Risk Factors for the Mortality in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19: A Brief Report.

The cumulative rate of death of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has necessitated better recognizing the risk factors of the disease and the COVID-19-induced mortality. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the potential risk factors that predict COVID-19-related mortality concentrating on the initial recorded laboratory tests. We extracted admission's medical records of a total of 136 deaths related to COVID-19 and 272 discharged adult inpatients (≥18 years old) related to four referral centers from February 24th to April 12th, 2020, in Isfahan, Iran, to figure out the relationship between the laboratory findings and mortality beyond demographic and clinical findings. We applied the independent sample t test and a chichi square test with SPSS software to compare the differences between the survivor and non-survivor patients. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Our results showed that greater length of hospitalization (P≤0.001), pre-existing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (P≤0.001), high pulse rate, hypoxia (P≤0.001), and high computed tomography scan score (P<0.001), in addition to high values of some laboratory parameters, increase the risk of mortality. Moreover, high neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (OR, 1.890; 95% CI, 1.074-3.325, P=0.027), increased creatinine levels (OR, 15.488; 95% CI, 0.801-299.479, P=0.07), and elevated potassium levels (OR, 13.400; 95% CI, 1.084-165.618, P=0.043) independently predicted in-hospital death related to COVID-19 infection. These results emphasized the potential role of impaired laboratory parameters for the prognosis of fatal outcomes in adult inpatients.

Effects of select dietary supplements on the prevention and treatment of viral respiratory tract infections: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

Introduction: Viral respiratory tract infections (RTIs) have been recognized as a global public health burden. Despite current theories about their effectiveness, the true benefits of dietary supplements on the prevention and treatment of viral RTIs remain elusive, due to contradictory reports. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of dietary supplements on the prevention and treatment of viral RTIs.Areas covered: We systematically searched databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar through 4 March 2020, to identify randomized controlled trials that evaluated the effects of consuming selected dietary supplements on the prevention or treatment of viral RTIs.Expert opinion: Thirty-nine randomized controlled trials (n = 16,797 participants) were eligible and included. Namely, vitamin D supplementation appeared to improve viral RTIs across cohorts particulate in those with vitamin D deficiency. Among the evaluated dietary supplements, specific lactobacillus strains were used most commonly with selected prebiotics that showed potentially positive effects on the prevention and treatment of viral RTIs. Further, ginseng extract supplementation may effectively prevent viral RTIs as adjuvant therapy. However, longitudinal research is required to confirm these observations and address the optimal dose, duration, and safety of dietary supplements being publicly recommended.