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Context: Burns and associated injuries are considered as the most severe types of trauma leading to multiple disabilities. Hence, obtaining information from the burn-related demographic variables is also of particular importance. The consequences of the burn include mortality, high hospital costs, and mental and emotional health problems. Aims: The current study was conducted to determine the demographic information affecting the mortality rate among burn patients in Burn Center of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences (Sari, Iran). Settings and Design: This is a cross-sectional analytical study done in 2016. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted using the medical records of 629 patients hospitalized in the Burn Departments and BICU of the Burn center of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences (Sari, Iran) in 2015. All participants were included through the headcount technique. Settings and Design: This is a cross-sectional analytical study done in 2016. Statistical Analysis Used: Mean, standard deviation (SD), and Probit regression and logistic regression were used for statistical analysis. The data were analyzed using the Spearman correlation coefficient and Chi-square test through the SPSS version 16. Results: The mean age of participants was 32.95 (SD = 22.17) years old. There were 93 patients (18.4%) aged below 5 years. The mean length of hospital stay was 13.69 ± 12.78 days. The majority of fatal burn injuries (77%) occurred at home. In this study, the lethal area 50 was obtained as 66.7%. A significant correlation was observed between demographic variables (age and educational attainment) and consequences of burn injuries. Conclusion: Considering the relationship between the effects of burns on age and educational level, investment in promoting awareness among people at different levels is recommended to prevent relevant incidents as an effective and necessary measure.

Introduction Effective treatments are urgently needed to tackle the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This trial aims to evaluate sofosbuvir and daclatasvir versus standard care for outpatients with mild COVID-19 infection. Methods This was a randomized controlled clinical trial in outpatients with mild COVID-19. Patients were randomized into a treatment arm receiving sofosbuvir/daclatasvir plus hydroxychloroquine or a control arm receiving hydroxychloroquine alone. The primary endpoint of the trial was symptom alleviation after 7 days of follow-up. The secondary endpoint of the trial was hospital admission. Fatigue, dyspnoea and loss of appetite were investigated after 1 month of follow-up. This study is registered with the IRCT.ir under registration number IRCT20200403046926N1. Results Between 8 April 2020 and 19 May 2020, 55 patients were recruited and allocated to either the sofosbuvir/daclatasvir treatment arm (n = 27) or the control arm (n = 28). Baseline characteristics were similar across treatment arms. There was no significant difference in symptoms at Day 7. One patient was admitted to hospital in the sofosbuvir/daclatasvir arm and four in the control arm, but the difference was not significant. After 1 month of follow-up, two patients reported fatigue in the sofosbuvir/daclatasvir arm and 16 in the control arm; P Conclusions In this study, sofosbuvir/daclatasvir did not significantly alleviate symptoms after 7 days of treatment compared with control. Although fewer hospitalizations were observed in the sofosbuvir/daclatasvir arm, this was not statistically significant. Sofosbuvir/daclatasvir significantly reduced the number of patients with fatigue and dyspnoea after 1 month. Larger, well-designed trials are warranted.

Background: Coronavirus is a single-stranded RNA virus, causing an epidemic of pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) worldwide in late 2019. Objectives: In addition to the clinical symptoms, laboratory diagnosis can greatly help diagnose the diseases; therefore, this study aimed to analyze laboratory parameters in patients with COVID-19. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the laboratory data of 2563 patients with COVID-19 admitted to hospitals affiliated with Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences were extracted from hospital information systems (HIS). The data were recorded on Excel and analyzed through t-test, chi-squared, and Fisher’s exact tests in SPSS 19 at the significance level of P < 0.05. Results: Out of 2563 patients with a mean age of 55.1 ± 16.7 years, 1409 (55%) were male, and 1154 (45%) were female with a mean age of 55.7 ± 16.8, and 54.3 ± 16.6 years, respectively. As the most frequent clinical findings, ESR, CRP, and LDH were increased by 83.5%, 71%, and 69.3% of the patients, respectively. Other research findings included lymphopenia, disturbed INR, abnormal SGOT, abnormal alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), which were significantly higher in men than in women and was different between age groups. Conclusions: Conducting simple, convenient, and inexpensive laboratory tests can be helpful in the diagnosis of COVID-19.

The Outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in late 2019 in China and many other countries around the world necessitate immediate action to develop new drugs against the virus. Repurposing of existing drugs for new targets is a fast, safe and unexpansive approach for this goal. Studies have shown that naproxen could specifically interact with the RNA binding domain of nueclporteins of RNA viruses such as the influenza virus. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the binding properties of naproxen to the nucleocapsid protein of SARS-CoV-2. 3D structure of N and C terminal domains of SARS-CoV- 2 nucleocapsid were constructed and each were docked with naproxen and analyzed during 100 ns of molecular dynamics. The results showed that naproxen interacts with the N terminal domain of the nucleocapsid via two salt bridges with Arg 88 and 92 and a network of h-bonds. Molecular dynamics analysis was also revealed that all the coordinations of naproxen with N terminal domain were kept during 100 ns of simulation time. The results of this study provide insights how naproxen can specifically interact with the conserved RNA binding module of the nucleocapsid of SARS-CoV-2 that would inhibit the packaging of viral genome into capsid and virus assembly. Therefore we recommend evaluating the antiviral effects of naproxen against SARS-CoV-2 in in vitro studies and clinical trials.

Context: Within only 30 days after the first announcement of infection with “SARS-CoV-2” in Wuhan, it spread to more than 20 countries and become a pandemic by WHO as a “high alarming level of infection” with 136,343 involved cases all over the world. Methods: To uncover more about the probable gastrointestinal transmission and its clinical manifestations, we reviewed all research publications with keywords including: “COVID-19”, “SARS-CoV-2”, “Coronavirus”, “outbreak”, “ARAS-CoV” in Medline, Scopus, Google Scholar as well as all news in social media about “novel COVID-19 pandemic”. Out of 40 recent publications, 10 articles were studied by 2 authors. Results: Although the SARS-CoV-2 tends to infect respiratory epithelial cells through the respiratory tracts, recent investigations detected the virus in the stool specimen, raising the question of the fecal-oral transmission route. Different studies showed that almost all gastrointestinal signs and symptoms were seen in elderly patients (more than 65 years old). including anorexia (40%), nonspecific abdominal pains (8%), diarrhea (10%) and nausea and Vomiting in about 8% of patients. Anorexia and generalized abdominal pain suffer many treated cases even 10 - 20 days after negative blood tests (like CRP, lymphopenia) and negative PCR of respiratory samples. The main reason for this prolonged anorexia and abdominal pain may be due to the long persistence of COVID-19 in the gastrointestinal tracts after primary treatment. Conclusions: Comparing to SARS, patients with COVID-19 showed less diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and/or abdominal discomfort before respiratory symptoms. Feces as a potential contagious source of Viral RNA can last even after viral clearance in the respiratory tract. We strongly recommend all cured patients of COVID-19 to disinfect and clean their toilets until 17 - 20 days after negative blood tests and solving their respiratory disorders. Gastrointestinal manifestations have seen in all men while no women referred with GI signs.

Background We planned this study to evaluate the effects of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a substance with known effects on the immune system, on the occurrence of opportunistic infections and CD4+ T-cell count of HIV-infected patients as markers of their immunologic status. Methods This was a parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial in adult (>18 years old) patients with HIV infection on antiretroviral therapy (ART) referring to Ahvaz Behavioral Diseases Consultation Center. The intervention group was given CoQ10, one 200 mg capsule per day, and the controls received placebo, each for 3 months. Results There was no statistically significant difference in the mean CD4+ T-cell count at the beginning of the study (p = 0.232) and also in it's increase after 3 months (p = 0.114) between the two groups; however, the mean CD4+ T-cell count increased significantly by the end of the study in each group (p = 0.045 for intervention, p = 0.001 for controls). Conclusion This study suggested that CoQ10 had no remarkable effect on the CD4+ T-cell count and the incidence of opportunistic infections in adult HIV-infected patients on ART.

