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The varicella zoster virus (VZV) is a latent viral infection and its reactivation has been reported following different conditions such as immunosuppression. This study presents a confirmed case of VZV encephalitis following the first dose administration of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine. A 63-year-old immunocompetent woman who developed VZV encephalitis after first dose administration of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine. A final diagnosis of VZV encephalitis was made based on positive CSF PCR results for VZV infection. Treatment was administered with acyclovir and she returned to normal life without any neurological sequelae. In this report, VZV reactivation and VZV encephalitis have been observed after COVID-19 vaccination; however, the results of this report should be considered with some caution, and continued post-vaccine surveillance of adverse events is recommended to explore whether any causal association with VZV reactivation is biologically plausible in this context, or if it is just a coincidence.
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Objective: Reactivation of latent toxoplasmosis is the main cause of severe infection among immunocompromised patients, including patients with cancer. Hence, this study is aimed at screening the status of Toxoplasma gondii infection among breast cancer patients by serological and molecular methods and determining their associated risk factors in Jahrom County, Fars Province, south of Iran. Methods: One hundred and seven women with breast cancer (aged 34 to 80 years) were screened for anti-T. gondii antibodies (IgG and IgM) during 2019-2020. A questionnaire regarding demographic factors was filled out by participants. Molecular detection was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the primer pair targeting the repetitive element (RE) gene of T. gondii. The risk factors and demographic data were analyzed by SPSS software (ver. 20, Chicago, IL, USA) using the Chi-squared test. Results: Anti-T. gondii IgG was detected in 45.8% (49/107) of the patients, which indicates latent infection, but anti-T. gondii IgM and PCR were negative in all samples. Demographic factors revealed a statistically significant increased T. gondii seropositivity among nonmenopause cancer patients (P < 0.0005), patients without previous breast cancer (P = 0.0001), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2- (HER2-) negative patients (P = 0.00002). As such, patients with a history of previous abortions and who were at stages II, III, and IIII of cancer had higher seropositivity rates than patients without a history of previous abortions or who were at stage I cancer, but the statistical analysis was not significant. We did not find a statistically significant association between T. gondii seropositivity and other risk factors of toxoplasmosis (e.g., education level, type of water source, washing raw fruits and vegetables, consumption of raw or undercooked meat, and contact with soil, cats, and domestic animal). Conclusion: A high seroprevalence rate of latent T. gondii infection was detected among patients with breast cancer; hence, these patients may be at high risk for reactivation of latent infection. Screening of T. gondii infection is recommended to detect active infection among patients with malignancies.
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OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical and epidemiological features of deceased patients and comparing the discrepancies between male and female patients based on high prevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), its irreversible effects and the rising mortality rate in Jahrom city. METHODS: This is a descriptive-analytical retrospective study that was conducted from the beginning of March 2020 to the end of November 2020. The study population were included all patients with COVID-19 who admitted to Peymaniyeh Hospital in Jahrom and died of COVID-19. Clinical and demographic data were collected from medical records and analyzed by SPSS software. RESULTS: In this study, 61 patients (57.54%) were men and 45 patients (42.36%) were women. The mean age was 68.7±18.33 in men and 68.82±14.24 in women. The mean hospitalization length was 9.69±7.75 days in men and 9.69±7.75 days in women patients. There was no statistically significant difference between men and women patients (p>0.05). The results showed that 17 (27.87%) men and 28 (45.9%) of women patients had hypertension and the prevalence of this disease was significantly higher in women than men (p=0.01). In this study, 7 (11.48%) men and 13 (21.31%) women had hyperlipidemia. The frequency of hyperlipidemia in women cases was significantly higher than in men patients (p=0.024). Men cases' diastolic blood pressure (mean=77.53) was significantly higher than women's diastolic blood pressure at the same time with a mean of 71.42 (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The findings of the study represented the mortality rate in men which is higher than women patients. The prevalence of underlying diseases such as hypertension and hyperlipidemia were higher in women than men. Despite higher mortality among women, symptoms such as fever and dyspnea were less common in women than men.
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BACKGROUND AND AIM: Medicinal plants have played an important role in human health since the Stone Age. According to WHO, 80% of Asian and African people rely on traditional medicine and medicinal plants to conserve their health. Saffron has received much attention among the herbal compounds related to cancer treatment. METHODS: This review aims to provide an overview of in-vitro and in-vivo evaluation molecule mechanism for anti-tumor activity, cancer preventing and protective effects of saffron extract. The review is based on the available data accessible in PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, Magiran.ir, and SID.ir databases. RESULTS: Saffron has selective toxic and preventive effects on cancerous cells and without adverse effects on normal cells and prevents tumor formation. Saffron appears to reduce the toxic effects of anticancer drugs. Saffron has toxicity effects when used in high amounts, which are far greater than those are used in human food culture. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the observed effects of saffron on the removal of cancer cells, saffron extract can be used in the treatment and prevention of cancer after confirmation in human clinical trials. According to the high IC50 of saffron extracts in normal cells, its toxicity against non-cancerous cells is low and its use is safe. Besides, the studies suggested the cytotoxic effects of saffron on some of the more cancers, including nervous system cancer and common cancers. Further studies are required to determine the effective dose and influence of mechanism of saffron in various animal type of cancers.
