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Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection is an endemic condition in Northeast Iran and, as such, identification of risk factors associated with the infection in this region seems to be a necessity. All the possible risk factors for HTLV-1 seropositivity among first-time blood donors were evaluated in Mashhad, Iran, during the period of 2011-2012. Blood donation volunteers were interviewed for demographic data, medical history, and behavioral characteristics and the frequencies of risk factors were compared between HTLV-1 positive (case) and HTLV-1 negative (control) donors. The data was analyzed using Chi square and t-tests. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors for the infection. Assessments were carried out on 246 cases aged 17-60 and 776 controls aged 17-59, who were matched based on their ages, gender, and date and center of donation. Logistic analysis showed low income (OR = 1.53, p = 0.035), low educational level (OR = 1.64, p = 0.049), being born in the cities of either Mashhad (OR = 2.47, p = 0.001) or Neyshabour (OR = 4.30, p < 0001), and a history of blood transfusion (OR = 3.17, p = 0.007) or non-IV drug abuse (OR = 3.77, p < 0.0001) were significant predictors for infection with HTLV-1. Lack of variability or small sample size could be reasons of failure to detect some well-known risk factors for HTLV-1 infection, such as prolonged breastfeeding and sexual promiscuity. Pre-donation screening of possible risk factors for transfusion-transmissible infections should also be considered as an important issue, however, a revision of the screening criteria such as a history of transfusion for more than one year prior to donation is strongly recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anemia is one of the main conditions that impose an adverse impact on the socioeconomic state of any country; however, evidence on the prevalence of anemia is scant in Northeastern Iran. This study was conducted to determine the overall and age- and sex-specific prevalence of anemia in the city of Mashhad, Iran. In a cross-sectional, population-based survey, 1675 individuals aged 1-90 years (29.1±18.5 years) were selected from approximately 2.4 million residents by a multistage cluster sampling method during May to September 2009. Blood samples were evaluated to determine erythrocyte indices and anemia was defined according to hemoglobin (Hb) levels based on World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The prevalence of anemia was 9.7% with considerable difference between both sexes; 6.2% and 12.7% in males and females, respectively (P<0.001). The higher prevalence of anemia was detected in females of 15-54 and ≥ 65 years old (16% and 12.5%, respectively). However, the higher rates were observed in males 65 years and older as well as boys below 5 years old (16.3% and 14.6%, respectively). Current findings show that anemia is a considerable public health problem in the population of Mashhad, Iran, especially among the pre-school children, adult women and the elderly. Great attention should be paid to the pre-school boys who are more affected by anemia than what was previously assumed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: High prevalence of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-I) infection in the northeastern of Iran has been proven. However, there is no overall estimation of the infection in the country. This systematic review was conducted to make an accurate estimation of HTLV-I infection prevalence in the Iranian blood donors. Method: All cross-sectional studies which had reported the prevalence of HTLV-I infection in the Iranian blood donors in both English and Persian languages until August 2011 were adopted. The inclusion criteria were proper sampling methods, adequate sample size, and valid measurement methods. The overall prevalence rate was estimated using meta-analysis method as well as survey data analysis methods. Results: From 843 electronic searched citations, and 245 surveys found in gray literatures, 13 studies met the inclusion criteria. They were from seven provinces including Razavi Khorasan (0.38-1.16%), West Azarbaijan (0.34%), Ilam (0.21%), Hormozgan (0.18%), Alborz (0.11%), South Khorasan (0.04%), and Bushehr (0.01%). The overall estimation of the HTLV-I prevalence rate in Iranian blood donors was 0.119% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.050-0.287 percent). Conclusion: It is concluded that HTLV-I infection in Iranian blood donors is considerably prevalent. It is highly recommended to continue prevention programs such as strict blood screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the pattern of muscle involvement in patients with ulnar neuropathy at the elbow. Materials and Methods: This study evaluated all patients referred for upper limb electrodiagnostic study (EDX) during 2007-2011 and included. patients with clinical signs and symptoms of ulnar neuropathy at the elbow. All