Long-term health complications of chemical weapon exposure: a study on Halabja chemical attack survivors (Iraqi Kurds).

OBJECTIVE: In 1988, the Iraqi government used a range of chemical weapons (CWs) against the Iraqi Kurds of Halabja. Here, we aim to investigate the long-term health consequences in exposed survivors as they are not sufficiently studied. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study conducted from November 2019 to May 2020 assessing the health status of all exposed Halabja chemical attack survivors compared to non-exposed people from the same area. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Two hundred thirty survivors and 240 non-exposed participants were enrolled in this study, with control participants matched to age, gender, and occupation. Among the survivors, females were more prevalent. The respiratory system was the most common single exposure route (83, 36.1%), with 138 (60%) of the survivors being exposed by multiple routes. The vast majority (88.7%) of survivors had activities of daily living (ADL) impairment. There was female predominance in mild and moderate cases, with more males in severe cases (p < 0.01). Respiratory and cardiac diseases were significantly more common in the survivors compared to the controls (p < 0.001). Survivors with multiple CW exposure routes had significantly higher rates of ADL impairment (p < 0.001) and cardiac disease, respiratory diseases, and miscarriage (p < 0.01), than those with a single exposure route. CONCLUSION: In this study comparing CW survivors with a local control population, a single, high-dose exposure to CWs was associated with significant increases in chronic respiratory and cardiac conditions, in addition to high rates of ADL impairment. Similar studies are needed in other, more recent CW survivor cohorts.

Investigation of antibacterial and antifungal activity of Saussurea costus root extracts.

Infectious diseases are a serious danger to public health, and plants may be a potential source of novel antimicrobial agents. In this study, the antibacterial and antifungal activity of the essential oil, hexane-chloroform, methanolic, and aqueous extracts of Saussurea costus (S. costus) root were evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterobacter cloacae, Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumonia, Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans. For this evaluation, disc diffusion and micro- dilution susceptibility assays were performed. Chemical analysis was also performed to determine phytochemical constituents of the extracts. Our results showed that the essential oil and methanolic extract of S. costus root exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity, followed by hexane-chloroform extract, with aqueous extract showing the lowest activity. The highest activity with the lowest MIC value was recorded as 3.12 µl/ml for the essential oil (against S. epidermidis and C. albicans), 3.12 mg/ml for the methanolic extract (against S. aureus), and 6.25 mg/ml for both hexane-chloroform and aqueous extracts (against S. aureus). In general, the tested extracts had moderate to good antimicrobial activity against the tested gram-positive bacteria and C. albicans. S. costus root can be considered as a potential natural source of antimicrobial agents to fight pathogen microorganisms.

Clinical, microbiological, immunological and hormonal profiles of patients with granulomatous mastitis.

Various studies on the etiology and other aspects of granulomatous mastitis (GM) have been performed; however, a lot of controversies have arisen. The present study aimed to present the clinicopathological findings and identify the sensitivity and resistance of isolated bacteria in patients with GM. In this cross-sectional study 63 female patients with a confirmed histopathological diagnosis of GM were included. A core needle biopsy was conducted for the patients to obtain a sample for histopathological examination and bacterial culture. In total, 46 types of antibiotics were used to determine the sensitivity and resistance of each isolated bacterial species. All the medical and clinical records of the patients were acquired through the completion of a questionnaire form in person or, if necessary, through the evaluation of their medical records in the database of the relevant center. The majority of the patients were in the premenopausal or perimenopausal period. GM was unilateral in 58.7% of the patients. The most common symptom was pain, followed by fever and chills. The mean ranges of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, IL-6, IL-17, C5a, white blood count, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and prolactin tests were significantly elevated in comparison to the normal ranges. In total, nine different bacterial species were isolated from the bacterial culture of the core biopsy samples, and 50% of the isolated bacterial species were sensitive to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Since there is no consensus on the etiology of GM, any additional studies related to this aspect expand the current understanding of this puzzling condition.

Post COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis; a meta-analysis study.

