Safety and efficacy of favipiravir for the management of COVID-19 patients: A preliminary randomized control trial.

Background: The novel coronavirus disease, commonly called COVID-19, has already killed millions of lives. Our study aimed to identify a safe and right drug for the management of such globally threatened COVID-19. Methods: This preliminary double-blinded randomized controlled trial was done among 57 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the early stage of their illness. Of them, 29 patients received Favipiravir (FVP) and the remaining 28 patients received a placebo under the standard of care. Among the patients, 4 from Favipiravir (FVP) group and 3 from the placebo group were discontinued. The patients were observed regularly for a period of 10 days. Result: In our study, the FVP treated group showed accelerated viral clearance compared to the placebo-treated group. Assessment of chest X-ray showed remarkable improvement of pheumonia patient in group A compared to Group B. Hematological and Biochemical parameters such as total WBC count, neutrophil and lymphocyte counts were examined. No significant differences in the hematological parameters such as WBC count, neutrophil and lymphocyte counts in Group A and Group B patients. Liver transaminases levels were also stable in FVP treated group (average ALT ranges 39.4-46.2; AST 28.2-32.8). Conclusion: The drug Favipiravir displayed remarkable improvements in the clinical conditions and recovery of COVID-19 patients at the early stages of their infections.

Alterations of serum trace elements and other biochemical parameters are correlated with the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus: A preliminary study on Bangladeshi population.

BACKGROUND: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder in which the body's defense system wrongly attacks healthy body tissues. The objective of this current setup was to quantify and compare the serum concentration of ascorbic acid (Vit-C), malondialdehyde (MDA), c-reactive protein (CRP) and trace elements (Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn) in SLE and normal subjects. METHODS: The proposed case-control study was performed with 25 SLE patients and 25 healthy subjects as case and control, respectively. The serum level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and vitamin C was evaluated by UV spectrophotometric method. For the determination of CRP, the latex agglutination method was used, whereas serum trace elements were estimated by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). RESULTS: This analysis demonstrated that patients with SLE possessed a significant (p < 0.001) higher level of MDA and lower level of vitamin C compared to control subjects. Pearson's correlation analysis found negative correlation between the serum level of MDA and vitamin C (r= -0.023, p = 0.887) for patients while control group also possessed similar result (r= -0.157, p = 0.453). The current findings have also revealed that serum level of Zn and Cu in SLE patients was significantly (p < 0.05) lowered to that of the control group, while serum level of Mn also showed a similar scenario. During Pearson's correlation analysis a significantly (p < 0.05) negative correlation was found between Zn and Mn (r= -0.410, p = 0.042) in patients' group. CONCLUSION: Although our study was limited to a small sample size and confined to a particular area of the country, the study results support a significant role of antioxidants, CRP, and trace elements in the generation of SLE and, therefore, recommends a large spectrum study of the associations between SLE and these biochemical parameters.

Serum CRP, MDA, Vitamin C, and Trace Elements in Bangladeshi Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder that is a painful health crisis. This study aimed to assess the serum C-reactive protein (CRP), malondialdehyde (MDA), non-enzymatic antioxidant (vitamin C), and trace elements (Zn, Cu, Mn, and Fe) in RA patients, and thereby correlate these parameters with the association of RA. This study included 20 Bangladeshi RA patients and 20 normal healthy volunteers as control subjects. CRP level was determined using a laboratory-based latex agglutination-enhanced immunoassay. The lipid peroxidation level was determined by measurement of the serum level of MDA. Non-enzymatic antioxidant vitamin C was assessed by UV spectrophotometric method. Trace elements were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Our study observed significantly higher concentrations of CRP (p < 0.001) and MDA (p < 0.001), and significantly lower concentrations of vitamin C (p < 0.001) in the RA patient. The mean values of Zn, Cu, Mn, and Fe were 6.62 ± 0.34, 1.42 ± 0.17, 7.51 ± 0.23, and 29.25 ± 0.41 ppm for the RA patients respectively and 13.57 ± 9.13, 1.15 ± 0.17, 1.59 ± 0.18, and 62.47 ± 5.25 ppm for the control subjects, consequently. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the trace element levels between the RA patients and control subjects. Our study suggests that a higher concentration of CRP and MDA, lower levels of vitamin C, and altered trace elements may be linked to RA.

Interictal EEG changes in patients with seizure disorder: experience in Bangladesh.

The objective of this study was to determine the changes and sensitivity of electro encephalogram during interictal period and to evaluate the finding in the clinically suspected seizure events in a tertiary care hospital of Bangladesh. This cross sectional study was carried out in the Electrophysiology Laboratory of Dhaka Medical College Hospital from July 2010 to July 2011, which included 767 patients. EEG was obtained through scalp electrodes following international 10/20 system. Patient and their attendants were interviewed using a semi structured questionnaire. The EEG findings and clinical seizure events were then compared. Among the 767 epilepsy patients most were children (39.9% less than 10 years old) and young adult (33.2% in 11-20 years age group). Female patients predominantly had seizure than male (57% and 43% respectively). The overall sensitivity of EEG in yielding abnormal interictal epileptiform discharges was 62.7%. About 48.5% of them were diagnosed as localization related epilepsy and 11.7% were generalized epilepsy. Morphology showed spike and wave in 74% and sharp and wave in 11% tracings. Only 2% had slow waves. The presence of an interictal spike/sharp wave helps to confirm a clinical diagnosis of epilepsy, aids in defining the epilepsy syndrome, provides information that assists in planning drug management.