Occurrence of COVID-19 in cystic fibrosis patients: a review.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic ailment caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. This autosomal recessive disorder is characterized by diverse pathobiological abnormalities, such as the disorder of CFTR channels in mucosal surfaces, caused by inadequate clearance of mucus and sputum, in addition to the malfunctioning of mucous organs. However, the primary motive of mortality in CF patients is pulmonary failure, which is attributed to the colonization of opportunistic microorganisms, formation of resistant biofilms, and a subsequent decline in lung characteristics. In December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of the radical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a worldwide public health crisis, which unexpectedly spread not only within China but also globally. Given that the respiration system is the primary target of the COVID-19 virus, it is crucial to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the pathogenesis and mortality of CF patients, mainly in the context of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Therefore, the goal of this review is to comprehensively review the present literature on the relationship between cystic fibrosis, COVID-19 contamination, and development of ARDS. Several investigations performed during the early stages of the virus outbreak have discovered unexpected findings regarding the occurrence and effectiveness of COVID-19 in individuals with CF. Contrary to initial expectancies, the rate of infection and the effectiveness of the virus in CF patients are lower than those in the overall population. This finding may be attributed to different factors, including the presence of thick mucus, social avoidance, using remedies that include azithromycin, the fairly younger age of CF patients, decreased presence of ACE-2 receptors, and the effect of CFTR channel disorder on the replication cycle and infectivity of the virus. However, it is important to notice that certain situations, which include undergoing a transplant, can also doubtlessly boost the susceptibility of CF patients to COVID-19. Furthermore, with an increase in age in CF patients, it is vital to take into account the prevalence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in this population. Therefore, ordinary surveillance of CF patients is vital to evaluate and save the population from the capability of transmission of the virus given the various factors that contribute to the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in this precise organization.

Effects of Religious Versus Non-religious Self-compassion Interventions on Anxiety and Quality of Life of Iranian Infertile Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Anxiety is one of the common psychological problems among infertile women, which affects their quality of life. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of self-compassion intervention based on a religious and non-religious perspective regarding the anxiety and quality of life of infertile women. A randomized clinical trial design with experimental and control groups was used. A total of 78 infertile women who lived in Yazd province, Iran, were referred to Yazd reproductive sciences institute, were selected by available sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental and one control groups. The participants of the first experimental group received eight sessions of self-compassion-focused intervention based on religious instructions. The second experimental group received eight sessions of non-religious self-compassion intervention, while the control group was put on the waiting list. Data were collected using Quality of Life in Infertile Couples Questionnaire (QOLICQ) and Beck anxiety inventory (BDI) in the pretest, posttest and 2-month follow-up phases and then analyzed using repeated measures as well as one-way analysis of variance. The results showed as compared to control group at the posttest and follow-up phases, the quality of life (p < 0.001) and anxiety (p < 0.001) of infertile women increased and decreased, respectively, across both experimental groups. Comparison of experimental groups showed that although the difference between the two groups in the subscales of social relationships and sexual satisfaction was not significant, the gain scores of quality of life and anxiety were significantly greater in the first experimental group. These findings indicate that given the religious background of infertile women, religious self-compassion intervention can be relatively more effective in improving the quality of life and anxiety of infertile women than non-religious intervention.

In vitro investigation of relationship between quorum-sensing system genes, biofilm forming ability, and drug resistance in clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

