Search

Background and purpose: The association between ABO blood types and Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been investigated in several studies but there are inconsistencies in results. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between ABO blood types and COVID-19 infection based on serologic results. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional seroepidemiologic study was carried out in 1504 people living in Mazandaran province, north of Iran. Blood samples were drawn to determine blood groups. Also, IgG and IgM antibodies were measured by ELISA. Data analysis was done using Chi-square, Fisher’s exact test, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses in SPSS V25. Results: The frequency of IgG positive among blood groups A, B, AB, and O was 12.7%, 11.8%, 9.4%, and 9.6%, respectively. After adjusting for suspicious confounding factors, the odds ratio of COVID-19 infection was 1.19 (95% CI:0.85-1.67) in blood group A, 1.33 (95% CI:0.94-1.87) in blood group B, 0.82 (95% CI:0.44-1.55) in blood group AB, and 0.70 (CI 95%:0.50-0.98) in blood group O based on serologic results (IgG+/IgM+). Conclusion: The odds ratio for COVID-19 was significantly lower (30%) in blood group O compared to other blood groups, so blood group O can be considered as a protective factor against COVID-19.

Background and Purpose: Radiation therapy in patients with head and neck malignancies predisposes them to oral Candida colonization and infection due to damage of oral mucosa and destruction of the salivary gland. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC) in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) undergoing radiotherapy (RT), identify the yeasts isolated from them, and determine their antifungal susceptibility. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2018 to June 2019 at two referral radiotherapy centers in northern Iran. Yeast strains that were isolated from patients with HNC were identified using conventional and molecular methods. The in vitro activities of eight common antifungal drugs against 55 isolates were investigated according to the guidelines of the Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute (M27-A3 and M27-S4) broth microdilution document. Results: Among 59 patients receiving RT, the prevalence of OPC was 21 (35.59%) and 15 (25.42%) patients were diagnosed with colonization. The mean age of the patients was 55.32±13.3 years (within the range of 27-87 years). In this study, the pseudomembranous form was reported as the most clinical type of OPC. Candida albicans with the frequency of 60% was the most common type of Candida spp. that was observed in this study, although non-albicans Candida spp., such as C. glabrata (27.27%), C. tropicalis (5.45%), C. parapsilosis (3.63%), C. krusei (1.83%), and C. kefyr (1.83%) were also isolated. Considering the low minimum inhibitory concentration range of amphotericin B, compared to fluconazole, administration of this agent is a more suitable antifungal drug for extensive oral candidiasis in these patients. Among azoles,clotrimazole had low efficacy and several studied isolates (65.5%) showed resistance. Conclusion: Correct diagnosis as well as determining drug sensitivity and risk factors are the effective steps in reducing the complications related to oral candidiasis in people undergoing RT.

Background and purpose: High prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and its demand for regular care have resulted in a massive amount of electronic health records (EHRs). Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) levels are two widely-used diagnostic measures for evaluation of diabetes care. This study aimed at assessing Family Medicine Plan (FMP) and exploring the trend of changes in FBS and HbA1c levels in patients attending a referral lab affiliated with Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional survey was carried out in 12761 EHRs of a registry database containing the results of blood sugar tests and demographic features selected from over 250 thousand EHRs from 2012-2018. The records were categorized according to normal and abnormal levels of HbA1c (cut-off at 7%). The bivariate logistic regression model was performed by R v.3.6.1 and ggplot2 for data visulazation. Results: Abnormal HbA1c levels were seen in 37.1% of women, 36.7% of men, and 36.7% of the general population. There were significant associations between HbA1c level and age, type of insurance, FMP, kind of care plan, and the year of testing (P0.05). Conclusion: Despite the increasing prevalence of T2DM in Iran, the trend of blood sugar changes during these years showed that changes in HbA1c level was lower than 7% in studied citizens. Considerable attention to self-management in recent years indicates improvements in diagnosis and care of citizens at-risk of diabetes.

Cryptococcosis is a serious fungal infection in both huaman and animals caused by members of the Cryptococcus neoformans/ Cryptococcus gattii species complex. The main route of entry is respiratory tract. Meningitis is the most common clinical manifestation of cryptococcosis in immunocompromised patients and considered as one of AIDS defining illnesses. The known natural sources of the fungus are avian (pigeon, chicken, and other birds) excreta, dead plants and trees like Eucalyptus, Pine, and Fig species. Cryptococcus neoformans/ Cryptococcus gattii species complex have well defined virulence factors that help them to survive and multiply in macrophages and monocytes, escape into blood and disseminate throughut the body. Laboratory diagnosis of cryptococcosis is based on direct microscopy examination, fungal isolation, serology and molecular analysis of serum and cerebrospinal fluid. Amphhotercin B combined with other antifungals including 5-flourocytosisne and fluconazole monotherapy are used for treatment of cryptococcosis. Treatment in HIV infected patients consist of three phases including induction, consolidation and maintenance therapy. The preferred therapeutic regimen is combination therapy of antifungal and highly active antiretroviral therapy. In this article, we summarized recent studies on pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of cryptococcosis in HIV infected patients.