Renal and liver injury following the treatment of covid-19 by remdesivir

Remdesivir initially was intravenously administrated to treat the Ebola disease however right now it has been administered to treat COVID-19 in some countries. However it is necessary to find the exact effect of remdesivir in patients with COVID-19. Remdesivir solution is administered with a cyclodextrin carrier that filters solely by the glomeruli; thereby patients with abnormal renal function cannot eliminate it quickly; therefore, remdesivir can lead to renal failure or liver dysfunction during therapeutic process of COVID-19. Assessment of renal function in patients with COVID-19 who have acute kidney injury (AKI) or end-stage renal disease is fundamental. © 2021 The Author(s); Published by Society of Diabetic Nephropathy Prevention

Interleukin 4 gene polymorphism (−589C/T) and the risk of asthma: a meta-analysis and met-regression based on 55 studies

Background: Numerous investigations have previously evaluated the association of interleukin (IL) 4 gene polymorphisms and the risk of asthma, conferring inconsistent results. To resolve the incongruent outcomes yielded from different single studies, we conducted the most up-to-date meta-analysis of IL4 gene −589C/T (rs2243250) polymorphism and susceptibility to asthma. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed in ISI web of science, Scopus, Medline/PubMed databases prior to September 2020, and the pooled odds ratio (OR) and their corresponding 95% CI were calculated to determine the association strength. Results: Literature search led to retrieving of 49 publications (55 case-control studies) containing 9572 cases and 9881 controls. It was revealed that IL4 gene −589C/T polymorphism increased the risk of asthma across all genetic models, including dominant model (OR = 1.22), recessive model (OR = 1.17), allelic model (OR = 1.21), and TT vs. CC model (OR = 1.34), but not the CT vs. TT model. The subgroup analysis by age indicated that IL4 gene -589C/T polymorphism was significantly associated with asthma risk in both pediatrics and adults. Additionally, the subgroup analysis by ethnicity revealed significant association in Asian, American, and Europeans. Finally, subgroup analysis by East Asian and non-East Asian populations indicated significant associations. Conclusions: The current meta-analysis revealed that IL4 gene -589C/T polymorphism was a susceptibility risk in both pediatrics and adults in the whole and different ethnic groups

A phase II trial of docetaxel and erlotinib as first-line therapy for elderly patients with androgen-independent prostate cancer

Background: Docetaxel is the standard first-line agent for the treatment of androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC). The combination of docetaxel with molecularly targeted therapies may offer the potential to increase the efficacy and decrease the toxicity of cytotoxic chemotherapy for prostate cancer. Previous studies demonstrate activation of the human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in prostate cancer. Erlotinib is a specific inhibitor of the tyrosine-kinase activity of EGFR. The goal of this study is to determine the anti-cancer activity docetaxel combined with erlotinib for the treatment of elderly subjects with AIPC. Methods: This is a multi-institutional Phase II study in patients with histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the prostate and age [greater than or equal to] 65 years. Patients were requred to have progressive disease despite androgen-deprivation therapy as determined by: (1) measurable lesions on cross-sectional imaging; (2) metastatic disease by radionucleotide bone imaging; or (3) elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA). Treatment cycles consisted of docetaxel 60 mg/m2 IV on day 1 and erlotinib 150 mg PO days 1-21. Patients with responding or stable disease after 9 cycles were eligible to continue on erlotinib alone as maintenance therapy. Results: Characteristics of 22 patients enrolled included: median age 73.5 years (range, 65-80); median Karnofsky Performance Status 90 (range 70-100); median hemoglobin 12.1 g/dl (range, 10.0-14.3); median PSA 218.3 ng/ml (range, 9-5754). A median of 6 treatment cycles were delivered per patient (range 1-17). No objective responses were observed in 8 patients with measurable lesions (0%, 95% CI 0-31%). Bone scan improvement and PSA decline was seen in 1 patient (5%, 95% CI 0.1-25%). Five of 22 patients experienced [greater than or equal to] 50% decline in PSA (23%, 95% CI 8-45%). Hematologic toxicity included grade 3 neutropenia in 9 patients and neutropenic fever in 2 patients. Common non-hematologic toxicities ([greater than or equal to] grade 3) included fatigue, anorexia, and diarrhea. Conclusion: Docetaxel/erlotinib can be delivered safely in elderly patients with AIPC. Anti-cancer disease activity appears generally comparable to docetaxel when used as monotherapy. Hematologic and nonhematologic toxicity may be increased over docetaxel monotherapy. Prospective randomized studies would be required to determine if the toxicity of docetaxel and erlotinib justifies its use in this setting.This study was supported by NIH Prostate SPORE P50 CA92131 to DBA. Phase One Foundation to MEG and DBA

INTRAUTERINE DEVICE (TCU 380 A): EFFICACY AND COMPLICATIONS AMONG IT'S USERS (ISFAHAN, 1996 - 1997)

