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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused many challenges to various clinicians, including speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Remote rehabilitation or telepractice was widely used during this period as a convenient solution by many therapists who had no experience in this field. This study aimed to survey the lived experience of telepractice by Iranian SLPs during the COVID-19 pandemic to identify the benefits and disadvantages of this method. Materials and Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using content analysis. Twenty SLPs participated in this study. They were selected using a purposive sampling method until data saturation was reached. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were used to collect information. Data were coded using MAXQDA software. After coding, the data were analyzed using the thematic analysis method, and the main themes were extracted. Finally, the trustworthiness of the data was measured based on Lincoln and Guba's criteria. Results: Five main themes were extracted, including "remote rehabilitation platforms", "increasing efficiency", "advantages", "difficulties", and "special opinions about telepractice". Although telepractice had many difficulties, its advantages led to its widespread use during the pandemic. Conclusion: SLPs in Iran used telepractice as a remote rehabilitation method during the pandemic. This method can be used in future pandemics, although it requires removing existing problems and creating the necessary infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The current study evaluated the long-term lung abnormalities based on initial and follow-up chest computed tomography (CT) images of COVID-19 patients and investigates the possible factors associated with them. Methods: One hundred and twenty-four hospitalized COVID-19 patients who received a follow-up chest CT scan in three hospitals in Tehran between February 20, 2021 and September, 2021, were included. Based on the presence of persistent lesions in the follow-up images, patients were divided into residual and nonresidual groups, and logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the association between different disease characteristics and long-term lung abnormalities. Results: The most frequent abnormality in the initial imaging was ground-glass opacities which was observed in 95.3% of patients, and residual lesions were observed in 39.8% of patients at the follow-up date. Patients in the residual group were generally older, more frequently suffered from hypertension and dyspnea, and had lower oxygen saturation and lymphocyte count, and lymphopenia was more prevalent among them. Moreover, patients in the residual group had higher initial lung involvement score, and the presence of lymphadenopathy and consolidation was more frequent among them. After adjustment for age, gender, and intervals between the two imagings, logistic regression results showed that hospitalization period, dyspnea, decreased oxygen saturation, decreased lymphocyte count, lymphopenia, consolidation, lymphadenopathy, and high initial lung involvement were strongly associated with the presence of long-term abnormalities. Conclusion: The current study revealed multiple discrepancies between residual and nonresidual groups, which can be used to better identify the patients at risk of long-term COVID-19 lung complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the mortality risk factors of hospitalized moderate-to-severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in Tehran. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the baseline characteristics and clinical and paraclinical parameters of 223 deceased and discharged patients who were hospitalized in Firoozabadi General Hospital between March 1 and April 1, 2020. Results: According to our multiple logistic regression model, advanced age (odds ratio [OR], 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02–1.09; P < 0.01), reduced oxygen saturation (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.87–0.96; P < 0.01), and hypertension (OR, 2.59; 95% CI, 1.04–6.46; P = 0.04) can be perceived as independent risk factors for mortality. Conclusion: Our results suggest that patients with older age, lower oxygen saturation, and hypertension are predisposed to an increased risk of mortality. Thus, to lower the COVID-19 mortality rates, patients with these characteristics should be the primary targets for early treatment, vaccination, or monitoring strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundMaterials and methodsResultsConclusionColorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common malignancy of the digestive system in the world. Immune cells and molecules in tumor microenvironment are crucial.Identifying immune system components in cancer aids in biomarker discovery. This study investigated the serum IgE levels and expression of IL-4 and IL-13 in the tissue and serum of CRC patients and explored their possible association with pathological and clinical factors.Thirty-six patients with CRC and 36 healthy individuals were involved in the study. Tissues and blood samples were collected. Serum levels of IgE and IL-4 and IL-13 were analyzed using the ELISA method. The quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) technique was used to assess the expression levels of the cytokines in CRC tissue samples in comparison with the adjacent control tissue.Our results revealed that the serum level of IL-4 and IL-13 and also their gene expression levels were significantly decreased in CRC patients compared to the controls. The results of this study revealed that there is no significant difference in the serum levels of IgE between CRC patients and the control group.All in all, the results of the current research suggest that the expression levels of IL-13, IL-4, and IgE vary between CRC tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionMethodsResultConclusionColorectal cancer (CRC) is a third  cause of death worldwide. The immune system plays a significant role in the tumor microenvironment and identifying its components involved in cancer development can aid in finding new biomarkers for prognosis, treatment monitoring, and immune-based therapies. Interleukin 13 (IL-13) is a cytokine produced by immune cells that has been implicated in tumor invasion, proliferation, and metastasis. Previous studies have shown that IL-13 causes the phosphorylation of Tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2), which may contribute to the development and progression of cancer. This study investigated the levels expression of IL-13 and TYK2 in the tissue and serum of CRC patients and explored their possible association with pathological and clinical factors.105 patients with CRC and 105 healthy individuals were involved in the study. Tissue and blood samples were collected. The quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) technique was used to assess the expression levels of the IL-13 and TYK2 CRC tissue samples in comparison with the adjacent control tissue.The expression levels of IL-13 were lower and TYK2 were found to be higher in CRC tissue compared to normal tissue. Additionally, serum levels of IL-13 were decreased in CRC patients while TYK2 levels were elevated. A significant negative correlation was found between the expression levels of IL-13 in both serum and tissue and the cancer stage.These results suggest that IL-13 and TYKMay 2 play essential roles in CRC development and progression and may serve as potential biomarkers for early detection and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]