Prostatic tumors in Iran.

1. Among all tissue examinations, 8.6% were on male urogenital organs, of which 2.9% were for carcinoma of the prostate. Biopsies of the prostate comprised a large percentage of all male urogenital biopsies. Since the specimens examined by various pathological laboratories in Tehran were received from all over the country, comparison of these statistics is significant. 2. Male urogenital tumors comprised 6.7% of male biopsies, of which 2.7% were for tumors of the prostate. 3. Male urogenital cancers comprised 2.3% of biopsies examined, of which only four were prostatic carconomas. Carcinoma of the prostate was the rarest cancer of the male urogenital organs in Iran. 4. We found 933 cases of cancer of male urogenital organs in 31 years. This comprised 6% of all male cancers, of which only 0.33% were carcinoma of the prostate. 5. Bladder carcinomas were the commonest and prostate carcinomas the rarest among males. 6. We found that 97% of prostate tumors were benign and 3% were malignant. Prostatic carcinoma was four times more prevalent among high income patients than among low income patients. 7. Benign tumors were most common in the 40 to 70 age groups, whereas the peak incidence for carcinoma of this organ was 50 to 70 years of age. 8. No particular clinical symptoms were found. Most patients reported pollakiuria, dysuria or urinary retention. 9. The initial growth site of tumors in the few cases that we were able to study was in the cortex region, especially from the posterior lobe. 10. Histological types of tumor found did not differ from other figures reported. We found no sarcomas. 11. No systematic study of asymptomatic nodules of carcinoma of the prostate has been made and we have never found any signs of such solitary nodules. This may be due to the low average age and the rarity of malignancy of the prostate in Iran. 12. The frequency of death in Iran due to carcinoma of the prostate is impossible to state since death certificates, in the majority of cases, specify secondary symptoms of the disease and not the original disease. 13. The incidence of prostatic carcinoma in the provice of Fars was five times greater and in Isfahan four times greater than in the province of Tehran. However, the figures for Tehran were compiled over the last 31 years, whereas the figures for Isfahan and Shiraz are only for the last ten years, and comparison of these three sets of figures may not be accurate. 14. Carcinoma of the prostate is not as common in Iran as it is in Europe and America. It is rather rare in Iran and compares favorably with figures for the Near Eastern and Far Eastern countries. The Middle Eastern countries of Lebanon, Israel and Afghanistan are very similar in incidence to Iran. In other countries in our region, the incidence is 1.8%.

Survival rates of Anopheles culicifacies s.l. and Anopheles pulcherrimus in sprayed and unsprayed villages in Ghassreghand district, Baluchistan, Iran, 1991.

Survival rates, expectation of life, and expectation of infective life of Anopheles culicifacies and Anopheles pulcherrimus were estimated in sprayed and unsprayed villages in the highly malarious Ghassreghand District, Iran, during the 2 peak malaria transmission seasons in 1991. The daily survival rate of An. culicifacies was estimated as 0.84 and 0.78 during May and 0.89 and nil during September-October in the unsprayed and sprayed villages, respectively. For An. pulcherrimus the daily survival rate was estimated as 0.80 and 0.78 in May and 0.83 and 0.78 in September-October in the unsprayed and sprayed villages, respectively. The impact of indoor residual spraying during the first peak of transmission on An. culicifacies and An. pulcherrimus (expressed as the product of the degree of reduction of the expectation of infective life and the degree of reduction of expectation of life) was calculated as 3.5 and 1.5 times, respectively, that in the absence of control. The impact of indoor residual spraying on An. culicifacies during the second peak of transmission was almost complete, whereas that for An. pulcherrimus was 3.4 times than that in the absence of control.

A review of malaria in Iran, 1975-90.

Since 1958, when the malaria eradication program officially started in Iran, great strides has been made in controlling the disease in most of the country. However, because of certain technical, operational and administrative problems, malaria is still highly prevalent in southeastern Iran, affecting 6% of the population. The situation of malaria in Iran from 1975 through 1990 is discussed in detail, with particular emphasis given to the epidemiological characteristics and vector transmission factors in each region of the country.

Propoxur susceptibility test of Anopheles stephensi in southern Islamic Republic of Iran (1976-86).

In southern Iran, adults of Anopheles stephensi, the main vector of malaria, are resistant to DDT, dieldrin and malathion. Susceptibility tests carried out with propoxur-impregnated papers during 1976-86 in 5 villages in Minab County, showed that, despite 10 years of propoxur application twice a year in dwellings, An. stephensi remained susceptible to this insecticide.

Role of Anopheles culicifacies s.l. and An. pulcherrimus in malaria transmission in Ghassreghand (Baluchistan), Iran.

A 2-site immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) was performed on the head and thorax of Anopheles culicifacies s.l. and An. pulcherrimus females, the 2 most common anopheline species in the District of Ghassreghand (Baluchistan, Iran), collected during the 2 peak malaria transmission seasons (May and September-October 1991). Positive IRMA results revealed the 2 species as potential vectors of malaria in this highly endemic district. This finding serves as the first report on natural infection of An. pulcherrimus in Iran and is the second on natural infection of An. culicifacies since the previous report of 1959.

