Tehran University Medical Journal

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To determine the complications of gold sodium thiomalate therapy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 32 patients with active RA (27 female, 5 male) treated for a mean period of 28 ? 14 weeks were studied. From these patients, 62.5 (46-79) percent showed at least one drug reaction. Pruritus was the most common complication occurred in 59 (42-76) percents, and was accompanied by skin rush in 37 (15-57) percents of cases. Renal, mucosal and post-injection complication developed, each in 16 (3-29) and percents of patients. Hematologic and pulmonary reaction occurred in 12.5 (1-24) and 9 (1-19) percents of cases respectively. Drug reaction resulted to discontinuation of gold therapy in 19 (5-32) percents of patients. Majority of drug reactions occurred during the first 15 weeks of therapy. In comparison to reports coming from other studies, drug reactions in Iranian patients were more frequent but less severe.

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Drug interaction may cause sever adverse drug reactions in patients. The high amounts of prescribed medication in hospitalized patients will cause higher incidence of drug interactions. Therefore, the study of drug interactions in hospitalized patients seems to be worth. We have, studied drug interaction in internal and surgical units, in Kashani hospital in Shahrekord. Factors included in this study were: mean of prescribed medications, frequency of drug interactions, correlation between these two parameters, and the most frequent drug interactions. The frequency of drug interactions in different units of hosital, was as follows: 26.4 percent in surgical unit, 30.7 percent in internal unit and 34 percent in cardiac unit. The mean of prescribed medications was as follows: 3.90 in surgical unit, 3.92 in internal unit and 5.86 in cardiac unit. There was a positive correlation between the number of medications and the frequency of drug interactions in prescriptions. Six different drug interactions, occurred frequently. Therefore, it seems if physicians consider these interactions, the percent of drug interactions would be reduced considerably. We also found that most of drug interactions occurred when two or more diseases were managed concurrently. Therefore, it seems, having attention to these cases, would cause drug interactions to be reduced significantly.

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Opioids are increasingly being recognized as the primary treatment for cancer pain management. Optimal treatment of cancer pain involves assessing its characteristics, considering different management strategies, evaluating side effects and adverse drug reactions and establishing the most appropriate therapeutic regimen. This study was designed to review the current status of pain management for advanced cancer cases using opioid analgesics.
Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was used to collect data on demographics, disease characteristics, and opioids use indicators in 700 cases of advanced cancer patients.
Results: A total of 700 cancer cases, 42 percent females and 58 percent males, between 17-80 years age range (Mean age of 57.25) were studied retrospectively. Cancers of breast (21 percent), colorectal (12 percent), lung (7 percent), stomach (7 percent) and bone either primary or metastatic (6 percent ) in women and stomach (17 percent), lung (12 percent), colorectal (11 percent), prostate (9 percent ), and bone (8 percent ) in men were the most common causes of opioids prescription in study group respectively. Advanced primary cancer (in 52 percent), bone metastasis (in 32 percent), and treatment complications (in 7 percent ) were considered as physical basis for pain in patients. Morphine (by injection), Opium (by oral intake) and methadone (injection and/or oral) were the most common opioids prescribed. Using equianalgesic conversion chart, the daily dosages and therapeutics schedules of morphine administration were as follows:
43 percent received 21-30 mg. in 2-4 divided doses
27 percent received >30 mg. in 3-5 divided doses
21 percent received 11-20 mg. in 2-3 divided doses
9 percent received 5-10 mg. in 1-2 divided doses
Conclusion: Pain management of cancer patients is not adequate and opioid use is not rational. New educational and managerial strategies are needed to optimize cancer pain treatment in routine medical practice. To overcome current barriers, WHO stepwise model for cancer pain control and palliative care is recommended. Publishing Standard Treatment Guidelines for different levels of health care system is another recommended approach to optimize cancer pain.

