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Background: The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Iran was reported in February 2019. The current study aimed to investigate the epidemiological aspects of COVID-19 disease in Isfahan province and evaluate the chances of infection and death in the population. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 21,203 confirmed cases of COVID-19, based on the polymerase chain reaction test, referred to outpatient facilities from February 2019 to July 2020 in Isfahan province are studied. Disease incidence, mortality, and case fatality rate, as well as odds ratio (OR) of infection and death, were calculated and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: The highest incidence of the disease was within the age group of 30–39 years 4911 (23.9%) and males 11,561 (54.5%). Mortality in people over 80 years (207 [32.9%]), men (370 cases [58.7%]), diabetics (182 cases [28.9%]), and people with cardiovascular disease (165 people [26.2%]) was more. In multivariate analysis, patients with a cancer diagnosis had the highest OR of death (OR = 4.03 confidence interval [CI]: 2.56–6.35) (P < 0.001), followed by those with immune deficiency disease (OR = 2.46 CI: 1.07–5.63) (P = 0.03). As the number of comorbidities increased, the risk of death increased in the total population, so that in patients with more than 4 underlying diseases, compared to the group without disease, the chance of death increased 6.33 times. Conclusion: This study showed that people with cancer and chronic respiratory disease had a higher chance of COVID-19 infection. People over the age of 60, people with cancer, and immunodeficiency also had a higher chance of COVID-19 mortalityW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT), defined by a gender-specific cutoff value, among normal weight and overweight children; and to assess the relationship of increasing ALT levels with cardiometabolic risk factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among school students, aged 6-18 years in Isfahan, Iran. Based on the body mass index (BMI) percentiles, a group of normal-weight was compared with a group of overweight and obese students. Gender differences were considered for increased levels of ALT, i.e. 19U/L and 30U/L for girls and boys respectively. Findings: The study participants consisted of 1172 students (56.2% girls), with a mean (SD) age of 12.57 (3.3) years. Among overweight/obese students the mean triglycerides (TG) and diastolic blood pressure was significantly higher in those with increased ALT than in those with normal ALT levels. The logistic regression analysis showed that among overweight/obese boys, for each 1 unit increase in ALT, the odds ratio (OR) of TG, total cholesterol and systolic blood pressure increased significantly. After adjusting for age, these associations remained significant, and the OR of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) decreased significantly. In the model adjusting for age and BMI, the ORs of TG and HDL-c remained significant. After adjusting for age and waist circumference, HDL-c was the only parameter with significant OR. Among overweight/obese girls, in all models applied, the OR was significant for TG and total cholesterol. A significant independent association was documented for waist circumference and increase in ALT after adjustment for BMI. Conclusion: This study documented significant relationship of increased ALT levels, defined by a gender-specific cutoff point, with cardiometabolic risk factors and hypertriglyceridemic-waist phenotype in Iranian children and adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]