Methylprednisolone or dexamethasone, which one is superior corticosteroid in the treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients: a triple-blinded randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Although almost a year has passed since the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak and promising reports of vaccines have been presented, we still have a long way until these measures are available for all. Furthermore, the most appropriate corticosteroid and dose in the treatment of COVID-19 have remained uncertain. We conducted a study to assess the effectiveness of methylprednisolone treatment versus dexamethasone for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. METHODS: In this prospective triple-blinded randomized controlled trial, we enrolled 86 hospitalized COVID-19 patients from August to November 2020, in Shiraz, Iran. The patients were randomly allocated into two groups to receive either methylprednisolone (2 mg/kg/day; intervention group) or dexamethasone (6 mg/day; control group). Data were assessed based on a 9-point WHO ordinal scale extending from uninfected (point 0) to death (point 8). RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the groups on admission. However, the intervention group demonstrated significantly better clinical status compared to the control group at day 5 (4.02 vs. 5.21, p = 0.002) and day 10 (2.90 vs. 4.71, p = 0.001) of admission. There was also a significant difference in the overall mean score between the intervention group and the control group, (3.909 vs. 4.873 respectively, p = 0.004). The mean length of hospital stay was 7.43 ± 3.64 and 10.52 ± 5.47 days in the intervention and control groups, respectively (p = 0.015). The need for a ventilator was significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group (18.2% vs 38.1% p = 0.040). CONCLUSION: In hospitalized hypoxic COVID-19 patients, methylprednisolone demonstrated better results compared to dexamethasone. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered with IRCT.IR (08/04/2020-No. IRCT20200204046369N1 ).

Insulin resistance and high molecular weight adiponectin in obese and non-obese patients with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).

BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy among young women. Insulin resistance is a key feature in the pathogenesis of PCOS; also high molecular weight adiponectin is a marker of insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the insulin resistance, metabolic and androgenic profiles and high molecular weight adiponectin in obese and non-obese PCOS patients. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study in outpatient endocrinology clinics of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, 80 women aged 17-43 years old with PCOS were enrolled. Biochemical and hormonal assay was done on fasting blood sample on the third day of follicular phase. RESULTS: The individuals had a mean age of 28.39 ± 6.56 years, mean weight of 65.41 ± 12.59 Kg, mean BMI of 25.5 ± 4.9, and mean waist circumference of 88.0 ± 13.1 cm. Of all individuals 20% had frank insulin resistance with HOMA-IR > 3.8. Although the obese PCOS patients had lower levels of high molecular weight adiponectin (P = 0.03) than the normal weight PCOS individuals, the level of insulin and insulin resistance was not different in them (P = 0.13, 0.13). Patients with classic PCOS phenotype significantly had higher levels of insulin resistance and free androgen index (P < 0.001, 0.001). We found a significant correlation between the insulin level and free androgen index (correlation coefficient: 0.266 and P = 0.018) after adjusting for BMI. CONCLUSION: This cross-sectional study showed a high incidence of insulin resistance in PCOS patients independent of obesity, and determined BMI related lower level of high molecular weight adiponectin in obese PCOS individuals. More detailed studies are warranted for evaluation of insulin resistance and its pathophysiologic role in PCOS.

COVID-19 and Acute Pulmonary Embolism in Postpartum Patient.

We report a 36-year-old woman in Iran who sought care for left shoulder pain and cough 5 days after a scheduled cesarean section. Acute pulmonary embolism and coronavirus disease were diagnosed. Physicians should be aware of the potential for these concurrent conditions in postpartum women.

Epidemiological and clinical features of 2019 novel coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) in the South of Iran.