The use of CDC light traps and other procedures for sampling malaria vectors in southern Iran.

An investigation was carried out over a year in the village of Chelow, Hormozgan Province, southern Iran, to study the efficacy of CDC light traps for sampling malaria vectors. The CDC light traps were useful in determining the seasonal and habitat distribution of Anopheles stephensi and An. fluviatilis, the primary and secondary vectors of malaria, in Chelow, as well as other mosquitoes in that area. Light traps compared favorably with other adult mosquito collection techniques for detecting the presence of vectors during periods of low density. In Iran, time and labor-saving features and flexibility for use in different situations make CDC light traps a useful sampling tool in the entomological assessment of malaria control programs.

Field application of Romanomermis culicivorax (Mermithidae: Nematoda) to control anopheline larvae in southern Iran.

The efficacy of the parasitic nematode Romanomermis culcivorax in controlling anopheline larvae, including malaria vectors, was studied in Fars and Baluchistan provinces. Twenty sites were treated once with the preparastic stage of R. culicivorax in 1984 with 3,000, 5,000 or 10,000 preparasites per m2 surface area, depending on larval density. The average parasitism of anopheline larvae ranged from 56 to 69% based on 24 hr posttreatment dissections. No correlation was found between the level of parasitism and the density of mosquito larvae present in a site. About 61% parasitism was obtained when different rates of preparasites were released in 14 larval breeding sites in 1985. No apparent difference was observed in the rate of parasitism in 10 sites receiving one treatment compared with four sites receiving two treatments, with a seven day interval between each treatment. Romanomermis culcivorax was established in the release sites but caused only minor reductions in anopheline larval populations. The nematode would be of limited use in antimalaria campaigns in southern Iran.

Ecology of Anopheles pulcherrimus in Baluchistan, Iran.

Studies were conducted on the ecology of Anopheles pulcherrimus over a period of 20 months in the village of Zeineddini, Sistan and Baluchistan Province, southeastern Iran. The species was active throughout the year with 2 peaks of activity, April-May and August-September. Light traps captured the highest number of An. pulcherrimus females (65%) as compared to cattle bait collections (19.3%), pyrethrum space spray catches (14.2%), pit shelter (1%) and human bait collections (0.6%). However, 95% of the females captured in light traps were unfed or freshly fed females as opposed to about only 44% of those collected in pyrethrum space spray catches and pit shelter collections. The species was mainly exophilic as shown by the gravid/fed ratio of 0.4 obtained in outlet window traps.

The activity of chloroquine against plasmodium falciparum in Bandar Abbas, Southern Iran, 1976.

Study to monitor the susceptibility of P. falciparum to chloroquine in south Iran was conducted in Bandar Abbas. Forty-five falciparum malaria subjects who had received 25mg. chloroquine base per kg. body weight over 3 days were followed up for 4 weeks, while three other patients for a period of 1-3 weeks. No recrudescence could be confirmed among the subjects during the follow up of the study. The mean time of asexual parasites clearance was 2.15 days. The action of chloroquine against the asexual form of P. falciparum in the present study was suspected to be slower as compared with those observed in the previous studies. However, both in vivo and limited study using the in vitro technique showed that the response of P. falciparum asexual parasites to chloroquine was still satisfactory. The study supports previous findings in Ethiopia that acquired immunity malaria had no significant effect on the asexual parasite clearance time.

The biting cycle of Anopheles dthali. A. fluviatilis and A. stephensi in southern Iran.

In southern Iran during the hot season inhabitants sleep outddoors. Therefore the biting cycles of three outdoor resting mosquitoes, Anopheles dthali, fluviatilis and stephensi have been studied. Most of the bites take place between 18-24 h.

Ecology of Anopheles stephensi Liston in southern Iran.

Anopheles stephensi mysorensis is an important malaria vector in southern Iran. It is known to be the vector of malaria in Abadan, Bandar Abbas, Kazeroun and Dezful. It readily attacks man. Precipitan tests on specimens from different parts of southern Iran showed that 15.7% were positive for human blood. This species usually rests indoors, but a small proportion of its population has been caught outdoors. Larval habitats vary. This species is resistant to DDT and Dieldrin in most of the areas of the Persian Gulf and Oman sea.

Anopheles culicifacies in Baluchistan, Iran.

Anopheles culicifacies (probably species A) is the main vector of malaria in Baluchistan, southeastern Iran. Adult mosquitoes were collected during 1990-92 by five methods of sampling: knock-down pyrethrum space-spray indoors, human and animal bait (18.00-05.00 hours), pit shelters and CDC light traps, yielding 62%, 3%, 6%, 4% and 25% of specimens, respectively. Whereas spray-catches comprised c. 70% gravid and semi-gravid females, light trap catches were mostly (c. 60%) unfed females, while females from pit shelters comprised all abdominal stages more equally (13-36%). An.culicifacies populations peaked in April-May and rose again during August-November. Densities of indoor-resting mosquitoes were consistently greater in an unsprayed village than in villages subjected to residual house-spraying with propoxur, malathion or pirimiphos-methyl. Monthly malaria incidence generally followed fluctuations of An.culicifacies density, usually with a peak in May-June.