ABSTRACT
Background: The large proportion of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients has been associated with a large number of neu-ropsychiatric manifestations. Despite the high prevalence of COVID-19, few studies have examined such manifestations, especially in children and adolescents. Objective(s): This study investigated neuropsychiatric manifestations in hospitalized children and adolescents admitted for COVID-19 infection in Iran. Method(s): This prospective observational study included admitted children and adolescents (4-18 years old) diagnosed with COVID-19 infection, pediatric neurologists, child and adolescent psychiatrists, and infectious disease specialists, and assessed 375 infected patients during August and December 2021. Result(s): Of the 375 patients, 176 (47%) were female, with a mean age of 9.0 +/- 3.39 years. Psychiatric and neurological manifestations were reported in 58 (15.5%) and 58 (15.5%) patients, respectively. The most prevalent psychiatric disorders were separation anxiety disorder (SAD) (5.1%), major depressive disorder (MDD) (3.5%), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) (2.7%), insomnia (2.4%), and op-positional defiant disorder (ODD) (2.4%). Regarding neurological complications, seizures were the most prevalent (13.1%), followed by encephalitis (1.9%), transverse myelitis (0.3%), acute ischemic stroke (0.3%), and Guillain-Barre syndrome (0.3%). There was no significant relationship between the duration of COVID-19 infection (P = 0.54) and ICU admission (P = 0.44) with the emergence of psychiatric symptoms. Conclusion(s): The most prevalent neurologic and psychiatric complications among children and adolescents with COVID-19 infection were seizures and the symptoms of anxiety/mood disorders, respectively.Copyright © 2023, Author(s).
ABSTRACT
Objective: An outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) occurred in late 2019. A better understanding of this disease will help us in preventing and managing it. This study evaluated the risk factors and clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients admitted to Shahid Sadoughi hospital in Yazd with a diagnosis of COVID-19. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on patients with the diagnosis of COVID-19 admitted to Shahid Sadoughi hospital in Yazd in May 2020, Iran. Patients’ clinical information, including their symptoms at admission, history of smoking or drug/ alcohol abuse, history of Td (tetanus, diphtheria) vaccine, radiographic/computed tomography (CT) scan findings, and blood oxygen saturation, was recorded. The patients were also asked about their previous history of diabetes, hypertension, autoimmune disorder, and cancer or history of diseases in heart, lung, liver, and thyroid. Laboratory findings, height, weight and body mass index of the patients were also recorded. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 21. Results: The mean age of 86 patients enrolled in the study was 61.40±17.37 years, of which 56 (65.11%) had mild pulmonary involvement and 30 (34.89%) had severe pulmonary involvement, according to CT scan results. Also, 26 (30.2%) of all patients had diabetes and about 30 (36%) had high blood pressure, but current smokers (6%) were rare. In patients with severe pulmonary involvement, the level of neutrophil, creatinine, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was higher than patients with mild pulmonary involvement. Out of 56 patients with mild pulmonary involvement, 47 patients had a history of Td vaccination in the last 5 years. Only one patient in the severe group had a history of Td vaccination. Conclusion: A lower percentage of blood lymphocytes as well as higher levels of neutrophils, creatinine, and LDH were observed in patients with severe pulmonary involvement. Numerous factors, especially more prominent laboratory abnormalities, determine the severity of the disease, and a better understanding of these factors can help physicians know the severity of the disease and its prognosis. These findings help us to further clarify the characteristics of COVID-19. Also, the effect of Td vaccine should be investigated in future studies. © 2022 The Author(s).
ABSTRACT
Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic produced a health predicament for the world in later 2019. The study aimed to compare lung Computed Tomography (CT) findings in COVID-19 patients with underlying lung disease and healthy cases. Methods: Overall, 374 COVID-19 patients were included, that 49 (13.1%) patients had underlying lung disease. Chest CT outcomes were assessed in the positive reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay cases referred to the Taleghani and Modares hospitals in Tehran from September 2019 to February 2020. Results: The mean age of patients was 57.01±17.20 years old, and 222 patients (59.4%) were males. The mean age of patients was 65.83±16.59 years in Underlying lung disease cases and was 55.68±16.92 years in the control group (P<0.001). Lobes of the left lung were more affected by COVID-19 in both groups than the right lung. Also, there were no differences between groups in distributing of lobes involving (P>0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding distribution, density, internal stricture, fibrosis, effusion (P>0.05). The mean Lymph Node Para tracheal of patients was 9.43±2.56 mm in Underlying lung disease cases and was 120, 8.09±2.41mm in the control group (P=0.014). There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding carinal and Para aortic (P>0.05). Conclusion: The results showed that underlying lung disease cases were older than the control group. Lobes of the left lung were more affected by COVID-19 in both groups than the right lung. Distributing of lobes involving, density, internal stricture, fibrosis, effusion, carinal and Para aortic were similar. The mean Lymph Node Para tracheal of patients was higher in Underlying lung disease cases than in the control group.
ABSTRACT
Dose escalation to target volume during High Dose Rate brachytherapy was effectively employed to treat locally advanced cervical cancer patients who experienced prolongation of Overall Treatment Time (OTT) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was tried to achieve acceptable oncological outcomes while respecting the dose constraints of Organs at Risk (OARs). Key Clinical Message: It was a severe challenge to obey the optimum treatment schedule of LACC cases during the coronavirus crisis. Increased risk of recurrence and mortality due to increased overall treatment time in cervical cancer patients proposes prioritizing. © 2021, Medical Project Poland. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 is the latest human crisis to hit most parts of the world since its emergence in China. High prevalence, rapid transmission, and high mortality rates make it necessary to find an effective therapy immediately. Repurposing the available drugs with well-known side effects is proven to be a viable and efficient way to treat this disease. The study purposed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of direct-acting anti-hepatitis C drugs in COVID-19 by reviewing the articles in PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Embase databases. Some studies mentioned a high similarity between the hepatitis C virus and coronavirus in genome structure and molecular properties. Accordingly, anti-HCV drugs can have a good preventive effect on the actions of SARS-CoV-2 structural and nonstructural proteins. Molecular docking results have shown that anti-hepatitis C drugs such as sofosbuvir, daclatasvir, simeprevir, and elbasvir tend to form various stable bonds with the active sites of essential SARS-CoV-2 proteins. So these drugs can disrupt viral replication and its pathogenesis. Among anti-HCV drugs, sofosbuvir and daclatasvir work efficiently in molecular and human studies. In some human studies, the addition of sofosbuvir/daclatasvir to the therapy of COVID-19 resulted in a shorter duration of hospitalization and higher recovery rates. However, the confirmation of these medications needs more detailed clinical studies in large patient populations. ©2021 The Author(s).