[Association of hypertension and antihypertensive agents and the severity of COVID-19 pneumonia. A monocentric French prospective study]. / Association entre l'hypertension artérielle, les traitements inhibiteurs du système rénine angiotensine et les formes graves de COVID-19. Étude prospective monocentrique française.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) type 2 is the receptor of SARSCoV-2 for cell entry into lung cells. Because ACE-2 may be modulated by ACE inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), there are concern that patients treated with ACEIs and ARBs are at higher risk for COVID-19 infection or severity. This study sought to analyse the association of severe forms of COVID-19 and mortality with hypertension and a previous treatment with ACEI and ARB. METHODS: Prospective follow-up of 433 consecutive patients hospitalised for COVID-19 pneumonia confirmed by PCR or highly probable on clinical, biological, and radiological findings, and included in the COVHYP study. Mortality and severe COVID-19 (criteria: death, intensive care unit, or hospitalisation >30 days) were compared in patients receiving or not ACEIs and ARBs. Follow-up was 100% at hospital discharge, and 96.5% at >1month. RESULTS: Age was 63.6±18.7 years, and 40%) were female. At follow-up (mean 78±50 days), 136 (31%) patients had severity criteria (death, 64 ; intensive care unit, 73; hospital stay >30 days, 49). Hypertension (55.1% vs 36.7%, P<0.001) and antihypertensive treatment were associated with severe COVID-19 and mortality. The association between ACEI/ARB treatment and COVID-19 severity criteria found in univariate analysis (Odds Ratio 1.74, 95%CI [1.14-2.64], P=0.01) was not confirmed when adjusted on age, gender, and hypertension (adjusted OR1.13 [0.59-2.15], P=0.72). Diabetes and hypothyroidism were associated with severe COVID-19, whereas history of asthma was not. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that previous treatment with ACEI and ARB is not associated with hospital mortality, 1- and 2-month mortality, and severity criteria in patients hospitalised for COVID-19. No protective effect of ACEIs and ARBs on severe pneumonia related to COVID-19 was demonstrated.

Antifungal activity of endophytic fungi from Cupressaceae against human pathogenic Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus niger.

Aspergillus is a fungal genus that strongly affects health of humans, animals, and plants worldwide. Endophytes are now widely considered as a rich source of bioproducts with potential uses in medicine, agriculture, and bioindustry. Cupressaceae plant family hosts a variety of bioactive ascomycetous endophytes. In this study, antifungal activity of a number of such endophytes were investigated against human pathogenic fungi Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus niger. To this end, 16 superior bioactive endophytic fungi from Cupressaceae were used, including Alternaria alternata, Alternaria pellucida, Ascorhizoctonia sp., Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Aurobasidium sp., Cladosporium porophorum, Fusarium oxysporum, Penicillium viridicatum, Phoma herbarum, Phoma sp., Pyrenochaeta sp., Trichoderma atroviride, Trichoderma atroviride and Trichoderma koningii. In vitro bioassays indicated anti-Asperilli activity of the endophytic fungi in dual cultures. Most notably, Trichoderma koningii CSE32 and Trichoderma atroviride JCE33 showed complete growth inhibition of both A. niger and A. fumigatus, within 3 to 7 days. Also, volatile compouds (VOCs) of T. koningii CSE32 and T. atroviride JCE33 exhibited 33-100% growth inhibition of A. niger, whithin 3 days. Moreover, on the day 7, growth of A. niger was less affected than that of A. fumigatus. In general, it appears that there is a direct relationship between the exposure time and the inhibitory activity of endophytes VOCs on the growth of target Aspergillus species. Furthremore, the extracellular secondary metabolites (SMs) of four selected fungal endophytes exhibited anti-Aspergillus activity at all treatment levels as shown by Agar-diffusion assay. SMs from T. koningii CSE32 and Pyrenochaeta CSE134 showed strongest activities against A. niger, and SMs from T. koningii CSE32 and F. oxysporum CAE14 showed strongest activities against A. fumigatus. In conclusion, given the globally recognized issue of antibiotic resistance and the urge to discover new antimicrobial substances, our findings provide new insights into the potential use of Cupressaceae's endophytic fungi in antifungal-based drug discovery programs.

