Strategic Framework for Strengthening Health Laboratory Services in the COVID-19 Pandemic in Iran.

Background & Objective: Providing equitable access to good quality, timely, and affordable laboratory testing has always been a top priority for the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MoH-ME) and the Reference Health Laboratory (RHL). Considering the significant role of medical laboratories in disease surveillance, RHL developed a strategic plan to manage laboratory services during the COVID-19 pandemic based on the "Strategic Framework for strengthening health laboratory services, 2016-2020" proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO). This article describes the steps taken to establish the strategic framework in Iran.

Integration and evaluation of cutaneous leishmaniasis laboratory diagnosis in the primary health care laboratory network.

Background: The lack of an integrated national system prevents the Islamic Republic of Iran from registering and reporting all cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Aim: To establish a laboratory network for the improvement of diagnosis and surveillance of cutaneous leishmaniasis in endemic areas of the Islamic Republic of Iran using parasitological and molecular methods.

Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional, pilot study examined 49 laboratories in the 2 endemic areas for cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Evaluation Frequency of Human Papillomavirus and Its Related Genotypes in Women of the General Population Living in 11 Provinces of Iran.

Introduction: Persistent infection with one of the most high-risk genotypes of human papillomavirus causes all cases of cervical cancer and a significant proportion of other genital cancers. The HPV virus, unlike any other infection that leads to cancer, is transmitted only through sexual intercourse and is less affected by the general changes and development in lifestyle and medical standards, so only vaccination and screening can prevent the HPV virus and cancers caused by it. Therefore, determining the prevalence and distribution of HPV genotypes are of utmost importance in screening strategies regarding cervical cancer and vaccination decisions against HPV that vary based on the geographical and cultural characteristics of the study area.

Molecular characterization of a large cohort of mucopolysaccharidosis patients: Iran Mucopolysaccharidosis RE-diagnosis study (IMPRESsion).

Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPSs) are rare, heterogeneous inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) diagnosed through a combination of clinical, biochemical, and genetic investigations. The aim of this study was molecular characterization of the largest cohort of Iranian MPS patients (302 patients from 289 unrelated families), along with tracking their ethnicity and geographical origins. 185/289 patients were studied using an IEM-targeted NGS panel followed by complementary Sanger sequencing, which led to the diagnosis of 154 MPS patients and 5 non-MPS IEMs (diagnostic yield: 85.

Association between being metabolically healthy/unhealthy and metabolic syndrome in Iranian adults.

Introduction: The prevalence of metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) varies based on different criteria. We assessed the prevalence of MHO and metabolic unhealthiness based on body mass index (BMI) and their association with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in a nation-wide study.

Methods: Data were taken from the STEPs 2016 study, from 18,459 Iranians aged ≥25 years.

Corrigendum to 'How Iran responded to expanding need for laboratory services for COVID-19?'.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.hlpt.

Nationwide population-based surveys of Iranian COVID-19 Serological Surveillance (ICS) program: The surveys protocol.

Serological surveillance of COVID-19 through conducting repetitive population-based surveys can be useful in estimating and monitoring changes in the prevalence of infection across the country. This paper presents the protocol of nationwide population-based surveys of the Iranian COVID-19 Serological Surveillance (ICS) program. The target population of the surveys is all individuals ≥6 years in Iran.

Prevalence of COVID-19 in Iran: results of the first survey of the Iranian COVID-19 Serological Surveillance programme.

Objectives: This study aims to estimate the prevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the general population of Iran.

Methods: The target population was all Iranian people aged 6 years and older in the country. A stratified random sampling design was used to select 28 314 people from among the individuals registered in the electronic health record systems used in primary health care in Iran.

How Iran responded to expanding need for laboratory services for COVID-19?

After the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in early 2020 in Iran, the rapid response team of Pasteur Institute of Iran was the first lab starting detection and report of suspected human samples. This article is a short summery of all actions from the preparedness for detecting the first cases of COVID-19, expanding the nationwide laboratory service, choosing the suitable laboratory tests and other challenges in laboratory detection during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Iran.