 

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The genus acinetobacter are intestinal gram negative, encapsulated, non motile, aerobic bacilli, which are rod shaped during rapid growth and cocobacillary in stationary phase. Risk factors associated with nosocomial infections include: length of hospital stay, surgery, wounds, previous infection, fecal colonization, treatment with broad spectrum antibiotics, parenteral nutrition, indwelling central intravenous or urinary catheters, admission to a burn unite or ICU and mechanical ventilation. Acinetobacter meningitis occur infrequently and is generally found after neuro‌surgical procedures.
Here, we are presenting a 19 year-old female patient who developed multi-drug resistant (MDR) acinetobacter meningitis after operation on maxillary bone, but despite good clinical response to imipenem and amikacin succumbed aminoglycoside induced otoxicity.

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Illicit drug abuse is a major area of interest for clinicians, as well as for public health and social authorities, but one of the major concerns is the illicit drug abuse during the periconceptional period and throughout pregnancy, because of its potential effects on the embryo and fetus. In this study we investigated the prevalence of illicit drug abuse in the first trimester of pregnancy in women who referred to Iran, Tehran and Shahid Beheshti universities of medical sciences, for prenatal care.
Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross sectional study, a non-randomized sample of 2000 pregnant women that were in their second and third trimester of their pregnancy, were interviewed about drug abuse in their first trimester. Collected data were analyzed by SPSS software.
Results: The prevalence of illicit drug abuse in the first trimester was 2.5% which the majority of these drugs were in group B. The prevalence of drug abuse was 0.9% and alcohol usage and alcohol abuse was 0.2%, cigarette smoking was the most common drug abusing phenomena. Variables such as husband education, infertility and satisfaction with pregnancy have significant relation with drug abuse.
Conclusion: The results of this study support the need for continued education and this education must end in by itself to make dramatic changes in behavior. So results of this study showed that, improving education and knowledge of mothers and consultation with them in regard to risks and complications of drug abuse during pregnancy, would make dramatic changes in their behavior.

 

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Background: Injection drug use (IDU) in Iran is not rare and is one of the main factors in opioid overdose. The objective of this study was the qualitative assessment of overdose, related factors, and available interventions.

Methods: A qualitative method was employed. Six districts of Tehran with a population of 400,000 inhabitants were selected. The districts were different in socioeconomic characteristics, urban structures and prevalence of IDU and crime. A total of 81 key informants from different sectors and 154 injection drug users (IDUs) were selected by purposeful, opportunistic and snowball sampling, and interviewed individually or in groups. Ethnographic observations were done for studying the life situation of IDUs.

Results: In one district no cases of IDU were found. In other districts, overdose in IDUs was reported to be common. Heroin injection alone or in combination with other drugs was the main reported cause of overdose. Reportedly, wrong estimation of drug purity was the most important reason. Even in the districts with highest rate of IDU and overdose, most clinics and hospitals did not have enough facilities necessary for management of acute opioid overdose.

Conclusion: According to the high prevalence of overdose, provision of preventive education of drug users and their relatives and availability and accessibility of emergency services is highly recommended.

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Background: A plan for management of infected arterial pseudoaneurysm has evolved from our experience with forty two cases of such aneurysms treated between 1378 and 1382.
Methods: Clinical data of 42 patients with femoral pseudoaneurysm resulting from addictive drug injection who presented in emergency department of Sina Hospital between 1378 and 1383 were retrospectively reviewed.
Results: All patients were men with the mean age of 36.9 years. Twenty eight patients were referred from other medical centers. The mean time of delay in presentation was 17.3 days. The mean duration of drug injection was 14 months. Primary repair and emergent vascular bypass were performed in 3(7.1%) and 2(4.8%) patients, respectively. 5(11.9%) patients undergone delayed revascularization. Thirty two (76.2%) patients returned to their normal lifestyle without any vascular bypass. One patient required amputation and one patient died due to sepsis and acute renal insufficiency.
Conclusion: Management of infected femoral pseudoaneurysms is simple ligation of the external iliac or femoral artery. When Doppler is not available “Operation Room and postoperative Direct Observation” is recommended in such patients to avoid unnecessary revascularization surgery.

