The Association between Demodex Infestation and Hair Loss Severity in a Referred Patient Population Abozar Nasiri-Jahrodi, Hassan Bakhshi, Rezvan Rajabzadeh, Kamy Hosseinian-Khosroshahy, Hassan Reza Rokni, Mehdi Barati, Mitra Salehi Journal of Arthropod Borne Diseases, 2025 Background: Hair follicle mites of the genus Demodex (Prostigmata: Demodicidae) are the most common external obligate parasites in humans, which reside in the eyelids, sebaceous glands, and ear canal, and can cause clinical disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible role of Demodex parasites in causing discomfort in patients referred to Tehran laboratories due to hair loss.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 520 patients referred to a laboratory in Tehran, Iran, presenting with hair loss. Sampling was performed from the scalp and face, and samples were examined for Demodex mites using light microscopy.Results: The results showed that among the 520 patients referred to the laboratory, 66.15% were infected with Demodex. Out of 344 positive cases, 83.43% were women and 16.57% were men. Among the affected patients aged between 7 and 70 years, most patients (59.01%) were in the age group of 25.4 to 39.2 years. A high prevalence of Demodex infestation (66.15%) was found among patients with hair loss. Conclusion: Our findings establish a highly significant, direct correlation between the severity of hair loss and the density of Demodex mite infestation (p< 0.001). We propose that high Demodex mite density is a significant contributory factor in the etiology of severe hair loss.
A case of lung and fungus ball lesions associated with Cladosporium Subcinereum A48 in a diabetic patient Abozar Nasiri-Jahrodi, Mehdi Barati, Fatemeh-Maryam Sheikholeslami, Mona Fani, Azin Nikoozadeh Future Microbiology, 2024 This study reports the first case of lung and fungus ball lesions caused by Cladosporium subcinereum A48. A rural diabetic woman infected by C. subcinereum A48, presented with fever and hemoptysis. CT scans, bronchoalveolar lavage, culture and molecular methods were used to evaluate and confirm the disease. Our patient had not taken insulin during the last few months of her life which probably caused acidosis and a decrease in the patient's immunity level, resulting in penetration and formation of a fungal in the lung.
Targeting host calcium channels and viroporins: a promising strategy for SARS-CoV-2 therapy Mona Fani, Maryam Moossavi, Hasan Bakhshi, Abozar Nasiri Jahrodi, Mohammad Reza Khazdair, Amir Hossein Zardast, Shokouh Ghafari Future Virology, 2023 Despite passing the pandemic phase of the COVID-19, researchers are still investigating various drugs. Previous evidence suggests that blocking the calcium channels may be a suitable treatment option. Ca2+ is required to enhance the fusion process of SARS-CoV-2. Also, some important inflammatory factors during SARS-CoV-2 infection are dependent on Ca2+ level. On the other hand, viroporins have emerged as attractive targets for antiviral therapy due to their essential role in viral replication and pathogenesis. By inhibiting the host calcium channels and viroporins, it is possible to limit the spread of infection. Therefore, calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and drugs targeting viroporins can be considered an effective option in the fight against SARS-CoV-2.
