were investigated in this study. The extracted data set has 8621 data instances. The data include demographic information and results of 16 laboratory tests. In the first stage, preprocessing was performed on the data. Then, among 15 laboratory tests, four of them were selected. The models were created based on seven data mining algorithms, and finally, the performances of the models were compared with each other. Results: Based on our results, the Random Forest (RF) and Gradient Boosted Trees models were known as the most efficient methods, with the highest accuracy percentage of 86.45% and 84.80%, respectively. In contrast, the Decision Tree exhibited the least accuracy (75.43%) among the seven models. Conclusion: Data mining methods have the potential to be used for predicting outcomes of COVID-19 patients with the use of lab tests and demographic features. After validating these methods, they could be implemented in clinical decision support systems for better management and providing care to severe COVID-19 patients.

Mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients during surges of SARS-CoV-2 alpha (B.1.1.7) and delta (B.1.617.2) variants.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the death proportion and death risk of COVID-19 hospitalized patients over time and in different surges of COVID-19. This multi-center observational study was conducted from March 21, 2021 to October 3, 2021 which included the alpha and delta SARS-CoV-2 surges occurred in April and August in Tehran, respectively. The risk of COVID-19 death was compared in different months of admission. A total of 270,624 patients with COVID-19, of whom 6.9% died, were admitted to hospitals in Tehran province. Compared to patients admitted in March, a higher risk of COVID-19 death was observed among patients admitted to the hospital in July (HR 1.28; 95% CI 1.17, 1.40), August (HR 1.40; 95% CI 1.28, 1.52), September (HR 1.37; 95% CI 1.25, 1.50) and October (HR 4.63; 95% CI 2.77, 7.74). The ICU death proportion was 36.8% (95% CI: 35.5, 38.1) in alpha surge and increased significantly to 39.8 (95% CI 38.6, 41.1) in delta surge. The risk of COVID-19 death was significantly higher in delta surge compared to alpha surge (HR 1.22; 95% CI 1.17, 1.27). Delta surge was associated with a higher risk of death compared to alpha surge. High number of hospitalizations, a shortage of hospital beds, ICU spaces and medical supplies, poor nutritional status of hospitalized patients, and lack of the intensivist physicians or specialized nurses in the ICU were factors that contributed to the high mortality rate in the delta surge in Iran.

Sexual behaviors and vulnerability to sexually transmitted infections among transgender women in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Transgender people are at serious risk for HIV infection and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), they are four times more likely to experience HIV infection than the general population. The aim of this study was to assess sexual behaviors and vulnerability of transgender women to STIs including HIV. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted using convenient sampling from August 2019 to March 2020 in Iran at "Support center for Iranian transgender" and "Shiraz Forensic Medicine" where transgender individuals refer to follow the steps of gender affirmation. 127 transgender women participated in this study. A researcher-made questionnaire was applied for evaluating sexual behaviors, STIs and HIV. RESULTS: The mean age of participants and their age of sexual debut were 27.6 and 16.9, respectively. 92.1% of participants were single with experience of sex and 59.3% had one sex partner in the last 2 years. 96.9% of the participants were heterosexual with 67.2% reporting experiencing orgasm in at least 50% of their sexual intercourse. However, 42.5% reported sexual pain and the same percentage reported low or very low sexual satisfaction. About half of the participants used condoms occasionally during sex (48.7%) and the most important reason for not using condoms in most cases was not having a condom (37.9%). Some of participants had little knowledge of the symptoms (33.9%) and complications (44.1%) of STIs. Although 87.4% and 72.4% of participants had never been tested for a STI and HIV, 1.6% were HIV positive and 18.1% had a history of STIs. Also, 26% of people had undergone vaginoplasty and a significant association was observed between vaginoplasty with sexual satisfaction (p < 0. 01(. CONCLUSION: Some of transgender women in this study were involved in high-risk sexual behaviors while unaware of the signs and symptoms of STIs. Also, despite reaching orgasm in most of their sexual relationships, they had little sexual satisfaction that could probably be related to body dissatisfaction, and lack of vaginoplasty in the majority of them. The need for gender affirming surgeries and psychiatric interventions affecting body satisfaction was identified in this group.

