ABSTRACT
It is well established that HCQ has anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive, but it has stopped as treatment for Covid-19 because it affect increase heart rhythm. So this research aimed to demonstrate the effect of HCQ treatment on concentrations of plasma TNF-α and IL-6 in mice and its relationship with glucocorticoids level which could explain the arrhythmias. In this research, 30 adult male Balb/C mice were used. The mice aged 2-3months were divided into 3groups;one treated with high-dosage of HCQ (8.1mg/kg body-weight, twice for 10days);second with low-dosage (6.4mg/kg body-weight, twice on one day and once on other 4days);and third was left without treatment to be serve as a control group. At different points time, the mice were sacrificed by cervical distraction. A blood sample is taken from the eye and the serum is separated to determine cortisol level by cobas e411 analyzers. Brain, spleen, and kidney were taken and homogenized. Aliquot and serum were be used to determine TNF-α and IL-6 level by sandwich ELISA using murine IL-6 and TNF-α kits (Melsin/China). The results showed a significantly lower cortisol, IL-6, and TNF-α level in serum and tissues of both treated groups compared to control. The reduction of cytokines are believed to inhibit the HPA axis resulting in decrease glucocorticoids level which could be good prove of the interplay between immune and endocrine systems. So it is very important to check cortisol level during HCQ treatment and it is preferred to use a combined treatment between HCQ and glucocorticoid. © 2022 American Institute of Physics Inc.. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
It is believed that many biomarkers and factors could be linked to the prognosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the association of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), D-Dimer, vitamin D, and ferritin statuses with the prognosis of COVID-19; moreover, it was attempted to investigate its prevalence according to age, employment status, body mass index (BMI), and place of residency in a population sample of hospitalized patients in Thi-Qar, Iraq. This study evaluated 200 COVID-19 patients and 100 controls. The BMI of all individuals was calculated, and such demographic characteristics as age, gender, place of residency, and occupational status were collected from all participants. Blood samples were taken and used to estimate D-Dimer, LDH, vitamin D, ferritin, oxygen, and pulse rate. The mean age of the patients approached the fifth decade, and 72% of the cases were more than 40 years of age. In addition, 60% of the patients were living in the countryside, and 52% of the participants were employed, compared to only 8% of the cases who were students. The BMI of the patients was obtained at 31.44±10.2 kg/m2; accordingly, 47% and 40% of the cases were obese and overweight, respectively, compared to only 12% of the patients who had normal weight (PË0.05). There were significantly lower vitamin D levels in the patients; however, the concentrations of LDH, serum ferritin, and D-Dimer were significantly higher in the patients, compared to the control group (PË0.05). Not only age and body weight but also employment status and place of residency maybe also the important risk factors for COVID-19 distribution. LDH, D-dimer, vitamin D, and ferritin statuses could be used as good biomarkers for this disease and its severity.