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In December 2019, the prevalence of a pneumonia with unknown cause was reported in China which was later named Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by a virus called SARS-CoV-2. One of the most important ways of COVID-19 transmission is contaminated surfaces. In this review study, we investigated the stability of SARS-CoV-2 in air and on surfaces and the methods of preventing its spread Reported in studies conducted from 2003 to April 2020 which were searched in PubMed, Scopus, Embace, and Google Scholar databases using keywords including Coronavirus, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, disinfection, transmission and surfaces. Out of 118 articles identified in the initial search, 73 were remained after screening their titles and abstracts. By applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 51 articles were finally selected for review. The novel coronavirus epidemic in humans is more widespread than previous coronaviruses, indicating the high infectivity and environmental stability of the virus. The SARS-CoV-2 can stay active for up to 28 days at low temperatures (4°C). Currently, due to the lack of effective treatment and vaccines, the best ways to deal with this disease is to avoid contamination, use disinfectants, and prevent its spread by protective measures.

Introduction: This research was carried out to compare the effects of 0.525% and 5.25% NaOCl, 2% H2O2, and 16-mg/mL propolis on additional silicone impression materials contaminated with Candida albicans at 5- and 10-minute exposure times, to evaluate the hypotheses of this study that propolis can be used for disinfecting of dental impressions. Materials and methods: A total of 122 silicone impressions were prepared. Two samples were considered the negative controls, and the rest were contaminated with C. albicans fungal species and disinfected with 0.525% NaOCl, 5.25% NaOCl, 2% H2O2, 16-mg/mL propolis, and 96% ethyl alcohol for 5 and 10 minutes (10 samples for each interval in each group). The data were analyzed with Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U tests in all the groups at 5- and 10-minute intervals. Results: All the disinfecting agents significantly decreased C. albicans colony counts at both intervals compared to the control groups (P = 0.00). The differences in the disinfecting effects were significant between the four study groups (P = 0.00). The most significant effects were related to NaOCl at both intervals and concentrations and 2% H2O2 at the 10-minute interval (P = 0.001), followed by 2% H2O2 at the 5-minute interval and propolis (P = 0.001). Concerning propolis (P = 0.001) and 2% H2O2 (P = 0.004), the effect of exposure time was significant. Conclusion: All the disinfecting agents in the present study can be used to disinfect impressions contaminated with C. albicans; however, concerning propolis, although it resulted in significant decreases in C. albicans colony counts, the elimination of the remaining colonies was ineffective.

Background:Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI). Although most genital C. trachomatis infections remain asymptomatic but infection with these bacteria is the leading cause of complications, such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), tubal factor infertility and abortion. Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the frequency of C. trachomatis infection among symptomatic and asymptomatic women, by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based assay. Patients and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted over the period from May 2012 to February 2013. A total of 240 nonduplicate endocervical samples were taken from married women; endocervical swabs were collected from women referred to Qazvin Kowsar Gynecology Hospital by a training midwife. The specimens were tested for C. trachomatis by a PCR-based assay for the pha gene. Results: Out of the 240 female participants, 184 (76.7%) were symptomatic and 56 (23.3%) were asymptomatic cases. The mean age of cases was 37.1 ± 0.9 years. Twenty (8.3%) of the 240 samples were diagnosed as Chlamydia positive according to PCR results. The prevalence of asymptomatic C. trachomatis infections was six (10.7%), while there were 14 (7.6%) in symptomatic cases. Although positive PCR results have shown in women with vaginosis (7.1%), abortion (5.1%), premature birth and low birth weight below 2.5 kg (7.7%) but the chi-square test did not indicate a significant relationship between positive PCR test results and these symptoms. Conclusions:The results of this study showed that there was a high prevalence of C. trachomatis infection among both symptomatic and asymptomatic women. Therefore, a screening test for C. trachomatis infection is recommended for all women who refer to the genitourinary medicine clinic. Screening programs are important for cost effectiveness calculations of C. trachomatis infections especially in asymptomatic cases.