What is it like to be the wife of an addicted man in Iran? A qualitative study

Drug misuse is increasing and diversifying in Iran. This study is the first to explore in detail the impact on, and ways of coping used by, spouses of addicted men in Iran. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 spouses. Four main themes were identified in the data: heart-breaking news of the husband’s addiction; coping alone; progressive deterioration and suffering; and disruption of family relationships and finances. Reactions upon learning of the husband’s addiction involved shock and collapse, and/or fear, disbelief and confusion. Spouses tried to hide the problem and to solve the problem alone, feeling for a long time as if they were “walking in the dark” without any social support and exposed to stigma. As time had gone on they had experienced distress and turmoil, and mixed feelings towards, and loss of trust and confidence in, their husbands, whose behaviour was increasingly unreliable. This had led to impairment in the relationship, and financial stress, and a general degradation and disruption of normal family life, leading to strain for spouses, akin to a state of burnout. Present findings confirm the conclusions of similar research conducted in other countries, that substance misuse in the family can have devastating effects for spouses, on children and all aspects of family life. The situation for Iranian wives may be compounded by the relatively closed nature of family life, and the existence of culturally based attitudes, including shame, towards “family defects” such as addiction. More information and support is needed for Iranian families of addicted individuals.     

Failure of productive infection of Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) with H16 subtype of avian influenza viruses

Background

Mallard ducks and other waterfowl represent the most important reservoirs of low pathogenic avian influenza viruses (LPAIV). In addition, mallards are the most abundant duck species in Eurasia that migrate over long distances. Despite extended wild bird monitoring studies over the past decade in many Eurasian countries and investigating hundreds of thousands of wild bird samples, no mallard duck was found to be positive for avian influenza virus of subtype H16 in faecal, cloacal or oropharyngeal samples. Just three cases of H16 infections in Anseriformes species were described worldwide. In contrast, H16 viruses have been repeatedly isolated from birds of the Laridae family.

Objective

Here, we tested the hypothesis that mallards are less permissive to infection with H16 viruses.

Methods

Groups of mallard ducks of different age were inoculated via the oculo-nasal-oral route with different infectious doses of an H16N3 AIV.

Results

The ducks did not show any clinical symptoms, and no virus shedding was evident from cloacal and respiratory routes after experimental infection as shown by negative RT-qPCR results. In addition, all serum samples taken on days 8, 21 and 24 post-inoculation were negative by competitive NP-ELISA.

Conclusions

This study provided evidence that mallards are resistant to infection with H16N3 LPAIV.     

Sequence diversity of the haemagglutinin open reading frame of recent highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 isolates from Egypt

Archives of Virology - The sequences encoding the haemagglutinin (HA) of twelve H5N1 isolates obtained in 2006 and 2007 from different avian species in backyard holdings and poultry farms in Egypt...     

Evaluation of the level of house dust mite allergens,Der p 1 and Der f 1 in Iranian homes,a nationwide study

BackgroundExposure to house dust mites (HDMs) is a major risk factor for the development of allergic symptoms. HDMs are worldwide in distribution. Assessing these allergens in each area is a critical step in evaluating the risk of sensitisation and controlling allergic symptoms. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the level of major HDMs, Der p 1 and Der f 1, in various parts of Iran.MethodsIn 2009, 257 dust samples were obtained from living rooms’ carpets in seven cities throughout Iran with different geoclimatic conditions. The level of Der p 1 and Der f 1 was measured by commercial ELISA.ResultsDetectable level of Der p 1 and Der f 1 levels were only found in Gorgan and Sari, two cities near the Caspian Sea with moderate temperatures and high relative humidity. In both of these cities, Der f 1 was more frequent than Der p 1 (100% vs. 85%) and was found to be at a higher level than Der p 1 (geometric mean 3128 vs. 439 ng/g dust, P < 0.001).ConclusionThe results of this study confirm that house dust mites in Iran are restricted to the Caspian Sea coastal areas, and in other parts, due to seasonal variations of temperature and humidity mites are not able to grow well and therefore are not an important risk factor for sensitisation and respiratory allergies.     

West Nile virus monitoring in migrating and resident water birds in Iran: are common coots the main reservoirs of the virus in wetlands?

