INTRODUCTION Smoking rates and corresponding levels of premature mortality from smoking-related diseases in the former Soviet Union (fSU) are among the highest in the world. To reduce this health burden, greater focus on smoking cessation is needed, but little is currently known about rates and characteristics of cessation in the fSU. METHODS Nationally representative household survey data fr...

Objective Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) has been shown to predict clinical outcomes in many diseases. To our knowledge, the prognostic significance of RDW in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) has not been reported so far. The aim of the present study is to investigate the relation of RDW to in-hospital mortality in patients with AECOPD. Methods W...

The rock agama, Laudakia caucasia Eichwald (Agamidae) is host to Plasmodium caucasica sp. n. and Saurocytozoon agamidorum sp. n. in western Pakistan. Plasmodium caucasica is characterized by very large meronts, 11-21 by 8-17 microm that produce 32-67 merozoites, which nearly fill the host erythrocyte, and smaller, ovoid to elongate gametocytes, 6-14 by 2.5-6 microm, with length by width (LW) 21...

AIMS To measure levels of public support for price increases on beer and spirits in nine former Soviet Union countries and to examine the characteristics influencing such support. METHODS Cross-sectional surveys were conducted in 2010 with 18,000 respondents aged 18+ in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine. Descriptive and multivariate log...

BACKGROUND Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) is an autoimmune disease. Several associations between human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complex and T1D were found in various populations. Associations with various HLA types depend on the investigated populations. However, such associations have not yet been investigated in the East Azerbaijan state of Iran with Turkish ethnicity. OBJECTIVES The aims of...

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of Babesia ovis infection in adult Rhipicephalus bursa and small ruminants in West Azerbaijan province, Iran. Blood samples were collected from 280 sheep and 122 goats of forty randomly selected flocks. Specific B. ovis fragment was detected in 67 animals (16.7%), of which 52 animals (18.6%) were sheep and 15 animals (12.2%) goats (P < 0.05). Of the 848...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Regardless of the fact that cancers of GI tract have been reported to be the most common fatal neoplasms in East Azerbaijan, there is a serious lack of population-based studies in this region. METHODS A comprehensive search was therefore undertaken to prospectively register all cases of cancer occurring in the province during March 2006-2007. Diagnosis of cancer was based ...

Acanthamoeba- related infections, such as amoebic keratitis and granulomatous amoebic encephalitis, can develop in high-risk population through contaminated water sources. Thus, surveying water resources, particularly those available for human use, is of the utmost importance. In the present study, 67 water samples were collected from water resources in East Azerbaijan, a province in northweste...

The objective of present study was identification of genetic similarity between wild Iran and captive Azerbaijan Pheasant using PCR-RAPD markers. For this purpose, in overall, 28 birds were taken for DNA extraction and subsequently 15 arbitrary primers were applied for PCR-RAPD technique. After electrophoresis, five primers exhibited sufficient variability which yielded overall 65 distinct band...

The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between Azerbaijan`s traditional energy production, renewable production and unemployment rates. While performing analysis, it was first tested whether data were stationary or not. stabilized by using Augmented Dickey–Fuller test (ADF). After making stationary, VAR model established, appropriate lag lengths determined. analyzed Granger Caus...