Household contact investigation for the detection of active tuberculosis and latent tuberculosis: A comprehensive evaluation in two high-burden provinces in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Systematic evaluation of household contacts of persons with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in low- and middle-income countries is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). This study recruited adult household contacts of diagnosed TB patients in two high burden provinces of Iran to estimate the prevalence and incidence of active disease and latent TB infection (LTBI) among individuals exposed to TB cases. METHODS: We conducted a cohort study among adults in household contact with a pulmonary TB index case. All subjects were assessed for active disease through evaluation of symptoms. Tuberculin skin test (TST) and QuantiFERON®-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) were used to define LTBI. These tests were performed at the time of the index TB case diagnosis and repeated if the previous result was negative, at three-, 12-, and 18-months post recruitment. In addition, interferon-γ-induced protein-10 (IP-10) concentrations were measured in QFT-Plus supernatants for all participants three months after diagnosing the index case. RESULTS: A total of 451 individuals who had close contact with 95 active TB patients were enrolled in this study. Five (1.1%) contacts were diagnosed with active TB and 285 (63.2%) were identified with LTBI during our study. The incidence rate of LTBI among adult household contacts of TB index cases was 0.44 per person per year. CONCLUSION: The overall rate of LTBI was high. Systematic screening of all household contacts of pulmonary TB should be expanded in Iran to make the timely achievement of the global end TB strategy feasible.

Epidemiology of toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 harboring Staphylococcus aureus obtained from clinical samples in Iran: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: S. aureus strains, with the capability of producing toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1), are more likely to cause complicated infections. However, due to lack of comprehensive local data on the prevalence of TSST-1, we aimed to determine the prevalence of TSST-1 harboring S. aureus isolates in Iran. METHODS: A systematic search was performed by using PubMed and Scopus databases from papers published by Iranian authors from January 2000 to the end of March 2017. Then, 10 publications which were matched with inclusion criteria were selected for data extraction and analysis by Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Software. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of TSST-1 carrying S. aureus in Iran was 21.3% (95% CI: 7.9%-46.1%), ranging from 0% to 68%. Moreover, from the included studies, the pooled prevalence of TSST-1 producing MRSA isolates was estimated to be 25.2% (95% CI: 13.3%-42.5%), ranging from 0% to 69.8%. From those studies which showed the distribution of toxin-harboring S. aureus it was found that the skin and soft tissue, respiratory and bloodstream infections were the common sites of TSST-1 harboring S. aureus. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, it seems that emergence of MRSA strains leads to higher prevalence of TSST-1 carrying strains in the north of Iran. However, further research is required to elucidate the interplay between the outcome of diseases and TSST-1 producing strains, especially in our country.

Bacterial etiology and antibiotic resistance pattern of pediatric bloodstream infections: A multicenter based study in Tehran, Iran.

BACKGROUND: Due to the diverse nature of bloodstream infections etiology and to the antibiotic resistance patterns in periodic intervals, rational and accurate use of antibiotics requires an understanding of common causative agents of septicemia and their susceptibility patterns. The present study aimed to determine the bacterial etiology of the neonate and pediatric septicemia, and their antibiotic resistance pattern in Tehran, North of Iran. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted along two years, from October 2014 to November 2016 among children with suspected bloodstream infection. Blood specimens were collected aseptically in BACTECTM blood bottles, and standard microbiological methods were applied for the isolation and identification of the bacteria. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed using the disk diffusion method according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute recommendations. RESULTS: Overall, 433 (21.1%) blood cultures showed a significant bacterial growth. Gram-negative bacteria with a proportion of 55.4% were the predominant isolates. The most frequently isolated Gram-negative bacteria were Pseudomonas spp. (26.8%), followed by Klebsiella spp. (8.8%), and Acinetobacter spp. (7.9%). Ciprofloxacin, amikacin, and piperacillin/tazobactam had the highest antibacterial effect on non-fermenting Gram-negative bacilli. Regarding the recovered Enterobacteriaceae, aminoglycosides and carbapenems showed a promising effect for tested isolates. The prevalence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci were 52.6%, and 78.6%, respectively. The rate of vancomycin-resistant enterococci was estimated 68.8%. Meanwhile, the overall prevalence of multiple-drug resistant isolates was 83.4. CONCLUSION: Regarding results, Multiple Drug Resistant isolates had a significant role in the occurrence of bloodstream infections. Hopefully, several locally available antibiotics still have promising effects on these isolates.

Molecular structure, spectroscopic assignments and other quantum chemical calculations of anticancer drugs - A review.

In many texts, both theoretical and experimental studies on molecular structure and spectroscopic assignments of anticancer medicines have been reported. Molecular geometry parameters have been experimentally obtained by x-ray structure determination method and optimized using computational chemistry method like density functional theory. In this review, we consider calculations based on density function theory at B3LYP/6-31G (d,p) and B3LYP/6-311++G (d,p) levels of theory. Based on optimized geometric parameters of the molecules, molecular structures (length of bonds, bond angles and torsion angles) and vibrational assignments have been obtained. Molecular stability and bond strength have been investigated by applying natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. Other molecular properties such as mulliken population analysis, thermodynamic properties and polarizabitities of these drugs have been reported. Calculated energies of HOMO and LUMO show that charge transfer occurs in the molecular. Information about the size, shape, charge density distribution and site of molecular chemical reactivity has been obtained by mapping electron density isosurface of electrostatic and compared with experiment data.

Conformational stability, spectroscopic and computational studies, hikes' occupied molecular orbital, lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, natural bond orbital analysis and thermodynamic parameters of anticancer drug on nanotube-A review.

Today the use of nanotubes (CNTs) is widely spread a versatile vector for drug delivery that can officiate as a platform for transporting a variety of bioactive molecules, such as drugs. In the present study, the interaction between the nanotube and anticancer drugs is investigated. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were using the Gauss view and the complexes were optimized by B3LYP method using B3LYP/6-31G (d, p) and B3LYP/6-311++G (d, p) basis set in the gas phase and water solution at 298.15K. The calculated hikes' occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied (LUMO) energies Show that charge transfer occurs within the molecule. Furthermore, the effects of interactions on the natural bond orbital analysis (NBO) have been used to a deeper investigation into the studied compounds. These factors compete against each other to determine the adsorption behavior of the tube computer simulation is seen to be capable to optimize anticancer drug design. This review article mainly concentrates on the different protocols of loading anticancer drugs onto CNTs as well as how to control the anticancer drug release and cancer treatment.