A 53-Year-Old Man with Intermittent Colicky Abdominal Pain due to Fasciola Incarceration in Common Bile Duct: A Case

Fascioliasis is a zoonotic disease caused by liver flukes of the genus Fasciola, as F. hepatica, and F. gigantica, mainly affecting the liver and biliary system during the chronic phase. These trematodes migrate through biliary ducts results in mild inflammation, when it is difficult to distinguish from obstructive lesions. Here we describe a 53-yr-old man from Golpayegan, a city in Isfahan Province, Iran, in year 2015, with occasional fever and chills, and also frequent colicky abdominal pain mainly on the right upper quadrant, with tenderness at that part. There was no jaundice and elevated bilirubin, but increased alkaline phosphatase was detected. Dilated common bile duct on abdominal sonography, without any visible lesion at its end and also dilated intra- and extrahepatic biliary ducts on abdominal CT-scan were seen. Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) detected incarceration of parasites behind Oddi's sphincter and also in common bile duct and serologic test (ELISA) confirmed fascioliasis. However, Iran is one of the most affected countries by Fasciola, being aware of rare symptoms and presentations of this disease can aid the physicians to make timely and accurate diagnosis and therefore reduce the consequent morbidities

Evaluation of the Clinical, Laboratory and Imaging Findings of Patients with COVID-19 and Their Associations with Clinical Outcomes in an Iranian Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a concern in the medical community as the virus spreads around the world. It has a heavy global burden, particularly in low-income countries. This virus has its specific outcomes in each population. Hence, it is necessary to design studies to find the epidemiological behaviour of this virus. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Labbafinezhad hospital, Tehran, Iran. Demographic features include age, sex, past medical history, drug history, habitual file, influenza vaccination history, recent exposure history, clinical symptoms or signs, and the recorded symptoms. The clinical examination and para-clinical assessment, including chest computed tomography (CT) and laboratory testing on admission, were recorded. Results: It was found that patients with a history of kidney transplantation, high level of LDH, high level of AST, and increased neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio are most at risk of death. Conclusion: Parameters mentioned could help practitioners predict patient outcomes, and necessary interventions could be considered in this regard

Comparison of the Efficacy of Sofosbuvir and Kaletra on the Outcome of COVID-19. Is Sofosbuvir A Potential Treatment For COVID-19?

Background: The COVID-19 is a family of large enveloped non-segmented positive-sense RNA viruses which was first reported in December 2019 in Wuhan, China with a cluster of unexplained pneumonia. Although various medications have been tried to manage the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no exclusive medication or vaccine so far. In this study, we aimed to focus on the effectiveness of Hydroxychloroquine + Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir) versus Hydroxychloroquine + Sofosbuvir in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 to given the urgent need for an effective drug against SARS-CoV-2 in the current pandemic context. Materials and Methods: Fifty-four eligible patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 symptoms, according to the WHO criteria entered the study. Patients were randomized into two treatment groups. Thirty-two patients received Hydroxicholoroquine (400 mg stat) and Kaletra (400/100 mg q 12 h) as a control group (group A) and the trial group of 22 patients, received Hydroxicholoroquine (200 mg q 12 h) plus Sofosbuvir (400 mg daily) (group B) for a period of 7 to 14 days. Eventually, collected data included demographic characteristics, underlying diseases, clinical symptoms, laboratory data, and mortality were analyzed. Results: There was no significant difference in age, sex, and underlying diseases between the two groups. There was no significant statistical difference between the two groups on the seventh day of treatment in terms of cough relief, leukocyte count, and improvement of lymphopenia however in terms of the time of defervescence of fever, there was a significant difference between the two groups. Conclusion: Therefore, it can be said that our study is one of the first studies in the world to evaluate the effectiveness of sofosbuvir in the treatment of patients with COVID-19. According to our results, although Kaletra was assumed as an effective therapy, its superiority over Sofosbuvir was confined to the earlier effervescence of the 7-day fever and sofosbuvir can be used as an effective treatment, especially in patients with underlying heart disease who are at risk for arrhythmias with Kaletra

Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of essential oils from the medicinal plant Mentha cervina L. grown in Portugal

Mentha cervina is a medicinal plant traditionally used in Portugal in folk medicine, in different gastric disorders and inflammations of the respiratory tract. In order to validate those traditional uses, M. cervina essential oils (EOs) were characterized by GC and GC–MS and their antimicrobial activity was tested against 23 bacterial strains (including multiresistant strains). The EOs were dominated by the monoterpenes pulegone (52–75%), isomenthone (8–24%), limonene (4–6%), and menthone (1–2%). The antibacterial activity of these EOs was compared to that of the main components standards. The most effective antibacterial activity was expressed by the EOs against the Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter baumanni, with MIC values of 1 mg/ml. The EOs complex mixtures were more active than the individual aromatic components supporting the hypothesis that the EOs antibacterial activity is a function of the synergistic effect of their different aromatic components. These results show the potential role of M. cervina EOs as antibacterial agents and validate the traditional use of this plant

Antibacterial and antioxidative characterisation of essential oils from Mentha piperita and Mentha spicata grown in Iran

The present work evaluated the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the essential oils of Mentha piperita and Mentha spicata . Survival and growth of Bacillus cereus, E. coli and S. aureus were studied. Twenty-six and fifteen compounds were identified in the essential oils of Mentha piperita and Mentha spicata , respectively. Mentha piperita contained major compounds of α-terpinene (19.7%), isomenthone (10.3%), trans carveol (14.5%), pipertitinone oxide (19.3%) and β-caryophyllene (7.6%). The major compounds of Mentha spicata were limonene (48%), menthol (4.7%), piperitone (20.27%) and caryophyllene (7.9%). The essential oils have good or excellent antimicrobial activities against all microorganisms tested. Complete death time on exposure to Mentha piperita L. and Mentha spicata L. oils were (90, 15 and 10 min) and (45, 30 and 15 min) for B. cereus, E. coli and S. aureus , respectively. Two-gram positive microorganisms, B. cereus and S. aureus , showed the same pattern of zone/oil concentration ratios, while E. coli responded differently. The essential oils notably reduced the concentration of DPPH free radical and bleached β-carotene. The performance of the M. piperita oil was better than that of Mentha spicata . Application of these oils in food industries is recommended