The evaluation of atorvastatin as an adjunct to fluconazole for the anti-fungal prophylaxis in acute myeloid leukemia: a multicenter, triple-blinded, randomized clinical trial.

The development of invasive fungal infections (IFIs) is a serious complication in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients who undergo an induction to remission chemotherapy. Given the increased mortality in AML patients with IFI despite prophylaxis, we need to address this problem. Statins have traditionally been employed in clinical settings as agents for reducing lipid levels. Nonetheless, recent investigations have brought to light their antifungal properties in animals, as well as in vitro studies. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of atorvastatin when added to the routine IFI prophylaxis regimen in patients diagnosed with AML. A randomized, multicenter, triple-blind study was conducted on 76 AML patients aged 18-70, who received either placebo or atorvastatin in addition to fluconazole. Patients were followed for 30 days in case of developing IFIs, patient survival, and atorvastatin- related adverse drug reactions. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 26.0. A level of significance of 0.05 was utilized as the threshold for all statistical tests. The data were analyzed by adjusting for the effect of age, regarding that there was a significant difference between the two groups, and showed that atorvastatin reduced the development of both probable and proven IFI (based on EORTC/MSGERC criteria) compared to placebo. IFI-free survival was also significantly better in the atorvastatin group. The incidence of developing aspergillosis did not differ between the two groups. No serious adverse events related to atorvastatin were observed. The present investigation has substantiated the antecedent in vitro and animal research on the fungicidal impact of statins and has suggested the need for additional research involving larger sample sizes and an extended duration of follow-up. Trial registration: This study was registered on the Iranian registry of clinical trials as IRCT20210503051166N1 (Date of confirmation 2021.05.03).

A comprehensive review of the epidemiology and clinical features of 91 cases with Buerger's disease.

BACKGROUND: Thromboangiitis Obliterans (TAO) is a disease of small and medium-sized arteries with an unclear natural course. This study aims to establish a national registry of the disease to gain a better understanding of its epidemiology and clinical course. METHOD: This study was a cohort study of 242 patients with a high probability of TAO admitted to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (MUMS) hospitals from 2000 to 2015. Of these, 91 patients with a confirmed diagnosis were included in the study (90 males and 1 female) with a mean age of 35 ± 7.8 years. RESULTS: The most common symptom upon onset of the disease was paresthesia (29.7%), followed by cold sensitivity and paresthesia (93.4%) during the progression of the disease and Raynaud syndrome or vasospasm (93.9%) in the active phase. The right lower limb was the most commonly affected limb (46.2%), and presenting ischemic symptoms in 48.4%.Statistics indicated a positive correlation between the duration of Burger's disease and the number of affected limbs (p = 0.001). There was no effect of disease duration on the likelihood of amputations (p = 0.28). CONCLUSION: Some patients may experience mild, subtle symptoms for years before the initial signs and symptoms appear, which can be severe and rapidly progress to the point of requiring amputation.We suggest that the diagnostic criteria for Buerger's disease should be revised in light of the presence of atherosclerosis and its associated risk factors, which present a challenge in terms of diagnosis and treatment. Clinical experience will be of great importance in this regard.

Probiotics for glycemic and lipid profile control of the pre-diabetic patients: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial study.

BACKGROUND: Pre-diabetes is a condition in which blood glucose levels are high but not as high as in diabetic patients. However, it can lead to diabetes, making it a serious global health issue. Previous studies have shown that the gut microbiome can affect insulin sensitivity and improve glucose management, which can reduce or delay the progression of pre-diabetes to type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study was designed to investigate the effects of probiotics on glycemic and lipid profile control in pre-diabetic patients. METHODS: This randomized, double-blinded clinical trial was conducted on 70 pre-diabetic patients at the Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Participants were divided into two groups, both of which received lifestyle modification training. One of the groups also received 500 mg/day probiotic capsules for three months, while the other group received a placebo. Before and after the three-month period, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, serum insulin level, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting blood sugar (FBS), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and triglycerides (TG) were measured and compared using statistical tests to examine the effect of probiotics. RESULTS: A total of 70 individuals participated in the trial, including 50 women (71.4%) and 20 men (28.6%), with an average age of 43.53 ± 8.54 years. At the end of the trial, the mean weight (P < 0.001), FBS (P < 0.001), HbA1c (P = 0.035), TG (P = 0.004), and LDL (P = 0.016) were significantly reduced in the intervention group, while their insulin level (P = 0.041) and HDL (P = 0.001) were significantly increased. However, mean systolic (P = 0.459) and diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.961) and insulin resistance (P = 0.235) did not show any significant difference in the intervention group from the beginning of the study. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that probiotic administration is effective in improving the glucose and lipid profile of pre-diabetic patients. However, it was not significantly different from the placebo.

Case series: Reinfection of recovered SARS CoV-2 patients for the third time.

This set of cases provides important evidence of re-infection and recurrence of SARS-CoV-2 even for the third time. Consequently, this possibility should be considered more in recurrent patients with Covid-19 symptoms.