The impact of HIV on the risk of COVID-19 death among hospitalized patients.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the association between Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and risk of death among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. We aimed to investigate this association using a multicenter study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This multicenter study was conducted using the registry database of Coronavirus Control Operations Headquarter from March 21, 2021 to January 18, 2020 in the province of Tehran, Iran. The interest outcome was COVID-19 death among hospitalized patients living with and without HIV. The Cox regression models with robust standard error were used to estimate the association between HIV infection and risk of COVID-19 death. The subgroup and interaction analysis were also performed in this study. RESULTS: 326052 patients with COVID-19 were included in the study, of whom 127 (0.04%) were living with HIV. COVID-19 patients with HIV were more likely to be female, older, and to have symptoms such as fever, muscular pain, dyspnea and cough. The death proportion due to COVID-19 was 18 (14.17%) and 21595 (6.63%) among HIV and non-HIV patients, respectively. Patients living with HIV had lower mean survival time compared to those without HIV (26.49 vs. 15.31 days, P-value = 0.047). Crude risk of COVID-19 death was higher among HIV patients than in non-HIV group (hazard ratio[HR]: 1.60, 1.08-2.37). Compared to those without HIV, higher risk of COVID-19 death was observed among patients with HIV after adjusting for sex (1.60, 1.08-2.36), comorbidities (1.49, 1.01-2.19), cancer (1.59, 1.08-2.33), and PO2 (1.68, 1.12-2.50). However, the risk of COVID-19 death was similar in patients with and without HIV after adjusting for age (1.46, 0.98-2.16) and ward (1.30, 0.89-1.89). CONCLUSION: We found no strong evidence of association between HIV infection and higher risk of COVID-19 death among hospitalized patients. To determine the true impact of HIV on the risk of COVID-19 death, factors such as age, comorbidities, hospital ward, viral load, CD4 count, and antiretroviral treatment should be considered.

Can We Release All Calcaneal Attachments of the Superior Peroneal Retinaculum During Extensile Lateral Approach to the Calcaneus?

During extensile lateral approach to the calcaneus, in order to see all fractured fragments and subtalar joint, all soft tissues including insertion site of superior peroneal retinaculum (SPR) on the calcaneus should be released. The aim of this study was to evaluate the probability of peroneal tendon dislocation by releasing all soft tissues attached to the calcaneus. In 10 fresh cadavers, after standard extensile lateral approach to the calcaneus in right side, all soft tissues attached to the lateral wall of the calcaneus were excised. In the left side of each cadaver, all soft tissues inserted to the superior border of calcaneal tuberosity in addition to the lateral wall of the calcaneus were cut out. Probable anterior dislocation of peroneal tendons in the retromalleolar groove was assessed by placing a clamp into the peroneal tendon sheath from distal to proximal and advancing it to the retromalleolar groove. Also by careful dissection, any instability of peroneal tendons was visualized. Not any anterior dislocation of peroneal tendons to the lateral malleolus tip was seen in any stage of the procedure. Insertions of the SPR to the fascia of the deep posterior compartment of the leg and the Achilles tendon sheath are the main soft tissue stabilizer of the peroneal tendons in the retromalleolar groove. So resection of the insertion site of the SPR to the calcaneus might not result in the peroneal tendon instabilities.

Baseline Characteristics and Associated Factors of Mortality in COVID-19 Patients; an Analysis of 16000 Cases in Tehran, Iran.

