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Background: Although the incidence of leukemia's is not high, many of these cancers lead to death over a short period. This is a cross-sectional study on leukemia deaths in southern Iran. Methods: All deaths due to leukemia in the Fars province were obtained from the population-based electronic death registration system (EDRS). Crude and age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR), YLL, and YLL rate data were calculated, and joinpoint regression was used to examine the trend. Results: Totally, 3141 deaths from leukemia occurred in the Fars province during the study period (2004-2019). Of these, 61.5% (1933 cases) pertained to men. The crude mortality rate was 6.1 (95% CI: 5.8 to 6.4) in men and 3.9 (95% CI: 3.7 to 4.2) in women. Also, ASMR was 6.6 (95% CI: 6.3 to 6.9) and 4.2 (95% CI: 4.0 to 4.4) in men and women, respectively. The total YLLs due to leukemia were 32 804 in men and 23 064 in women. The joinpoint regression analysis demonstrated that the trend of YLL rate due to premature mortality was stable: the annual percent change (APC) was -1.2% (95% CI: -2.5 to 0.2, P = 0.090) for males, and -1.0% (95% CI: -2.9 to 0.9, P = 0.274) for females. Conclusion: The mortality and YLL due to leukemia had a stable trend. However, this trend has been decreasing or increasing in some age groups. Determining and controlling essential risk factors, especially the environmental factors of leukemia, may reduce its burden in the Fars province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Effective measures to control COVID-19 should be based on an understanding of its epidemiological pattern and the evaluation of its prevalence in the community. This study aimed to examine the reproductive number (R) of COVID-19 and its trend in Fars Province in southern Iran. Methods: In this ecological study, the R trend was examined from July to November 2020. Data were collected from the daily reports of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. R is the product of three components, namely the number of infection- producing contacts per unit time, the probability of transmission per contact, and the contagiousness period. Incidence and prevalence rates were used to calculate R. The R value was calculated in Microsoft Excel 2016. Results: The first and second peaks of COVID-19 were observed on July 6th and November 22nd, respectively. The median and mean of R were 1.42 and 1.41, respectively. The highest and lowest values of R were observed on October 20th (2.60) and September 1st (0.46), respectively. The values of R had a slightly decreasing trend in the second half of July and November than the first half. In the second half of August and September, an increasing trend was observed than the first half. There was not much change in the second half of October. Conclusion: The highest value of R was related to the dates when there was a higher probability of exposure to the virus, including public holidays and different occasions on which the probability of people's participation in ceremonies, communities, and gatherings was higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managing the disastrous consequences of pandemics depends on the capacity of the governments to mitigate them. As the health system in Iran was undertaking economic issues because of sanctions, the government has been forced to make major and urgent decisions while anticipating the economic, social, and political effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, Iran has integrated all critical sections of the community to provide a unified command structure to involve all stakeholders. In this regard, we present a disaster management structure in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran. We hope to provide information on the advantages that might change disaster management structure in pandemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Trichomonas vaginalis (T. vaginalis) is a sexually transmitted protozoan parasite and the causative agent of trichomoniasis. The genetic characterization of T. vaginalis isolates shows notable genetic variation in this parasite. In the present study, we aimed to identify the T. vaginalis genotypes based on analyzing of actin gene in women specimens referred to health centers of Ilam city, southwest Iran. Methods: A total of 1765 female samples were collected from gynecology clinics in the city of Ilam. DNA was extracted from positive samples and nested polymerase chain reaction (Nested PCR) was used to amplify the actin gene. Then, partial sequencing and genotyping of the actin gene was performed. A phylogenetic tree was drawn using the detected genotypes of T. vaginalis and reference sequences. Results: Twenty-one of the 1765 urine and vaginal samples were positive for T. vaginalis. All infected individuals were married and their age in years was between 25 to 34. Further, the majority of infected women had cervical lesions, patchy erythema, and white color discharge. According to sequencing analysis, the isolates were identified as genotype G (n= 8) and genotype E (n= 2). Conclusions: From the collected samples, we were able to distinguish at least two genotypes (G and E) of T. vaginalis. However, lesser is known about these genotypes in the city of Ilam. Further studies with a higher number of isolates should be performed in order to understand the implications of these results in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Companies recently have increased the focus on performing social responsibilities. Charitable aids are one dimension of corporate social responsibility. In this regard, following the COVID-19 epidemic in Iran, private sectors (PSs) offer some assistance in wider and coherent cooperation. Therefore, PSs' association created a campaign, where donations were allocated based on the need priorities. The campaign revived the missing link between the public and the private sectors and the NGOs (non-Governmental Organisations), and forward to achieving the goals of sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Data mining in medical sciences provides countless opportunities for demonstrating hidden patterns of a data set. These patterns can help general physicians and health workers in preventing diseases. This study aimed to forecast delay times in post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to human animal bite injuries in central Iran using a decision tree analysis. Materials and Methods: The data of 2072 human animal bite cases were collected from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention unit of Qom Provincial Health Center, Iran from January 2017 to December 2018. The information related to animal bite incidents, including the biting animal characteristics and data on the bitten humans, was obtained by investigating the epidemiological survey forms of human animal bites. The decision tree model was applied to forecast the delay time of receiving PEP. Results: A delay of more than 48 h in the initiation of PEP was estimated among 12.73% of animal bite victims. The most important variables to predict delay time of receiving PEP were the species of biting animal, time and cause of animal bite occurrences in 24 h a day, respectively. Hence, the model showed a delay in the initiation of PEP if the biting animal was a cattle or, a carnivore, and the time of being bitten was from 7 am to 1 pm, or if the animal was carnivore and the time of being bitten was between 1 and 7 pm, and the cause of animal bite was playing with the animal. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study on different variables affecting the initiation of PEP, the concepts related to animal bite and rabies, including the timely injection of anti-rabies vaccine to prevent rabies, it is a must to educate and train, all the people, especially housewives and students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]