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Background: Multiple drug use is frequently considered to be hazardous for the elderly because of their greater vulnerability to the complications. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of polypharmacy in Tehran and to assess the relative demographic characteristics of patients.
Methods: In a cross-sectional study 400 persons aging 55 years and older were interviewed in order to determine the presence of polypharmacy (daily intake of three or more drugs). The cases were randomly selected and asked to answer a questionnaire through interview at home. The questionnaire contained questions about all taking drugs, pattern of using each drug and also patients' personal, social and medical history. Chi-square and fisher exact tests and determination of odds ratios were used in order to data analysis.
Results: Medium number of drugs used was 3.4 ± 1.9 in studied cases and %39.6 of cases were exposed to polypharmacy. The prevalence of physician prescribed drug usage was observed to be increased by increasing number of total used drugs in each case (P<0.002). The most commonly used drugs were A.S.A, Atenolol and propranolol and these drugs were prescribed by physician in over than %90 of cases. There was a positive correlations between polypharmacy with referring to multiple physicians (OR=1.96, CI 95%, 1.28-2.98) (P<0.002) and adverse drug reactions (OR=2.44, CI 95%, 1.47-4.05) (P<0.001). Polypharmacy was more prevalent in the age group of 65-75 years (P<0.04) and lower levels of education (P<0.004) and less prevalent in the group with moderate income (P<0.001).
Conclusion: Polypharmacy is common among adults aging 55 years and more in Tehran and is affected by age, education level and economic status.

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Background: Long term use of immunosuppressive therapy in transplant recipients in order to prevent acute and chronic rejection increases the long term risk of cancer. This study evaluates the incidence of different organs’ cancer after renal transplantation and immunosuppressive therapy.
Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of malignant tumors in renal graft recipients with more than one year graft survival. Patients were assessed according to their age, sex, diagnosis of cancer, immunosuppressive drugs, donors and period of dialysis before transplantation.
Results: Evaluating all existing files in selected private clinics in Isfahan 350 patients were reviewed and 289 of them had entrance criteria. A total of 186 men and 103 women (mean age: 42.17±13.09 years) were included. They were followed up over a mean period of 52.46±33.24 months. A total of six cases (2.1%) of cancer were diagnosed in six recipients: All patients with cancer were male with a mean age of 51.17±14.7 years (range: 26-68 years). Tumor presented at a mean time of 51 months (rang: 15-82 months) after transplantation. There were two patients with BCC, two patients with SCC and two patients with lymphoma. Two patients died of progressive malignant disease. Age, period of dialysis before transplantation, and using immunosuppressive and anti-rejection drugs had no significant impact on development of post transplant malignancy.
Conclusion: The frequency of tumors in these patients is lower than what reported by other centers, probably due to short period of follow up and low incidence of cancer in our general population. The risk of malignancy was 28 fold higher among transplant recipients than in general population. High risk of cancer in this group, confirms the necessity of routine examination for organ transplant recipients both before and after transplantation.

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Background: Several randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of drug eluting stents (DES) in selected groups of patients with less complicated diabetes. We conducted this study to determine how an unselected group of diabetic patients in Iran fare following DES implantation.

Methods: Data were collected on 147 consecutive diabetic patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with the implantation of at least one DES at the Tehran Heart Center from June 2003 to September 2005. Clinical follow-up was performed by timely scheduled visits at one, four and nine months following DES implantation. Nine months of follow-up was completed for 94.5% of the patients. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE), which include cardiac death, myocardial infarction and target vessel revascularization (TVR). In-hospital complications were the secondary endpoint.

Results: A total of 158 coronary artery lesions were treated with DES in 147 diabetic patients (mean age = 56.4±8.92 years, 57.1% were men). During the nine-month follow-up, MACE occurred in 3.4% of patients, with a myocardial infarction rate of 1.4% and TVR rate of 1.4%. Considering one patient who underwent TVR due to acute stent thrombosis following angioplasty (during hospitalization) the total number of TVR reached 3 (2%). Only one patient (0.7%) died of cardiac death, which occurred after the procedure and before discharge. In-hospital complications occurred in six patients (4.1%) five patients suffered from myocardial infarction.