Effect of hydroxychloroquine on COVID-19 prevention in cancer patients undergoing treatment: a structured summary of a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we investigate the effect of hydroxychloroquine on the prevention of Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in cancer patients being treated. TRIAL DESIGN: This is a multi-centre, two-arm, parallel-group, triple-blind, phase 2-3 randomised controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS: All patients over the age of 15 from 5 types of cancer are included in the study. Patients with acute lymphoid and myeloid leukemias in the first line treated with curative intent, patients with high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma treated with leukemia protocols and patients with non-metastatic breast and colon cancer in the first line of treatment will enter the study. The exclusion criteria will include known sensitivity to Hydroxychloroquine, weight below 35 kilograms, history of retinopathy, history of any cardiac disease, acute respiratory tract infection in the last 2 months, having COVID-19 in the first two weeks of entering the trial, having Diabetes Mellitus, having an immuno-suppressive disease other than cancer, having chronic pulmonary disease and taking immuno-suppressant drug other than chemotherapeutic agents for current cancer. This study is performed in five academic centres affiliated to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. INTERVENTION AND COMPARATOR: Patients are randomly assigned to two groups; one being given hydroxychloroquine and the other is given placebo. During two months of treatment, the two groups are treated with either hydroxychloroquine (Amin® Pharmaceutical Company, Isfahan, Iran) or placebo (identical in terms of shape, colour, smell) as a single 200 mg tablet every other day. Patients will be monitored for COVID-19 symptoms during the follow-up period. If signs or symptoms occur (fever, cough, shortness of breath), they will be examined and investigated with a high-resolution computed tomography (CT) scan of the lungs, COVID-19 specific IgM, IgG antibody assay and a nucleic acid amplification test (NAT) for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. MAIN OUTCOMES: The primary end point of this study is to investigate the incidence of COVID-19 in patients being treated for their cancer over a 2-month period. RANDOMISATION: Randomisation will be performed using randomly permuted blocks. By using an online website (www.randomization.com) the randomization sequence will be produced by quadruple blocks. The allocation ratio in intervention and control groups is 1:1. BLINDING (MASKING): Participants and caregivers do not know whether the patient is in the intervention or the control group. The outcome assessor and the data analyst are also blinded to group assignment. NUMBERS TO BE RANDOMISED (SAMPLE SIZE): The calculated total sample size is 60 patients, with 30 patients in each group. TRIAL STATUS: The trial began on April 14, 2020 and recruitment is ongoing. Recruitment is anticipated to be completed by June 14, 2020 There has been no change in study protocol since approval, protocol version 1 was approved April 12, 2020. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial has been registered by the title of "Effect of Hydroxychloroquine on Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) prevention in cancer patients under treatment" in Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) with code "IRCT20200405046958N1", https://www.irct.ir/trial/46946. Registration date is April 14, 2020. FULL PROTOCOL: The full protocol is attached as an additional file, accessible from the Trials website (Additional file 1). In the interest in expediting dissemination of this material, the familiar formatting has been eliminated; this Letter serves as a summary of the key elements of the full protocol.

Musculoskeletal Manifestations of Sarcoidosis: A Review Article.

BACKGROUND: Sarcoidosis is a multisystem inflammatory disease with an etiology that is not clearly understood. Amongst the different organs that may be affected, the lungs are the most common. Musculoskeletal manifestations of the disease are uncommon. OBJECTIVES: They include arthropathy, bone lesions, or myopathy, all of which may occur as initial symptoms or develop during the course of the disease. METHODS: Articular involvement my present as arthralgia or arthritis. Skeletal complications usually develop in the chronic state of the disease. Muscular disease is rare and usually asymptomatic. Appropriate imaging modalities including X-ray, MRI, FDG-PET/CT assist in the diagnosis of rheumatic sarcoidosis. However, biopsy is necessary for definite diagnosis. RESULT AND CONCLUSION: In most cases of musculoskeletal involvement, NSAIDs and corticosteroids are sufficient for symptomatic management. For more resistant cases immunosuppressive drugs (i.e., methotrexate) and TNF- inhibitors are used. Our aim is to review various types of musculoskeletal involvement in sarcoidosis and their existing treatment options.

Gastrointestinal symptoms associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease, and their relapses after treatment with proton pump inhibitors: A systematic review.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder with significant effects on the quality of life. The burden of GERD is soaring in Asia. Preventing symptom relapse is a therapeutic goal in GERD patients. Since proton pump inhibitors (PPI) are the first-line treatment of GERD, drug failure has become a major problem in the treatment procedure. We reviewed the literature in order to find articles related to comorbidities and symptoms affecting GERD from 1980 to 2015 via PubMed and Google Scholar using keywords such as 'Gastroesophageal reflux disease', 'Gastrointestinal symptoms' and Boolean operators (such as AND, OR, NOT). Due to the cost of PPI therapy and the high rate of GERD relapse after PPI therapy, demand for continuing this type of treatment is decreasing. Thus, we need to discover new approaches to treat the disease and also investigate the relationship between the treatment of GERD and its comorbidities and symptoms such as functional constipation.