Showing 6 results for Akhavan
M Mahmoudi, M Mohebali, H Irandoust , S.h Hejazi , H Abdoli , L Shirani-Bidabadi , F Moaatar , S Charehdar , N Shareghi , A.a Akhavan ,
Volume 6, Issue 3 (13 2009)
Abstract
Background and Aim: Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease transmitted by sand-flies. Seventeen out of the 30 Iranian provinces are contaminated. Although many therapeutic modalities have been suggested, no definite treatment for this widespread infection is available. Many drugs currently used for cutaneous leishmaniasis have their side effects and create complications-drug resistance, etc. This has prompted researchers to get interested in drugs of a natural origin. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the efficacies of an extract of propolis and systemic glucantime against cutaneous leishmaniasis in Balb/c mice.
Materials and Methods: Groups of inbred, female Balb/c mice, aged 4-6 weeks, were inoculated with 1.6 × 10 6 viable stationary-phase promastigotes in the base of tail. The mice were provided by Iran Pasteur Institute, Tehran and were randomized into three groups of 9 mice each. Groups 1 to 3 were treated with pure 70% ethanol, systemic glucantime, or the propolis hydroalcoholic extract for a 6-week period the 4th group served as control. The statistical tests including student t-test were used for data analysis.
Results: Overall, 27 mice were studied. We did not observe any statistically significant difference among the groups with regard to the size of the ulcer at the beginning (P>0.01). At the end f the period, there was a significant difference with regard to reduction of ulcer size between the propolis extract and glucantime groups in favor of the propolis extract (P= 0.001). Further analysis of the data showed that the largest reduction in the ulcer size was caused by the propolis extract, as compared with the control, glucantime and alcohol groups.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that the propolis extract is more effective in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis in mice. We suggest that the efficacy of this extract alone or in combination with drugs be assessed against human cutaneous leishmaniasis, using randomized clinical trials.
Esmaeil Ghorbani, Yavar Rassi, Mohammad Reza Abai, Amir Ahmad Akhavan,
Volume 12, Issue 3 (1-2015)
Abstract
Background and Aim: Sand flies are responsible for transmission of leishmaniasis, papatasi fever and carrion disease. Warning of sand fly population is the first step for the establishment of baseline data for the vector control operations of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). In order to attempt to the difference between species composition and bieocology of sand flies, the comparative research was carried out in west and east of Meshkinshahr district where having high and low prevalence of VL as well as mild semiarid and semiarid steppe climates respectively.
Materials and Methods : Sand flies were biweekly collected using sticky paper traps from indoor and outdoor shelters from four villages at west and east of Meshkinshahr district. The specimens was removed from sticky paper traps and washed in acetone and preserved in 70% alcohol. The preserved sand flies were mounted using Puri’s media and identified using valid keys. The labeled specimens were deposited in Medical Entomology Museum, School of Public Health under code GC22ST6-93 .
Results: During this study, totally 783 and 400 sand flies were respectively caught from indoor (19-27%) and outdoor (73-81%) of both at west and east. The sex ratios of collected sand flies were estimated 2.3 and 1.9. in latter areas. The genera percentage of sand flies were 66.3-64.5% for Phlebotomus and 33.7-35.5% for Sergentomyia compromising of 7 subgenera which included in 20 and 17 species respectively in west and east areas. For the first time, Se.sintoni and Se.mervynae was reported in Meshkinshahr district.
Conclusion: The Ph.kandelakii and Ph.perfiliewi were introduced as prevalent species in the west area compared to the east. In the west area, activity duration and number of generation was higher than east. The prevalent species in the east area was Ph.papatasi. The high density of Ph.anderjevi was seen in both studied areas. The most proven vectors of visceral leishmaniasis were revealed in the west of Meshkinshahr district.
Mahshid Mousavi, Abbas Akhavan Sepahi, Taher Nezhad Sattari,
Volume 13, Issue 4 (3-2016)
Abstract
Background and Aim: The petroleum contamination is one of the inevitable consequences of population increase and energy consumption. In this study, the method of Bioremediation and Bacillus bacteria have been used in order to remove the petroleum contamination.
Material and Methods: The samples of soil were collected and the bacteria were isolated and identified.Then, the production of Biosurfactant, the rate of naphthalene degradation and appropriate growth conditions of them were examined.
Results: The Bacillus sp. included Bacillus cereus, Paenibacillus lactis, Bacillus fusiformis and Bacillus subtilis. The pure cultures and consortium have surface tension values less than 40 mN/m. Therefore, they were considered biosurfactant producers. The consortium had the tolerance ability of naphthalene up to 1000ppm.The appropriate conditions for the growth of Bacillus consortium was pH equal to 6, shaker rate 150 rpm, nitrogen source of Yeast extract and the concentration of naphthalene equal to 200ppm.