Conclusions: PCI with DES seems to be safe and effective in diabetic patients. However, more studies with larger study populations and longer follow-up are required to confirm this issue.

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Background: To eradicate a problem such as drug abuse, we need thorough knowledge of the problem and its epidemiological aspects. In response to increasing ecstasy abuse among youth, as noted by the increase in related health issues at emergency clinics, we performed this epidemiologic study on ecstasy use in Tehran.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, including 1,903 youth aged 15-25 years, at different coffee shops in Tehran, Iran, subjects filled out questionnaires to evaluate the prevalence of ecstasy use with regard to gender, age, family income, level of education, psychological state (Beck test), acute complications of ecstasy use, as well as manner and place of ecstasy use and reason for repeated ecstasy use. Information was gathered from September 2004 to January 2005, using simple nonprobable sampling.

Results: The prevalence of ecstasy abuse among our study population was 18.5%, which meaningfully correlated with gender (male), education level (undergraduate degree), family income (high), drug abuse and Beck test score (high). The mean age of ecstasy abusers was 21.3 years (SD: 2.65), which wasn't statistically different than the study population as a whole and the portion that did not use ecstasy. Tablet was the most common form of ecstasy usage (97.1%). In this study population, 91.4% had heard of the ecstasy name, and 83.7% were familiar with its use. The most common site of usage was in parties (85.7%) and in group forms (84%). Of all the users, 30% stated the reason for repeat ecstasy use was their friends' insistence, 38.8% expressed emotional need, 37.7% had no reason, whereas 6.6% felt a physical need and 1.7% repeatedly used ecstasy to prevent withdrawal symptoms

Conclusion: Some studies have reported that drug abusing friends are the basic cause of drug abuse. In this study, the ecstasy users admitted that the influence of friends and emotional need were the causes of their repeat use. Remarkably, these subjects report withdrawal symptoms with ecstasy use. Most importantly, families have to consider the relationships and emotional needs of their children. The statistical difference between Beck test scores between ecstasy users and the non-users placed them in two clinically different psychological groups. The ecstasy users were in groups that definitely needed psychological consultation and non-users were in the slightly depressed group. These psychological aspect of drug abuse expressed here is an alarm.

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Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE AR-SA MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 !mso]> ject classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui> Background: Malaria is an important parasitic vector-borne disease with considerable infectivity and world-wide distribution. Since prevalence of chloroquine resistance in Plasmodium falciparum at the malarious areas such as Iran and reliable reports from many countries indicating emergence of chloroquine- resistant strains of P.vivax, this study was conducted to monitor the current response of vivax and falciparum plasmodia to chloroquine in Bandar-Abbas district, a malarious area in Iran.
Methods: The study was conducted at the Bandar-Abbas district in Hormozgan province, Iran. 123 patients were enrolled and considered. The patients were treated with a standard 3-day regimen of chloroquine and were followed-up clinically and parasitologically. The results were interpreted as mean parasite clearance time (MPCT) in P. vivax and early treatment failure (ETF), late treatment failure (LTF) and adequate clinical and parasitological response (ACPR) in P. falciparum.
Results: The patients with vivax malaria were responded to the regimen of chloroquine within 24-216 hours. Most cases of the parasite clearance time occurred at 48 hours (50.40%), and less of them at 120, 168, 192 and 216 hours with 0.81% for each of them. MPCT in this study was calculated as 61.07 (±26/47) hours for all of the patients. 33.33% and 66.66% of the patients with falciparum malaria were found at ACPR and LTF groups, respectively.
Conclusion: This study confirms the efficacy of chloroquine on P.vivax. The extended parasite clearance time in a number of patients may be an early sign for reduced susceptibility of P.vivax to chloroquine in the studied areas. Most of the patients with falciparum malaria (66.66%) considered in this study did not respond to the regimen of chloroquine because of chloroquine- resistance in P.falciparum at the area.

