Many molecular methods have been used for diagnose is of canine leishmaniasis. These methods mainly rely on tissue specimens provided by invasive approaches for molecular detection of leishmaniasis. The aim of this study was to evaluate two noninvasive sampling methods detection of Leishmaniasis using PCR method. For this purpose, a total of 60 dogs were selected and equally divided into three groups: pet dogs with cutaneous lesions (Group 1); pet dogs without cutaneous lesions (Group 2) and stray dogs (Group 3). After physical examination of dogs, eye swab and buffy coat samples were collected from each dog, also, tissue smears were prepared from the lesions of dogs in group 1. DNA of eye swab and buffy coat samples were extracted and used to detection of Leishmania species using PCR and semi-nested PCR tests. Blood smears were stained by Giemsa method for microscopic evaluation. Out of 60 dog, the DNA of four swab samples related to the dogs of Group3 and one swab and DNA of buffy coat sample in a dog in group 1 was infected with Leishmania infantum. Leishman bodies was only observed in tissue smear of one dog in group 1. Three positive samples were sequenced for confirmation of results. Based on the results of this study, Leishmania infantum infection is common among dogs in Mashhad area and it seems that ocular swab specimens can be used as a noninvasive method for molecular detection of leishmania infection in dogs.

Background and Objective: Cervical cancer involves many women annually and Pop smear test has played a significant role in reducing its mortality and for this reason, its improvement is very essential. In this respect, cervex brush is a new tool that has been introduced in many countries. Therefore, this study was conducted to compare Pop smears from cotton swab-spatula and Cervex brush methods with regard to cell number. Materials and Methods: The clinical trial and randomized protocol of this study was conducted on 400 women as referrals of gynecology clinic of Hazrat Rassoul Akram (s) hospital and the cases with inclusion criteria were further investigated and their data using above-mentioned methods were compared. For statistical analysis, SPSS software and student's t-test and chi-square tests were used. Results: It was found out that the mean age of cases was 34.13±9.3 years. Meanwhile, there was a significant difference between the groups regarding endocervical cells (p<0.001) and bleeding on sampling (p<0.001).Conclusion: It is concluded that appropriate use of Cervex brush method can prevent the need for re-sampling regarding Pop smear test and in this way it can lower health-related costs.

Background: Since the emergence of COVID-19 and the pandemic declaration, this disease has become the top priority for global healthcare systems. The standard diagnostic tool for COVID-19 involves conducting imaging studies alongside real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests on nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal samples. Objectives: Given the potential extrapulmonary involvement of COVID-19, our objective was to evaluate the diagnostic effectiveness of double pharyngeal sampling, as well as the use of saliva and anal swabs. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 102 pediatric patients suspected of having COVID-19. After the routine nasopharyngeal sampling, additional samples were collected from the nasopharynx, saliva, and anal canal. These samples were subjected to RT-PCR testing using Taq Man's probe-based technology. The statistical analysis included sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and Kappa agreement measurement. Results: In this study, with a COVID-19 prevalence of 92. 2%, we compared the diagnostic efficacy of different methods. When having at least one positive sample was considered the gold standard, double nasopharyngeal sampling exhibited the highest sensitivity, followed by RT-PCR of saliva and anal swabs (94. 9%, 92. 9%, and 91. 9%, respectively). When double sampling was considered the gold standard for diagnosis, saliva RT-PCR showed the highest sensitivity and negative predictive value (93. 6% and 40. 0%, respectively). However, there was no significant difference in the specificity and positive predictive value between anal swabs and saliva RT-PCR. However, when anal swabs and saliva were compared with only one nasopharyngeal sample, anal swabs performed slightly better than saliva. Conclusions: While the combination of double sampling from the nasopharynx and oropharynx, along with anal swabs and saliva, proved effective for diagnosing COVID-19, routine use of these methods may not be cost-effective. However, during periods of epidemic control, when comprehensive case identification is crucial, these methods may warrant consideration for more extensive investigations.

Background: Stress is a migraine trigger. Anxiety sensitivity as a mediator between stress and disease is one of the factors affecting the symptoms of migraine. Purpose of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) on anxiety sensitivity in patients with migraine.Methods: In this semi experimental study, 36 patients with migraine were randomly divided into two groups: experimental and control. Patients of experimental group received EMDR therapy, 3 sessions of 90 minutes within three weeks. Control group did not receive any medical or psychological intervention. Participants in both groups were evaluated with Anxiety Sensitivity Inventory- Revised (ASI-R) during pre-test, post-test and one-month follow-up.Findings: The analysis of variance with repeated measures showed that eye movement desensitization and reprocessing reduces anxiety sensitivity (P<0.05) in patients.Conclusion: The results suggest that EMDR can be considered as one of the therapies for migraine headaches.