Torque ripple reduction of brushless DC motor based on adaptive input-output feedback linearization.

Torque ripple reduction of Brushless DC Motors (BLDCs) is an interesting subject in variable speed AC drives. In this paper at first, a mathematical expression for torque ripple harmonics is obtained. Then for a non-ideal BLDC motor with known harmonic contents of back-EMF, calculation of desired reference current amplitudes, which are required to eliminate some selected harmonics of torque ripple, are reviewed. In order to inject the reference harmonic currents to the motor windings, an Adaptive Input-Output Feedback Linearization (AIOFBL) control is proposed, which generates the reference voltages for three phases voltage source inverter in stationary reference frame. Experimental results are presented to show the capability and validity of the proposed control method and are compared with the vector control in Multi-Reference Frame (MRF) and Pseudo-Vector Control (P-VC) method results.

Susceptibility pattern of Candida albicans isolated from Iranian patients to antifungal agents.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Candidiasis is a major fungal infection, and Candida albicans is the major cause of infections in humans. The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) developed new breakpoints for antifungal agents against C. albicans. In this multi-center study, we aimed to determine the drug susceptibility profile of C. albicans, isolated from Iranian population according to new species-specific CLSI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical samples were cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar and were incubated at room temperature for seven days. The isolates were transferred to Professor Alborzi Clinical Microbiology Research Center, Shiraz, Iran. C. albicans were identified by using API 20C AUX system. Broth microdilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of amphotericin B, caspofungin, voriconazole, fluconazole, posaconazole, itraconazole, and ketoconazole, based on CLSI document M27-S4 and new breakpoints for some azoles and caspofungin. RESULTS: Overall, 397 C. albicans were isolated from patients admitted to ten university hospitals in Iran. The MIC90 of the isolates to amphotericin B, caspofungin, voriconazole, fluconazole, posaconazole, itraconazole, and ketoconazole were 0.125, 0.125, 0.125, 1, 0.064, 0.5, and 0.125 µg/ml, and rates of resistance were 0.5%, 0.3%, 3.8%, 2.8%, and 2.5% for amphotericin B, caspofungin, voriconazole, fluconazole, and itraconazole, respectively. CONCLUSION: According to our data, fluconazole is the drug of choice for management of patients at risk for systemic candidiasis throughout the region, since it is cost-effective with low side effects.

Working times and dimensional accuracy of the one-step putty/wash impression technique.

PURPOSE: Using the one-step polyvinyl siloxane impression technique, this study compared the effect of putty material working time on the dimensional accuracy of recovered improved stone casts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An acrylic resin master cast was fabricated with embedded reference points to enable both horizontal and vertical measurements. Four commercially available polyvinyl siloxane impression putties with light body washes were evaluated: 1) Extrude (Kerr), 2) Cutter (Coltere), 3) Express (3M), and 4) Reprosil (Caulk). Each putty was mixed by hand for 30 seconds, placed in a plastic stock tray, and seated on the master cast at 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 seconds after mixing (N = 100, n = 5). The impressions were poured in improved stone, and vertical and horizontal measurements were made to 0.001 mm between reference points on recovered casts using an optical traveling microscope. ANOVA (p < or = .05) was used to compare vertical and horizontal measurements to master cast dimensions. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was found among casts for all materials and time periods tested. When horizontal measurement ranges were evaluated, Extrude casts exhibited the widest range of measurement, especially when the trays were seated at 90 and 120 seconds. When vertical measurement ranges were evaluated, Express casts at 120 seconds exhibited the widest range. CONCLUSIONS: A high range of variability in vertical and horizontal dimensions occurred at the later time periods, especially for Extrude and Express casts. As a result of rapid polymerization and poor flow properties of putty materials, the impression tray should be seated within 60 seconds after putty mixing to reduce dimensional variability of recovered casts.