patients had nerve conduction studies (NCS) for ulnar neuropathy. Needle electromyography (EMG) of four ulnar innervated muscles, flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU), flexor digitrom profoundus (FDP), first dorsal interosseous (FDI) and abductor digiti minimi (ADM)) was evaluated. Results: During the study period 34 (23 males and 11 females) patients were diagnosed with ulnar neuropathy at the elbow and three of them had bilateral involvement. Muscle involvement by EMG was as follows: FDI: 91.9%, ADM: 91.3%, FCU: 64.9% and FDP: 56.8%. Conclusion: In this study, EMG abnormalities of nerve damage were presented more commonly in the FCU muscle than in the FDP in patients with ulnar nerve lesion at the elbow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a significant health problem throughout the world. Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of hepatitis B antigen (HBsAg) seropositivity in the general population of Mashhad, northeast of Iran. Patients and Methods: One thousand six hundred fifty-two healthy individuals aged 1 to 90 (Mean; 29.1 ± 18.5) from all 12 municipalities of Mashad were selected randomly by multistage cluster sampling. Informed consent was obtained, and demographics and medical histories were collected. Twice-reactive samples were considered HBsAgpositive by ELISA. Chi-square test and logistic regression were applied to analyze the factors related to HBsAg positivity using SPSS 16.0. Results: The overall prevalence of HBsAg positivity was 1.39% (95% CI, 0.91% to 2.12%); 2.0% and 0.89% among men and women, respectively (p = 0.054). Infection was more prevalent in older (p = 0.019) and married persons (p = 0.001), Afghanis (p = 0.046), and those with a history of traditional cupping (p = 0.005). There was no association between HBV infection and gender; literacy; income; employment; family size; or history of blood transfusion, dental procedure, surgery, hospitalization, or tattooing. By logistic regression analysis, age was the only variable that had a significant association with infection (p = 0.026). Conclusion: It seems that the prevalence of HBV infection in Mashhad is slightly lower than that of the nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is among the main public health concerns with around 200 thousand infected cases in Iran. The World Health Organization (WHO) aims towards eliminating HCV by 2030. Conducting face-to-face awareness-raising campaigns is one of the most important measures taken to reach that aim, but doing so takes a lot of time and energy and the effectiveness is in question. Objective: Our objective was to design, develop, and evaluate an informing mobile application and also a social media bot to raise awareness about HCV infection. Material and Methods: We designed a mobile application (HepC) and a social media bot (Hepatobot) which provide the users with information on HCV infection social stigma, transmission, prevention, diagnosis, cure, statistics, and the closest health centers' contact details. A pre-test is designed inside the application which evaluates the users' knowledge before using the app and gives them a background on the most important points they're going to learn. We also designed an optional posttest on the homepage to help us inspect the application's effectiveness and also for the users to assess what they learned. Results: The application and bot were both designed and developed under the supervision of an expert in the HCV infection field. The application and bot both received positive reviews after the initial release. Conclusion: Considering the increasing usage of smartphones, alternating face-to-face awareness-raising campaigns with informing applications and bots can accelerate the process, save resources, and increase the efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection is one of the major blood-borne infections worldwide. HCV carriers may develop chronic hepatitis leading to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). There is no overall estimate of the infection prevalence in the northeast of Iran. We have performed this research in order to determine accurately the prevalence and risk factors of HCV infection among general population in Mashhad., Methods: During 2009, 1678 people between 1 to 90 yr old with the mean age of 29.1±18.5 yr were selected randomly by multistage sampling from different geographical regions of the city proportionate to sex and age distribution of population in 2006 census. ELISA was used to screen for antibodies and RT-PCR tested the positive samples., Results: HCV infection was detected in 7/1654 cases; overall prevalence of the infection was 0.42% (95%CI: 0.17-0.87%), 0.80% and 0.11% among males and females, respectively ( P = 0.051). One HCV-infected subject was also positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), however, no cases showed HIV or HTLV seropositivity., Conclusion: In comparison with similar studies, the prevalence of HCV infection in Mashhad is low.