Background and aim Many of the treatment regimens available for hepatitis C include sofosbuvir. Unfortunately, sofosbuvir has not been recommended for use in patients with severe renal impairment leaving these group of patients with very few options. Nevertheless, there are many reports in which these patients have been treated with sofosbuvir-containing regiments without important adverse events. This study aims at determining the safety and effectiveness of a sofosbuvir-based treatment in patients with severe renal impairment, including those on hemodialysis. Method We enrolled subjects with hepatitis C and estimated glomerular filtration rate under ml/min/1.73m2 from 13 centers in Iran. Patients were treated for 12 weeks with a single daily pill containing 400-mg sofosbuvir and 60-mg daclatasvir. Patients with cirrhosis were treated for 24 weeks. Response to treatment was evaluated 12 weeks after end of treatment (sustained viral response [SVR]). ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03063879. Results A total of 103 patients were enrolled from 13 centers. Seventy-five patients were on hemodialysis. Thirty-nine had cirrhosis and eight were decompensated. Fifty-three were Genotype 1, and 27 Genotype 3. Twenty-seven patients had history of previous failed interferon-based treatment. Three patients died in which cause of death was not related to treatment. Six patients were lost to follow-up. The remaining 94 patients all achieved SVR. No adverse events leading to discontinuation of medicine was observed. Conclusions The combination of sofosbuvir and daclatasvir is an effective and safe treatment for patients infected with all genotypes of hepatitis C who have severe renal impairment, including patients on hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND The combination of sofosbuvir and daclatasvir is a potent, pangenotypic regimen suitable for mass-scale hepatitis C treatment, especially in resource-limited countries where newer, expensive combinations are not available. This combination has been widely tested on genotype 4. However, Phase III trials of this combination in other genotypes have been cost prohibitive. With the introduction of generic, low-cost sofosbuvir and daclatasvir, large-scale studies in resource-limited countries are now possible. METHODS Sofosbuvir at 400 mg and daclatasvir at 60 mg were coformulated into a fixed-dose combination (FDC) tablet (Sovodak, Rojan Pharma, Tehran, Iran). Patients from 46 centers were dosed for 12 or 24 weeks with or without ribavirin, in line with existing guidelines. Responses to treatment were evaluated 12 weeks after the end of treatment (for a sustained virological response at Week 12; SVR12). RESULTS There were 1361 patients recruited. Overall, the patients were 21% female, with a mean age of 50 years; 39% were cirrhotic; 22% were treatment-experienced; 47% were genotype 1, 41% were genotype 3, and 2% were other genotypes. The genotype was not known in 10% of the patients. The intention-to-treat and per-protocol SVR12 rates were 94.7% and 98.8%, respectively. The safety profile was unremarkable, treatment was well tolerated, and compliance with the single-tablet regimen was excellent. CONCLUSIONS The treatment with FDC of sofosbuvir and daclatasvir achieved high SVR12 rates, equivalent to those seen in Phase III trials of other pangenotypic options, and has been conducted at a similar scale in a representative, real-world population at a cost of under $100 per patient, which makes this combination suitable for elimination protocols in resource-limited countries. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION NCT03200184.

Background: Lectin pathway mediates complement activation, which is activated by many microorganisms. This study aimed at determining the serum levels of mannose-binding lectin (MBL) in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, assessing its relationship to antiuberculosis treatment response, and comparing them with a control group. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on patients with pulmonary tuberculosis during 2012 and 2013 in South West of Iran. PPD-ST-negative individuals were selected as controls from healthy relatives of patients. Serum MBL levels were measured using ELISA kit (Human MBL HK323, Hycultbiotech Company, Netherlands). All patients were followed- up for response to treatment. We applied Mann-Whitney and Fisher’s exact tests and used SPSS Version 17 software for statistical analysis. Results: The study included 62 patients as the case group and 63 noninfected TB patients as the control group. The MBL (ng/mL) in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (median = 1012) was significantly (p= 0.037) higher than that of the control group (median= 296.2). No significant difference was found in the MBL level (ng/mL) between patients with response to antituberculosis treatment (median= 1012) and patients with treatment failure (median= 798.9) (p= 0.84). Conclusion: MBL may be involved in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis and in the low values that are protective against tuberculosis, and it seems that it has no effect on the antituberculosis treatment response.