Introduction. INTRODUCTION: Given the importance of evidence-based decision-making, this study aimed to evaluate epidemiological and clinical characteristics as well as associate factors of mortality among admitted COVID-19 cases. METHODS: This multicenter, cross-sectional study was conducted on confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases who were hospitalized in 19 public hospitals affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBMU), Tehran, Iran, between February 19 and May 12, 2020. Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the infected cases were compared between the deceased and survivors after discharge. Case fatality rates (CFRs) were calculated across all study variables. Single and multiple logistic regressions were used to explore the risk factors associated with COIVD-19 mortality. RESULTS: Out of the 16035 cases that referred to the hospitals affiliated to SBMU, 16016 patients (99.93% of Confirmed and 99.83% of suspected cases) were hospitalized. 1612 patients died with median hospitalization days of 5 (interquartile range (IQR): 2-9) and 3 (1-7) for confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases, respectively. The highest death rate was observed among ages>65 (63.4% of confirmed cases, 62.3% of suspected cases) and intensive care unit (ICU)/critical care unit (CCU) patients (62.7% of confirmed cases, 52.2% of suspected cases). Total case fatality rate (CFR) was 10.05% (13.52% and 6.37% among confirmed and suspected cases, respectively). The highest total CFR was observed in patients with age>65 years (25.32%), underlying comorbidities (25.55%), and ICU/CCU patients (41.7%). The highest CFR was reported for patients who had diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (38.46%) as underlying non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and patients with cancer (35.79%). CONCLUSION: This study showed a high CFR among suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases, and highlighted the main associated risk factors including age, sex, underlying NCDs, and ICU/CCU admission affecting survival of COVID-19 patients.

Epidemiology of suicide attempts and deaths: a population-based study in Fars, Iran (2011-16).

BACKGROUND: Suicide is a critical psychological issue worldwide with an increasing trend. This study investigated suicide comprehensively. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we reviewed data of 28 552 suicide attempts during 2011-16, in Southern Iran. To calculate age-standardized incidence rates, population statistics were derived from the Statistical Center of Iran and the National Organization for Civil Registration. We used the standard population of World Health Organization 2012 to adjust the suicide attempts and deaths rates by age. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 26.8 ± 10.6 years with the highest suicide attempts rates in the age groups of 15-24 and 25-34 years (48% and 32.5%, respectively); 58.7% were women and 52.9% were single. Case-fatality rate (CFR) was 6.27%. Annual age-standardized incidence rates of suicide attempts during the 6-year period has increased (P < 0.001), and that of deaths were not incremental (P > 0.05). Logistic regression model showed male sex, rural area, older age, psychological and somatic disorders, and family history of suicide as significant factors. CONCLUSIONS: In this comprehensive study, although the age-standardized mortality rate of suicide in southern Iran was lower than in other countries, the increasing trend of suicide attempts during the study period served as an alarming sign in this province.

Five-Year Forecasting Deaths Caused by Traffic Accidents in Fars Province of Iran.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of study was to conduct a time-based analysis to utilize the obtained knowledge for forecasting the trend of accidents in the future. METHODS: The present study, which was conducted as a cross-sectional research, investigated deaths from traffic accidents in Fars Province during a five-year period from 2013 to 2018. The pseudo-regression model of Spline was used to predict the increase in mortality rate by 2021. RESULTS: The forecasted values indicated a decline in deaths from traffic accidents by 2021. A total of 8020 records of accidents leading to death were included in the study. The mean mortality rate from traffic accidents in the province was approximately estimated to be 33.7 per 100,000 populations. More than half of the people who died (52.36%) were in a car, 25.57% were motorcycle riders, and 19.93% were pedestrians. The highest rate of deaths was observed in the age group of 16 to 25 years old (21.5%). The data indicated a reduction in the rate of death among car riders and pedestrians and an increase in the number of deaths among motorcycle riders. The trend of deaths occurred outside the city had been increasing while the trend of deaths occurred inside the city had been decreasing. CONCLUSION: The present regulations are only able to reduce a small number of deaths each year. In order to achieve a downward trend in mortality with a steeper pace, it is necessary to design and implement more intelligent standards, not merely the stricter ones.

Epidemiology of suicide in 10-19 years old in southern Iran, 2011-2016: A population-based study on 6720 cases.

