Background. In December, 2019, China, has experienced an outbreak of novel coronavirus disease 2019 . Coronavirus has now spread to all of the continents. We aimed to consider clinical characteristics, laboratory data of COVID-19 that provided more information for the research of this novel virus. Methods.We performed a retrospective cohort study on the clinical symptoms and laboratory findings of a series of the 100 confirmed patients with COVID-19. These patients were admitted to the hospitals affiliated to Babol University of Medical Sciences (Ayatollah Rohani, ShahidBeheshti and Yahyanejad hospitals) form 25 February 2020 to 12 March 2020. Results.Nineteen patients died during hospitalization and 81 were discharged. Non-survivor patients had a significantly higher C-reactive protein (CRP) (MD: 46.37, 95% CI: 20.84, 71.90; P= 0.001), white blood cells (WBCs) (MD: 3.10, 95% CI: 1.53, 4.67; P< 0.001) and lower lymphocyte (MD: -8.75, 95% CI: -12.62, -4.87; P< 0.001) compared to survivor patients Data analysis showed that comorbid conditions (aRR: 2.99, 95%CI: 1.09, 8.21, P= 0.034), higher CRP levels (aRR: 1.02, 95%CI: 1.01, 1.03, P= 0.044), and lower lymphocyte (aRR: 0.82, 95%CI: 0.73, 0.93, P= 0.003) were associated with increased risk of death. Conclusions.Based on our findings, most non-survivors are elderly with comorbidities. Lymphopenia and increased levels of WBCs along with elevated CRP were associated with increased risk of death. Therefore, it is best to be regularly assessed these markers during treatment of COVID-19 patients.

While some biomolecules have been explored to identify potential biomarkers for the prognosis of COVID-19 patients, there is no reliable prognostic indicator of the disease progression and severity. We aimed to evaluate the ability of the C-reactive protein (CRP) to predict COVID-19 infection outcome. This retrospective study was conducted on 429 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 30, 2020, and April 30, 2020. The study population was divided into severe (n = 175) and nonsevere cases (n = 254). Data on demographic characteristics, clinical features, and laboratory findings on admission were collected. The proportion of patients with increased CRP levels was significantly higher in severe cases than in nonsevere patients. Analysis of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve found that CRP could be used as an independent factor in predicting the severity of COVID-19. Also, patients with CRP >64.75 mg/L were more likely to have severe complications. In conclusion, CRP serum levels can predict the severity and progression of illness in patients with COVID-19.

Background. There is no doubt that the success of the dental implants depends on the stability. The aim of this work was to measure the stability of dental implants prior to loading the implants, using a resonance frequency analysis (RFA) by Osstell mentor device. Methods. Ten healthy and nonsmoker patients over 40 years of age with at least six months of complete or partial edentulous mouth received screw-type dental implants by a 1-stage procedure. RFA measurements were obtained at surgery and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 11 weeks after the implant surgery. Results. Among fifteen implants, the lowest mean stability measurement was for the 4th week after surgery in all bone types. At placement, the mean ISQ obtained with the magnetic device was 77.2 with 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.49, and then it decreased until the 4th week to 72.13 (95% CI = 2.88), and at the last measurement, the mean implant stability significantly (P value <0.05) increased and recorded higher values to 75.6 (95% CI = 1.88), at the 11th week. Conclusions. The results may be indicative of a period of time when loading might be disadvantageous prior to the 4th week following implant placement. These suggestions need to be further assessed through future studies.

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Received 08 November 2017 Accepted 15 February 2018 The incidence of community-acquired UTIs due to extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing E. coli isolates, has increased worldwide and is considered a great problem in the treatment of infections. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of ESBL producing E. coli isolates in urine samples of outpatients in Babol, North of Iran. A total of 3 699 urine samples from outpatients referred to Yahyanejad Hospital, Babol, Iran, were collected during 15 months, from March 2016 to June 2017. The samples were processed for bacterial culture using conventional methods, while antimicrobial susceptibility testing for E. coli isolates was performed by the disc diffusion method. The prevalence of ESBL producing E. coli isolates were assessed by Double-Disc tests. Of 3699 tested sample, 201 samples showed the growth of pathogens and among them, 106 isolates (52/7%) were E. coli. The rate of ESBL producing E. coli isolates was 25/4%.The majority (81/5%) of the isolates were from females. High percent resistance was found against ceftazidime, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, cefixime and ciprofloxacin, ranging from 61-100%, while the highest percent susceptibility was seen to meropenem, piperacillin- tazobactam (100%), followed by nitrofurantoin and amikacin (91%). The high prevalence of ESBL producing E. coli isolates from outpatients calls for the need to aware of this increasing resistance between uropathogens and update bacterial susceptibility data and to set up our empirical therapy accordingly.