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Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important opportunistic pathogen causes clinical infections among burn patients. Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) are important mechanisms of Carbapenem (drug of choice) resistance among Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates. The aims of this study were to determine the antibiotic susceptibility pattern and to detect the prevalence of MBLs among Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Methods: Initially, the antibiotic resistance patterns of 170 clinical strains isolated from burn patients in Motahari Hospital in Tehran, Iran were determined by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. All of the clinical isolates using two phenotypic and genotypic methods.  Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates resistant to Imipenem were screened for production of MBL by E test with Imipenem / Imipenem plus EDTA (E test MBL). PCR assay was performed for detection of blaVIM genes.
Results: Based on the study results, the percentage of resistance was as below: Imipenem (10 μg) 52.9%, Amikacin (30 μg) 81.7%, Carbenicilin (100 μg) 74.7%, Polymixine B (300 unit) 10%, Ticarcilin (75 μg) 84.7%, Tobramycin (10 μg) 88.2%, Colisitin (10 μg) 34.1, Colisitin (25 μg) 28.3%. Of 90 Carbapenem resistant isolates, 10(11/1%) isolates were positive by E test, all were sensitive to Colisitin and Polymixine B. All of the Imipenem resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates were examined by PCR for the presence of the blaVIM genes. All MBL-producing isolates carried blaVIM-1 genes.
Conclusion: Considering the high prevalence and clinical importance of MBL-producing isolates, rapid identification of them and use of the appropriate infection control measures are necessary to prevent further spread of infections by these organisms.

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Background: Epilepsy is a common disease in the pediatric neurology. There are frequent anti-epileptic drugs which are used in management of epilepsy. Anti-epileptic drugs may have some complications on bone and vitamin-D metabolism. In this study we aimed to evaluate vitamin-D metabolism in epileptic children.
Methods: The study was a prospective and cross sectional one. A total 89 epileptic children who were taking anti-epileptic drugs for longer than six months with no underlying disorder in Imam Khomeini and Bahrami Hospitals in Tehran, Iran were enrolled in our study
Results: Forty nine boys and 40 girls were enrolled in this study mean age of the patients was 7.8±2.1 years. Mean duration of anti-epileptic drug therapy was 2.3 years (SD=0.4), 70 of patients were under monotherapy and 19 were under polytherapy. None of the patients had signs of rickets. Serum calcium and phosphor levels were within normal ranges. Serum alkaline phosphates levels were increased more than two times in 43%. 42% had vitamin-D deficiency (25-OH Vit D<10 ng/ml) and another 33% had vitamin-D insufficiency (10<25-oh Vit D<20 ng/ml). 29 patients (32%) were taking prophylactic supplemental Vit D (200-400 IU/day). There was significant difference between patients taking supplemental vitamin-D as prophylaxis and patients who did not (p=0.04). There was no significant difference in vitamin-D levels between patients according to age, gender or different drugs.
Conclusion: Periodic measurement of 25-hydroxy vitamin-D is recommended in epileptic children taking anti-epileptic dugs. Supplemental vitamin-D administration in such patients may be helpful.

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Background: Tuberculosis with high prevalence in HIV/AIDS patients is the main reason for morbidity and mortality in these patients. About one-third of patients with HIV infection have concomitant tuberculosis. Lack of appropriate infection control on many social and economic communities will impose. Comprehensive study on the effects of anti-tuberculosis drugs in patients with HIV infecting less done, also due to the importance of reducing morbidity and mortality, reduce the cost of disease, identifying drug pharmacokinetics, the importance of completing treatment tuberculosis, this study was performed to evaluate the effects of anti- tuberculosis drugs on HIV infection and to identify the drug pharmacokinetics and so more complete tuberculosis treatment.
Methods: A historical cohort study was performed on patients referring to the research center for HIV/AIDS, consultation center, department of infection diseases of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran, Iran. A total number of 75 cases with HIV negative versus HIV positive patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and positive sputum smear in accordance with inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected.
Results: In this study, the frequency of peripheral neuropathy 27(73%), arthralgia 31(83.8%), vomiting 18(48.6%), headache 26(70.3%), dizziness 20(54.1%), renal toxicity 4(10.8%) and of skin rash 10(27%) in patients with HIV virus infection were significantly more than HIV- negative patients. Hepatotoxicity, fever and anemia were not significantly more common in patients who infected with HIV virus.
Conclusion: The HIV patients, who have not received antiretroviral drugs during tuberculosis treatment, may show higher incidence of anti-tuberculosis drugs complications.

