urine dipstick is a useful and commonly used test because of its rapidity and low cost; however its diagnostic accuracy is debatable. this research were carried out to determine sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values of nitrite (nit) and leukocyte esterase (le) testing in relation to urine culture. this research was conducted on 100 hospitalized patients with clini...

  Background and Objective: Bacterial meningitis is an important cause of mortality and long-term neural morbidity. Immediate diagnosis and treatment are necessary in appropriate time. This study was designed in Afzalipour Hospital in Kerman to evaluate meningitis causes, frequency and CSF laboratory changes. Patients and Methods: In this retrograde descriptive study from September 2003 to Se...

PURPOSE To compare polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to microbial culture for the detection and identification of bacterial and fungal pathogens in microbial keratitis. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. METHODS A total of 108 consecutive corneal ulcers were cultured and analyzed by PCR using pan-bacterial and pan-fungal primers. PCR products were cloned, sequenced, and compared to culture resu...

INTRODUCTION The culture-negative conversion rate of sputum after 2 months of treatment in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is used as a reliable surrogate marker for relapse after completion of treatment. We hypothesized that culture conversion of sputum at 2 months of anti-TB treatment and the time to culture conversion are different among pulmonary TB patients who are diagnosed usin...

BACKGROUND Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nasal colonization among inpatients is a well-established risk factor for MRSA infection during the same hospitalization, but the long-term risk of MRSA infection is uncertain. We performed a retrospective cohort study to determine the one-year risk of MRSA infection among inpatients with MRSA-positive nasal polymerase chain reaction...

Abstract Background Brucellosis is endemic in Iran, and is seen in all age groups, including children. Its diagnosis in childhood needs a high index of suspicion. The diagnostic methods currently in use need evaluation for analytical performance. Objective The present study tries to evaluate the hematological indices, serologic markers of inflammation and symptoms in patients suspected of...

background : an accurate and prompt diagnosis of bacterial arthritis is essential for earlier treatment and a good outcome. superantigens produced by staph. aureus are among the most lethal toxins. the paper objective was identification of common bacterial antigens and s.aureus superantigens in synovial fluid (sf) of children with negative culture and direct smear for other bacteria except for ...