BACKGROUND: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen in the health-care systems and one of the primary causative agents with high mortality in hospitalized patients, particularly immunocompromised. The limitation of effective antibiotic administration in multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant P. aeruginosa isolates leads to the development of nosocomial infections and health problems. Quorum sensing system contributes to biofilm formation, expression of bacterial virulence factors, and development of drug resistance, causing prolonged patient infections. Therefore, due to the significance of the quorum sensing system in increasing the pathogenicity of P. aeruginosa, the primary objective of our study was to investigate the frequency of quorum sensing genes, as well as the biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance pattern among P. aeruginosa strains. METHODS: A total of 120 P. aeruginosa isolates were collected from different clinical specimens. The disk diffusion method was applied to detect the antibiotic resistance pattern of P. aeruginosa strains. Also, the microtiter plate method was carried out to evaluate the biofilm-forming ability of isolates. Finally, the frequency of rhlI, rhlR, lasI, and lasR genes was examined by the polymerase chain reaction method. RESULTS: In total, 88.3% P. aeruginosa isolates were found to be multidrug-resistant, of which 30.1% had extensively drug-resistant pattern. The highest and lowest resistance rates were found against ceftazidime (75.0%) and ciprofloxacin (46.6%), respectively. Also, 95.8% of isolates were able to produce biofilm, of which 42.5%, 33.3%, and 20.0% had strong, moderate, and weak biofilm patterns, respectively. The frequency of quorum sensing genes among all examined strains was as follows: rhlI (81.6%), rhlR (90.8%), lasI (89.1%), and lasR (78.3%). The most common type of quorum sensing genes among multidrug-resistant isolates were related to rhlR and lasI genes with 94.3%. Furthermore, rhlI, rhlR, and lasI genes were positive for all extensively drug-resistant isolates. However, the lasR gene had the lowest frequency among both multidrug-resistant (83.0%) and extensively drug-resistant (90.6%) isolates. Moreover, rhlR (94.7%) and lasR (81.7%) genes had the highest and lowest prevalence among biofilm-forming isolates, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our findings disclosed the significantly high prevalence of drug resistance among P. aeruginosa isolates. Also, the quorum sensing system had a significant correlation with biofilm formation and drug resistance, indicating the essential role of this system in the emergence of nosocomial infections caused by P. aeruginosa.

Exploring the potential of a novel phenoxyethyl piperidine derivative with cholinesterase inhibitory properties as a treatment for dementia: Insights from STZ animal model of dementia.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease, often characterized by progressive deficits in memory and cognitive functions. Cholinesterase inhibitors have been introduced as promising agents to enhance cognition and memory in both human patients and animal models of AD. In the current study, we assessed the effects of a synthetic phenoxyethyl piperidine derivative, compound 7c, as a novel dual inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), on learning and memory, as well as serum and hippocampal AChE levels in an animal model of AD. The model of dementia was induced by intracerebroventricular injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 2 mg/kg) to male Wistar rats. STZ-treated rats received compound 7c (3, 30, and 300 µg/kg) for five consecutive days. ​Passive avoidance (PA) learning and memory, as well as spatial learning and memory using Morris water maze, were evaluated. The level of AChE was measured in the serum and the left and right hippocampus. Findings demonstrated that compound 7c (300 µg/kg) was able to reverse STZ-induced impairments in PA memory, while also reduced the increased AChE level in the left hippocampus. Taken together, compound 7c appeared to act as a central AChE inhibitor, and its role in alleviating cognitive deficits in the AD animal model suggests that it may have therapeutic potential in AD dementia. Further research is required to assess the effectiveness of compound 7c in more reliable models of AD in light of these preliminary findings.

Cytoprotective effects of curcumin on sodium fluoride-induced intoxication in rat erythrocytes.

Curcumin is well known for its potent antioxidant activity. The result of numerous studies showed that antioxidants can protect against fluoride-induced toxicity. In the present study, protective effects of curcumin against sodium fluoride-induced toxicity in rat erythrocytes were evaluated. Curcumin (10 and 20 mg/kg) and vitamin C (10 mg/kg) were administrated intraperitoneally for 1 week followed by sodium fluoride (600 ppm) treatment for next week. Erythrocytes were isolated and superoxide dismutase and catalase activities as well as the levels of reduced glutathione, and lipid peroxidation were measured. The level of malondialdehyde in sodium fluoride treated rats (595.13 ± 20.23 nmol/g Hb) increased compared to the normal rats (315.44 ± 9.76 nmol/g Hb). Animals which were pretreated with curcumin at 20 mg/kg for 1 week prior to sodium fluoride intoxication showed significant reduction in the malondialdehyde level (320.22 ± 9.28 nmol/g Hb). Also, pretreated with curcumin (20 mg/kg) and vitamin C restored the superoxide dismutase and catalase activities and modified the level of reduced glutathione compared with control group (p > 0.01).