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Background: The present study was designed to determine the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii seronegative pregnant women, estimate the frequency of fetuses at risk of congenital toxoplasmosis in the study area, and also to investigate the awareness of the studied mothers about T. gondii disease. Methods: A total of 740 pregnant women referred to two health centers in Qazvin province were surveyed voluntarily for anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). IgG avidity test was used as a confirmatory test for samples showing positive or borderline results for IgM antibodies. Data on socioeconomic, demographic, and knowledge of participants about toxoplasmosis were collected using questionnaires and through face-to-face interviews. Multivariable logistic regression modeling was used to identify the potential predictor variables for T. gondii infection. Results: Overall, 21.2% (157/740) and 0.27% (2/740) of pregnant women were positive for T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. Only 1.7% (13/740) of expectant mothers had prior information on toxoplasmosis. Among socioeconomic and demographic variables, contact with soil was the merely cause of a significant association with T. gondii infection. Other variables including age, occupation, education level, residential area, source of drinking water, abortion history, number of delivery, consumption of raw/undercooked meat, having home cat and and consumption of raw vegetables failed to establish significant associations. Conclusion: Our results clarified that the prevalence of T. gondii has remarkably reduced in the study area. This finding indicates a low risk of congenital toxoplasmosis in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of various parasitic infections in the occurrence of appendicitis is illustrated through cases recorded all over the world. The purpose of the current study was to estimate the global prevalence of parasite infestation (other than E. vermicularis) in appendectomy specimens. In the setting of the PRISMA guidelines, multiple databases (Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar) were explored in articles published until 28 September 2020. Totally, 62 studies (106 datasets) with 77, 619 participants were included in the analysis. The pooled prevalence of parasites in appendectomy samples was as follows; 0.012% (95% CI; 0.004–0.025) for Ascaris lumbricoides, 0.004% (95% CI; 0.001–0.009) for Trichuris trichiura, 0.025% (95% CI; 0.007–0.052) for Schistosoma mansoni, 0.002% (95% CI; 0.001–0.005) for Taenia spp., 0.061% (95% CI; 0.020–0.122) for Entamoeba histolytica and 0.034% (95% CI; 0.018–0.056) for Giardia lamblia. Our results demonstrated that the risk of appendicitis may increase in the presence of helminth and protozoan infections. As such, the most cases of parasites in appendectomy specimens were reported in developing countries. Regular screening plans for diagnosis, treatment and prevention are needed for prevention of parasitic infection as well as parasitic associated appendicitis, especially in endemic regions of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: The present study aimed at evaluating the association between the -429T/C and - 374T/A polymorphisms of RAGE (Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products) gene promoter and diabetic nephropathy as well as examining its possible application as candidate markers of diabetic nephropathy among the population of Qazvin, Iran. Methods: In this study, the diabetic patients were divided into the two groups of with or without nephropathy. The frequency of genotype and allele were determined using TETRA-Primer ARMS-PCR. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test and correlation of polymorphisms, odds ratio (OR), and FAMHAP software were used for haplotype analysis. Results: Based on our data, the CC genotype of -429T/C polymorphism may play a protective role against the development of nephropathy (OR=0.586, 95%; CI: 0.158-2.167) while, the AA genotype may be associated with increased risk of the disease (OR=1.889, 95%; CI: 0.454-7.854). Allele’s analysis revealed that the C allele of -429T/C polymorphism maybe protective against the appearance of nephropathy (OR=0.794, 95%; CI: 0.48-1.314) whereas, the A allele may be related to increased risk for nephropathy (OR=1.452, 95%; CI: 0.783-2.695). Haplotype analysis demonstrated that there was no significant correlation between the two -429T/C and -374T/A SNPs (χ²=5.125, p value=0.135). However, it was found that the CA haplotype may have a protective effect against the development of nephropathy (OR=0.48, 95%; CI: 0.14-1.64) while, the TA haplotype may increase the risk of the disease (OR=2.06, 95%; CI:1.01-4.23). Conclusion: Overall, no correlation between the -374T/A and -429T/C polymorphisms and the haplotypes in RAGE gene and the occurrence of diabetic nephropathy, was established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coronavirus (CoV) is a group of viruses that cause disease in humans and animals. These viruses contain crown-shaped spike glycoproteins on their surface. Objective: We conducted a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) study on a series of 36 compounds of allicin to assess their antiviral activities against the main protease of COVID-19. Methods: In the present descriptive-analytic study, the information on the structure of compounds, the COVID-19 protease enzyme, and the Allicin derivatives was obtained from the databases such as the Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics’ Protein Data Bank (PDB) and PubChem. The QSAR method, analysis of correlations and multiple linear regressions were carried out. Six molecular descriptors such as constitutional and molecular topology descriptors were selected for the model. Finally, molecular docking was performed in iGEMDOCK 2.1 software. Results: The obtained multi-parametric model reported a correlation coefficient of about 0.89, indicating that the model was able to satisfactory predict the antiviral activity of allicin compounds. Conclusion: The findings obtained can be valuable in designing, synthesizing, and developing novel antiviral agents with allicin-based scaffold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Free-living amoeba (FLA), including Acanthamoeba and Naegleria are facultative parasites in humans. The amoeba have widespread distribution in various water sources. The aim of this study was isolation and molecular identification of Acanthamoeba and Naegleria isolated from swimming pools and also hot and cold tub waters in Qazvin province. The samples (166 water samples) were cultured to isolate and identify positive specimens. PCR (polymerase chain reaction) amplification, sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were conducted to confirm the isolated species and genotypes of amoeba. According to morphological characterizations, 18.6% of specimens were identified as FLA, which in 71% were Acanthamoeba by PCR method. Molecular analysis revealed that 36.3%, 18.1% and 4.5% of Acanthamoeba specimens were identified as T3, T4 and T11 Acanthamoeba genotypes, respectively. Protacanthamoeba bohemica (27.2%) and Acanthamoeba sp. (4.5%) were found among the specimens. The results of osmo-tolerance and thermo-tolerance assays demonstrated that 50% of T3 and 25% of T4 genotypes of Acanthamoeba were highly pathogenic parasites. The molecular approach showed the presence of Naegleria lovaniensis (9%) in hot tub water of swimming pools. This study demonstrated that the swimming pools and hot tub water in Qazvin province were contaminated with Acanthamoeba and Naegleria species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trichostrongylidae family is considered as a group of gastrointestinal nematodes of ruminants with widespread distribution in the world. The parasites are the major causes of productivity loss in many countries including Iran. This study was carried out to determine the distribution of abomasal Trichostrongylidae among livestock of Qazvin, Iran. Totally, 160 abomasum samples including 83 from sheep, 72 from cattle and 5 from goats were collected from slaughterhouses throughout the Qazvin Province. The ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region was amplified using PCR followed by sequencing 13 different isolates. Phylogenetic analysis of the identified sequences was performed using MEGA 7 software. The prevalence rate of the nematodes was 19.4% among the specimens. Also, two spices including Marshallagia marshalli and Teladorsagia circumcincta were identified among the isolates with M. marshalli at higher frequency. No Trichostrongylus spp. was detected in the region. Since livestock plays a major role in ecosystem balance and as some species of nematodes have a zoonotic nature, it is necessary to proceed with more comprehensive epidemiologic studies to clarify the infection rate among the human population living in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]