Background: Leishmaniasis, a disease caused by a protozoan, causes numerous deaths in humans each year. After malaria, leishmaniasis is known to be the deadliest parasitic disease globally. Direct visual detection of leishmania parasite through microscopy is the frequent method for diagnosis of this disease. However, this method is time-consuming and subject to errors. This study was aimed to develop an artificial intelligence-based algorithm for automatic diagnosis of leishmaniasis. Methods: We used the Viola-Jones algorithm to develop a leishmania parasite detection system. The algorithm includes three procedures: feature extraction, integral image creation, and classification. Haar-like features are used as features. An integral image was used to represent an abstract of the image that significantly speeds up the algorithm. The adaBoost technique was used to select the discriminate features and to train the classifier. Results: A 65% recall and 50% precision was concluded in the detection of macrophages infected with the leishmania parasite. Also, these numbers were 52% and 71%, respectively, related to amastigotes outside of macrophages. Conclusion: The developed system is accurate, fast, easy to use, and cost-effective. Therefore, artificial intelligence might be used as an alternative for the current leishmanial diagnosis methods.

Background: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has substantially impacted the provision of medical services. During the pandemic, many medical services, including facilities providing care to patients with end stage renal disease faced challenges in safeguarding patients and staff while providing clinical care. This study aims to identify the extent, range, and nature of articles related to COVID-19 and maintenance hemodialysis to understand the research gaps and propose recommendations for future research.Methods: Using the terms: “Dialysis” OR “RRT” OR “Renal replacement therapy” AND “SARS-COV-2” OR “COVID-19” OR “novel coronavirus” OR “2019-nCov”, we performed a multi-step systematic search of the literature in the English language in Pubmed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science published from December 1, 2019, to May 13, 2020. Two authors separately screened the title and abstracts of the documents and ruled out irrelevant articles. We obtained a full report of the papers that met our inclusion criteria and screened the full texts. We conducted a descriptive analysis of the characteristics of the included articles and performed a narrative synthesis of the results. We conducted this scoping review in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR Checklist.Results: We included 22 articles in this scoping review. Perspectives (n = 9), editorials (n = 4), and case series (n = 5) were the most common types of articles. Most articles were from Italy and the United States. Seventeen (77.3%) of the articles focused on the topic of recommendation for outpatient hemodialysis units. While many of the recommendations overlapped in several articles, there were also many unique recommendations.Conclusions: most of the articles are based on single-center experience, which spontaneously developed best practices. Many of these practices have formed the basis for policies and guidelines that will guide future prevention of infection and management of patients with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) and COVID-19.

Background: Fluoroquinolones, available in topical and oral formulations, are used to manage bacterial skin and soft tissue infections, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, atypical mycobacteria, and select multidrug-resistant Gram-negative organisms. Their excellent tissue penetration, bactericidal activity, and convenient dosing make them effective for certain skin and soft tissue infections. However, their use is limited by potential safety concerns, including tendinopathy (odds ratio up to 9.1 in corticosteroid users), QT interval prolongation with risk of torsades de pointes, phototoxicity, and rising antimicrobial resistance. Methods: A literature search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted for articles from January 1985 to April 2025 with the search terms (quinolone OR fluoroquinolone) AND (dermatology OR “skin and soft tissue infection” OR “skin structure infection”). Abstracts and presentations were excluded. A Google search used the same terms for articles from government regulatory agencies. Results: This review provides practical guidance on the clinical use of topical and oral fluoroquinolones in dermatology. Delafloxacin demonstrated over 90% cure rates in trials for complicated skin infections. However, serious safety concerns remain, including a ninefold increase in tendinopathy risk among older adults on corticosteroids and corrected QT intervals exceeding 500 milliseconds in high-risk patients. Phototoxicity varies, with agents like sparfloxacin linked to heightened ultraviolet sensitivity. Resistance to ciprofloxacin exceeds 20 percent in Escherichia coli and P. aeruginosa in some populations. Culture-based prescribing, shorter treatment courses, and preference for topical treatments can reduce risk and preserve efficacy. Conclusions: Fluoroquinolones remain clinically useful in dermatology when prescribed selectively. Their appropriate use requires careful attention to patient risk factors along with their evolving resistance patterns and ongoing stewardship efforts.

Cell-mediated drug delivery systems represent a promising frontier in dermatologic therapy by offering enhanced targeting precision, prolonged drug release, and reduced systemic toxicity. These systems leverage the intrinsic properties of immune cells, stem cells, and skin-resident cells to migrate toward inflamed or diseased skin and deliver therapeutic agents in a controlled and biocompatible manner. This review explores the mechanistic foundations of cell-mediated delivery, including chemotaxis, phagocytosis, and immune modulation, and examines current applications in inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis, cutaneous malignancies such as melanoma and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, and chronic wound healing. Engineering approaches such as cell surface modification, exosome loading, and integration with gene editing technologies are also discussed. Finally, we highlight translational challenges related to immunogenicity, manufacturing scalability, and regulatory considerations, and propose future directions for clinical adoption in dermatology. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current landscape and outlines the potential for cell-based delivery systems to transform the treatment of chronic and refractory skin diseases.

Background: Respiratory diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the survivors exposed to Sulfur Mustard (SM). The late abnormalities can be present as chronic bronchitis, tracheobronchial stenosis, asthma, bronchiectasis, airway narrowing, lung fibrosis, and lung cancers. This study aims to investigate the association between radiological findings and lung cancer development in patients exposed to sulfur mustard gas. Methods: We entered 719 victims exposed to SM during the Iran–Iraq war into our follow-up study in a consensus manner. They were periodically followed with Chest HRCT scans from 2001 to an interval of 2014–2019. The mean year interval between exposure and the last follow-up was 38 years. For confirming the lung cancer in those with evidence of malignancy in their imaging, fine needle aspiration/biopsy and/or surgical intervention were done. Results: Among 719 patients, 57% were free from any pathologic findings in their HRCT scan. Among the subjects who had the abnormal radiologic findings, Air Trapping (AT), Lung Fibrosis (LF), Bronchiectasis (B), and the evidence of lung cancer were found in 265 (36.9%), 207 (28.8%), 151 (21.0%), and 42 (5.8%), respectively. Adenocarcinoma (38.1%) was the most common type of cancer. The right lung was involved more than the left one regarding LF, B, and cancer (p value < 0.05). Considering the laterality, a significant correlation was found between the side of LF and B and the tumor side. Furthermore, it was shown that the lung lobes with LF were statistically correlated to tumor-involved lobes. The relative risk of AT and B existence for tumor development was 11.73 [4.87–28.26] and 10.14 [5.12–20.090], respectively. The most predictive finding was LF which caused the risk of developing tumor 17.75 [7.35–42.86] times higher in the patient with this pathology. By each increment of the number of LF and B, the risk of developing tumors increased by 51% and 76%, respectively. Conclusion: In survivors exposed to Sulfur Mustard, those with bronchiectasis and lung fibrosis have a significantly higher risk of developing lung cancers, so a close follow-up of these victims is recommended. Trial registration This study was confirmed by the institutional review board and ethics committee at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS) with the ethical code IR.SUMS.MED.REC.1399.637.