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Background: Human brucellosis is a significant public health concern in many countries, including Iran. Therefore, the development of new diagnostic techniques, with high sensitivity and minimum risk of laboratory infection are of great importance. PCR is one of the procedures which has these advantages. However, PCR efficiency is largely dependent on DNA extraction methods. In this study, we studied the efficiency of three different extraction methods of brucella DNA in serum samples. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, microbial suspensions were initially prepared in saline that its turbidity was equivalent to 0.5 McFarland. Human serum samples were spiked with certain concentrations of Brucella melitensis in vitro. DNA was extracted by three methods and tested by a genus-specific PCR method. Results: Our results showed that the cinneagen kit protocol detected brucella DNA in lower serum concentrations compared with the other protocols. Cinnagen kit could detect brucella DNA in ten-fold dilution in comparison with the other two methods. Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, cinnagen kit was the preferred assay method that yields a better sensitivity for isolation of brucella DNA in serum samples.

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Introduction: Years after the first successful kidney transplant, there are still many questions about the best immunosuppression regimen for these patients. Various studies have shown that long-term use of calcineurin inhibitor drugs can be associated with chronic nephrotoxicity and lead to irreversible damage to the transplanted organ. Therefore, the goal is to use immunosuppressive drugs and reduce the dose of calcineurin inhibitors as much as possible without increasing the risk of transplant rejection. This study aims to compare renal function, the rate of viral infections, and the occurrence of rejection after kidney transplantation in patients on two different treatment regimens including everolimus plus a low dose of calcineurin inhibitor against the standard protocol of calcineurin inhibitor along with mycophenolic acid in 60 kidney transplanted patients.
Methods: This clinical trial was conducted at Labbafinejad Hospital in Tehran between 2018-2019 on 60 kidney transplant patients aged 18 to 65 years and for 12 months.
Results: In terms of kidney function status based on GFR, except for the first month (P=0.02), there was no significant difference between the two groups in any of the time periods (P>0.05). Also, there was no statistically significant difference between the two study groups in terms of hospitalization length after transplantation and re-hospitalization during the study (P>0.05). 
Conclusions: The results of this study showed that the everolimus regimen and low dose of calcineurin inhibitor can be used de novo in transplant patients without increasing the risk of rejection in them and at the same time it may be able to reduce the incidence of viral infections after transplantation.