Effects of Eugenol-Loaded Chitosan Biopolymer Nanoparticles on CYP51A and CYP51B Expression in Aspergillus fumigatus Abozar Nasiri-Jahrodi, Masoomeh Shams-Ghahfarokhi, Mehdi Razzaghi Abyaneh, , , and Infection Epidemiology and Microbiology, 2022 Article Type Original Research Authors Abozar Nasiri-Jahrodi, MSc1 Masoomeh Shams-Ghahfarokhi, PhD1* Mehdi Razzaghi-Abyaneh, PhD2 How to cite this article Nasiri-Jahrodi A., Shams-Ghahfarokhi M., Razzaghi-Abyaneh M. Effects of Eugenol-Loaded Chitosan Biopolymer Nanoparticles on CYP51A and CYP51B Expression in Aspergillus fumigatus. Infection Epidemiology and Microbiology. 2022;8(1): 17-26 1Department of Mycology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 14115-331, Iran 2Department of Mycology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran 13164, Iran * Correspondence Address: Department of Mycology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 14115331, Iran shamsm@modares.ac.ir Article History Received: September 14 ,2021 Accepted: October 29 ,2021 Published: February 21 ,2022 Backgrounds: Aspergillus fumigatus is a pathogen responsible for invasive aspergillosis and the main leading cause of death in immunosuppressed individuals. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of eugenol-loaded chitosan nanoparticles on the expression of CYP51a and CYP51b, two well-known genes responsible for triazole drug resistance in A. fumigatus. Materials & Methods: The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of eugenol-loaded chitosan nanoparticles, chitosan, eugenol, and itraconazole was determined based on the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute M38-E3 method at concentrations of 4.6-2400, 11.7-12000, 2-2048, and 1-256 μg/mL, respectively. The expression of CYP51A and CYP51B was evaluated in A. fumigatus exposed to 0.5, 1, and 2× of MIC concentration of NPs and itraconazole using the real-time polymerase chain reaction. Findings: The obtained results showed that eugenol-loaded chitosan nanoparticles sucessfully reduced A. fumigatus fungal growth at 300 μg/mL concentration. MIC of chitosan, eugenol, and itraconazole was measured to be 6000, 256, and 4 μg/mL, respectively. The results of real-time PCR also revealed that eugenol-loaded chitosan nanoparticles increased the expression of both CYP51A and CYP51B in a dose-dependent manner. The expression of fungal CYP51A and CYP51B at mRNA level was significantly increased 1.26, 1.93, and 3.1-fold as well as 1.2, 2.1, and 2.4-fold at concentrations of 150, 300, and 600 μg/mL, respectively (p<.05). However, it seems that the prepared nanoparticles had a lower impact on the expression of these genes compared to itraconazole. Conclusion: Overall, these findings suggest that the treatment of A. fumigatus with eugenolchitosan nanoparticles could increase the expression of the CYP51 gene, suggesting the antifungal property of these nanoparticles. Copyright@ 2022, TMU Press. This open-access article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License which permits Share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and Adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material) under the Attribution-NonCommercial terms. 10.52547/iem.8.1.17
Specific identification and antifungal susceptibility pattern of clinically important dermatophyte species isolated from patients with dermatophytosis in Tehran, Iran Mehraban Falahati, Roohollah Fateh, Abouzar Nasiri, Farideh Zaini, Azam Fattahi, Shirin Farahyar Archives of Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2018 Background: With regard to the increasing number of antifungal-resistant dermatophytes, the requirement for precise identification of causative agents of infections and antifungal susceptibility test is vital. Antifungal susceptibility testing of dermatophytes plays a pivotal role in managing dermatophytosis. The current study aimed at determining antifungal susceptibility profile of 161 important dermatophyte species isolated from Iranian patients. Methods: The current descriptive, cross sectional study was conducted on 508 clinically suspected samples of dermatophytosis collected and identified by conventional methods. All dermatophyte isolates were identified using polymerase chain reactionrestriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. The susceptibility of dermatophyte strains to two routine antidermatophyte agents (terbinafine and griseofulvin) was evaluated using micro-dilution method according to CLSI (the clinical and laboratory standards institute) M38-A2 guidelines. Trichophyton rubrum PTCC 5143 and Candida krusei ATCC 6258 were used as quality controls. Results: Among 161 dermatophyte isolates, T. interdigitale was reported as the most frequent species isolated from patients using PCR-RFLP and Microsporum ferruginum was the least isolated species. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of griseofulvin and terbinafine were ranged 0.0312 8 and 0.008 4μg/mL, respectively. The most susceptible and resistant species to griseofulvin were T. interdigitale (MIC = 0.0312 μg/mL) and T. interdigitale/T. rubrum (MIC = 8 μg/mL), respectively. The results indicated that T. verrucosum (MIC = 0.008 μg/mL) was the most susceptible species to terbinafine, whereas T. interdigitale and T. rubrum were the most resistant species to it (MIC = 4 μg/mL). Conclusions: The obtained results assist clinicians to monitor the trend and be able to choose effective medications to treat patients with dermatophytosis, especially in countries such as Iran, where dermatophytosis is still a public health problem.