BACKGROUND: In March 2020, the WHO declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic. Although the number of infected cases is increasing, information about its clinical characteristics in the Middle East, especially in Iran, a country which is considered to be one of the most important focal points of the disease in the world, is lacking. To date, there is no available literature on the clinical data on COVID-19 patients in Iran. METHODS: In this multicenter retrospective study, 113 hospitalized confirmed cases of COVID-19 admitted to university affiliated hospitals in Shiraz, Iran from February 20 to March 20 were entered in the study. RESULTS: The mean age was 53.75 years and 71 (62.8%) were males. The most common symptoms at onset were fatigue (75: 66.4%), cough (73: 64.6%), and fever (67: 59.3%). Laboratory data revealed significant correlation between lymphocyte count (P value = 0.003), partial thromboplastin time (P value = 0.000), international normalized ratio (P value = 0.000) with the severity of the disease. The most common abnormality in chest CT scans was ground-glass opacity (77: 93.9%), followed by consolidation (48: 58.5%). Our results revealed an overall 8% (9 out of 113 cases) mortality rate among patients, in which the majority was among patients admitted to the ICU (5: 55.6%). CONCLUSION: Evaluating the clinical data of COVID-19 patients and finding the source of infection and studying the behavior of the disease is crucial for understanding the pandemic.

Electrocardiographic findings of methanol toxicity: a cross-sectional study of 356 cases in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Methanol is widely used in industry; however, methanol poisoning is not common. In this regard, a number of outbreaks have been recently reported due to inappropriate processing of alcoholic beverages. Shiraz, a city located in the southern part of Iran, faced one of such outbreaks in 2020 during COVID-19 pandemic. There is no sufficient literature on the electrocardiographic findings in methanol toxicity. This study aimed to address this gap in the literature. METHOD: A total of 356 cases with methanol toxicity referred to Shiraz University of Medical Science Tertiary Hospitals (Faghihi and Namazi) in March and April, 2020. The clinical findings of blindness and impaired level of consciousness, lab data such as arterial blood gas, electrolytes, and creatinine, and the most common findings from ECGs were collected. RESULTS: The most common ECG findings were J point elevation (68.8%), presence of U wave (59.2%), QTc prolongation (53.2% in males and 28.6% in females), and fragmented QRS (33.7%). An outstanding finding in this study was the presence of myocardial infarction in 5.3% of the cases. This finding, to the best of our knowledge, has only been reported in a few case reports. Brugada pattern (8.1%) and Osborn wave (3.7%) were the other interesting findings. In multivariate analysis, when confounding factors were adjusted, myocardial infarction, atrioventricular conduction disturbances, sinus tachycardia, and the prolonged QTC > 500 msecond were four independent factors correlated with methanol toxicity severity measured with arterial blood PH on arterial blood gas measurements, with odds ratios of 12.82, 4.46, 2.32 and 3.15 (P < 0.05 for all), respectively. CONCLUSION: Electrocardiographic variations during methanol intoxication are remarkable and well-correlated with poisoning severity. Myocardial infarction was an egregious and yet a common concerning finding in this sample, which need to be ruled out in methanol toxicity.

Comparison of mucormycosis infection between patients with and without a history of COVID-19 infection: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Mucormycosis infection is a complication seen in some coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. This study compares the characteristics of mucormycosis infection between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients. METHODS: This retrospective cohort comprised 87 patients with mucormycosis divided into two groups. The first included 44 patients who had COVID-19 recently before hospitalization due to mucormycosis at Namazi Hospital, Shiraz, Iran, between February 2019 and August 2021. The second group included all 43 patients hospitalized at the same hospital due to mucormycosis between 2010 and 2019 (pre-pandemic). RESULTS: Mucormycosis patients with a history of recent COVID-19 infection had a higher rate of diabetes mellitus, fewer malignancies and higher blood glucose, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein levels (p<0.05). Glucocorticoid use was common (77%) in the COVID-19 group. CONCLUSIONS: In the pre-COVID-19 era, mucormycosis mainly affected immunodeficient patients like those receiving chemotherapy due to malignancy but now seems to affect COVID-19 patients with uncontrolled blood glucose and glucocorticoids use. Special care must be taken in prescribing glucocorticoids and controlling the blood glucose levels of COVID-19 patients.