OBJECTIVE: Globally, suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people. Although completed suicide is rare before puberty, the incidence of adolescent suicide has increased significantly at the late ages of 10-19. Hence, this study investigates the adolescent suicide, aged 10-19, in southern Iran. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, all data regarding the demographics, causes, methods, outcomes, past medical history of suicide attempts and suicide death were collected from the Mental Health and Suicide Surveillance Systems of Fars province between 2011 and 2016. RESULTS: Overall 6-year incidence rate of suicide attempts and death were 193.49/100,000 and 7.91/100,000, respectively. Case-fatality rate was 4.09%. During the period of 6 years, an increasing trend has been observed for both the rates of suicide attempt and death. Family conflicts were the major cause and medication overdose was the main method of suicides. After controlling the effects of confounders by logistic regression, male gender, living in the rural area and age are among the risk factors of fatality in suicide attempts. CONCLUSIONS: Suicide attempts and deaths have been increased in adolescents. Therefore, due to the vulnerability of this age group, we need to understand all components of suicide to educate families and to help policy makers.

Demographic Evaluation of Oro-Dental Self-Injury for Insurance Deception; Evaluation of the Cases Referred to Shiraz Forensic Medicine Center.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: Nonsuicidal self-inflicted injuries are socially unacceptable and may cause mild to severe damages. PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the demographic features of the subjects with orodental self-injuries referred to a forensic medicine center in Shiraz, Iran. MATERIALS AND METHOD: This cross-sectional study evaluated 51 participants (49 men and 2 women) with orodental injuries referred to forensic medicine administration. Orodental self-injury was detected in the subjects, based on the last forensic criterion of self-injuries, considering their history, clinical examinations, and panoramic radiographs. RESULTS: The findings of this study revealed that dental self-injuries were more prevalent among married men from urban areas with secondary education levels. Most of the cases were due to the monetary compensation received. In the majority of cases, a hard object was used for this self-injury. Moreover, no statistical association was observed between the economic status and orodental self-injury. CONCLUSION: This study concluded that dental self-injury could be regarded as an unplanned incident because no significant correlation was observed between the participants, their economic status, and the type of dental trauma. Furthermore, detailed investigations on the latent variables are required.

Analysis and identification of the hidden relationships between effective factors in the mortality rate caused by road accidents: A case study of Fars Province, Iran.

PURPOSE: An analysis and identification of the hidden relationships between effective factors in the mortality rate caused by road accidents in Fars Province of Iran to prevent and reduce traffic accidents in the future. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted to integrate all the pervious researches performed on mortality rate of road traffic accidents in Fars Province from March 21, 2013 to March 20, 2017. In order to reveal the relationships between the factors affecting mortality rates of road traffic accidents, the data regarding road traffic accidents extracted from resources such as Legal Medicine Organization, Traffic Police, Accident & Emergency Department, as well as Department of Roads and Urban Development of Fars Province, then cleaned and the applicable attributes embedded in the data all aggregated for further analysis. It should be noted that the data not related to Fars Province were deleted, the data analyzed, converted and the aggregation between various attributes identified. The aggregation between these different attributes as well as the FP-growth algorithm and two indexes of support and confidence calculated and interesting and effective rules extracted. In the end, several accident-provoking factors, the degree of consecutive and interdependence of each one in road accidents identified and introduced. The statistical analysis was conducted by using Rapid Miner software. RESULTS: Of the 6216 people dead due to road traffic accidents, 4865 (79.02%) were male and 1292 (20.98%) were female, 59 of them have no clear gender. The largest portion of people died of road traffic accidents belonged to married and self-employed men who collided with motorcycles in autumn. Moreover, young individuals (aged 19-40 years) with secondary educational level who died of accidents in summer at 12:00 a.m. and then 5:00 p.m. in outer city main roads of Kazerun-Shiraz, then Darab-Shiraz, Fasa-Darab and in within-city main streets had the highest mortality rates. Among women, the middle-aged group (aged 41-65 years) followed by young-aged group (aged 19-40 years) with elementary educational level and then illiterate accounted for the highest mortality rate of road traffic accidents. The automobiles involved in accidents included Pride, Peugeot 405, Peykan pickup, Samand, Peugeot Pars, other vehicles and motorcycles. CONCLUSION: The high mortality rate of illiterate and low-literate in various age groups indicates that educational level plays a crucial role as a factor in road accidents, requiring related organizations such as Traffic Police and Ministry of Education to take necessary measures and policies.