The clinical and para clinical manifestations of influenza in various patients have range from an autoimmune disease to a life-threatening respiratory infection. In addition, the severity of the disease is influenced by factors such as demographic factors, underlying diseases, and immune response. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the clinical, laboratory and epidemiological characteristics of patients with this type of influenza in Babol (north of Iran). This study was conducted as a descriptive cross-sectional study from October 2015 to March 2016. Subsequently, in this study, records of 123 patients with clinical signs of the influenza-like disease who have undergone the clinical sign in hospitals affiliated to Babol University of Medical Sciences were reviewed. Of 123 patients admitted to a possible diagnosis of influenza, 58 patients (47.2%) were PCR positive for H1N1, while seventy nine (64.2%) participants were women and 21 (17.1%) had diabetes or underlying lung disease. Most of the involved age groups were of individuals above the age of 50. These were followed by the 21-35 years-old. Fever (78%), cough (65.9%), shivering (58.5%) and myalgia (56.1%) were the most common clinical symptoms. Increased levels of transaminases (43.1%), leukocytosis (35.8%) and thrombocytopenia (34.2%) were as well reported in patients as the most frequently reported para clinical findings. In the present study, the most usual clinical symptoms were fever, cough, chill, and myalgia, while gastrointestinal symptoms were also noticeably observed in patients. In an experimental study, a significant number of patients showed leukocytosis and thrombocytopenia and increased transaminases.

<p><strong>BACKGROUND &amp; PURPOSE: </strong>Antibiotic resistance rate is increasing in <em>Acinetobacter</em> species, especially in <em>Acinetobacter baumannii</em>, as the most important pathogen of hospital and ICU . This research aimed to evaluate antibiotic resistant rate of <em>Acinetobacter</em> spp. isolated from patients admitted to ICUs in educational hospitals affiliated with Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences.</p><p><strong>METHODS:</strong> In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 50 <em>Acinetobacter</em> isolates were collected during 2013- 2014. After confirming <em>Acinetobacter</em> species, antibacterial sensitivity test was done using disc diffusion method and minimal inhibitor concentration (MIC) was evaluated by E-test in all isolates.</p><p><strong>RESULTS:</strong> Disc diffusion method revealed that 100% of isolates were resistant to Amikacin and Cefepim and 96% were resistant to both Meropenem and Ciprofloxacin antibiotics, 6% were sensitive, 18% were intermediate and 76% were resistant to imipenem. Also, 84% of isolates were sensitive and 16% were resistant to colistin. In E-test method, 92% of isolates were sensitive and 8% were resistant to colistin. Moreover, an isolate was sensitive, one was intermediate and the remaining isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin, and 100% of isolates were resistant to other antibiotics in E-test. Over 96% of <em>Acinetobacter</em> isolates were resistant to the antibiotics frequently used in ICU (ciprofloxacin, meropenem, amikacin, and cefepim). Colistin was found as  the only appropriate antibiotic that could be used for patients in ICU.</p><p><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> We hope these results could change the attitude of physicians toward using antibiotics in ICUs and encourage them to follow antibiotic stewardship as the only effective strategy to somewhat control antibiotic resistances.</p>

Objectives. To avoid worsening from mild, moderate, and severe diseases and to reduce mortality, it is necessary to identify the subpopulation that is more vulnerable to the development of COVID-19 unfavorable consequences. This study aims to investigate the demographic information, prevalence rates of common comorbidities among negative and positive real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) patients, and the association between SARS-CoV-2 cycle threshold (Ct) at hospital admission, demographic data, and outcomes of the patients in a large population in Northern Iran. Methods. This large retrospective cross-sectional study was performed from 7 March to 20 December 2020. Demographic data, including gender, age, underlying diseases, clinical outcomes, and Ct values, were obtained from 8,318 cases suspected of COVID-19, who were admitted to four teaching hospitals affiliated to Babol University of Medical Sciences (MUBABOL), in the north of Iran. Results. Since 7 March 2020, the data were collected from 8,318 cases suspected of COVID-19 (48.5% female and 51.5% male) with a mean age of 53 ± 25.3 years. Among 8,318 suspected COVID-19 patients, 3,250 (39.1%) had a positive rRT-PCR result; 1,632 (50.2%) patients were male and 335 (10.3%) patients died during their hospital stay. The distribution of positive rRT-PCR revealed that most patients (464 (75.7%)) had a Ct between 21 and 30 (Group B). Conclusion. Elderly patients, lower Ct, patients having at least one comorbidity, and male cases were significantly associated with increased risk for COVID-19-related mortality. Moreover, mortality was significantly higher in patients with diabetes, kidney disease, and respiratory disease.