Introduction. Modern IUDs are as effective as surgical contraception long acting, reversible and medically safe. This study was performed to evaluate efficacy and complications of IUD TCU 380 among users of this IUO in referred women to Isfahan health centers.
 Methods. In this study, we inserted IUD TCU 380 A in 767 porous women who get their health cares in Isfahan health centers. They were followed for one year in four visits (1 week, 1, 6 and 12 months after insertion).
 Findings. Success rate was 99.3 percent. The most frequent complication was hyper menorrhea (44.4 percent), and the majority of complications occurred 7 to 8 months after IUD insertion. Pap smears were normal in 55.3 percent of women. Removal rate was 13.8 percent and the most frequent cause of it, was hyper menorrhea. Expulsion rate was 3.4 percent and PID was seen in 0.4 percent of them. The major recommended sources for putting IUD were health centers (76.7 percent), and 90 percent of couples were satisfied with this method.
 Conclusion. IUD TCU 380 A is safe and effective and represents a suitable contraceptive method for the appropriate patient

Step-Up DC-DC converters: A comprehensive review of voltage-boosting techniques, topologies, and applications

© 1986-2012 IEEE. DC-DC converters with voltage boost capability are widely used in a large number of power conversion applications, from fraction-of-volt to tens of thousands of volts at power levels from milliwatts to megawatts. The literature has reported on various voltage-boosting techniques, in which fundamental energy storing elements (inductors and capacitors) and/or transformers in conjunction with switch(es) and diode(s) are utilized in the circuit. These techniques include switched capacitor (charge pump), voltage multiplier, switched inductor/voltage lift, magnetic coupling, and multistage/-level, and each has its own merits and demerits depending on application, in terms of cost, complexity, power density, reliability, and efficiency. To meet the growing demand for such applications, new power converter topologies that use the above voltage-boosting techniques, as well as some active and passive components, are continuously being proposed. The permutations and combinations of the various voltage-boosting techniques with additional components in a circuit allow for numerous new topologies and configurations, which are often confusing and difficult to follow. Therefore, to present a clear picture on the general law and framework of the development of next-generation step-up dc-dc converters, this paper aims to comprehensively review and classify various step-up dc-dc converters based on their characteristics and voltage-boosting techniques. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of these voltage-boosting techniques and associated converters are discussed in detail. Finally, broad applications of dc-dc converters are presented and summarized with comparative study of different voltage-boosting techniques

A survey on voltage boosting techniques for step-up DC-DC converters

© 2016 IEEE. Step-up DC-DC converters are used to boost the voltage level of the input to a higher output level. Despite of its features such as simplicity of implementation, the fundamental boost DC-DC converter has shortcomings such as low boost ability and low power density. With these limitations, researches on new voltage boosting techniques are inevitable for various power converter applications. This can be achieved either by additional magnetic or by electric field storage elements with switching elements (switch and/or diode) in different configurations. Such combination of primary voltage boosting techniques and topologies are large, which at times may be confusing and difficult to follow/adapt for different applications. Considering these aspects and in order to make a clear sketch of the general law and framework of various voltage boosting techniques, this paper comprehensively reviews different voltage boosting techniques and categorizes them according to their circuit performance

Renal and liver injury following the treatment of covid-19 by remdesivir

Remdesivir initially was intravenously administrated to treat the Ebola disease however right now it has been administered to treat COVID-19 in some countries. However it is necessary to find the exact effect of remdesivir in patients with COVID-19. Remdesivir solution is administered with a cyclodextrin carrier that filters solely by the glomeruli; thereby patients with abnormal renal function cannot eliminate it quickly; therefore, remdesivir can lead to renal failure or liver dysfunction during therapeutic process of COVID-19. Assessment of renal function in patients with COVID-19 who have acute kidney injury (AKI) or end-stage renal disease is fundamental. © 2021 The Author(s); Published by Society of Diabetic Nephropathy Prevention

Anti-cancer effect of COVID-19 vaccines in mice models

Aims: Without any doubt, vaccination was the best choice for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic control. According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), people with cancer or a history of cancer have a higher risk of dying from Covid-19 than ordinary people; hence, they should be considered a high-priority group for vaccination. On the other hand, the effect of the Covid-19 vaccination on cancer is not transparent enough. This study is one of the first in vivo studies that try to show the impact of Sinopharm (S) and AstraZeneca (A) vaccines on breast cancer, the most common cancer among women worldwide. Materials and methods: Vaccination was performed with one and two doses of Sinopharm (S1/S2) or AstraZeneca (A1/A2) on the 4T1 triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) mice model. The tumor size and body weight of mice were monitored every two days. After one month, mice were euthanized, and the existence of Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and expression of the important markers in the tumor site was assessed. Metastasis in the vital organs was also investigated. Key findings: Strikingly, all of the vaccinated mice showed a decrease in tumor size and this decrease was highest after two vaccinations. Moreover, we observed more TILs in the tumor after vaccination. Vaccinated mice demonstrated a decrease in the expression of tumor markers (VEGF, Ki-67, MMP-2/9), CD4/CD8 ratio, and metastasis to the vital organs. Significance: Our results strongly suggest that COVID-19 vaccinations decrease tumor growth and metastasis