Background: We studied the clinical characteristics and outcomes of 905 hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients admitted to Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex (IKHC), Tehran, Iran. Methods: COVID-19 patients were recruited based on clinical symptoms and patterns of computed tomography (CT) imaging between February 20 and March 19. All patients were tested for the presence of COVID-19 RNA. The Poisson regression model estimated the incidence rate ratio (IRR) for different parameters. Results: The average age (± standard deviation) was 56.9 (±15.7) years and 61.77% were male. The most common symptoms were fever (93.59%), dry cough (79.78%), and dyspnea (75.69%). Only 43.76% of patients were positive for the RT-PCR COVID-19 test. Prevalence of lymphopenia was 42.9% and more than 90% had elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) or C-reactive protein (CRP). About 11% were severe cases, and 13.7% died in the hospital. The median length of stay (LOS) was 3 days. We found higher risks of mortality in patients who were older than 70 years (IRR = 11.77, 95% CI 3.63–38.18), underwent mechanical ventilation (IRR = 7.36, 95% CI 5.06–10.7), were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) (IRR = 5.47, 95% CI 4.00–8.38), tested positive on the COVID-19 test (IRR = 2.80, 95% CI 1.64–3.55), and reported a history of comorbidity (IRR = 1.76, 95% CI 1.07–2.89) compared to their corresponding reference groups. Hydroxychloroquine therapy was not associated with mortality in our study. Conclusion: Older age, experiencing a severe form of the disease, and having a comorbidity were the most important prognostic factors for COVID-19 infection. Larger studies are needed to perform further subgroup analyses and verify high-risk groups.

Background: Basic infection control measures in any nursing setup can reduce the rates of healthcare-associated infections. Reducing the risk of infection and using the prevention principles are in the realm of nursing. Objectives: The current study aimed to evaluate the level of knowledge and practices on infection control among the nursing staff. Patients and Methods:In this cross-sectional study 224 nurses were selected by random sampling from three teaching hospitals. A questionnaire was used to collect data. The questionnaire included three parts: demographic characteristic, level of knowledge, and practices among the nursing staff. Data were analyzed by SPSS software. Results: The result of the research showed that the majority of participants were female (53.6%), married (80.4%), had BS degree (89.3%) and had the working experience between 11 and 20 years (51.8%); 41.1% and 33.03% of the participants respectively had intermediate and high level of knowledge about infection control. Also the result showed that (75.8%) had intermediate level of performance in this field. There was a significant correlation between sex and performance of the participants (P = 0.014). Conclusions: According to the obtained results, the majority of nurses participating in the study had an intermediate level of knowledge and practice of infection control. There is a need to develop a system of continuous education for all the categories of nursing staff.

Background: Iron deficiency anemia is a prevalent condition among children in developing and developed countries that leads to impaired development, activity intolerance, behavioral changes, irritability, and reduced learning ability. The studies conducted in Iran have reported different prevalence rates for this condition. This systematic review and meta-analysis were aimed at estimating the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in Iranian children under 6 years of age. Methodology: Persian and English articles published from 2001 to 2018 were collected. The search process was conducted in national and internationals databases, including SID, MagIran, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, using the following keywords and their combinations: Iron, Iron deficiency, Iron deficiency anemia, Ferritin, Child, Children, and Iran. The data were analyzed using the meta-analysis and random effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I 2 statistic. All analyses were performed using the STATA software, version 12. Results: Analysis of six selected articles with a total sample size of 1,700 showed that the prevalence rates of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia in the Iranian children under 6 years of age were 27.7% (95% CI: 11.9–43.5) and 18.2% (95% CI: 14.3–22), respectively. In addition, the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia was higher in boys (17.7% with 95% CI: 5.9–29.5) than in girls (14.4% with 95% CI: 4.5–24.2). Conclusion: About one-fifth of Iranian children under the age of 6 years suffer from iron deficiency anemia. Identification of those at risk of developing this condition with the goal of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment seems to be an important and necessary task.

Background and Objectives: Nosocomial infections (NIs) are an important cause of mortality and morbidity in intensive care units (ICU). Pneumonia is the most common serious manifestation of infection in Covid-19 patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of pneumonia in Covid-19 patients admitted to the ICU. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 1240 Covid-19 patients admitted for more than 48 h in the ICUs of Imam Khomeini Complex Hospital (IKCH) in Tehran for seven months in 2020 were included in the study with initial di- agnosis of Covid-19 (PCR test and chest imaging). Data were collected regarding severity of the illness, primary reason for ICU admission, presence of risk factors, presence of infection, length of ICU and hospital stay, microbial type and antibiotic resistance. In this study, the pattern of antibiotic resistance was determined using the disk difusion method. Results: In this study, 289 (23.3%) out of 1320 patients experienced NIs. 221 (76.4%) out of 289 patients had underlying diseases and the most common of which were hypertension, diabetes and heart disease, respectively. 163 patients (56.4%) were RT-PCR COVID-19 positive and 200 patients (69%) died. The majority of patients with NIs (71%) were over 55 years old. The most common type of nosocomial infection (66%) was ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAE). The most common microorganisms that cause pneumonia were Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aerugino- sa, respectively. Conclusion: Pneumonia infection is high in Covid-19 patients admitted to the ICU, it needs to be planned with the diagnosis and measures related to the control and prevention of this infection.