Trends in organ donation and transplantation over the past eighteen years in Iran.

BACKGROUND: This article will review the trends in organ donation over the past 18 years in Iran. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All donation and transplantation statistics were extracted by reviewing the Organ Procurement and Transplantation database of the Ministry of Health of Iran from 2002 to 2019. RESULTS: Iran's national deceased donation rate from 2002 to 2019 increased 19.06-fold from .75 to 14.3 per million population (PMP). After the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of organ donation in Iran decreased significantly. Although 1 year after the onset of the pandemic, due to the widespread adoption of COVID19 vaccination, the rate of organ donation began to increase again, this system is still under performing. During the years under examination, the rate of deceased kidney donation increased significantly compared to living kidney donation and reached up to 2001 kidney transplantations in 2021. From 2002 to 2019, the rate of liver transplants increased to 12.8. Likewise, the rate of heart transplants increased 8.4-fold, from 15 to 126 cases during the same time. CONCLUSSION: Although a personal choice, the process of organ donation involves medical, legal, ethical, organizational, and social aspects. The trend in increasing donation rates over the past years can be attributed to multiple influences, which include rigorous team efforts in the organ donation and transplantation systems, in addition to creating a donation culture and promoting donation through media platforms. Moreover, we can say that the rising rates of deceased donor transplantation also can drive down rates of commercial living donor transplantation.

Association of fruits, vegetables, and fiber intake with COVID-19 severity and symptoms in hospitalized patients: A cross-sectional study

Background and aims Fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber and a good source of anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. We investigated the association between fruits, vegetables, and fiber intake and severity of COVID-19 and related symptoms in hospitalized patients. Methods A total of 250 COVID-19 hospitalized patients aged 18 to 65 years were recruited for this cross-sectional study in Kashan, Iran, between June and September of 2021. Dietary intakes were assessed using an online validated 168-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). COVID-19 severity and symptoms were evaluated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines. Moreover, we examined COVID-19 symptoms, inflammatory biomarkers, and additional factors. Results The mean age of participants was 44.2 ± 12.1 years, and 46% had severe COVID-19. Patients with higher consumption of fruits (OR: 0.28;95% CI: 0.14-0.58, P-trend <0.001), vegetables (OR: 0.33;95% CI: 0.16-0.69, P-trend <0.001), and dietary fiber (OR: 0.25;95% CI: 0.12-0.53, P-trend <0.001) had lower odds of having severe COVID-19. In addition, they had shorter hospitalization and convalescence periods, lower serum C-reactive protein (CRP), and a reduced risk of developing COVID-19 symptoms such as sore throat, nausea and vomiting, dyspnea, myalgia, cough, weakness, fever, and chills. Conclusion Higher consumption of fruits, vegetables, and fiber was inversely linked with COVID-19 severity, clinical symptoms, hospitalization and convalescence duration, and CRP concentrations. The results should be interpreted with caution in light of the limitations, and prospective cohort studies are required to further evaluate these findings.