Shiga toxin-producing bacteria as emerging enteric pathogens associated with outbreaks of foodborne illness in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Background: Detection of the cause of diarrhoeal diseases is important for the management of the outbreaks.

Aims: This study investigated the prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing bacteria in stool samples of patients with diarrhoea associated with outbreaks of foodborne illness in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Methods: A total of 532 stool and rectal swab samples from 70 sporadic outbreaks during May 2014 to August 2015 were examined for infection with Shiga toxin-producing bacteria.

A Real-Time RT-PCR Assay for Genotyping of Rotavirus.

Background: Human rotavirus (HRV) is the causative agent of severe gastroenteritis in children and responsible for two million hospitalizations and more than a half-million deaths annually. Sequence characteristics of the gene segments encoding the VP7 and VP4 proteins are used for the genotype classification of rotavirus. A wide variety of molecular methods are available, mainly based on reverse transcription PCR for rapid, specific and sensitive genotyping of rotaviruses.

The Utility of rRT-PCR in Diagnosis and Assessment of Case-fatality rates of COVID-19 In the Iranian Population. Positive Test Results are a Marker for Illness Severity.

The utility of PCR-based testing in characterizing patients with COVID-19 and the severity of their disease remains unknown. We performed an observational study among patients presenting to hospitals in Iran who were tested for 2019-nCoV viral RNA by rRT-PCR between the fourth week of February 2020 to the fourth week of March 2020. Frequency of symptoms, comorbidities, intubation, and mortality rates were compared between COVID-19 positive vs.

HIV-1 drug resistance mutations detection and HIV-1 subtype G report by using next-generation sequencing platform.

Background: Based on world health organization (WHO) recommend, drug resistance assay should be performed in initial of treatment and after treatment for administering and monitoring of anti-retroviral regime in HIV-1 infected patients.

Material And Method: NGS analyses were performed on forty-one plasma samples from HIV-1 affected patients using the Sentosa SQ HIV genotyping assay (Vela-Diagnostics, Germany). This system comprises a semi-automated Ion torrent based platform and the sequencing results were analyzed based on ANRS, REGA and Stanford drug resistance algorithms.

Insight into blood pressure targets for universal coverage of hypertension services in Iran: the 2017 ACC/AHA versus JNC 8 hypertension guidelines.

Background: We compared the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in Iran based on two hypertension guidelines; the 2017 ACC/AHA -with an aggressive blood pressure target of 130/80 mmHg- and the commonly used JNC8 guideline cut-off of 140/90 mmHg. We shed light on the implications of the 2017 ACC/AHA for population subgroups and high-risk individuals who were eligible for non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic therapies.

Methods: Data was obtained from the Iran national STEPS 2016 study.

Is salt intake reduction a universal intervention for both normotensive and hypertensive people: a case from Iran STEPS survey 2016.

Purpose: There is a direct association between salt intake and blood pressure (BP), one of the main risk factors for CVDs. However, yet there has been a debate that how strong is this association in people with and without hypertension. This study was conducted to evaluate the magnitude of the association between salt intake and BP in hypertensive and normotensive population among a nationally representative population.

Comparison of a new in-house HIV-1 TaqMan real-time PCR and three commercial HIV-1 RNA quantitative assays.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the analytical performance of an In-House HIV-1 viral load determination technique with three commercial kits including COBAS AmpliPrep, RealStar, and RTA HIV-1 Real-Time PCR.

Results: A total of 100 HIV-1 suspicious plasma samples were tested by the In-House TaqMan Real-Time PCR assay along with the above-mentioned kits. Comparative analysis between In-House and reference method (COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 Test version 2.

Measuring the net profit of laboratory services: A case study in Iran.

Clinical laboratories need to manage resources properly and scientifically to survive in today's highly competitive environment. In this context, scientific-economic principles should be considered to determine the profitability or loss of laboratories. Thus, in this study, the net profit of laboratory services was measured based on scientific-economic principles.

