Rapid and accurate diagnosis of viral respiratory infections is crucial for patient management. Multiplex reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (mRT-PCR) is used increasingly to diagnose respiratory infections and has shown to be more sensitive than viral culture and antigen detection. Objective of the present study was to develop a one-step mRT-PCR that could detect 18 respiratory viruses in three sets. The method was compared with real time RT-PCR (rRT-PCR) for its sensitivity and specificity. Clinical specimens from 843 pediatric patients with respiratory symptoms were used in the study. 503 (59.7%) samples were detected positive by mRT-PCR. Of these 462 (54.8%) exhibited presence of a single pathogen and 41 (4.9%) had multiple pathogens. rRT-PCR detected 439 (52.1%) positive samples, where 419 (49.7%) exhibited one virus and 20 (2.4%) showed co-infections. Concordance between mRT-PCR and rRT-PCR was 91.9% and kappa correlation 0.837. Sensitivity and specificity of mRT-PCR were 99.5% and 83.7% while that of rRT-PCR was 86.9% and 99.4% respectively. Rhinovirus (17.2%) was the most frequently detected virus followed by respiratory syncytial virus B (15.4%), H1N1pdm09 (8.54%), parainfluenza virus-3 (5.8%) and metapneumovirus (5.2%). In conclusion, mRT-PCR is a rapid, cost effective, specific and highly sensitive method for detection of respiratory viruses.

The carob moth, Ectomyelois ceratoniae, a pest of Punica granatum, overwinters as a larva. In this study, physiological changes, water content, cold hardiness and supercooling points (SCPs) in relation to ambient temperature in the overwintering period (October to March) and changes of these factors between diapausing (February) and non-diapausing (September) larvae were studied. Pupae that were derived from diapausing larvae (April) and from non-diapausing larvae (August) were also compared. Total body sugar, lipid and protein contents increased with decrease in the temperature and reached the highest levels (12.82, 1.99 and 6.11 mg g-1 body weight, respectively) in February, but glycogen content decreased and reached the lowest level (1.12 mg g-1 body weight) in February. There were significant differences in the levels of these compounds between diapausing and non-diapausing larvae, and pupae that were derived from diapausing and non-diapausing larvae. Trehalose and myo-inositol contents increased during diapause and reached the highest levels (0.50 and 0.07 mg g-1 body weight, respectively) in February. There were significant differences in the levels of these compounds between diapausing and non-diapausing larvae, but the differences between pupae that were derived from diapausing and non-diapausing larvae were not significant. The SCP of diapausing larvae (-17.3 °C) was significantly lower than in the non-diapausing larvae (-12.0 °C). SCP decreased gradually in autumn and reached the lowest level in the middle of winter. Changes of cold hardiness were inversely proportional to SCP changes. The lowest levels of water (65%) and weight (43.13 mg) were recorded in January and March, respectively. Most probably, lipids play a role as energy reserve, and low-molecular weight carbohydrates and polyols provide cryoprotection for overwintering larvae of the carob moth. Since the overwintering larvae die at temperatures above the SCP, the carob moth larvae were found to be a chill-intolerant insect.

Dengue fever (DF) is a mosquito-borne acute viral disease presenting with hemorrhagic manifestations in severe cases. Southeast Iran is in close proximity to Pakistan, an endemic country for DF. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Sistan and Baluchestan province in the southeast of Iran to investigate possibility of DF (immunoglobulin M [IgM], immunoglobulin G [IgG], and nonstructural protein 1 [NS1] antigen tests) in 60 clinically suspected patients (April 2013 to August 2015). NS1 protein was detected in 5% ( = 3), at least one of the antibodies (IgM and/ or IgG) was detected in 11% ( = 7) of the samples. Five patients identified as of acutely infected. There was a simultaneous presence of NS1 protein and IgG or IgM antibodies in 4% ( = 2) of patients. Previous studies show establishment of potential vectors in this area. These evidences support the hypothesis that DF can be a health concern in Southeast Iran with potential future outbreaks.

There has been observed widespread destruction of natural ecosystems around the world due to population growth, land use change and clear cutting which have affected soil properties. Different management strategies have been so far implemented to reduce this crisis in various regions of the world, such as e.g. short-term and long-term conservation management in the Zagros region. However, any management approach should be evaluated with appropriate measures to determine how managed areas respond. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the potential of earthworms as an indicator for different forest management strategies and human disturbances in Zagros oak (Quercus persica Jaub. and Spach) forest. The sites selected included undisturbed one as the control (Un), the sites under five-year conservation management (FCM) and twenty-year conservation management (TCM) as well as the disturbed site (D). The results of principal component analysis (PCA) showed that different regions separated into the components: PC1 and PC2. Un and TCM sites gathered together and represented higher values of the factors such as pH, K available , OC, clay content, P available , CEC, overstory tree canopy, N tot , biomass and abundance of earthworms. The positive direction of the first axis reflected a gradient of EC, BD and P tot . According to the logistic model, NH 4 -N and EC played the most important role in earthworm presence and absence in Zagros forest ecosystem. Earthworm abundance and biomass could be a good indicator to evaluate different forest management strategies in the study area.

Zagros forests in western Iran have been impacted by severe fuelwood removal, traditional agricultural systems, non-timber products removal, and livestock grazing.These conditions have led to the forest area diminishing from 10 to 6 million hectares over the last six decades. This study was conducted to understand the consequences of livestock exclusion on understory plant diversity, forest tree regeneration, and soil physicochemical properties in semiarid forests. We selected four neighbouring areas, including those subject to livestock exclusion and to grazing, in the Zagros oak forests of Iran. Ten randomized sampling plots (400 m2) were established, and all plant species were recorded in each area. A soil physicochemical analysis indicated a significant improvement in soil nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, and organic matter in the livestock exclusion area compared to the grazing area. The Shannon-Wiener diversity and species richness was also significantly higher in the livestock exclusion areas compared to the grazed. Grazing tolerant species like Poa bulbosa were abundant in grazing areas, while palatable and nitrogen-fixing species disappeared. The tree regeneration rate was significantly higher in the exclusion areas compared to the grazing areas, and its values were 0.079 and 0.006 per square metre in the exclusion and grazing areas, respectively. The results of the present study provided evidence that exclusion had a significant effect on improving soil chemical properties, understory plant diversity index, and sapling regeneration. However, the regeneration rates were still low, and therefore, livestock exclusion alone may not be enough to promote forest restoration. Therefore, to better understand plant diversity and tree regeneration in the Zagros forests, livestock exclusion and other factors such as soil seed bank and socio-economic status of people should be considered.

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