ABSTRACT
Background & Objective: Measurement of inflammatory markers and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) may contribute to the evaluation of lung involvement severity. This study aimed to evaluate relationship between severity of primary lung involvement with highest level of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and LDH in patients with COVID-19. Materials & Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 123 patients with COVID-19 in Shahid Sadoughi Hospital. Data including age, gender, ESR (mm/h), LDH (U/L), and high-resolution Computed Tomography scan (HRCT) findings and hospitalization ward were extracted from medical records. The regression model was used to determine the relation between HRCT findings with LDH and ESR. Results: Mean LDH, ESR, and HRCT findings were 508.41±224.65, 52.23±29.56, and 37.17± 22.18 respectively. A significant relation was seen between HRCT findings with highest level of LDH and ESR (P=0.001). A significant relation was observed between the highest levels of ESR and HRCT findings, regarding age, gender, and hospitalization wards (P<0.01). There was a significant relation between the highest level of LDH and HRCT findings regarding age group and hospitalization wards (P<0.01). Conclusion: A significant relation was seen between HRCT findings and highest levels of ESR and LDH in patients with COVID-19. Therefore, it seems that assessment of laboratory findings such as LDH and ESR can be helpful as cost-effective markers instead of chest CT scan for predicting the severity of lung injury when the CT scan report is controversial. The relation between HRCT findings with LDH and ESR were affected by age and hospitalization ward. However, more studies should be conducted in this regard.
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a new identified coronavirus in China, SARSCOV2. There are no efficient treatments for COVID-19. Therefore, it is essential to investigate new therapies for this problem. Due to specific mechanism for inhibition of microbial growth, antimicrobial peptides can be considered as one of the best therapies in this field. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are important agents that are made by the immune system in response to pathogens. This kind of immune response exists in all animal categories from prokaryotes to humans. Different types of AMPs have been identified and isolated from various organisms from bacteria to humans. So far, 190 antiviral peptides with antiviral effects have been extracted and introduced from various animal sources. These natural compounds and their derivatives, e.g. synthetic peptides, can be considered as new therapeutic goals in COVID-19. In this review, we assessed these peptides in different animal categories as well as synthetic peptides and the possibility of using these compounds in the treatment of COVID-19.