Case of possible encephalopathy following receiving the first dose of Iranian COVID-19Vaccine; COVIran Barakat.

We report a case of possible encephalopathy after receiving the first dose of Iran's COVIran Barekat vaccine. The patient had no history of neurological or mental illness. Clinical examinations and radiology reports were performed and differential diagnoses were analyzed by the treatment team. Finally, the possible association between vaccination and encephalopathy was concluded.

Co-infection of Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Influenza A: A Report from Iran.

BACKGROUND: In late December 2019, a viral pneumonia known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) originated from China and spread very rapidly in the world. Since then, COVID-19 has become a global concern and health problem. METHODS: We present four patients in this study, selected from among patients who presented with pneumonia symptoms and were suspicious for COVID-19. They were referred to the intended centers for COVID-19 diagnosis and management of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in southern Iran. Two nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal throat swab samples were collected from each patient and tested for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) using real-time reverse-transcriptase- polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR). The samples were also tested for influenza viruses and the complete respiratory panel. RESULTS: In the present report, four patients were diagnosed in the starting days of COVID-19 disease in our center in southern Iran with co-infection of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A virus. CONCLUSION: This co-infection of COVID-19 and influenza A highlights the importance of considering SARS-CoV-2 PCR assay regardless of other positive findings for other pathogens in the primary test during the epidemic.

Effects of N-acetylcysteine on Pulmonary Functions in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis: A Randomized Double Blind, Placebo Controlled Study.

BACKGROUND: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a systematic and rare autoimmune disease that affects many organs. N-acetylcysteine (NAC), thiol-containing compound, can act both as the precursor of reduced glutathione and direct scavenger of reactive oxygen species. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the clinical effect of NAC on the pulmonary function test of patients with diffuse scleroderma. METHODS: This study is a randomized double-blind clinical trial that was done on 25 patients with diffuse SSc without lung involvement on primary chest high-resolution computed tomography. Placebo was administered for 13 patients and 1200 milligram NAC for 12 patients. Body plethysmography parameters were assessed at the beginning of the study and after 24 weeks. RESULTS: Patients in the two groups were matched in the basic demographic data like age, duration of disease, and modified Rodnan skin score. The analysis showed no significant differences in parameters of plethysmography between the two groups. After importing the data of 2 patients in the placebo-treated group, who developed interstitial lung disease, DLCO in the placebo-treated group was 90.69 ± 21.29 milliliter at the end of the study, which significantly decreased compared with the beginning of the study (102.30 ± 13.83 ml). Also, changes of DLCO between the two groups were significantly different. CONCLUSION: In this trial, the sensitivity of DLCO as the first marker in the evaluation of pulmonary function in patients with SSc was confirmed. On the other hand, NAC had no effect versus placebo in a period of 24 weeks.

Evaluation of Serum Calprotectin Level and Disease Activity in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is the most common type of chronic inflammatory arthritis with unknown etiology marked by a symmetric, peripheral polyarthritis. Calprotectin also can be used as a biomarker of disease activity in inflammatory arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. OBJECTIVES: In this study, we evaluated the association between serum calprotectin level and severity of RA activity. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 44 RA patients with disease flare-up. Serum samples were obtained from all patients to measure calprotectin, ESR, CRP prior to starting the treatment and after treatment period in the remission phase. Based on Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28), disease activity was calculated. RESULTS: Of 44 RA patients, 9(20.5%) were male and 35(79.5%) were female. The mean age of our cases was 53±1.6 years. Seventeen (38.6%) patients had moderate DAS28 and 27(61.4%) had high DAS28. The average level of calprotectin in the flare-up phase was 347.12±203.60 ng/ml and 188.04±23.58 ng/ml in the remission phase. We did not find any significant association between calprotectin and tender joint count (TJC; P=0.22), swollen joint count (SJC; P=0.87), and general health (GH; P=0.59), whereas significant associations were found between the calprotectin level and ESR (p=0.001) and DAS28 (p=0.02). The average calprotectin level in moderate DAS28 (275.21±217.96 ng/ml) was significantly lower than that in high DAS28 (392.4±183.88 ng/ml) (p=0.05). CONCLUSION: We showed that the serum level of calprotectin can be a useful and reliable biomarker in RA activity and its severity. It also can predict treatment response.