Investigation of the prevalence and causes and of legal abortion of teenage married mothers in Iran.

Background The therapeutic abortion law, in accordance with the fatwa issued by our Muslim jurisprudent approved by the parliament in 2005, has made major developments in dealing with cases of therapeutic abortions. Objective This study aimed at identifying the prevalence and causes of therapeutic abortion requests to the Legal Medicine Organization of Fars province, Shiraz, by pregnant teenager mothers. Methods This study was a retrospective, cross-sectional, descriptive survey. In this study, all documents related to therapeutic abortion requests from the Legal Medicine Organization of Fars province (southern Iran) from 2006 to 2013 were investigated. The total sample size included 1664, out of which 142 were teenagers. Sampling was carried out using Convenience method. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software, version 16, descriptive statistics and χ2. Results In this study, 142 mothers were under 20 years of age (8.5%). The prevalence of fetal abortion license requests was 110 (78.6%) and for maternal causes was 30 (21.4%). There was no significant statistical correlation between fetal causes in different years (p = 0.083). The most common causes of fetal abortion request were for thalassemia treatment in 78 cases (79.9%) followed by fetal malformations (20.9%); also, the most common maternal cause was thalassemia in 14 cases (51.9%) and depression in three cases (1.11%), respectively. Conclusion Our results showed that after approval of therapeutic abortion law, requests for therapeutic abortion due to fetal causes are extensively increasing. There is still a need for coordination of judicial, medical and legal authorities for prompt notification.

The pattern of self-harm in Fars Province in South Iran: A population-based study.

Non-suicidal self-harm includes cutting, scratching, burning and minor overdosing. There have been few studies that have examined the rate and pattern of self-harm among different individuals of the society. We performed a population-based study to determine different aspects of non-suicidal self-harm in cases referred to legal medicine organization of Fars Province and south Iran. In a population-based longitudinal survey, we applied data from cases referred to legal medicine organization of Fars province. The survey included questions about the history, method, frequency, age of onset and help-seeking for non-suicidal self-harm. The data about non-suicidal self-harm were collected since 2007 to 2011 and analyzed using students' T-test for continuous data and χ2 for binary or categorical data using SPSS ver. 21.0. Totally 2166 individuals were diagnosed who had ever harmed themselves. Self-injuries such as cutting, scratching and self-hitting were the most common forms of non-suicidal self-harm (83.2%). The mean age of onset was 25.7 ± 2.6 years. Self-injury was more frequent in males and individuals with lower education levels mostly unemployed. The most frequent injury site was posterior side of the body for example shoulders (157; 9.8%) and the most type of the injury was bruise in 398(55.26%) cases. Hard objects (1197; 55.26%) were the most used devices for self-injury followed by cutting and sharp devices. Among those who reported non-suicidal self-harm, 56% had sought help while self-injury. We found a high prevalence of non-suicidal self-harm in different individuals of the society in Fars province since 2007 to 2011. Many mental-health symptoms as well as legal and financial gains should be evaluated for any association with this behavior.

Statistical Analysis of Organ Morphometric Parameters and Weights in South Iranian Adult Autopsies.

Organ weight is one important indicator to discern normal from abnormal condition in forensic pathology as well as in clinical medicine. The present study aimed to investigate morphometric parameters and organ weights of southern Iranian adults, which can be fundamental sources to be compared to abnormal cases.Morphometric parameters and weights of 6 organs (heart, liver, kidney, spleen, appendix, and brain), which were harvested from 501 southern Iranian adults (385 males and 116 females) during ordinary postmortem examination, were measured.All the organs were heavier in males than in females. Heart, brain, spleen, and right kidney were significantly heavier in males compared to females, but no significant difference was observed between the 2 sexes regarding the weights of the rest of the organs. Moreover, brain and heart became heavier as one got older and most organs were heavier in middle-aged individuals compared to other age groups. Furthermore, various types of correlations were observed between different organs' weights and body parameters.These results can be useful anatomical data for autopsy investigations, clinical practices, and research in southern Iran.

