Ivermectin as an adjunct treatment for hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients: A randomized multi-center clinical trial

Objective: To evaluate different doses of ivermectin in adult patients with mild COVID-19 and to evaluate the effect of ivermectin on mortality and clinical consequences. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial was performed at five hospitals. A total of 180 mild hospitalized patients with COVID-19 confirmed by PCR or chest image tests were enrolled and allocated to six arms including hydroxychloroquine 200 mg twice per day, placebo plus hydroxychloroquine 200 mg twice per day, single dose ivermectin (200 μg/kg), three low interval doses of ivermectin (200, 200, 200 μg/kg), single dose ivermectin (400 μg/kg), and three high interval doses of ivermectin (400, 200, 200 μg/kg). The primary endpoint of this trial was all-cause of mortality or clinical recovery. The radiographic findings, hospitalization and low O

Effect of Helicobacter Pylori eradication on patients with ITP: a meta-analysis of studies conducted in the Middle East

Background@#Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a bleeding disorder. Helicobacter Pylori is a Gram-negative bacterium that is presumed to be associated with ITP and therapeutic response of patients. To evaluate the effect of H. Pylori eradication on platelet count of ITP patients, we analyzed the studies conducted on the association between H. Pylori infection and response to therapy in ITP patients in Western Asia focusing on the Middle East region. @*Methods@#A systematic search of databases (PubMed/Medline, ISI Web of Science, Cochrane Central) and Google Scholar search engine results was conducted up until January 2020. The keywords included in the search were Helicobacter Pylori and/or H. Pylori, ITP and/or immune thrombocytopenia. @*Results@#Seven studies comprising a total of 228 H. Pylori -infected patients (193 with successful eradication) were included in this study. The association between H. Pylori eradication and ITP was expressed as odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The findings showed that patients who received eradication treatment for H. Pylori infection had significantly higher OR (OR, 8.83; 95% CI, 2.03‒38.35; P =0.004) than those in the non-eradicated group. @*Conclusion@#Our results indicate a significant therapeutic effect of H. Pylori eradication on the platelet count of patients with chronic ITP. Given the inherent limitations of this study, including the small number of patients, further studies with more patients are recommended.