Herbal remedies and medicine; introducing some Iranian plants

     The overall goal of this review is to discuss the potential efficacy of herbal treatments. Plants are considered among the main sources of biologically active chemicals. Plant based drugs usage in our past decay became very renowned due to their fewer side effects and being less expensive than chemical ones. Recently, more abrupt tendency in this field has been increased. Furthermore, advances in molecular and cellular determinations revealed effective properties of these herbal components. Some plants extracts have shown multi-functional properties such as anti-oxidant, anti-amyloid, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory; further studies, besides,   are required for detailed chemical characterization and more extensive biological evaluation of the most active ingredients. In summary, herbals can be considered as novel therapeutic approach against wide range of diseases. This review article draws the attention to some species of plants possessing biological activities on human health

Candidiasis in COVID-19 Patients

Based on previous studies, some comorbidities influence the morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 disease. Among these factors, opportunistic fungal infections could have a major impact on the mortality of COVID-19 patients

Fungal Central Nervous System Infections in Patients With COVID-19

Recent studies have indicated that fungal co-infections have a major impact on the morbidity and mortality of patients with COVID-19. In these patients, the excessive production of inflammatory cytokines and the reduction in CD4 + T and CD8 + T cell count entails susceptibility to fungal infections.1 In addition to impaired cell-mediated immunity, comorbidities and immunosuppressive medications have a significant role in the development of fungal infections and have serious impacts on clinical outcomes.1-

Association of Psoriasis Severity with Serum Prolactin, Thyroid Hormones, and Cortisol before and after Treatment

Background. Prolactin (PRL) level is proposed to be associated with the severity of psoriasis although the previous studies reported different results. Objective. To find the association between PRL levels and severity of psoriasis before and after treatment. In addition, we aimed to find a difference in prolactin, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroid hormones (T3 and T4), and cortisol levels between patients with psoriasis and normal controls. Methods. First, the levels of hormones were measured in 30 patients with psoriasis and 30 matched controls. The severity was assessed by psoriasis area and severity index (PASI). Then, patients were treated, and PASI was assessed every week until achieving PASI-75 response. At this time, the hormones were measured again and compared to the baseline. Results. No statistical significant difference was observed in the mean PRL, T3, T4, TSH, and cortisol levels between cases and controls. Comparing to the baseline, a significant decrease in PRL levels and a significant increase in T3 and serum cortisol levels were observed after treatment (P<0.05), while the changes in other hormones were not significant. Conclusion. After treatment, PRL significantly decreased, and T3 and cortisol levels significantly increased. No correlation between hormone levels and improvement of PASI score existed