Background: The ABILOCO is a questionnaire assessing and measuring the locomotion ability to perform activities daily living from easy to hard in stroke patients. Methods: The ABILOCO was translated into Persian and retranslated into English. Forty hemiplegic stroke patients with an average age (60 ± 7.5 years) participated in the study. The participants were interviewed using ABILOCO and were assessed by the interviewer and observer. The total logit score of the participants was also assessed by using the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: The results were showed the high correlation between the first interview of interviewer and the observer (ICC = 0.8, P < 0.05). In addition, a strong relationship was observed between the interviewer's first and second interviews after a week (ICC = 0.85, P < 0.05). Conclusions: The Persian edition of ABILOCO is reliable to assess walking ability of stroke patients in clinics and studies.

Background: After the last outbreak of wild polio infection in Baghdad, April 2014, the Iraqi response to the outbreak was activated through solid surveillance of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) case detection in all governorates to interrupt the circulation of poliovirus in addition to the strengthening of Expanded Program on Immunization. This response to the last outbreak has to be evaluated independently to ensure effective mopping and surveillance to stop further outbreak all over the country including the holy province Karbala. We aimed to evaluate the response to the last polio outbreak by evaluating surveillance activities of acute flaccid paralysis cases whether they meet the recommended standards. Methods: Observational evaluation study conducted through August 15–25, 2015. Checking of Acute Flaccid Paralysis surveillance (AFP) activity through detection of nonPolio acute flaccid paralysis rate and immediate reporting with adequate stool sampling, and 60 days follow-up examination four districts of the province. The reviewing checked whether the surveillance system in Karbala met the global standards required for stopping wild poliovirus circulation. The evaluation included immunization coverage rates and active National Immunization days of oral polio vaccine campaigns. Results: During the period of review, the core surveillance indicators in Karbala met the globally set standards. Percent of acute flaccid paralysis cases with specimens reached to the reference laboratory within 3 days was 100%. Nonpolio cases was 4.2 per 100000 population under 15 years of age through week 33 of the year 2015. Eleven AFP cases were reported from all districts of Karbala among Population of children under 15 years of age. The percentage of cases with adequate specimens was 100% in 2015 versus 93% in 2014. The percent of AFP Cases notified within 7 days of paralysis onset (during first 33 weeks) was 100% in 2015 versus 87% in 2014. Conclusions: As Karbala response to polio outbreak met the target global indicators and standards of polio surveillance. The circulation of the virus in this locality was interrupted and further transmission of the disease is unlikely.

Background: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is a biochemical disease which is characterized by elevated serum levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) with normal thyroid hormone levels. In an attempt to correct the disease at its entry point, we wished to find out the incidence of subclinical hypothyroidism in female college students in Kumbakonam, a semiurban town of India. Methods: Around 260 female college students who had no history of thyroid disease were screened for thyroid dysfunction by a TSH assay. Results: The mean age ± standard deviation was 18.72 ± 2.27 years. The mean TSH value was 3.98 mIU/mL. The incidence of abnormally high TSH values was around 11.5%. The number of such cases was 30 with low T3 values in six students. One had a value of 150 with no symptoms. Another student had a value of 0.15 and her T3-T4 profile was normal. All students were asymptomatic. None of the students had goiter.Conclusions: In an unpublished but accepted study, we found an incidence of 3.5% in the school female children in the age group of 15–17. A sudden jump in the incidence is occurring in the age group of 18–22. This needs a workup of the causative factors and their possible correction.

Backgound: Bacterial or viral infections often cause acute and severe systemic inflammation, which affects the lungs lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a pathogenic component of the membrane of gram-negative bacteria, stimulates active innate immune cells, monocytes, macrophages to produce inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Excess production of this compound occurs in COVID-19 resulting in inflammatory cascade and thromboembolism. We intend to propose the use of sildenafil to reduce this production. Method: The analysis of biochemical pathways shows that viral infection produces a high amount of nitric oxide (NO), with an acute inflammatory process. Results: In the case of COVID-19 infection we verified that numerous biochemical processes activate a cascade of inflammatory processes through the activation of iNOS with uncontrolled generation of (NO). Conclusions: iNOS is the cause of damage to host cells with a consequent pulmonary thromboembolic lung phenomenon in a contest of interstitial pneumonia. This study proposes the use of sildenafil to counter the inflammatory cascade and thromboembolic episodes.

Coronaviruses (CoV) are RNA viruses that cause endemic infections in various species of mammals and avian birds. There are seven known human CoVs, each of which causes respiratory diseases: together account for about one third of common colds. Some CoVs have recently entered humans from infected animals and lastly we have SARS COVID-19, (CoV), which causes severe acute, often fatal respiratory syndromes. The prevalence of CoV, the easy zoonotic transmission and the potential to cause serious respiratory diseases, lead to urgent research to discover the mechanisms of CoV infection. Our study has identified a possible way to eliminate the danger of this virus by analyzing the structures by which it enters the host cell. This study indicates that the neuroaminidase interrupts the infection.

Background: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of home-based education intervention on the exclusivity and promoting the rates of self-efficacy of breastfeeding. Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted Arak University of Medical Sciences in Takeghani Hospital in Iran between June 2015 and October 2015. A total of 130 eligible and voluntary women hospitalized in Arak University of Medical Sciences Hospital postpartum wards were randomized to receive usual care (n = 65) or education with CD and pamphlets (n = 65). Data regarding exclusive breastfeeding were collected using Denis and Fox's breastfeeding self-efficacy questionnaire. The primary outcome was collected by one assistant researcher during first postpartum visit. The secondary outcome was collected 4 weeks after birth of babies by telephone interviews. Data analysis was performed using descriptive (frequency, mean), independent samples t-test, Student's t-test, t^[2]-test, and Chi-square test. All values of P < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: There was no significant differences between the intervention and control groups with regard to age (P = 0.086) and gestational age (P = 0.741). The breastfeeding self-efficacy scores were higher in the intervention group (63.66 ± 6.11) than in the control group (57.04 ± 6.18) after 1 month of childbirth (P = 0.001). The exclusive breastfeeding rate in intervention group was 89.2 (n = 58) at 1^st month after education compared with 55.4% (n = 36) in control group (P = 0.001). Conclusions: In a setting, a high breastfeeding rate and self-efficacy scores were found in education group. Therefore, nurses and midwives are thus required to adopt various health education strategies, such as home education, encourage breastfeeding.