Conclusion: Bacillus consortium had more ability compared to single strains for reducing the surface tension, production of Biosurfactant, growth in culture media containing naphthalene and its degradation. It has indicated in several of the similar researches that Bacillus consortium or other bacteria have more ability in Biodegradation of organic contaminants.
Mohammad Mehdi Soltan Dallal, Rozhin Ghahremani, Abbas Akhavan Sepahi, Zahra Rajabi,
Volume 17, Issue 2 (9-2019)
Abstract
Background and Aim: Food-borne diseases, with an upward trend worldwide, are a major public health issue. On the other hand, resistance to antimicrobial agents is also a global problem. Thus, a knowledge of antibiotic resistance is vital for the proper treatment of food-borne diseases. The aims of this study were to determine the frequency, antimicrobial resistance and serotyping of Shigella-contaminted food samples in foodborne disease outbreaks in Iran.
Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive study including 1012 fecal swab samples from 239 foodborne disease outbreaks in different provinces of Iran during the period 2005-6. The isolated Shigella samples were transferred to a microbiology laboratory for microbial culture, serogrouping and antibiogram tests.
Results: Out of the1012 fecal swabs collected 29 (2.86%) isolates contained Shigella. The largest Shigella outbreaks (20.6%) were found to have ocurred in 3 provinces, namely,Esfahan, Kurdistan and Semnan. The most common clinical symptoms were abdominal cramping, vomiting, nausea and non-bloody diarrhea. Th frequency of contamination with Shigella Sonnei and Shigella flexneri was 16 (55.2%) and 13 (44.8%), repectively. The rate of resistance to ciprofloxacin was reported to be 3.4%.
Conclusion: Considering the frequency of food contamination with Shigella in the summer and its in resistence to ciprofloxacin, assessment of its antimicrobial resistance are very important as regards reduction in treatment costs and taking action to control and prevent the disease.
Akram Dehghani, Ameneh Dashtestannejad, Zahra Botshekan, Shiva Akhavan,
Volume 18, Issue 1 (5-2020)
Abstract
Background and Aim: A common problem among married women is related to sexual function. A large percentage of complaints by women referring to consultation centers are about sexual problems. Determination of factors influencing sexual function can help us to find suitable strategies to solve the problem. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of acceptance and practice variables and rumination on women's sexual function mediated by stress tolerance.
Methods and Materials: The statistical population included all women referring to clinics in Isfahan, Iran in 2018. A sample of 120 were selected using the availability sampling method and completed the Arizona Sexual Experience (ASex), Simons and Gahr (2005) Distress Tolerance, Bond et al. (2011), Acceptance and Action, and Watson and Harris (2008) Rumination Victim questionnaires. The data were analyzed based on the structural equation method, the software being the smart PLS software.
Results: The stress tolerance variable could play a role as a mediating variable among sexual performance, commitment, acceptance and ruminant variables (P<0.05). Further analysis of the data showed that commitment, acceptance and rumination were associated with sexual function and distress tolerance (p <0.01) and that distress tolerance could affect women's sexual functioning (p <0.01).
Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can be said that women’s sexual function is influenced by a variety of factors, including acceptance and action, rumination and distress tolerance.
Ali Mohammad Mosadeghrad, Tina Taherkhani, Shayan Shojaei, Matin Jafari, Sara Mohammadi, Alireza Emamzadeh, Shahrzad Akhavan,
Volume 20, Issue 1 (6-2022)
Abstract
Background and Aim: Primary health care is a holistic approach that aims to maximize people's health and well-being as quickly as possible in their immediate living environment. The primary health care system is the first point of contact of the people with the health system. Therefore, increasing its resilience will play a significant role in controlling and managing pandemics. This research aimed to identify strategies to strengthen the resilience of the primary health care system in the Covid-19 pandemic.
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted using the scoping review method. Using appropriate keywords search was done on the subject of the study in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, SID, Iranmedex and Magiran databases and Google and Google Scholar search engines. Finally, after screening and reviewing the titles, abstracts and texts of the retrieved documents, 36 articles were selected and strategies to strengthen the resilience of the primary health care system in the Covid-19 pandemic were extracted from them.
Results: A total of 48 strategies/solutions were extracted to strengthen the resilience of the primary health care system, categorized into 6 groups, namely, governance and leadership, financing, human resources, medicines and equipment, health information systems, and health service delivery. Among the most frequently solutions mentioned were the following: Dynamic and accountable leadership, using valid research evidence in policy-making, contingency planning, increasing inter-sectoral cooperation, advocacy for health policies, community involvement, sustainable financing, recruiting additional staff and training and supporting them, providing sufficient stocks of medicines and diagnostic kits, developing and modernizing public health information systems, facilitating people's access to health centers, continuing to provide health services, and increasing the community’s health literacy.
Conclusion: The structural and process components of the primary health care system including "governance and leadership", "financing", "staff", "equipment, vaccines and medicines", "information" and "health care delivery" should be strengthened in a coordinated manner in the primary health care system to be prepared for future epidemics.
