ABSTRACT
Background: Few studies have reported the association of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) and coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection. In this study, we reported GBS in six patients infected with COVID-19 and reviewed all existing literature about GBS in association with COVID-19. Method(s): This study was performed in three referral centers of COVID-19 in Iran, and six patients with the diagnosis of GBS were enrolled. Patients enrolled in the study with acute progressive weakness according to the demyelinating or axonal variant of GBS, according to Uncini's criteria. Result(s): Four of our patients had axonal polyneuropathy, two patients had demyelinating polyneuropathy, and one patient required mechanical ventilation. All our patients had a favorable response to treatment. In one patient, the GBS symptoms recurred four months after the first episode. Conclusion(s): Limited case reports suggest a possible association between GBS and COVID-19. Such associations may be an incidental concurrence or a real cause-and-effect linkage;however, more patients with epidemiological studies are necessary to support a causal relationship. Copyright © 2020 Iranian Neurological Association, and Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
ABSTRACT
Background: Fatigue is one of the most frequent complaints in patients with motor neuron diseases (MNDs), with a significant impact on the quality of life (QOL). There is lack of enough evidence for current pharmacological or non-pharmacological treatments of fatigue in this population to be applied in clinical setting. Energy conservation strategies are one of the key interventions for fatigue management in chronic diseases. We aimed to investigate the effect of applying these techniques in the fatigue management of patients with MND. Methods: This randomized controlled trial (RCT) study was carried out on 28 patients with MND. Participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group. In addition to routine treatment, patients in the intervention group participated in 3 weekly 1-hour energy conservation programs provided by an experienced occupational therapist. The Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) score, 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36), and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) were measured at baseline, immediately after the last intervention session, and one month later. Results: FSS and COPM significantly changed after the course in the intervention group (P < 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively). Both FSS and COPM improved significantly toward the final assessment only in the intervention group. The SF-36 changes were not significant in each of the groups. Conclusion: According to the findings of the present study, using energy conservation strategies could lead to better mid-term fatigue management and occupational performance improvement, but it did not improve QOL in patients with MND.
ABSTRACT
The aim of the present study is to investigate the impact of health literacy of Iranian users on the accuracy of information on COVID-19 in virtual social networks. This is applied descriptive survey. The population includes all Iranian users of virtual networks (Telegram, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram and etc.). In this study, 121 questionnaires were confirmed and studied. For descriptive statistics, SPSS (ver. 32) and for testing hypothesis, Lisrel have been used. The research findings show that according to Iranian users, Internet is the main source for obtaining information on COVID-19. Moreover, the most popular virtual network is WhatsApp. The aim of using virtual social networks is to access to news and information. The results of structural equations show that there is positive meaningful relation between the rate of health literacy and the accuracy of information on COVID-19 (p > 0.000, β = 0.561). In addition, the health literacy can explain 40 percent variance of the accuracy of information on COVID-19 in virtual social networks. Moreover, the results show that there is meaningful difference between the educational level of Iranian users and the health literacy and accuracy of information on COVID-19 in virtual social networks. Concerning the results of this study and meaningful relation between the health literacy level and attention to accuracy of the information on COVID-19 in Iranian users, the authorities of health system are recommended to consider special planning and policies to increase the health literacy level of users in social networks. In this way, users will be able to verify the accuracy of information on COVID-19 by increasing their health literacy level and therefore, there would be less losses due to unawareness of health literacy and its adverse effect. © 2022, Centro Nacional de Informacion de Ciencias Medicas. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Within-host models of COVID-19 infection dynamics enable the merits of different forms of antiviral therapy to be assessed in individual patients. A stochastic agent-based model of COVID-19 intracellular dynamics is introduced here, that incorporates essential steps of the viral life cycle targeted by treatment options. Integration of model predictions with an intercellular ODE model of within-host infection dynamics, fitted to patient data, generates a generic profile of disease progression in patients that have recovered in the absence of treatment. This is contrasted with the profiles obtained after variation of model parameters pertinent to the immune response, such as effector cell and antibody proliferation rates, mimicking disease progression in immunocompromised patients. These profiles are then compared with disease progression in the presence of antiviral and convalescent plasma therapy against COVID-19 infections. The model reveals that using both therapies in combination can be very effective in reducing the length of infection, but these synergistic effects decline with a delayed treatment start. Conversely, early treatment with either therapy alone can actually increase the duration of infection, with infectious virions still present after the decline of other markers of infection. This suggests that usage of these treatments should remain carefully controlled in a clinical environment.
ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) pandemic illustrated the significance of using telemedicine for medical services to minimize the risk of infection more than ever. The implementation of telemedicine in the realm of eye expertise (teleophthalmology) has made it possible for both ophthalmic patients and COVID-19 positive cases to be taken care of in different ways of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. This study aimed to discuss the ophthalmology challenges during the COVID-19 outbreak based on existing evidence, followed by proposing some solutions for utilizing telemedicine.