Acquired Hemophilia as Initial Presentation in a Patient with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

BACKGROUND: Acquired hemophilia is a rare bleeding disease which might be associated with some autoimmune diseases. Acquired hemophilia may be the result of autoantibodies against factor VIII. CASE PRESENTATION: In this study, we describe a 55 year old patient who developed hematoma and hematuria due to acquired hemophilia secondary to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Then, she developed arthritis and thrombosis after some evaluations. Laboratory data showed prolonged aPTT, normal PT and platelet, low FVIII, high FVIII inhibitor, ANA, anti-ds-DNA, and anticardiolipin. This patient was treated with corticosteroids, FEIBA and rituximab, so she recovered and was discharged about seven days later. CONCLUSION: We should consider lupus erythematosus in patients with acquired hemophilia. Some cases of acquired hemophilia may be an SLE manifestation, so we should consider this situation to diagnose the disease properly.

Acute interstitial nephritis in the south of Iran; an observational study.

BACKGROUND: Acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) is an emerging cause of acute kidney injury (AKI) during the recent years. OBJECTIVES: There is no data about prevalence, causes, clinical manifestation and outcomes of AIN in our region. Hence, in this study we aimed to find the prevalence of AIN and describe the causes, clinical presentation, and the outcome of AIN in the native kidney biopsies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed 934 native kidney biopsies from 2006 to 2014 and collected the data of patients with the diagnosis of AIN including medical history, clinical findings, para-clinical data, pathologic findings, treatment and outcomes. RESULTS: Prevalence of AIN in our center during 2006 to 2014 was 2.5% of all renal biopsies. The common cause of AIN in our study was drugs. Of those patients admitted to hospital due to AIN, 17 patients (70.8%) received corticosteroid, five of them (29.4%) received pulse of corticosteroid, and 12 patients (70.6%) received oral drug. Around, 54.2% of the patients had hemodialysis during admission. Eight patients had received both dialysis and corticosteroid. Two of them (8.3%) remained on dialysis and 8 (33.3%) developed chronic kidney disease, but 14 (58.3%) patients recovered. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of AIN in our study is comparable to other studies and we found the great impact of medications on development of AIN.

Prevalence and Correlates of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Southern Iran: Pars Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND Prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is increasing worldwide. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of GERD in Pars Cohort Study (PCS) and to find its correlates. METHODS We used the baseline data from PCS. PCS was conducted in the district of Valashahr in Fars province in southern Iran from 2012 to 2014. 9264 inhabitants who were 40-75 years old, and agreed to participate were enrolled. Data were collected by a structured questionnaire and simple physical examination of all participants. RESULTS Generally, 58.50% (95% CI 57.49 - 59.51) of the participants had GERD and 25.10% (95% CI 24.22 - 25.99) experienced it at least weekly. Approximately, 32.0%, 52.0%, and 24.4% of the participants reported heart burn sensation, regurgitation, and both symptoms, respectively. Being female (OR: 1.45, 95% CI 1.27 - 1.65), being older (OR: 1.20, 95% CI 1.06 - 1.36), being divorced/ widowed/separated (OR: 1.38, 95% CI 1.01 - 1.91), and lower education (OR: 1.43, 95% CI 1.02 - 2.03) were associated with frequent GERD. CONCLUSION GERD is common in PCS and its prevalence is close to that in western countries. Being female, higher age, being divorced/widowed/separated, lower education, history of hypertension, anxiety, insomnia, and non-cigarette tobacco smoking were associated with frequent GERD. We are going to investigate the causal relationship between these risk factors and GERD in the next stages of PCS.