Premature birth is a primary cause of infant mortality and its etiology varies in different countries. Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is a common infectious agent transmitted through sexual contact. The purpose of this study is to investigate the connection between CT infections and preterm birth by meta-analysis. All articles published in literature databases including Google Scholar, PubMed, ISI (Web of Science), Biological Abs, IranMedex, SID, and Scopus were investigated. Twenty-four relevant articles, authored betweenm 1998–2014 were analyzed through a random effects model. Heterogeneity of the studies was evaluated by I2 index. The relationship between years of data collection, sample size, and CT infections with preterm delivery prevalence was examined by meta-regression. Data were analyzed with R and STATA [Ver. 12]. The overall prevalence of CT infections leading to preterm deliveries was estimated to be 0.13% (CI 95%: 0.11–0.16). The prevalence of CT infections leading to preterm deliveries were calculated based on the study method including PCR [0.06 (CI 95%: 0.04–0.09)], serology [0.23 (CI 95%: 0.10–0.35)] and culture [0.17 (CI 95%: 0.10–0.24)]. Analysis indicates that women with chlamydia infections were 2.28 more likely to deliver pre-term in comparison with those who were not infected. It can be concluded that chlamydia infections increase the risks of preterm delivery, OR = 2.28 (95% CI:1.64–3.16). In regard to the results in numerous studies performed on different continents, this meta- analysis showed a clear association between preterm delivery and prior CT colonization.

Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is the cause of genital tract infections in women. Some evidence has shown the role of this infection with CT in spontaneous abortions. The purpose of this study is to study the frequency of CT infection in Iranian women. This study was performed based on PRISMA guidelines. A total of 75 articles published in Google Scholar, PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Biological abs, Iranmedex, SID, and Scopus databases were found (1986–2015) using the following keywords: CT in women, CT and Iranian women, CT and infection in Iran, CT and pregnancy in Iran, CT and preterm delivery in Iran, CT and preterm labor in Iran, CT and fertility in Iran, CT and infertility in Iran, and CT and abortion in Iran. Finally, 40 studies from different regions of Iran were included. Statistical analyses were performed using R3 and STATA 12. From 1986 to 2015, the lowest rate of prevalence was from 2010 to 2011 (3.9%) and the highest prevalence rate was in 2009 (69.39%) in northern Iran. Fixed effects for different parts of Iran (North, South, East, and West) were Pooled proportion: 0.13 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.12–0.14) and for samples (cervical, vaginal, urine, and blood) the pooled proportion was = 0.14 (95% CI = 0.12–0.14). CT infection in this study was prevalent in urine samples and the rate of CT was observed from culture methods in comparison to other methods. Because women with CT play an important role because of sexual activity for transmission and untreated women are at risk of developing sequels. Also, most studies in Iran use sensitive polymerase chain reaction tests for the detection of genital CT infections.

Background: Osteopoikilosis, also referred to as disseminated condensing osteopathy, spotted bone disease, or osteopecilia, is a rare bone disorder. The case presented here showcases multiple disc lesions in the spine, extensive multifocal skin lesions, and positive test results for dermatomyositis and multifocal enthesopathy, accompanied by neurological symptoms. This manifestation represents a novel variant of the disease. Case presentation: Our patient is a 46-year-old mosque Kurdish servant presenting with complaints of pain in the right leg, lower back, right hand, and neck. Additionally, the patient has been experiencing redness in the right buttock and ipsilateral thigh, as well as gradually expanding and stiffening skin lesions on the left shin for the past 3 weeks. Painful neck movements and a positive Lasegue test were also observed in the right leg. The patient reports pain in the right buttock accompanied by a substantial erythematous area with induration measuring 8 × 15 cm, as well as an erythematous and maculopapular lesion measuring 6 × 18 cm on the left shin. Conclusions: Our patient is a 46-year-old man presenting with complaints of skin lesions and pain in the lower back, pelvis, neck, and limbs. The X-ray reveals shoulder, pelvis, knee, and ankle involvement, while spinal involvement is observed in the neck and lumbar region. Furthermore, the bone scan indicates extensive enthesopathy in various regions, a unique manifestation not previously reported in similar cases.

