Comparison of serum levels of CRP, RF and CIC before and after treatment in hospitalized patients with infective endocarditis in Ahvaz- Iran

Background and Objective: Previous reports on the effect of treatment on the serum immunologic parameters in patients with infective endocarditis are controversial. This study was conducted to asses the serum levels of CRP (C-reactive protein), RF (rheumatoid factor) and CIC (circulatory immune complex) before and after treatment in patients with infective endocarditis. Materials and Methods: In this discriptive study 30 hospitalized patients with infective endocarditis in Razi Hospital in Ahvaz during 2006. Blood samples obtained before and after treatment. 2.5 cc of each sample were used for CRP and RF and remaining 2.5 cc preserved at -20ºC until CIC examination. CRP and RF were measured by using nephlometry and CIC was detected by immundiffusion method. The data were analyzed using SPSS-16 and t-student test. Results: Out of 30 patients, 26 (86.7%) were male. Mean age was 29.53±10.28years. The mean values of CIC, CRP and RF before and after treatment were 0.847, 72.38, 60.45 and 0.80, 44.1, 41.2, respectively. The means of CRP and RF before and after treatment were statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study showed that the serum level of CRP and RF reduce after effective treatments because most of the our patients were intravenous drug user, CRP and RF indeces may be useful measurment for treatment evaluation responses to infective endocarditis in these population

Antiinflammatory potential of nano-curcumin as an alternative therapeutic agent for the treatment of mild-to-moderate hospitalized COVID-19 patients in a placebo-controlled clinical trial

The present study conducted a placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the impact of nano-curcumin on the inflammatory cytokines in mild-to-moderate hospitalized COVID-19 patients. A total of 60 COVID-19 patients were randomly divided into nano-curcumin and control groups, and then they received 240 mg/day nano-curcumin for 7 days. The clinical manifestation and laboratory parameters in patients were recorded on days 0 and seven. Also, SYBR Green real-time PCR and ELISA techniques were implicated in assessing the mRNA expression of IFN-gamma, IL-1 beta, IL-6, MCP-1, and TNF-alpha and the serum levels of IL-1 beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha inflammatory mediators, respectively. Although the clinical manifestations and laboratory parameters improved via the nano-curcumin treatment, the mRNA expression of IFN-gamma (p = 0.006) and TNF-alpha (p = 0.04) were significantly reduced. Besides, a considerable difference was observed between the nano-curcumin and control groups in the expression of IFN-gamma (p = 0.001), IL-1 beta (p = 0.0002), and IL-6 (p = 0.008). In addition, there was a significant difference between the nano-curcumin and control groups in the serum levels of IL-1 beta (p = 0.042). The evidence demonstrated that nano-curcumin could be implicated as a complementary medication to act as an antiinflammatory agent and inhibit inflammatory complications

Mucormycosis in Iran: A six-year retrospective experience

Mucormycosis is a devastating infection caused by Mucoralean fungi (Mucormycotina, Mucorales). Data concerning the global epidemiology of mucormycosis are scarce and little is known about the characteristics of mucormycosis in Iran. In this study, we aimed to understand the distribution of this infection in Iran retrospectively and to ascertain whether the patterns of infection are associated with specific host factors or not. A total of 208 cases were included in this study occurring during 2008–2014 and were validated according to (EORTC/MSG) criteria. A rising trend as significant increase from 9.7% in 2008 to 23.7% in 2014 was observed. The majority of patients were female (51.4%) with median age of 50 and the infections were seen mostly in autumn season (39.4%). Diabetes mellitus (75.4%) was the most common underlying condition and sinus involvement (86%) was the mostly affected site of infection. Amphotericin B (AmB) was the drug of choice for the majority of cases. Sixty four isolates did not show any growth in the lab and only 21 cases were evaluated by ITS sequencing, among them; Rhizopus arrhizus var. arrhizus was the dominant species. Considering the high mortality rate of mucormycosis, early and accurate diagnosis, with the aid of molecular methods may provide accurate treatments and improve the survival rate. Therefore, increased monitoring and awareness of this life-threatening disease is critical. © 2018 Elsevier Masson SA

Mucormycosis in Iran: A six-year retrospective experience

Mucormycosis is a devastating infection caused by Mucoralean fungi (Mucormycotina, Mucorales). Data concerning the global epidemiology of mucormycosis are scarce and little is known about the characteristics of mucormycosis in Iran. In this study, we aimed to understand the distribution of this infection in Iran retrospectively and to ascertain whether the patterns of infection are associated with specific host factors or not. A total of 208 cases were included in this study occurring during 2008–2014 and were validated according to (EORTC/MSG) criteria. A rising trend as significant increase from 9.7% in 2008 to 23.7% in 2014 was observed. The majority of patients were female (51.4%) with median age of 50 and the infections were seen mostly in autumn season (39.4%). Diabetes mellitus (75.4%) was the most common underlying condition and sinus involvement (86%) was the mostly affected site of infection. Amphotericin B (AmB) was the drug of choice for the majority of cases. Sixty four isolates did not show any growth in the lab and only 21 cases were evaluated by ITS sequencing, among them; Rhizopus arrhizus var. arrhizus was the dominant species. Considering the high mortality rate of mucormycosis, early and accurate diagnosis, with the aid of molecular methods may provide accurate treatments and improve the survival rate. Therefore, increased monitoring and awareness of this life-threatening disease is critica