A molecular and serological study was carried out to determine the West Nile virus (WNV) status in different species of wild water birds. From 2003 to 2007, samples were collected from 519 birds representing 26 different species in Iran. Out of 519 serum samples tested for WNV antibodies, 78 (15%) were positive when tested using virus neutralization and immunofluorescence. Antibodies of WNV were detected in 71 out of 131 common coot (Fulica atra) samples. In comparison, only 7 out of 388 birds that were belonged to 25 other species of water birds revealed positive results. For most Anatidae species, no positive duck in serological tests was found. Further, no WNV viral RNA-positive samples were found in this study. Results of this investigation provide important information about the prevalence of WNV in wild water birds in Iran and indicate the potential role and importance of common coots in ecology of WNVs.     

The prevalence of allergic fungal rhinosinusitis in sinonasal polyposis

Allergic fungal sinusitis (AFS) is a noninvasive form of fungal rhinosinusitis with a prevalence of 6–9 % among all rhinosinusitis cases requiring surgery. The fungi causing AFRS have a great diversity and regional variation in the incidence of AFS has been reported worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of AFS among rhinosinusitis patients in the north east of Iran. In a prospective cross-sectional study 127 patients with sinonasal polyposis who were candidates for surgery were recruited. All cases were evaluated by sinonasal CT scan, Prick test for common regional allergens, total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) level, and allergic mucin culture for fungi in suspected cases. Data analyses were done using SPSS version 13.0. Their mean age was 37.4 ± 11.6 years, the male-to-female ratio was 69/58. Eleven patients (9.45 %) met the AFS criteria. Nine cases had a positive culture for Aspergillus specimen and three for Alternaria. Prick test was positive for at least one allergen in 28 cases (22.05 %). The most common allergen was weed. The total IgE level was significantly higher in AFS patients. This study showed the prevalence of AFS among patients with nasal polyposis to be 9.45 %.     

Microscopy with ultraviolet surface excitation (MUSE): A novel approach to real‐time inexpensive slide‐free dermatopathology

Traditional histology relies on processing and physically sectioning either frozen or formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded (FFPE) tissue into thin slices (typically 4‐6 μm) prior to staining and viewing on a standard wide‐field microscope. Microscopy using ultraviolet (UV) surface excitation (MUSE) represents a novel alternative microscopy method that works with UV excitation using oblique cis‐illumination, which can generate high‐quality images from the cut surface of fresh or fixed tissue after brief staining, with no requirement for fixation, embedding and histological sectioning of tissue specimens. We examined its potential utility in dermatopathology. Concordance between MUSE images and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) slides was assessed by the scoring of MUSE images on their suitability for identifying 10 selected epidermal and dermal structures obtained from minimally fixed tissue, including stratum corneum, stratum granulosum, stratum spinosum, stratum basale, nerve, vasculature, collagen and elastin, sweat glands, adipose tissue and inflammatory cells, as well as 4 cases of basal cell carcinoma and 1 case of pseudoxanthoma elasticum deparaffinized out of histology blocks. Our results indicate that MUSE can identify nearly all normal skin structures seen on routine H&E as well as some histopathologic features, and appears promising as a fast, reliable and cost‐effective diagnostic approach in dermatopathology.     

The presence of fungal-specific IgE in serum and sinonasal tissue among patients with sinonasal polyposis

Nasal polyposis (NP) is a common inflammatory disorder with different proposed etiologies. There is some evidence that the local production of specific IgE against fungal allergens may contribute to the pathogenesis of this condition. The aim of this study was to compare local and systemic production of fungal-specific IgE among patients with NP. In a prospective cross-sectional study, 141 patients with sinonasal polyposis who were surgical candidates were enrolled. Total IgE and fungal-specific IgE antibodies in serum and tissue homogenates were measured by the ELISA and ImmunoCAP method, respectively. Twelve cases (9.45 %) met the allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS) criteria while the remaining 129 patients showed histopathological features of chronic hyperplastic rhinosinusitis. Considering a cutoff point of 0.4 KUI/L for specific IgE as a positive reaction against fungal elements, seven and 62 cases showed positive results in serum and homogenate tissue, respectively. All serum positive reactions were seen among patients with AFRS. In conclusion, IgE antibody could be locally produced in the nasal polyp tissue while not detectable in the serum.