Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services

About: Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services is a education organization based out in Tehran, Iran. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 19456 authors who have published 33659 publications receiving 365676 citations.

High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in school-age children in Tehran, 2008: a red alert

Abstract: OBJECTIVE To assess the vitamin D status of 9-12-year-old primary-school children in Tehran during autumn and winter 2007-2008. DESIGN A descriptive cross-sectional study. SETTING Primary schools of Tehran city, Iran. SUBJECTS A total of 1111 children aged 9-12 years (573 boys and 538 girls) from sixty primary schools were enrolled in the study. Weight, height, BMI and serum levels of Ca, P, Mg, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), osteocalcin and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase of all the participants were assessed. Dietary Ca intake was also evaluated using a quantitative FFQ for a subsample of the study population (n 503). Vitamin D sufficiency was defined on the basis of serum levels of 25(OH)D as either ≥37 nmol/l (criterion 1) or ≥50 nmol/l (criterion 2). RESULTS Daily intake of Ca did not differ significantly between boys and girls (929·6 (sd 436·7) mg and 909·5 (sd 465·5) mg, respectively). However, on the basis of the first criterion, approximately 86 % of the children had vitamin D deficiency, with 38·3 % being severely deficient (25(OH)D < 12·5 nmol/l). According to the second criterion, prevalence of vitamin D deficiency rose to 91·7 %. Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was higher in girls than in boys by either criterion. Serum levels of 25(OH)D inversely correlated with iPTH (r = -0·154, P < 0·001) and BMI (r = -0·092, P = 0·002) but directly correlated with duration of sun exposure (r = 0·115, P < 0·001). CONCLUSIONS The high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among schoolchildren (especially among girls) warrants immediate interventions for proper nutritional support.

Vitrectomy in ocular trauma. Factors influencing final visual outcome.

Abstract: The results of vitrectomy in 240 consecutive cases of ocular trauma were reviewed. Of these cases, 71.2% were war injuries. Intraocular foreign bodies were present in 155 eyes, of which 74.8% were metallic and 61.9% ferromagnetic. Multivariate analysis identified the prognostic factors predictive of poor visual outcome, which included: (1) presence of an afferent pupillary defect; (2) double perforating injuries; and (3) presence of intraocular foreign bodies. Association of vitreous hemorrhage with intraocular foreign bodies was predictive of a poor prognosis. Eyes with foreign bodies retained in the anterior segment and vitreous had a better prognosis than those with foreign bodies embedded in the retina. Timing of vitrectomy and type of trauma had no significant effect on the final visual results. Prophylactic scleral buckling reduced the incidence of retinal detachment after surgery. Injuries confined to the cornea had a better prognosis than scleral injuries.

New Insights in to the Intrinsic and Acquired Drug Resistance Mechanisms in Mycobacteria.

Abstract: Infectious diseases caused by clinically important Mycobacteria continue to be an important public health problem worldwide primarily due to emergence of drug resistance crisis. In recent years, the control of tuberculosis (TB), the disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), is hampered by the emergence of multidrug resistance (MDR), defined as resistance to at least isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RIF), two key drugs in the treatment of the disease. Despite the availability of curative anti-TB therapy, inappropriate and inadequate treatment has allowed MTB to acquire resistance to the most important anti-TB drugs. Likewise, for most mycobacteria other than MTB, the outcome of drug treatment is poor and is likely related to the high levels of antibiotic resistance. Thus, a better knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of drug resistance in mycobacteria could aid not only to select the best therapeutic options but also to develop novel drugs that can overwhelm the existing resistance mechanisms. In this article, we review the distinctive mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in mycobacteria.