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Background and Objective: Tuberculin skin test (TST) is the standard method for diagnosis of latent tuberculous infection. Positive results of TST (significant induration) may be seen in persons with latent M.tuberculosis infection and negative results of this test may be seen in patients with active tuberculosis. After performing TST false positive reactions may be seen with nontuberculous mycobacterial infections or false negative results may be encountered in anergic patients with tuberculosis disease. Quantiferon TB Gold test (QFT) is a new diagnostic test which assays the amount of released interferon gamma from peripheral blood lymphocytes in response to M.tuberculosis antigens. The purpose of this study was to determine the degree TST and QFT correlation.

Materials and Methods: This descriptive study carried out on 72 nurses of two internal medicine and infectious diseases wards of Imam Reza and Imam Khomeini hospitals in Kermanshah located in West of Iran, during 2009. 58 of nurses were vaccinated with BCG vaccine and none of them had any immune compromising condition. TST was performed by intradermal injection of 0.1 ml of standard tuberculin test (5 TU) and QFT was performed 48 hours then after using peripheral whole blood. The amount of released interferon gamma from lymphocytes in response to antigens were measured by ELISA method.

Results: Three of nurses excluded and this study was done on 69 nurses. Overall the degree of agreement of TST and QFT was 63.7% (P=0.69 and Kappa=0.139). The degree of discordance between these tests in PPD negative but QFT positive persons was 15.94% and in PPD positive but QFT negative persons was 20.3%. The sensitivity and specificity of QFT was 41.67% and 75.56% respectively. The degree of agreement of TST and QFT in vaccinated and unvaccinated nurses was 63.8% (Kappa=0.143) and 66.67% (Kappa=0.54) respectively.

Conclusion: There was no significant difference between QFT and TST in diagnosing latent tuberculous infection.

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Background and Objective: Hirschsprung’s disease is a congenital disorder, characterized by the absence of ganglion cells in the intramural and submucosal plexus in distal parts of large bowel. Diagnosis is based on the histopathologic examination of hematoxilin and eosin stained sections. Due to diagnosis limitation by Hematoxylin and Eosin staining (H&E), this study was done to identify the ganglion cells by BCL-2 immunoreactivity and compared it with H&E staining. Materials and Methods: In this laboratory study, paraffin blocks of 36 specimens demonstrating ganglion cells on original H&E stained sections and 35 specimens lacking ganglion cells on H&E staining, were selected. Recuts were stained by H&E and BCL-2 methods. Results: Ganglion cells were observed in 36 cases by H&E staining but in BCL-2 staining ganglion cells were detected in 29 cases. In 35 cases reported negative for ganglion cells on H&E staining, ganglion cells were detected in 5 cases by BCL-2 method. Sensitivity, spesificity, positive and negative predictive values for BCL-2 method for diagnosis of hirshsprung’s disease were 81%, 86%, 85% and 86% respectively.discordancy (positive BCL-2, negative H&E) was 14%. Conclusion: Immunohistochemistry method using BCL-2 improve the accuracy of diagnosis in hirschsprung’s disease, when accompanied with H&E staining, particulary for negative slides.

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Background and Objective: The vaccination against hepatitis B is a front line defence for all at-risk groups. Conventional methods of hepatitis B vaccination (0, 1 and 6 months) is considered a long process. But vaccination at shorter intervals (0, 10 and 21 days) is suggested to achieve rapid immunity. This study was carried out to compare for the protective antibody level against hepatitis B in accelerated and conventional vaccination. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive and analytical study 160 health personnel of Imam Reza hospital of Kermanshah, Iran with no history of vaccination against hepatitis B were selected and divided into two groups during 2009. The volunteers were received vaccination according to accelerated (0, 10 and 21 days) and convetional (0, 1 and 6 months) methods. The antibody titer measured two years after the final dose of vaccination. The acceptable level of antibody was considered higher than 10 IU/ml. Results: After two years the acceptable level of antibody was observed in 94.5% and 97.9% of subjects in accelarated and conventional methods, respectivley. This difference was not significant. Conclusion: This study showed that there is not significant differences between accelerated and conventional methods in antibody production against hepatitis B antigen.