Introduction; Pulmonary fibrosis is a frequently reported COVID-19 sequela in which the exact prevalence and risk factors are yet to be established. This meta-analysis aims to investigate the prevalence of post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis (PCPF) and the potential risk factors. Methods; CINAHL, PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases were searched to identify English language studies published up to December 3, 2021. Results; The systematic search initially revealed a total of 618 articles - of which only 13 studies reporting 2018 patients were included in this study. Among the patients, 1047 (51.9%) were male and 971 (48.1%) were female. The mean age was 54.5 years (15-94). The prevalence of PCPF was 44.9%. The mean age was 59 years in fibrotic patients and 48.5 years in non-fibrotic patients. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was the only comorbidity associated with PCPF. Fibrotic patients more commonly suffered from persistent symptoms of dyspnea, cough, chest pain, fatigue, and myalgia (p-value < 0.05). Factors related to COVID-19 severity that were associated with PCPF development included computed tomography score of ≥18, ICU admission, invasive/non-invasive mechanical ventilation, longer hospitalization period, and steroid, antibiotic and immunoglobulin treatments (p-value < 0.05). Parenchymal bands (284/341), ground-glass opacities (552/753), interlobular septal thickening (220/381), and consolidation (197/319) were the most common lung abnormalities found in fibrotic patients. Conclusion, About 44.9% of COVID-19 survivors appear to have developed pulmonary fibrosis. Factors related to COVID-19 severity were significantly associated with PCPF development.

Post COVID-19 pulmonary complications; a single center experience.

INTRODUCTION: Although the rate and severity of complications after coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) resolution is currently unknown, evidence regarding their presence is increasing in the literature. This study presents a series of cases with post COVID-19 short-term pulmonary complications. METHODS: This is a single center retrospective case series study. The demographic and clinical data were collected from the center's electronic records. All the included cases were confirmed COVID-19 patients who had pulmonary complications even after their recovery. RESULTS: Nineteen COVID-19 patients were involved in this study. Fourteen of them were male (73.7%) and only 5 (26.3%) cases were female, with a mean age of 52.05 years (26-77). All of the patients developed severe COVID-19 and were admitted to intensive care unit (ICU). The average infection duration was 13.5 days (10-21). The most common complaints after recovery from COVID-19 were shortness of breath, fever, and hemoptysis. Computed tomography scan showed different pulmonary abnormalities between the cases. Different surgical procedures were performed for the patients according to their conditions, such as decortications, lobectomy, and bullectomy. More than half of the patients (n = 10) recovered and were discharged from hospital without complications, five patients were admitted to the ICU, 3 cases developed mucormycosis, and one case passed away. CONCLUSION: Following the resolution of COVID-19, patients may experience severe pulmonary complications that may last for months and can affect quality of life, ICU admission, or even death.

Primary chest wall tuberculosis mimicking gynecomastia: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Musculoskeletal tuberculosis (TB) is a rare variant of the disease. Involvement of the chest wall is even rarer. This paper aims to report a case of primary chest wall TB mimicking gynecomastia. CASE REPORT: An 11-year-old male presented with gradual left breast enlargement for one year duration, clinically diagnosed as a case of gynecomastia. On examination; there was a firm swelling involving left anterior chest wall elevating the nipple and areolar region. Ultrasound showed thick wall cystic lesion with internal debris and bone erosion. Computed tomography scan (CT scan) of the chest revealed a cystic lesion containing fluid with a similar cystic lesion in the substernal area. Under general anesthesia, through an anterolateral incision, a thick wall cystic lesion with a very thick pus content was found connecting to another similar lesion in the anterior mediastinum with a localized thickening of the pleura. Both of the lesions, and the fifth rib with a part of the fourth rib were resected and sent for histopathological examination which revealed multiple granulomas with caseating material, typical for tuberculosis. DISCUSSION: Pathogenesis of chest wall TB has been explained by one or more of the three mechanisms: due to direct extension from an underlying disease; hematogenous dissemination, and direct extension from neighboring affected lymph node groups in the chest wall. CONCLUSION: Chest wall TB is a rare condition. It can mimic other pathologies due to nonspecific signs and symptoms. Surgical debridement with postoperative chemotherapy is the most effective strategy of management.