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Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), caused by an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite from the genus Leishmania, imposing a significant burden on underdeveloped countries especially those located in the Middle East. Four electronic databases were searched to evaluate the prevalence of CL in the Middle East. The random effects model (95% confidence intervals (CI)) were applied to determine the overall and subgroup pooled prevalence. Heterogeneity was assessed by Cochran's Q test and I2 statistics. Among 2424 peer-reviewed papers, 37 datasets from 34 studies were included in the current meta-analysis. 285560 individuals were assessed across 9 Middle Eastern countries. The pooled prevalence of CL was estimated at 12% (95% CI 9-15 %; 10718/285560). The highest prevalence rate was observed in Syria (39%, 37-42%), and the lowest one was found in Iraq and Lebanon (0%, 0-1%). The prevalence of CL in studies that applied LST assays had the highest rate (48%, 17-80%). The infection rate in males was similar to females (7%, 4-10%). The prevalence of infection in individuals living in urban areas was higher than in rural areas (14%, 10-19%). The prevalence of CL in the age group 0-15 years was higher than in individuals 16-40 and >40 years (9%, 6-13%). Most of the lesions were found on the face, and single lesions were more prevalent than two and three ones. In conclusion, the occurrence of CL was considerable in Middle Eastern countries. Therefore, more efforts should be made to precisely report the CL in this region for developing appropriate preventive and controlling strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Iran, cancers are known as the second leading cause of death, among which respiratory system cancers are particularly important because lung cancer is the second most common cause of death in this country. This study aimed to estimate the crude and age-standardized mortality and its trends during 9 years in the Northern city of Iran, Babol. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all the recorded deaths due to respiratory system cancers in Babol during the years 2013-2021 on the Classification of Causes of Deaths and Death Registration System of Babol University of Medical Sciences were taken into consideration, and the population estimate was based on the latest census. Finally, the crude and age-standardized rates of mortality and trends of cancer incidents were calculated. Results: In general, 393 deaths with an overall mean age of 67.8±3.9 years have happened due to respiratory system cancers. The crude and standardized rates of respiratory system cancers increased from 6.5 and 5.5 per hundred thousand people in 2013 to 9.1 and 7.8 per hundred thousand people in 2021, respectively. With each decade in age, their trends increased significantly in men (p=0.024) and remained constant in women (p=0.262). In examining the trend of respiratory system cancers, we found an increasing trend for lung cancer and a constant trend for larynx and oropharynx cancers. There was also a decreasing trend for hypopharyngeal cancer. Conclusions: The age-standardized rate and trend of respiratory system cancers are increasing. Therefore, it is important to prevent their prevalence by reducing the risk factors and increasing the general awareness of risks and timely diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Wolbachia are common intracellular bacteria that infect different groups of arthropods including mos- quitoes. These bacteria modify host biology and may induce feminization, parthenogenesis, male killing and cyto- plasmic incompatibility (CI). Recently Wolbachia is being nominated as a bio-agent and paratransgenic candidate to control mosquito borne diseases. Methods: Here we report the results of a survey for presence, frequency, and phylogenetic congruence of these en- dosymbiont bacteria in Culex pipiens populations in Northern, Central, and Southern parts of Iran using nested-PCR amplification of wsp gene. Results: Wolbachia DNA were found in 227 (87.3%) out of 260 wild-caught mosquitoes. The rate of infection in adult females ranged from 61.5% to 100%, while in males were from 80% to 100%. The Blast search and phyloge- netic analysis of the wsp gene sequence revealed that the Wolbachia strain from Iranian Cx. pipiens was identical to the Wolbachia strains of supergroup B previously reported in members of the Cx. pipiens complex. They had also identical sequence homology with the Wolbachia strains from a group of distinct arthropods including lepidopteran, wasps, flies, damselfly, thrips, and mites from remote geographical areas of the world. Conclusion: It is suggested that Wolbachia strains horizontally transfer between unrelated host organisms over evolutionary time. Also results of this study indicates that Wolbachia infections were highly prevalent infecting all Cx. pipiens populations throughout the country, however further study needs to define Wolbachia inter-population repro- ductive incompatibility pattern and its usefulness as a bio-agent control measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Stevens-Johnson syndrome is a disorder mostly attributed to drug use, which can cause different skin problems. Patient concerns: A 31-year-old woman presented with severe pain and pounding in the left ear. Diagnosis: Fluconazole-induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome with fungal infection in ear. Intervention: Surgical and systemic antibiotic therapy. Outcomes: The patient recovered and resumed her normal life. Lessons: The prescription of fluconazole for patients with underlying conditions should be done with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Otoacariasis is the presence of ticks and mites in the auditory canal. A 50-year-old Iranian man was subjected at the an ear, nose, and throat clinic at Rouhani Hospital in Babol with complaint of left ear pain. Otoscopic examination showed mite infestation in the left auditory canal. The infestation was eradicated with the 2% H2O2 solution. Treatment began by applying oral ciprofloxacin (500 mg/day) twice daily for 7 d. We report the rare case of an ear canal infestation with the Rhizoglyphus and their eradication with 2% H2O2 solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]