The relationship between cumulative dose of immunosuppressive agents and COVID-19-associated mucormycosis: A multicenter cross-sectional study.

Background and Aims: Immunosuppressive therapy has a key role in developing coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19)-associated mucormycosis. In this study, we investigated the effect of the type and cumulative dose of immunosuppressive agents on COVID-19-associated mucormycosis. Methods: We designed a descriptive cross-sectional study involving three COVID-19 hospitals in Iran. Clinical and demographic data were gathered from the medical records and checked by two independent researchers to minimize errors in data collection. Results: Seventy-three patients were included in the study. The mean age of cases was 57.41 (SD = 12.64) and 43.8% were female. Among patients, 20.5% were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) during COVID-19. Furthermore, 17 patients (23.29%) had a history of diabetes mellitus. Sixty-nine patients (94.52%) had a history of receiving corticosteroids (dexamethasone) during treatment of COVID-19, and of those, five patients (6.85%) received Tocilizumab beside. The mean cumulative dose of corticosteroids prescribed was 185.22 mg (SD = 114.738). The average cumulative dosage of tocilizumab was 720 mg (SD = 178.89). All of the included patients received amphotericin B for mucormycosis treatment, and 42 survived (57.53%). Also, there was a significant relationship between hospitalization in ICU for COVID-19 and the mucormycosis outcome (p = 0.007). However, there weren't any significant associations between cumulative doses of immunosuppressive drugs and mucormycosis outcome (p = 0.52). Conclusion: The prevalence of COVID-19-associated mucormycosis is increasing and should be considered in the treatment protocols of COVID-19. Controlling risk factors such as diabetes, malignancy and the administration of immunosuppressive agents based on recommended dosage in validated guidelines are ways to prevent mucormycosis.

Convalescent plasma therapy in patients with severe COVID-19, A single-arm, retrospective study.

Convalescent plasma (CP) therapy has been suggested as a treatment for emerging viral diseases. Moreover, many studies have been conducted to evaluate the efficacy of COVID-19 CP therapy, with some of them indicating that CP may be a promising treatment for the disease. However, the evidence for CP therapy's effectiveness in severe COVID-19 cases is limited. So, this study aimed to assess the probable effects of CP therapy in patients diagnosed with severe COVID-19. The study was designed as a single-arm, retrospective cohort of patients with severe COVID. Demographic data, laboratory test reports, and convalescent plasma transfusion doses were collected from medical records for patients before and after convalescent plasma transfusion. The clinical outcomes were hospital discharge and death. Also, laboratory parameters considered secondary outcomes. After CP therapy, some symptoms improved, especially in patients under 55 years old, as follows. Respiratory function was significantly enhanced after convalescent plasma transfusion, and the inflammatory biomarkers' values decreased significantly (p < 0.05). Moreover, the estimated median of partial thromboplastin time (PTT) and Prothrombin time (PT) in patients did not change after CP therapy (p > 0.05). Regarding COVID-19 mortality, a strong association was found between older ages and death (p < 0.001). Also, CP transfusion in the early days of admission was effective in treatment outcomes (p = 0.023). Other characteristics, including sex, blood group, number of CP transfusions, and preexisting conditions, did not significantly correlate with mortality. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the effectiveness of CP therapy in patients under the age of 55. Despite some improvement, we could not say that they were entirely due to the CP treatment. More extensive randomized clinical trials that cover different stages of the disease are needed.

Study of clinical features of patients with COVID-19 hospitalized in an educational hospital in Iran.

BACKGROUND: The outbreak of new pathogens or the resurgence of pathogens that have already spread is a serious challenge to public health. Coronavirus is a pathogen that seems to invade the human respiratory system in the first place. Coronaviruses form a large family and are so called because of the presence of crown like cristae on their surface. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted to assess the status of patients with COVID-19 who were hospitalized in an educational hospital. For this purpose, 142 patients hospitalized in this hospital were followed up 2 weeks after discharge and were inquired about the symptoms they had upon admission to the hospital, the number of hospitalization days, the history of underlying disease, and so on. Descriptive data analysis was done with the SPSS software version 22. RESULTS: The findings of this research showed that overweight or obese people (about 66%) is more likely to contract the disease. It also seems that older people (37.3% older than 60 years old) and those with a history of diseases (69.6%) such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease are more prone to COVID-19. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 patients included fever (64.5%), shortness of breath (67.4%), and dry cough (50.4%). CONCLUSION: it seems that high risk group (obese people, old people, and people with a history of disease) is more likely to be infect with coronavirus so they should more careful than others. Another important issue is that policy-makers must play an active role in public awareness of dangers of COVID-19 and ways to prevent it.