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Background: Different studies have shown that despite the expanding number of antifungal agents, death rate caused by Aspergillus species has been increased during the recent decades due to drug-resistance occurrence, increased minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and cross-resistance among the isolated species. Regarding the lack of effective response to conventional treatments and antifungal susceptibility patterns of the most common isolated Aspergillus species, this study was undertaken to draw a clearer picture in the Iranian setting. Methods: During 13 months from September 2009 to October 2010, 50 clinically isolated Aspergillus cases were identified based on the method described by Klich (2002) and their morphological features. Subsequently, their susceptibility test was carried out according to NCCLS- M38A broth microdilution method. Results: We found that 7.5% of the isolated A. flavus with an MIC>2 µg/ml to amphotericin B were probably clinically resistant types, and 25% of them with an MIC<8 µg/ml to itraconazole were less sensitive isolated species. The isolates were less sensitive to voriconazole too. The MIC range of 9 strains of A. niger and the MIC of one strain of A. fumigatus had increased to all the three medications in comparison with similar foreign studies. Conclusion: In this study we found that the MICs of most isolates were in the range of the reference strains and the MICs of some isolates were in the range of similar foreign studies. In some significant cases, the MICs were beyond the known ranges showing the lower sensitivity of Iranian isolates and their increased MIC patterns.

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Background: Oropharyngeal candidiasis and antifungal drug resistance are major problems in HIV positive patients. The increased reports of antifungal resistance and expanding therapeutic options prompted the determination of antifungal susceptibility profile of Candida species isolates in Iranian patients living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in the present study.

Methods: One hundred fifty oral samples from Iranian HIV positive patients were obtained and cultured on CHROMagar and Sabouraud's dextrose agar. All isolates were identified according to assimilation profile, germ tube, colony color and other conventional methods. Disk diffusion testing and Broth Microdilution of six antifungal agents were performed according to the methods described in CLSI.

Results: Candida albicans (50.2%) was the most frequent isolated yeast, followed by C. glabrata (22%). Non-Candida albicans species were isolated from 71 (61%) positive cultures. 25.7% of Candida albicans isolates were resistant to fluconazole (MIC≥64 µg/ml) as were 21.9% and 16.4% to ketoconazole and clotrimazole (MIC>0.125 µg/ml), respectively. Resistance to polyene antifungals including amphotericin B and nystatin, and caspofungin were scarce. 57.7% of candida glabrata isolates were resistant to fluconazole, 31% to ketoconazole and 35% to clotrimazole.

Conclusion: Screening for antifungal resistant candida isolates by disk diffusion or broth dilution methods in clinical laboratories is an ideal surveillance measure in the management of oral thrush in patients with HIV/AIDS. Although nystatin is widely used in clinical practice for HIV positive patients, there was no evidence of enhanced resistance to it. Regarding no resistance to caspofungin, its administration is suggested.

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Background: Ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the serious complications of ventilatory support, occurring in ICUs. The aim of this study was to determine various risk factors associated with the acquisition of Acinetobacter infection and its antimicrobial susceptibility pattern.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in the ICUs of Rasoul-e-Akram Hospital in Tehran, Iran during the year 2011. A total of 51 endobronchial aspirates from intubated patients who had been clinically diagnosed to have VAP were studied bacteriologically. The in vitro susceptibility was determined by disk-diffusion and broth microdilution MIC methods.
Results: Out of 51 patients with VAP, 35 (66.66%) had positive cultures for Acineto-bacter species. In vitro susceptibility test revealed that a high percentage of isolates were resistant to imipenem, piperacillin-tazobactam, third generation cephalosporines, and aminoglycosides.
Conclusion: The antimicrobial resistance of gram negative bacteria, particularly Acine-tobacter species, is increasing and preventive measures need to be taken as a matter of urgency.

