RESUMO
Background and objectives:Out of 10 apparently healthy humans, one was somewhat suffering from one of the types of renal disease. Hemodialysis is known as the most applicable method of taking care of this group of patients. In addition, serum creatinine is an important mark in the performance of kidneys. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effective factors in creatinine and its effect on the performance of kidneys. Materials and methods: The present study is a longitudinal experiment in which 500 participants were randomly selected from the hemodialysis patients in Mazandaran Province. Creatinine variable was considered as the longitudinal responding variable, which was measured 3 times per year over a period of 6 years. The random effects model was also considered the most appropriate model for the collected data. Results:The total mean value of creatinine was 1.62 ± 0.49, among men 1.69 ± 0.46 and among women 35.1 ± 0.49. Variables of weight (p<0.001), age of disease diagnosis (p<0.001), time (p<0.001), gender (p<0.005), and cardiovascular diseases were significant and had effects on the trend of creatinine changes among the hemodialysis patients. Creatinine mean value had an increasing trend. Conclusion:Blood creatinine had a significant effect on the performance of kidneys, and the identification of variables that affected the creatinine level was highly helpful in controlling the performance of the kidneys. The results of most studies conducted on hemodialysis patients indicated that by measuring and controlling variables like weight, tobacco consumption, and control of related diseases like blood pressure could predict and control creatinine changes precisely.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Members of the Vannellidae family are free-living amoebae (FLA) distributed mainly in water and soil sources. The present study reports the first isolation of this genus in the biofilm source from hospital environment in Tehran, Iran. METHODS: Biofilm samples were collected from hospital environment. Cultivation was performed in non-nutrient agar covered with a heat-killed Escherichia coli. Cloning of the suspected amoebae was done. PCR amplification and Homology analysis using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLASTn) was performed to search for the most similar reference sequences. RESULTS: Microscopic examination showed numerous fan-shaped amoebae and peculiar cysts different to the usual shape of typical FLA. Sequence analysis of the PCR- product revealed that the suspected amoebae are highly homologous with Vannella spp. gene (99% identity and 100% query coverage) available in the gene bank database. CONCLUSION: Although Vannella spp. is not proved to be pathogenic itself, but they are capable of harboring pathogenic intracellular organisms such as Microsporidian parasites. Thus, identification of such amoebae can be of clinical importance, as they could lead to transmission of other pathogens to human.
