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Background: Occult hepatitis B infection (OBI) refers to the presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in the serum or liver of individuals who tested negative for HBV surface antigen (HBsAg). This study aimed to determine seropositivity for antibodies against HBV core antigen (anti-HBc) and the frequency of OBI among the HBsAg non-reactive blood donors in Mashhad, northeastern Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, serum samples of HBsAg-negative blood donors were examined for anti-HBc during June and August 2018. Anti-HBc-positive samples were tested for antibodies against HBsAg (anti-HBs), and those with negative results were classified as isolated anti-HBc cases. The presence of HBV DNA in the C, S, and X gene regions was assessed by a qualitative real-time polymerase chain reaction method in all HBsAg-negative samples. OBI subjects were detected by the presence of at least one HBV genomic region. Results: Of 540 HBsAg-negative donors, 29 (5.4%; 95% confidence interval: 3.6--7.6%) showed seroreactivity for anti-HBc, of whom 18 individuals were also seropositive for anti-HBs. All donors showed negative results for all three HBV genes regardless of their serum anti-HBc status. Conclusion: Based on our findings, we suggest routine screening of Iranian blood donation volunteers for serum anti-HBc and anti-HBs but not HBV DNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects 58 million people globally. The frequency of HCV infection in the general Iranian population is less than 0.5%; however, a concentrated epidemic was reported among people who use drugs, particularly those with a history of drug injection. Objectives: This cross-sectional study was performed to assess the prevalence of HCV infection among high-risk groups outside of prison in northeastern Iran. Methods: A total of 962 participants in Razavi Khorasan province were enrolled from 2018 to 2022. They included drug users referred to drug treatment and harm reduction centers and individuals with a history of crimes such as drug use or imprisonment who worked in a private industrial unit. Serum anti-HCV antibodies were assessed using a rapid or ELISA kit, and seroreactive samples were confirmed by single-step reverse transcriptase or qualitative real-time polymerase chain reactions. A P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age of 707 males and 255 females was 39.8 ± 10.2 years. Anti-HCV antibodies were detected from 129 samples (13.41%), of which 107 were available for polymerase chain reaction testing. HCV RNA was detected in 88 cases (75.2%); the total viremia rate was calculated as 9.26% (88/950). Logistic regression analysis revealed that HCV infection among drug users was significantly associated with older age (P = 0.002), being single (P = 0.009), and history of drug injection (P < 0.001) or incarceration (P = 0.04). Conclusions: The findings showed a considerably high prevalence of HCV infection among people who use drugs in northeastern Iran. To achieve the global goal of viral hepatitis elimination by 2030, we strongly recommend stricter screening and treatment of this infection among such hard-to-access populations in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The epidemiology and prevalence of the Human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 (HTLV-1) infection represent a recommended priority by global health agencies. An in-depth revision to update the status of this infection in countries including those of the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) of the World Health Organization is hence required. Methods: Ninety-seven studies evaluating the HTLV-1 infection in low- and high-risk populations in EMRO countries were retrieved from the international electronic databases and were used to assess the epidemiological status of the infection in these countries. Results: Most epidemiologic reports were published from Iran, with more than 50% of Iranian prisoners and around 4% of healthy individuals reported to have the infection. In Egypt, a considerable prevalence of the virus spans around 1.11% of blood donors. Foci of HTLV-1 infection are also present in some countries and require a careful epidemiological evaluation. In the other EMRO countries, a lower prevalence that does not exceed 1% was reported. Conclusion: The epidemiology and prevalence of HTLV-1 in the EMRO countries require a tight revision and update. Published studies reveal a scarce distribution of the virus in the African countries of EMRO, while a lower prevalence is denoted in the Asian countries of EMRO, except in Iran, where the prevalence is high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: People who use drugs, particularly injection drug users (IDUs) are known as the major source of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. This study was performed to determine the prevalence of HCV infection using rapid point-of-care testing and to assess liver fibrosis by non-invasive lab tests among addict populations of Mashhad, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, drug users who referred to drug treatment and harm reduction centers of Mashhad were enrolled during March and December 2019. A rapid test kit was used to assess the presence of anti-HCV antibodies and a realtime PCR was performed to confirm the infection. The AST-platelet ratio index (APRI) and fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score were used to investigate liver fibrosis in patients with positive HCV RNA. A P value <0.05 was considered as significant. Results: A total of 390 drug users aged 15-74 years were assessed. Sixty-four individuals showed positive results for anti-HCV (16.4%), of whom 58 blood samples were available for PCR test. The viremic rate among the latter group was calculated at 84.5% (49/58); the total viremia prevalence was 12.8% (49/384). Multivariate analysis revealed that being single (P = 0.040) or divorced/ widow (P = 0.011) and history of drug injection (P < 0.001) and tattoos (P = 0.021) were significantly associated with current HCV infection. Using APRI and FIB-4 indices, significant liver fibrosis was identified in 14.3% and 18.4% of cases, respectively. Conclusion: HCV infection screening using rapid tests and examining liver fibrosis by non-invasive lab tests appear to be practicable and useful among poor populations in settings such as drug treatment centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Various frequency rates of occult hepatitis B virus infection (OBI) are reported from different parts of Iran. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to characterize the OBI epidemiology in Iran and estimate the pooled prevalence among different populations. Evidence Acquisition: Nine internationalandPersian electronic databases, as well assomeconference proceedings, were searched. Original cross-sectional studies up to December 2018 were included if they investigated the prevalence of OBI by the detection of serum hepatitis B virus surface antigen and hepatitis B virus nucleic acid in at least 30 samples selected with any sampling methods. Comprehensive meta-analysis software was used to analyze the data, and Cochran's Q-test and I-square statistics were applied to assess the heterogeneity. Meta-regression analysis was performed to assess the impact of the year of study on the OBI frequency. A P value < 0.05 was considered as the level of significance. Results: Of 412 citations found in electronic sources and 35 relevant citations added by searching the gray literature, 83 nonduplicated non-overlapping studies were evaluated. A total of 55 documents comprising 14,485 individuals from 16 provinces met the inclusion criteria and were used in the analysis. The prevalence of OBI considerably varied in different parts of the country with the highest prevalence (63.1%) reportedamongthe HIV-positive population in Fars province. The rates of the OBI prevalencewereestimatedat 0.06% (95% CI: 0.02 - 0.16%)amongblood donors (BDs) regardless of their anti-HBc status, 7.90% (95% CI: 4.33 - 13.99%)among anti-HBc positive BDs, 2.49% (95% CI: 1.2 - 4.81%) among hemodialysis (HD) patients, 4.44% (95% CI: 1.56 - 12.02%) among HIV-positive patients, and 7.76% (95% CI: 4.57 - 12.86%) among HCV-positive patients. No significant trends were observed in OBI prevalence rates among different groups over time (P > 0.05). Conclusions: This review revealed high rates of OBI prevalence among high-risk populations in Iran. It is strongly suggested that occult hepatitis B be investigated among populations with a high chance of its occurrence in our country. [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]