Background:There are unorganized, published documents about the ecology of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in northeastern part of Iran. The purpose of this study was to determine the distribution and characteristics of larval habitats of Culicidae in Kalaleh County.Methods:Larvae were collected using dipping method and adults by human landing catch technique during April–October, 2012. Larval habitat characteristics were recorded such as vegetation status, and sunlight, water situation. Lacto-phenol and de Faure’s media were used for conserving and mounting samples. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software, version 11.5.Results:Out of the 395 larvae collected, 332 were adult mosquitoes comprising; Culiseta, Culex, Anopheles and Ochlerotatus genera and 14 species including An. superpictus, An. maculipennis s.l., An. hyrcanus, An. psudopictus, An. claviger, Culex pipiens, Cx. theileri, Cx. perexiguus, Culiseta longiareolata, Cs. subochrea, Ochlerotatus caspius, Oc. echinus and Oc. geniculatus. Culex pipiens larvae were predominant (27.6%) and Cs. subochrea (1%) was found as the lowest species in terms of number. In the adult form, Cx. pipiens (28.9%) was predominant whereas, Cs. subochrea and Cx. perexiguus were reported to have had the lowest frequency.Conclusion:The larvae of An. superpictus and An. maculipennis species as the main vectors of malaria in north of Iran were reported in permanent habitats with clear water and vegetation, full and partial sunlight situations and muddy as well as sandy substrates that are important in larvicide application programs. Exclusive studies are necessary to diagnose An. maculipennis species complex using molecular and morphological analysis in the future.

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Research on the role of acceptance in adjustment to persisting pain has been facilitated by the development of the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (CPAQ). However, the CPAQ has not yet been validated amongst Iranian patients with chronic pain. To examine the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the CPAQ (P-CPAQ), 245 Persian-speaking chronic pain patients completed a battery of questionnaires, including: the P-CPAQ, a Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, a slightly modified Roland and Morris Disability Questionnaire, the Catastrophizing Scale of the Coping Strategies Questionnaire, the Depression and Anxiety Scales of the Depression Anxiety And Stress Scale-21 and the Pain-Related Interference and Pain Intensity Scales of the Multidimensional Pain Inventory. Furthermore, to evaluate the reliability of the P-CPAQ, the measure was completed by 24 chronic pain patients, on two occasions that are 2 weeks apart. The results of the principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis yielded a two-factor solution. Furthermore, the reliability and construct validity of the P-CPAQ were confirmed. In general, consistent with studies in other countries, the results of the present study indicate that pain acceptance plays an important role in adjustment to chronic pain regardless of cultural and language differences between countries.

This study evaluated the performance of three diagnostic methods for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Patients who came to the Health Center Laboratory of Gonbad-e-Qabus in Golestan Province, Iran, were enrolled in the study. Skin scraping smear, improved microculture (IMC) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were performed. A total of 303 subjects were recruited, among whom 273 subjects fulfilled the criteria for CL. Sensitivity and specificity were 88.8 % (95 % CI = 84.2-92.2 %) and 100.0 % for smears, 98.4 % (95 % CI = 96.1-99.1 %) and 100.0 % for IMC, both of them 100.0 % for PCR. Although, PCR was relatively more sensitive than the IMC, the high correlation (agreement = 96 %, Kappa = 0.82) between IMC and PCR along with the advantages of simplicity, rapidity, adequate sensitivity and as a needle free method, offers the IMC as a valuable alternative diagnostic method for PCR in diagnosis of CL.

Background: Intestinal parasite infection is one of the major health problems in the world especially in the developing countries. Objectives: This study was an attempt to examine the prevalence of intestinal parasite infection in the day care centers in Gonbad-e Kavus. Methods: In this cross sectional study, 932 children were recruited from 45 day care centers in Gonbad-e Kavus in Iran, through a survey and their stool samples were examined using direct wet mount, formalin-ether concentration and Trichrome staining techniques. Also, scotch tape slides were microscopically analyzed. Data were analyzed using percentage, frequency and Chi-square test using SPSS ver.16. Odds Ratio was used show the effect size of socio-demographic variables on the rate of intestinal parasite infection. Results: The prevalence of intestinal parasite infections among the children was 26.6%. This study found a significant relationship between the children age, parent education and the place of residency with the rate of intestinal parasite infection (P < 0.05). The children in rural areas were 1.55 times more likely than the children in urban areas to be infected with intestinal parasites (OR = 1.55). Moreover, the results of this study showed that an increase in parent's education for one level decreased the risk of infection in their children by 6% (OR = 0.94). Also, with a rise in the age of participants for a year, the risk of infection increased by 44% (OR = 1.44). Conclusions: Due to the high rate of intestinal parasite infections among children, parents and child care workers need to learn about the various means by which parasites can be transmitted in day care centers.