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Objective: Subjects with migraine headache often have stiff posture, especially in the head and neck. Also, these patients often have reduced cervical range of motion, faulty posture, forward head posture, increased sensitivity on the cervical muscles, and myofascial pain syndrome. Myofascial Trigger Points (MTrPs) are considered as the contributing factors to migraine headache. They produce painful trigger points in the cervical muscles. There are different techniques for eliminating MTrPs such as soft tissue (neck muscles) release technique, Ultrasound, and deep heat therapy, laser therapy, and dry needling. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of selective neck muscle release techniques on clinical indicators (frequency/intensity/duration of headache, medication, functional disability, and pressure pain threshold) in patients with migraine headache. Materials & Methods: The current study is a randomized controlled trial was conducted in the physical therapy research center of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Iran from August 2017 to February 2018. The statistical population consisted of all patients with migraine headache. Of these, 40 patients (aged 25-55 years) with trigger points in neck muscles including sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezius, and suboccipital were selected and then randomly assigned into two groups of release (mean age, 40.4±11.2 years) and control (mean age, 37.45±8.9 years). The subjects in the release group received 6 sessions for 2 weeks (combined MTrP therapy and stretching movements), while control group received placebo superficial massage. Headache frequency/intensity/duration, medication, functional disability, and pressure pain threshold (PPT) were assessed before, immediately after intervention, and at 1-month follow-up period. For data analysis, the two-way mixed design of ANOVA was used in SPSS v.23 software to evaluate the main effects of the two factors of group and time on the dependent variables. If the group effect was significant, independent t-test was performed to evaluate the differences in study variables between the two groups after the treatment and at the follow-up period, and if the time effect was significant, the paired t-test was carried out to assess the differences between the two groups before and after treatment and at the follow-up period. The significance was considered at P

Background: Trichomonas muris is one of the most common protozoa diagnosed in rodents. The trichomonads are generally described as presenting only trophozoite form while pseudocyst is another morphological form of trichomonads identified among gastrointestinal and genitourinary trichomonads. We identified and described different shapes of T. muris pseudocysts and trophozoite in stool samples were collected from rodents including Merinos persicus, Mus musculus and Cricetulus migratorius. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, stool samples from 204 trapped rodents were collected from Meshkin Shahr during Mar to Dec 2014. Samples were preserved in formalin 10% and PVA solution and transferred to Department of Medical Protozoology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Formalin-ether concentration method was used for the samples. The slides were stained with trichrome staining method and observed under light microscope. Results: The trophozoites were classified as T. muris based on size (18 to 24 µm), presence of three anterior flagella, recurrent flagellum, undulating membrane, and axostyle in direct examination and stained slides with trichrome staining method. Fifty-five out of 204 (27%) rodents were infected with T. muris in which 51(25%) samples pseudocysts form were observed. The spherical bodies of pseudocyst with almost 8 µm size, contained internalized flagella, an undulating membrane with recurrent flagellum, axostyle, and costa were seen. The pseudocysts were more prevalent than trophozoite form and pseudocysts were found with different shapes in this study. Conclusion: T. muris pseudocysts were found in stool samples of caught rodents for the first time in northwestern Iran.

Background: Majority of parasitic infections in rodents have zoonotic importance. This study aimed to determine the frequency and intensity of intestinal protozoa infections of rodents including Meriones persicus, Mus musculus and, Cricetulus migratorius. Methods: This survey was conducted in Meshkin Shahr district in northwestern Iran from Mar. to Dec. of 2014. Intestinal samples of 204 rodents including M. persicus (n=117), M. musculus (n=63) and C. migratorius (n=24) were parasitologically examined. Formalin-ether concentration method was done for all of rodents stool samples and observed with light microscope. All of suspected cases were stained with trichorome staining Method. Cultivation in dichromate potassium 2.5% was carried out for all of coccidian positive samples. Acid fast and aniline blue staining methods were used for detecting of coccidian oocysts and intestinal microsporidial spores, respectively. Results: About 121(59.3%) of the caught rodents were generally infected with intestinal protozoa. Entamoeba muris 14(6.9%), Trichomonas muris 55(27.0%), Chilomastix betencourtti 17 (8.3%), Giardia muris 19(9.3%), Eimeria spp. 46(22.5%), Isospora spp. 4(2%) and Cryptosporidium spp. 1(0.5%) were found from the collected rodents. Microsporidian spores were identified in 63 (31%) out of the 204 collected rodents using aniline blue staining method. Conclusion: Since some of the infections are zoonotic importance thus, control of rodents can be decreased new cases of the parasitic zoonoses in humans.

Coccidian protozoa of Cyclospora cayetanensis are obligate intracellular apicomplexan parasites that infect the mucosal epithelium of the small intestine of immunocompetent and immunocompromised persons. A 25- years old woman from around, Tehran with complaint of faintness and fatigue with HIV positive/AIDS confirmed eight months ago was admitted in Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran, Iran in 2014. The patient suffered from intestinal and lung symp-toms like watery diarrhea, flu-like symptoms. The stool was examined by direct preparation and concentration tech-nique, stained with modified acid-fast staining method, and observed with light and then Immunofluorescence micro-scope. The stool cultivation was made in dichromate potassium medium and diagnosis of Cyclospora infection was fi-nally made according to observation of Cyclospora oocysts almost 10 μm in acid-fast staining method and autofluores-cence of Cyclospora under Immunofluorescence microscope. The patient was initially treated with azithromycin, tazocin and fluconazol because of lung lesions and diarrhea and relative remission was observed. Cyclospora sp. causes an intes-tinal infection particularly in immunocompromised patients.

Background: Microsporidia species are obligatory intracellular agents that can in­fect all major animal groups including mammals, birds, fishes and insects. Whereas world­wide human infection reports are increasing, the cognition of sources of infec­tion particularly zoonotic transmission could be helpful. We aimed to detect zoono­tic microsporidia spore in fecal samples from some animals with close – contact to human. Methods: Overall, 142 fecal samples were collected from animals with closed-con­tact to human, during 2012-2013. Trichrome – blue staining were performed and DNA was then extracted from samples, identified positive, microscopically. Nested PCR was also carried out with primers targeting SSU rRNA gene and PCR products were sequenced. Results: From 142 stool samples, microsporidia spores have been observed microscopi­cally in 15 (10.56%) samples. En. cuniculi was found in the faces of 3 (15%) small white mice and 1 (10%) laboratory rabbits(totally 2.81%). Moreover, E. bieneusi was detected in 3 (10%) samples of sheep, 2 (5.12%) cattle, 1 (10%) rabbit, 3 (11.53%) cats and 2 (11.76%) ownership dogs (totally 7.74%). Phylogenetic analysis showed interesting data. This is the first study in Iran, which identified E. bieneusi and En. Cuniculi in fecal samples of laboratory animals with close – contact to human as well as domesticated animal and analyzed them in phylogenetic tree. Conclusion: E. bieneusi is the most prevalent microsporidia species in animals. Our results can also alert us about potentially zoonotic transmission of microsporidiosis.