Cranial nerve involvement among COVID-19 survivors

IntroductionCOVID-19 was first reported in November 2019 in China and rapidly spread across the globe. COVID-19 causes neurologic symptoms and complications, which may persist even after recovery in patients. The objective of this research was to determine the involvement of cranial nerves in COVID-19 survivors.MethodThis was a retrospective study. The study was conducted between March and July of 2022. The analysis included 98 patients with a certain positive polymerase chain reaction. SPSS software version 19 was utilized for data analysis.ResultsThe average age of the participants was 40.47 years (8.81). The olfactory nerve was found to be the most frequently involved cranial nerve (36.7%). Over 20% of participants had a taste disorder. The findings from the regression analysis indicated that lung involvement and age have a direct and significant relationship with cranial nerve involvement and can serve as its predictors (p = 0.001).ConclusionIt seems that cranial nerve involvement was sustained in COVID-19 patients who survived. In addition, elderly patients and patients with severe illnesses were more likely to show cranial symptoms. It is necessary to monitor COVID-19 survivors for neurological symptoms

Serum C‐reactive protein greater than 75 mg/dL as an early available laboratory predictor of severe COVID‐19: A systematic review

Abstract Introduction Severe COVID‐19 management is still challenging. Having a laboratory factor to predict the severity of a patient's condition can be very useful in how to approach each patient. There have been studies concentrating on the correlation between serum C‐reactive protein (CRP) level and COVID‐19 severity but we aim to reach a threshold for CRP in disease severity determination. Methods We conducted a thorough search on PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases from early 2019 to October 2021, and 323 studies were assessed for eligibility in three phases. We used the Newcastle‐Ottawa Scale to examine the validity of the studies. The t‐test was applied for the CRP level cutoffs. Results Eventually, 11 articles and 1615 patients were included in this systematic review. Our analysis evaluated combined mean, median, and standard deviation of severe patients' CRP to be respectively 73.37, 53.80, and 47.936. Based on the combined mean, 75 mg/dL was suggested as an initial threshold for baseline CRP in hospitalized patients for developing severe conditions. Conclusion This study recommends that COVID‐19 patients with on‐admission serum CRP levels of 75 mg/dL and more are likely associated with severe conditions. Thus, anti‐inflammatory agents and further following may be helpful in these patients

The Covid-19 Infection Effect on Assisted Reproductive Method Outcomes

Objective: COVID-19 can have potential pathogenic effects on the oocyte and embryos, but there is limited data about its impact. This study aimed to investigate the COVID-19 impact on the outcome of Assisted Reproduction Techniques (ART) methods. Materials and methods: This case-control study was conducted on 190 infertile women who underwent oocyte retrieval at Yas Hospital in vitro fertilization (IVF) department affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences, from October 2021 to October 2022. The case group was defined as women whose PCR test was positive on puncture day and the control group was women with COVID-19 negative tests on puncture day. The study outcome measurements included the number of oocytes retrieved and the number and quality of embryos. Finally, the data were analyzed by SPSS 24. Results: The mean age of the participants was 32.89 ± 5.58 years with an age range of 18-49 years. No significant difference was observed between the two groups regarding baseline variables.  The mean number of oocytes was significantly (p =0.001) lower in the case (6.68±4.25) group versus the control (9.07±4.10) group. While there was no statistically significant difference regarding the mean number of embryos in the study groups, No grade A embryos were observed in more than half (57.5%) of the women in the case group. Furthermore, the frequency of grade C embryos on average was 1.08±1.11 in the case group and 0.57±0.75 in the control group, with a statistically significant difference (p =0.010). Conclusion: The findings of this research highlighted that women infected with COVID-19 on the puncture day have a lower number of oocytes and also good-quality embryos.