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Background: Emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is a major healthcare threat. Apparently, the novel coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2) is armed by special abilities to spread and dysregulate the immune mechanisms. The likelihood of oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC) development in COVID‐19 patients with a list of attributable risk factors for oral infections has not yet been investigated. Objectives: We here aim to investigate the prevalence, causative agents and antifungal susceptibility pattern of OPC in Iranian COVID‐19 patients. Patients and Methods: A total of 53 hospitalised COVID‐19 patients with OPC were studied. Relevant clinical data were mined. Strain identification was performed by 21‐plex PCR and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1‐5.8S‐ITS2). Antifungal susceptibility testing to fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, amphotericin B, caspofungin, micafungin and anidulafungin was performed according to the CLSI broth dilution method. Results: In 53 COVID‐19 patients with OPC, cardiovascular diseases (52.83%) and diabetes (37.7%) were the principal underlying conditions. The most common risk factor was lymphopaenia (71%). In total, 65 Candida isolates causing OPC were recovered. C albicans (70.7%) was the most common, followed by C glabrata (10.7%), C dubliniensis (9.2%), C parapsilosis sensu stricto (4.6%), C tropicalis (3%) and Pichia kudriavzevii (=C krusei, 1.5%). Majority of the Candida isolates were susceptible to all three classes of antifungal drugs. Conclusion: Our data clarified some concerns regarding the occurrence of OPC in Iranian COVID‐19 patients. Further studies should be conducted to design an appropriate prophylaxis programme and improve management of OPC in critically ill COVID‐19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since scientometrics has changed significantly over time, study of its changes can include a description of the past, an analysis of the current situation, and planning for the Future, leading to optimal policymaking and planning by organizations. The objective of the present study was to identify trends and driving forces affecting future research in the field of scientometrics in Iran based on the characteristics of the knowledge-based society. This study is applied that has conducted by literature review and survey. An expert panel was conducted with 15 experts in the field of Knowledge Science. Then, a researcher-made questionnaire was distributed among the experts. The study results showed that the driving forces affecting the Future of scientometrics can be divided into 14 general indicators (10 internal indicators including communication and interactions, experts, creativity and innovation, information technology, citation, methodology, index, language barriers, facilities, and specific problems of the field and 4 external indicators including sociology, economics, information technology and policymaking and management of the country's higher education system) with 66 items. Given the undesired situation of trends of scientometrics in Iran, policymakers and managers of the country's higher education system in Iran should consider the need to change the trends and the effective drivers of scientometrics because the lack of synchronization with the changes, the effectiveness, and applicability of research will reduce and faded over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To explore the prevalence, transmission routes and genotypes distribution of HCV in HIV-1/HCV co-infected individuals in Ahvaz, Iran.Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted among HIV adult voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) clients, from September to November 2016. Reverse transcription (RT) nested PCR was performed to amplify the HCV core and 5'UTR regions from 90 HIV/HCV co-infected individuals. The PCR products were then sequenced for HCV subtyping. Genetic analysis was done by MEGA6 software.Results: The prevalence of HCV in HIV-1-infected individuals was 58.7%. Injection drug use (IDU) was the most common route (99.1%) of transmission, and most of the patients (97.8%) had a history of imprisonment. The HCV subtypes were identified as 1a (55.2%), 3a (35.8%), 3 h (4.5%), 1b (3%) and 4a (1.5%) respectively, HCV 1a and 3a subtypes were predominant.Conclusions: The diversity of HCV subtypes in HIV-1/HCV co-infected individuals in Ahvaz city was high, although two subtypes (1a and 3a) are predominant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the incidence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Iranians vaccinated with either AZD1222 Vaxzevria, CovIran® vaccine, SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated (lnCoV) or Sputnik V., Methods: We enrolled individuals 18 years or older receiving their first COVID-19 vaccine dose between April 2021 and January 2022 in seven Iranian cities. Participants completed weekly follow-up surveys for 17 weeks (25 weeks for AZD1222) to report their COVID-19 status and hospitalization. We used Cox regression models to assess risk factors for contracting COVID-19, hospitalization and death., Findings: Of 89 783 participants enrolled, incidence rates per 1 000 000 person-days were: 528.2 (95% confidence interval, CI: 514.0-542.7) for contracting COVID-19; 55.8 (95% CI: 51.4-60.5) for hospitalization; and 4.1 (95% CI: 3.0-5.5) for death. Compared with SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell), hazard ratios (HR) for contracting COVID-19 were: 0.70 (95% CI: 0.61-0.80) with AZD1222; 0.73 (95% CI: 0.62-0.86) with Sputnik V; and 0.73 (95% CI: 0.63-0.86) with CovIran®. For hospitalization and death, all vaccines provided similar protection 14 days after the second dose. History of COVID-19 protected against contracting COVID-19 again (HR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.69-0.84). Diabetes and respiratory, cardiac and renal disease were associated with higher risks of contracting COVID-19 after vaccination., Conclusion: The rates of contracting COVID-19 after vaccination were relatively high. SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell) provided lower protection against COVID-19 than other vaccines. People with comorbidities had higher risks of contracting COVID-19 and hospitalization and should be prioritized for preventive interventions., ((c) 2022 The authors; licensee World Health Organization.)

Objective: High prevalence of chronic ulcers and the burden of disease necessitate the increasingly significant production of new recombinant proteins in the world. The angiopoietin-1 enzyme is a part of the growth factors group which is secreted by Lucilia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae) larvae when they meet lesions to ensure maggot therapy. It is one of the most potent proteins in wound healing. Given its essential role, the angiopoietin-1 gene of L. sericata was characterized, which provided some necessary information on its identity., Results: The mid-part of the angiopoietin-1 mRNA sequence was thus characterized based on the design of different primers such as exon-exon junction, conserved regions, and specific region primers via conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Its structural features were configured by in silico method. The sequence of mid-part (390 bp) of angiopoietin-1 was determined empirically, and BLAST analysis unraveled its high identity (85%) with the sequence of angiopoietin-1 mRNA of the larval housefly, Musca domestica. The homology of this enzyme also exhibited that its nucleic acid sequence was very similar to the domains of angiopoietin-1 in Lucilia cuprina. The current data are instructive and critical to evaluate the action of this enzyme in recombinant protein production in future molecular studies on wound healing.