The Challenges and Barriers to the Integration of Laboratory Services in Iran from Laboratory Experts' Point of View.

Background: Laboratory services fragmentation creates problems such as non-accountability for costs and quality, not being patient-centered and unsustainability of services in long run. Therefore, health systems consider laboratory services integration an inevitable way. This study aimed to investigate the challenges and barriers to the integration of laboratory services in Iran.

Salt intake among Iranian population: the first national report on salt intake in Iran.

Objective: In Iran, there has been no national report on salt intake based on laboratory measurements so far. Therefore, this study was conducted to measure salt intake among Iranian population at the national level.

Methods: In stepwise approach to conduct a surveillance survey 2016, 18 624 Iranian adults (25 years old and above), as a representative sample of Iranian adult population at national and subnational levels, underwent urine sodium measurement and were included in this study.

New design, development, and optimization of an in-house quantitative TaqMan Real-time PCR assay for HIV-1 viral load measurement.

Background Viral load measurement is commonly applicable to monitor HIV infection in patients to determine the number of HIV-RNA in serum samples of individuals. The aim of the present study was to set up a highly specific, sensitive, and reproducible home-brewed Real-time PCR assay based on TaqMan chemistry to quantify HIV-1 RNA genome. Methods In this study, three sets of primer pairs and a TaqMan probe were designed for HIV subtypes conserved sequences.

Cost-price estimation of clinical laboratory services based on activity-based costing: A case study from a developing country.

Background: It is believed that laboratory tariffs in Iran don't reflect the real costs. This might expose private laboratories at financial hardship. Activity Based Costing is widely used as a cost measurement instrument to more closely approximate the true cost of operations.

Two Triacylglycerol Pathway Genes, CTDNEP1 and LPIN1, are Down-Regulated by hsa-miR-122-5p in Hepatocytes.

Background: Expression of miR-122 is highly specific to hepatocytes of the liver.  This miRNA is involved in lipid hemostasis of the tissue; however, there is no comprehensive understanding of its function in lipid hemostasis.

Materials And Methods: Since hepatocytes are responsible for part of Triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis in the body, we hypothesized that miR-122, as the most abundant miRNA in the tissue, might regulate TAG metabolism by targeting key enzymes that are involved in its production pathway.

Specific detection of common pathogens of acute bacterial meningitis using an internally controlled tetraplex-PCR assay.

Accurate and timely diagnosis of acute bacterial meningitis is critical for antimicrobial treatment of patients. Although PCR-based methods have been widely used for the diagnosis of acute meningitis caused by bacterial pathogens, the main disadvantage of these methods is their high cost. This disadvantage has hampered the widespread use of molecular assays in many developing countries.

Comparison of In-House Multiplex Real Time PCR, Diagcor GenoFlow HPV Array Test and INNO-LiPA HPV Genotyping Extra Assays with LCD- Array Kit for Human Papillomavirus Genotyping in Cervical Liquid Based Cytology Specimens and Genital Lesions in Tehran, Iran.

Background: Human papillomavirus is a major etiologic agent for some human common cancers. Cervical precancer and cancer is the most prevalent dysplasia by HPV genotypes. Various rapid and sensitive methods have been developed into readily HPV genotyping.

Epidemiology of Rotavirus-Norovirus Co-Infection and Determination of Norovirus Genogrouping among Children with Acute Gastroenteritis in Tehran, Iran.

Background: Enteric viruses, particularly human rotavirus and norovirus, have been shown to replace bacteria and parasites, as the most common pathogens responsible for acute diarrhea. However, there are still few epidemiological data on the simultaneous occurrence of these viruses in Iran. In this regard, the aim of this study was to assess the useful epidemiological data on the gastroenteritis associated with rotavirus-norovirus mixed infection and to examine the prevalence of norovirus genogrouping among children aged less than five years old in Iran.