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Abstract Background and Aims The outbreak of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic had a significant effect on the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancers. Therefore, in this study, we decided to discuss the impact of COVID‐19 on the stage and histological characteristics of patients with tongue cancer from March 2020 to March 2021 and compared to the previous 3 years. Methods In this time series study, patients diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the operated tongue cancer were divided into two groups. Patients who operated from March 2020 to March 2021 (n = 36) and patients who operated 3 years ago (n = 70) were included in the study. The results were analyzed using SPSS 21 software. Results The study found that during the pandemic, the stage of tongue cancer in patients who underwent surgery was higher than before the pandemic (p = 0.01). Moreover, the depth of invasion was significantly higher during the COVID‐19 outbreak in the pathology sample of the patients (p = 0.006), while the involvement of lymph nodes and other variables between the groups was not statistically significant. Conclusion COVID‐19 has adverse effects on the diagnosis and treatment of tongue cancer. Also, it leads to advanced stages of the tumor and increases the depth of invasion of the cancer. Hence, it is important to plan correctly and appropriately for the diagnosis and treatment of these patients in conditions such as the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Introduction: Since the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic, several articles have reported the co-existence of mucormycosis and COVID-19. This study aimed to distinguish the characteristics of COVID-19-associated rhinocerebral mucormycosis. Methods: In this case series, 18 patients with COVID-19-associated rhinocerebral mucormycosis and unique clinical manifestations and outcomes, who were referred to Amiralam Hospital, a tertiary otorhinolaryngology center, Tehran, Iran, during the COVID-19 era, were reported. Results: Eighteen patients with the mean age of 62.0 ± 11.6 (range: 42 – 83) years were studied (50% males). The mean time interval between diagnosis of COVID-19 and first manifestation of mucormycosis was 15.5 ± 9.7 days. The most common presenting symptom was facial paresthesia (72.2%). Fifty percent of patients developed frozen eye. Palatal necrosis was seen in 7 cases (38.8%). Remarkably, facial paralysis was observed in 5 (27.7%) patients. Another notable clinical picture was cavernous sinus thrombosis, seen in 7 patients. We also had two cases of carotid artery occlusion. Three patients, unfortunately, passed away. Conclusion: Rhinocerebral mucormycosis is one of the most important complications of COVID-19 patients, especially those with underlying diseases. It seems that the key to proper management of mucormycosis is early diagnosis and timely intervention, which could give a patient a chance to live more.

This study investigated the anticonvulsant activity and possible mechanism of action of an aqueous solution of Dorema ammoniacum gum (DAG) which has been used traditionally in the treatment of convulsions.In this study, the anticonvulsant activity of DAG was examined using the pentylentetrazole (PTZ) model in mice. Thirty male albino mice were divided randomly and equally to 5 groups, and pretreated with normal saline, diazepam, or various doses of DAG (500, 700, and 1000 mg/kg, i.p.), prior to the injection of PTZ (60 mg/kg, i.p.). The latency and duration of seizures were recorded 30 min after PTZ injection. Pretreatments with naloxone and flumazenil in different groups were studied to further clarify the mechanisms of the anticonvulsant action. Phytochemical screening and thin layer chromatography (TLC) fingerprinting of ammoniacum gum was also determined. DAG showed significant anticonvulsant activity at all doses used. The gum delayed both the onset and the duration of seizures induced by PTZ. Treatment with flumazenil before DAG (700 mg/kg) inhibited the effect of gum on seizure duration and latency to some extent and administration of naloxone before DAG also significantly inhibited changes in latency and duration of seizure produced by DAG. The percentage inhibition was greater with naloxone than with flumazenil. This study showed that DAG had significant anticonvulsant activity in PTZ-induced seizures, and GABAergic and opioid systems may be involved. More studies are needed to further investigate its detailed mechanism.