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Brucellosis is a zoonosis with a variety of clinical syndromes including spondylitis. Spondylitis and sacroiliitis are the most frequent complications of skeletal system involvement in brucellosis, but muscle infection and abscess formation are a rare complication and frequently secondary to spondylitis. In this article two cases of brucella spondylitis are presented which has led to abscess formation in one of them, these patients referred with back pain, fever, and with subsequeint MRI examination, wright positive test, were diagnosed as spondylitis. The antibiotic regiment including Doxycycline, Refampin, were prescripted for four months. The clinical signs were disapeared subsequently.

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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: 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.

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Background and Objective: Disability of upper extrimity from stroke are often permanent. Despite numerous functional problems, there is less attention to upper exterimity disabilitis than lower limbs. Some new methods of treatment focuses on using the magnetic stimulation as a means brain currents to produce therapeutic effects. This study was done to evalute the effect of low frequency repeatitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to improve motor function and grip force of upper limb in hemiplegic patients. Materials and Methods: This clinical trial study was done on 12 stroke hemiplegic patients in Firoozgar hospital in Tehran, Iran during 2009-10. Patients in group I, recieved rehabilitation program with placebo magnetic stimulation, and patients in group II, received magnetic stimulation with routine rehabilitation program for 10 session, 3 times in week. Pre and post were evaluated by Barthel and Fugl-Meyer indeces and dynamometer. Data were analyzed using SPSS-15, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, paired t-test, independent t-test and Wilcoxon signed tests. Results: According to Barthel and Fugl-Meyer indeces both groups I, II showed significant improvement (P<0.05). Using dynamometer, it was demenstrated that grip force of upper limb in group I was not significant but this index in group II was significant after intervention (P<0.05). Conclusion: This study showed that low frequency repeatitive truscrianial magnetic stimulation has therapuetic effect on grip force of upper limb.

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Background and Objective: Disabilities in upper limb due to stroke are the major problems in hemiplegic patients. Recently, joystick method as new method is applied for the improvment of upper limb disabilities. This study was carried out to compare the effect of joystick in compination verses routine rehabilitation and routine rehabilitation program on hand muscles stiffness in hemiplegic patients. Methods: In this clinical trial study, 12 hemiplegic patients were randomly divided into two control and interventional groups. Subjects in the control group were received rehabilitation program with placebo joystick. Patients in interventional group were received joystick treatment with routine rehabilitation program for 10 sessions, 3 times a week. Pre and post-treatment evaluation was performed based on Wrist Robo Hab method. Results: Flextion and pronation muscle stiffness in control patients showed non significant improvement, but in the interventional group, significant improvement were observed (P<0.05). At the end of study, there was not any significant difference between control and interventional group. Conclusion: According to this finding, there was not any significant difference between the combination of joystick and rehabilitation treatment and routine rehabilitation program on the hand muscle function in hemiplegic patients.

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Background and Objective: Obesity considered to be one of the major health problems and risk factors of a wide range of diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, blood pressure and various types of cancer. This study was performed to compare the effectiveness of integrated group psychotherapy and cognitive-behavioral stress management on body image and mindful eating of obese women.
Methods: In this clinical trial study, 45 obese women were randomly divided into three groups including integrated group therapy (first intervention), behavioral-cognitive stress management (second intervention) and control groups. All of the three groups fulfilled a pretest but the control group did not receive any intervention. Intervention groups received nine sessions of therapy. Data were collected through questionnaires of body image and mindful eating.
Results: Reduction in worry in body image and mindful eating were observed in integrated group therapy and behavioral-cognitive stress management (P<0.05). However, the difference between mean values of body image and mindful eating scores in behavioral-cognitive stress management and integrated groups were 0.852 and 22.93, respectively which was not significant.
Conclusion: Integrated group therapy and cognitive-behavioral stress management was shown to have an effect on the body image and mindful eating in obese women.