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Background and Objective: Previous reports on the effect of treatment on the serum immunologic parameters in patients with infective endocarditis are controversial. This study was conducted to asses the serum levels of CRP (C-reactive protein), RF (rheumatoid factor) and CIC (circulatory immune complex) before and after treatment in patients with infective endocarditis. Materials and Methods: In this discriptive study 30 hospitalized patients with infective endocarditis in Razi Hospital in Ahvaz during 2006. Blood samples obtained before and after treatment. 2.5 cc of each sample were used for CRP and RF and remaining 2.5 cc preserved at -20ºC until CIC examination. CRP and RF were measured by using nephlometry and CIC was detected by immundiffusion method. The data were analyzed using SPSS-16 and t-student test. Results: Out of 30 patients, 26 (86.7%) were male. Mean age was 29.53±10.28years. The mean values of CIC, CRP and RF before and after treatment were 0.847, 72.38, 60.45 and 0.80, 44.1, 41.2, respectively. The means of CRP and RF before and after treatment were statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study showed that the serum level of CRP and RF reduce after effective treatments because most of the our patients were intravenous drug user, CRP and RF indeces may be useful measurment for treatment evaluation responses to infective endocarditis in these population.

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Background and Objective: Risk factors of tuberculosis vary in communities according to different socioeconomic conditions. Knowing these risk factors help to control the disease. This study was done to determine the main risk factors of pulmonary tuberculosis acquisition in hospitalized patients. Materials and Methods: In this data based, case-control study 173 tuberculosis patients (as cases) and 305 non tuberculosis patients (as controls) hospitalized in Razi hospital in Ahvaz, Iran during 2001-07 were gone under investigation. Risk factors included injecting drug addiction, smoking, HIV infection, diabetes mellitus, imprisonment and corticosteroid usage. Data were analyzed using SPSS-13, Chi-Square and Fisher exact tests. Odds ratio was determined for risk factors. Results: Frequencies of the main risk factors in case and control groups were as: smoking 54.3%, 14.8% (p=0.0001, OR: 6.5), HIV infection 11.5%, 3% (p=0.0002, OR: 4.3), injecting drug addiction 18%, 3.3% (p=0.0001, OR: 6.7), diabetes mellitus 22.5%, 5.9% (p=0.0001, OR: 4.6) and imprisonment 20.2%, 3.9% (p=0.0001, OR: 6.2), respectively. Corticosteroid use and renal failure were similar in cases and controls. Conclusion: This study showed that smoking, HIV infection, injecting drug addiction, diabetes mellitus and imprisonment were the main risk factors for tuberculosis acquisition in this region.