ABSTRACT
Ganoderma lucidum is a medicinal mushroom that has been traditionally used in Chinese medicine for centuries. It has been found to have a wide range of medicinal properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-boosting effects. Recent research has focused on the potential benefits of G. lucidum in treating metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity, as well as its possible role in preventing and treating infections caused by the coronavirus. Triterpenoids are a major group of bioactive compounds found in G. lucidum, and they have a range of biological activities, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. These compounds have been found to improve insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar levels in animal models of diabetes. Additionally, G. lucidum polysaccharides have been found to reduce bodyweight and improve glucose metabolism in animal models of obesity. These polysaccharides can also help to increase the activity of certain white blood cells, which play a critical role in the body's immune response. For coronavirus, some in vitro studies have shown that G. lucidum polysaccharides and triterpenoids have the potential to inhibit coronavirus infection; however, these results have not been validated through clinical trials. Therefore, it would be premature to draw any definitive conclusions about the effectiveness of G. lucidum in preventing or treating coronavirus infections in humans.
ABSTRACT
Coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) is a deadly disease that was first seen in Wuhan, China, and primarily affects the respiratory system, but also has different systemic involvements. It has caused 89 million cases and 1.9 million deaths worldwide. COVID-19 positive renal transplant recipients have a higher mortality rate than COVID-19 patients in the normal population. There is no specific treatment and follow-up protocol for COVID-19 infection in transplant recipients. COVID-19 treatment and immunosuppressive therapy choices are controversial. Recently, pulse steroid therapies have been used in cases with severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Convalescent plasma therapy is used limitedly in COVID-19 patients. Our 49-year-old male patient has been a recipient of a renal transplant from a cadaver for 6 years. We aimed to make an additional contribution by presenting our patient to the literature whose COVID-19 PCR-RT test performed in the emergency department due to the complaints of fever, shortness of breath, and cough for five days was positive and had moderate COVID-19 pneumonia in thorax tomography and had serious clinical and radiological improvement after pulsed methylprednisolone and convalescent plasma therapy in the early period.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/therapy , Methylprednisolone/administration & dosage , Pneumonia, Viral/therapy , COVID-19/complications , COVID-19/diagnosis , Combined Modality Therapy , Glucocorticoids/administration & dosage , Humans , Immunization, Passive , Kidney Transplantation , Male , Middle Aged , Pneumonia, Viral/etiology , Pulse Therapy, Drug , Transplant Recipients , Treatment Outcome , COVID-19 Drug Treatment , COVID-19 SerotherapyABSTRACT
AIM: Associations of depression, dementia, and poor life quality with mortality of COVID-19have not been studied yet. We aimed to identify the risk factors for mortality and analyze the associations with patients' physiological and mental well-being, as reflected by comorbidities, life quality, depression, and cognitive impairment. METHODS: : Older patients receiving inpatient hospital care for COVID-19 were included.Demographic data, medical history, symptoms at admission, laboratory findings, and treatment outcomes were recorded. RESULTS: : There were 122 patients with a median age of 73.0 years. The mortality rate was 9.0% (n = 11 patients). Patients with mortality were significantly active smokers, obese, and having comorbidities using polypharmacy. Weight loss ≥of 10% during hospitalization was significantly associated with mortality.Poor life quality and a higher risk of depression, cognitive impairment, and falling were more frequently seen in non-survived patients. (p < 0.05). High ferritin was the only independent risk factor for mortality (OR = 15.61, 95% CI:1.08-226.09, p = 0.044). CONCLUSION: : The presence of comorbidities, depression, cognitive impairment, higher falling risk, and poor life quality were significantly associated with higher mortality rates in older adults with COVID-19. High ferritin level was an independent risk factor for mortality.