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Background: One of the most common infections in neonatal period is ophthalmia neo-natorum. In this study, the bacterial agents, drug resistance and susceptibility of bacteri-al agents were studied.
Methods: In this study a total of 72 newborns with ophthalmia neonatorum admitted in Bahrami Hospital in Tehran during the years 2008-2011 were continuously enrolled in a case series, descriptive study. Demographic data, including age, sex, cause of admis-sion and culture of discharge from the eyes and its antibiogram, as well as experimental treatments and treatment outcomes were collected.
Results: Forty four infants (61.1%) were males and 28 (38.9%) were females and the mean age on admission was 11.6±7.7 days. In 51 patients (70.8%) the onset of ophthal-mia neonatorum was prior to admission. More than 56% of cases with ophthalmia neonatorum were associated with sepsis. On the other hand, positive blood culture was detected in 15.3% of cases. Among 72 neonates with ophthalmia neonatorum, 26 (36.1%) had a positive culture of the eye discharge. The most common causes of bacterial agents were Staphylococcus aureus (46.1%) (12 of 26 cases). Other causes included streptococcus species (23%), Pseudomonas (15.3%), E-coli (11.5%) and Haemophilus influenza (3.8%). The most frequent causes of drug resistance were Ampicillin, Penici-llin, Cefixime, and Ceftazidime (100% resistance). The most sensiti-ve antibiotics were vancomycin and imipenem (100% sensitivity). Based on the conventional treatment, clinical response to local gentamicin was approximately 60%. Sulfacetamide was associated with no clinical response in 40% of cases.
Conclusion: The antibiogram and clinical response to empiric treatment showed that resistance to ampicillin and some third generation of cephalosporine was 100%. Aminoglycosides’ sensitivity was more than 50% locally and systemically. Our recommendation is performing eye discharge culture before antibiotic treatment. More studies with numerous cases should be done for better definition of bacterial resistance.

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Background: Influenza viruses are one of the most important etiological agents of res-piratory disease in humans and cause epidemics and pandemics with substantial mor-bidity and mortality worldwide. Vaccination and antiviral treatments are the sole and essential way for the prevention and control of influenza infection. During an influenza epidemic before the production of effective vaccine, antiviral treatments are the first step for the prevention and treatment of influenza infection. Adamantanes and neuraminidase inhibitors are influenza antiviral drugs. Because of the increase of drug resistant viruses, the aim of this study was the evaluation of the antiviral drug resistance in influenza A/H3N2 viruses from 2005-2013 in Iran. Methods: In this study 50 influenza A/H3N2 viruses isolated in cell culture were tested. All samples were subjected to M and NA gene sequencing at the National Influenza Center, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. RNA was ex-tracted from 200 µl of cell culture supernatants using the Roche high pure viral nucleic acid kit. RT-PCR with the Qiagen one step RT-PCR kit was done. The expected size of the PCR products were analyzed by electrophoresis using 1% agarose gels. The PCR products were sequenced for finding the drug resistant mutants. Results: All influenza A/H3N2 viruses except four viruses circulating during 2005-2006 had Ser31Asn mutation at M2 channel protein. In the analysis of neuraminidase gene none of the A/H3N2 viruses had K292R, E119V and N294S mutations responsible for drug resistant strains. Conclusion: This study showed circulating A/H3N2 viruses was resistant to adaman-tanes but susceptible to neuraminidase inhibitors. The national data analyzed in this re-search may help increase knowledge about influenza virus antiviral drug resistance, which is a global public health concern. The authors suggested continuing this study and also the investigation of antiviral drug resistance of influenza A/H1N1 and B viruses.