Efficacy of Passiflora incarnate on anxiety relief before orthopedic surgery: A double blinded clinical trial study

Background and aims: Anxiety is the most prevalent feeling before surgery which could affect postoperative outcomes. Anti-anxiety properties of Passiflora incarnate have been reported in previous studies and this study was designed and conducted to determine properties of medicinal plant Passiflora incarnate on anxiety before orthopedic surgery in patients hospitalized in Ayatollah Kashani Hospital, Shahrekord. Methods: In this experimental study, 60 patients aged 25-50 years candidate for orthopedic surgery referring Ayatollah Kashani Hospital, Shahrekord were randomly assigned into two 30-individual groups of case and control. At the night before surgery, case group received oral Passiflora caerulea drop (500 mg, Passipy) and control group received placebo. On the day of surgery, by Spielberger Anxiety Inventory, the level of trait anxiety (individual anxious property) and state anxiety (individual anxious state) was recorded, and the patients' demographic characteristics were gathered by questionnaire. Results: There was no significant difference between two groups regarding to age, sex, and marital status. Mean score of state anxiety in case group (40.86±7.25) was lower than control group (50.63±4.58) (P=0.001), but mean score of trait anxiety was not significantly different between the two groups (P=0.303). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, use of oral drop of Passiflora incarnate before orthopedic surgery helps to relieve patient's anxiety. Use of this extract is recommended for Anti-anxiety and sedative treatments

Gut microbiota and COVID‐19: A systematic review

Abstract Background and Aims Alteration in humans' gut microbiota was reported in patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2). The gut and upper respiratory tract (URT) microbiota harbor a dynamic and complex population of microorganisms and have strong interaction with host immune system homeostasis. However, our knowledge about microbiota and its association with SARS‐CoV‐2 is still limited. We aimed to systematically review the effects of gut microbiota on the SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and its severity and the impact that SARS‐CoV‐2 could have on the gut microbiota. Methods We searched the keywords in the online databases of Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Cochrane on December 31, 2021. After duplicate removal, we performed the screening process in two stages; title/abstract and then full‐text screening. The data of the eligible studies were extracted into a pre‐designed word table. This study adhered to the PRISMA checklist and Newcastle−Ottawa Scale Bias Assessment tool. Results Sixty‐three publications were included in this review. Our study shows that among COVID‐19 patients, particularly moderate to severe cases, the gut and lung microbiota was different compared to healthy individuals. In addition, the severity, and viral load of COVID‐19 disease would probably also be influenced by the gut, and lung microbiota's composition. Conclusion Our study concludes that there was a significant difference in the composition of the URT, and gut microbiota in COVID‐19 patients compared to the general healthy individuals, with an increase in opportunistic pathogens. Further, research is needed to investigate the probable bidirectional association of COVID‐19 and human microbiome