Comparison of activated charcoal and sodium polystyrene sulfonate resin efficiency on reduction of amitriptyline oral absorption in rat as treatments for overdose and toxicities.

OBJECTIVES: Comparative in vivo studies were carried out to determine the adsorption characteristics of amitriptyline (AMT) on activated charcoal (AC) and sodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS). AC has been long used as gastric decontamination agent for tricyclic antidepressants and SPS has showed to be highly effective on in-vitro drugs adsorption. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sprague-Dawley male rats were divided into six groups. Group I: control, group II: AMT 200 mg/kg as single dose orally, group III and IV: AC 1g/kg as single dose orally 5 and 30 min after AMT administration respectively, and group 5 and 6: SPS 1 g/kg as single dose orally 5 and 30 min after AMT administration, respectively. 60 min after oral administration of AMT (Tmax of AMT determined in rats), Cmax plasma levels were determined by a validated GC-Mass method. RESULTS: The Cmax values for groups II to IV were determined as 1.1, 0.5, 0.6, 0.1 and 0.3 µg/ml, respectively. CONCLUSION: AC and SPS could significantly reduce Cmax of AMT when administrated either 5 or 30 min after AMT overdose (P<0.05). However, SPS showed to be more effective than AC in reducing Cmax when was administrated immediately (5 min) after AMT overdose. The results suggest a more efficient alternative to AC for AMT and probably other TCA overdoses.

Bioinformatic Identification of Rare Codon Clusters (RCCs) in HBV Genome and Evaluation of RCCs in Proteins Structure of Hepatitis B Virus.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) as an infectious disease that has nine genotypes (A - I) and a 'putative' genotype J. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify the rare codon clusters (RCC) in the HBV genome and to evaluate these RCCs in the HBV proteins structure. METHODS: For detection of protein family accession numbers (Pfam) in HBV proteins, the UniProt database and Pfam search tool were used. Protein family accession numbers is a comprehensive and accurate collection of protein domains and families. It contains annotation of each family in the form of textual descriptions, links to other resources and literature references. Genome projects have used Pfam extensively for large-scale functional annotation of genomic data; Pfam database is a large collection of protein families, each represented by multiple sequence alignments and hidden Markov models (HMMs). The Pfam search tools are databases that identify Pfam of proteins. These Pfam IDs were analyzed in Sherlocc program and the location of RCCs in HBV genome and proteins were detected and reported as translated EMBL nucleotide sequence data library (TrEMBL) entries. The TrEMBL is a computer-annotated supplement of SWISS-PROT that contains all the translations of European molecular biology laboratory (EMBL) nucleotide sequence entries not yet integrated in SWISS-PROT. Furthermore, the structures of TrEMBL entries proteins were studied in the PDB database and 3D structures of the HBV proteins and locations of RCCs were visualized and studied using Swiss PDB Viewer software®. RESULTS: The Pfam search tool found nine protein families in three frames. Results of Pfams studies in the Sherlocc program showed that this program has not identified RCCs in the external core antigen (PF08290) and truncated HBeAg gene (PF08290) of HBV. By contrast, the RCCs were identified in gene of hepatitis core antigen (PF00906 and the residues 224 - 234 and 251 - 255), large envelope protein S (PF00695 and the residues 53-56 and 70 - 84), X protein (PF00739 and the residues 10 - 24, 29 - 83, 95 - 99. 122 - 129, 139 - 143), DNA polymerase (viral) N-terminal domain (PF00242 and the residues 59 - 62, 214 - 217, 407 - 413) and protein P (Pf00336 and the residues 225 - 228). In HBV genome, seven RCCs were identified in the gene area of hepatitis core antigen, large envelope protein S and DNA polymerase, while protein structures of TrEMBL entries sequences found in Sherlocc program outputs were not complete. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the location of detected RCCs in the structure of HBV proteins, it was found that these RCCs may have a critical role in correct folding of HBV proteins and can be considered as drug targets. The results of this study provide new and deep perspectives about structure of HBV proteins for further researches and designing new drugs for treatment of HBV.