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Hossein Kazemian,1 Jalil Kardan-Yamchi,2 Abbas Bahador,1 Shadi Khonsari,3 Mahshid Nasehi,4 Gholamreza Hamzehloo,5 Farzam Vaziri,6 Mohammad Reza Salehi,7 Mohammad Mehdi Feizabadi1,8 1Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 2Division of Microbiology, Department of Pathobiology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 3Natural Science Department, School of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, London, UK; 4Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 5Tehran Regional Reference Laboratory for Tuberculosis, Tehran, Iran; 6Department of Mycobacteriology and Pulmonary Research, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran; 7Department of Infectious Disease, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 8Thoracic Research Center, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IranCorrespondence: Mohammad Mehdi FeizabadiDepartment of Medical Microbiology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Poursina Street, Engelab-e-Eslami Avenue, Tehran, IranTel +989121767987Fax +982188955810Email mfeizabadi@tums.ac.irBackground: Successful treatment of tuberculosis depends on early diagnosis and use of appropriate drug susceptibility testing in a timely manner. In the present study, LPA efficacy was assayed in detection and drug susceptibility testing of pulmonary tuberculosis in comparison to available methods in Iran and phylogenetic analyses of isolated cases carried out by MIRU-VNTR.Methods: This study was conducted at the Tehran Regional Reference Laboratory for Tuberculosis. All sputum specimens were subjected to smear, culture, and drug susceptibility testing (DST), GeneXpert, and LPA. Finally, 15-locus-based MIRU-VNTR was used for molecular genotyping.Results: From a total of 920 sputum specimens, 6.08% (n=56) were identified as MTBC by culture, 6.8% (n=63) by GeneXpert, and 6.5% (n=60) by LPA. Phenotype DST and LPA methods confirmed the resistance of 4 and 14 specimens to rifampin (RIF) and isoniazid (INH); two cases were considered as multidrug-resistant (MDR). Using GeneXpert, four cases were identified as RIF-resistant. Based on LPA results, inhA and katG mutations were detected in 100% and 21.4% of INH-resistant cases, respectively. All 56 culture positive Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates were placed in 29 different clusters using MIRU-VNTR genotyping. Two MDR-TB, 2 RIF mono-resistant, and 12 INH mono-resistant cases were placed in different clusters.Conclusion: LPA is an appropriate method for early detection and accurate diagnosis of TB and drug-resistant cases that makes it possible to distinguish INH mono-resistant cases from MDR cases in Iran.Keywords: tuberculosis, line probe assay, early diagnosis, drug resistance, mutation

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Developing materials to improve the efficiency of fertilizers and increase their performance is one of the main areas of research in the agricultural science. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that Mg-modified zeolite is used for modification of composting process of urban organic solid waste. Natural zeolite was clinoptilolite with a particle size smaller than 250 μm modified with MgCl2.6H2O salt. Different ratios (i.e. 5, 10, and 15%, on a weight basis) of natural and/or Mg-modified zeolite were used to modify the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) compost. Experimental results revealed that the pH of the final compost product with the Mg-modified zeolite was effectively buffered at 7.7. Furthermore, in comparison to the control treatment (without zeolite), the compost with natural and Mg-modified zeolite showed 32.13 and 41.25% reduction in electrical conductivity, respectively. Ammonium retention of the compost containing 15% natural and Mg-modified zeolite was increased by 64.51 and 110.10%, respectively. Metals mobility test of the matured composts also revealed that adding zeolite, especially the Mgmodified zeolite, could decrease the mobility of Cu, Pb, Zn, Fe, Ni, and Mn metals. The most decrease in the mobility of metals was observed in Cu, which was about 44.16 and 47.82%, in the compost with the natural and Mg-modified zeolite, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]