Background: Spontaneous preterm delivery is defined as the beginning of the birth process before the 37th week of pregnancy. The presence of microorganisms in the fetal membranes is accompanied by an increase in the production of prostaglandin, one of the important factors associated with the prevalence of preterm birth. The invasion of microorganisms leads to the production of protease, coagulase, and elastase, which directly stimulate the onset of childbirth. We investigated the role of genital infections in women with preterm birth.Methods: The present case-control study was conducted in the west of Iran on 100 women with spontaneous preterm delivery (following 24 weeks of gestation and before 36 weeks and 6 days) as the case group and 100 women with normal delivery as controls. A questionnaire was applied to collect the data. Polymerase chain reaction and pathological examination of the placenta were performed.Results: The average age in women with normal delivery (30.92 ± 5.10) in women with spontaneous preterm delivery (30.27 ± 4.93). The prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhea, Listeria monocytogenes, and Mycoplasma genitalium infections was zero in both groups. The highest prevalence of Gardnerella vaginalis was 19 (19%) in the case group and Ureaplasma parvum 15 (15%) in the control group. Also, Placental inflammation was zero in controls and 7(7%) in the patient group. There was a significant relationship between Gardnerella vaginalis bacteria and spontaneous preterm delivery.Conclusion: The results of our study showed that except for Gardnerella vaginalis bacteria, there is no significant relationship between the above bacterial infections and spontaneous preterm birth. Moreover, despite the significant reduction in the prevalence of many sexually transmitted infections in this research, it is still suggested to increase the awareness of people, including pregnant women, about the ways it can be transmitted by gynecologists and health and treatment centers.

Objectives: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are very common infections in humans, and Escherichia coli (E. coli) is the commonest pathogen leading to UTIs. The generation of beta-lactamase enzymes in this bacterium results in its resistance against many antibiotics. This study compares three doses of amikacin on alternate days with a daily dose of meropenem in the same period for the treatment of UTIs with E. coli in a double-blind clinical trial. Methods: The current double-blind clinical trial compares three doses of amikacin on alternate days with a daily dose of meropenem in the same period for the treatment of UTIs with E. coli. The patients were assigned to two groups: Intervention (receiving a single dose of amikacin once a day at 48-h intervals for a week, three doses) and control (receiving meropenem for 1/TDS for a week). Results: The E. coli infection frequency was 61 (21 cases of non-ESBL and 40 cases of ESBL-positive infections) and the frequency of the other infections was 52 (46%). In the patients with ESBL E. coli infection, ciprofloxacin (21; 70%) showed the highest antibiotic resistance, and nitrofurantoin (33; 91.7%) showed the highest sensitivity. The baseline variables between the control and intervention groups indicated no significant difference (p > 0.05). The frequency of signs and symptoms showed no significant difference between the amikacin and meropenem groups in the first 24 h and the first week. In the second week of follow-up, no clinical signs or symptoms were observed in the two groups. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that treatment with amikacin, 1 g q48h, for one week (three doses) has the same result as meropenem, 1 g q8h, for one week (21 doses). The results are the same for the treatment of UTIs with ESBL positive and ESBL negative. Amikacin can be used once every 48 h to treat UTIs, is less expensive and can be administered on an outpatient basis. Trial registration: This study was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) with ID number: IRCT20170417033483N2 on the date 2018-02-13.

DNMT1 Gene Expression in Patients with Helicobacter pylori Infection: DNMT1, as a critical enzyme affecting epigenetics through methylation of DNA cytosine-rich sequences, regulates gene expression. Exterior factors including long-term infections, in this study Helicobacter pylori infection, could change host cells’ epigenetics by affecting DNMT1 gene expression. This study investigated the statistical correlation between H. pylori virulence genes and DNMT1 gene expression in gastric antral epithelial cells of gastric adenocarcinoma and gastritis patients. In a case-control study, 50 and 53 gastritis and gastric adenocarcinoma antral biopsies, including 23 and 21 patients with H. pylori infection, respectively, were collected from hospitals in the west of Iran. Having extracted total RNA from gastric biopsy samples, cDNA was synthesized and virulence genes of H. pylori were detected by using the PCR method. Relative real-time RT PCR was used to detect ΔΔCt fold changes of the DNMT1 gene expression in divided groups of patients based on H. pylori infection and clinical manifestations. The results showed that along with increasing patients’ age, the DNMT1 gene expression will increase in gastric antral epithelial cells of gastric cancer patients ( ). On the other hand, the biopsy samples with infection of H. pylori cagA, cagY, and cagE genotypes revealed a direct correlation along with increased DNMT1 gene expression. This study revealed the correlations of H. pylori cag pathogenicity island genes with increased DNMT1 gene expression.