Hyepereosiniphilic syndrome and COVID-19: 2 case reports.

BACKGROUND: Nearly half of the patients with hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) have cardiovascular involvement, a major cause of mortality. COVID-19 infection can lead to cardiac involvement, negatively impacting the clinical course and prognosis. We reported two patients with HES complicated by COVID-19, with cardiac involvement and valve replacement. CASE PRESENTATION: Our first patient was a 27-year-old woman admitted due to dyspnea and signs of heart failure. She had severe mitral stenosis and mitral regurgitation on the echocardiogram. Corticosteroid therapy improved her symptoms initially, but she deteriorated following a positive COVID-19 test. A repeated echocardiogram showed right ventricular failure, severe mitral regurgitation, and torrential tricuspid regurgitation and, she underwent mitral and tricuspid valve replacement. Our second patient was a 43-year-old man with HES resulted in severe tricuspid stenosis, which was improved with corticosteroid treatment. He underwent tricuspid valve replacement due to severe valvular regurgitation. He was admitted again following tricuspid prosthetic mechanical valve thrombosis. Initial workups revealed lung involvement in favor of COVID-19 infection, and his PCR test was positive. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 infection can change the clinical course of HES. It may result in a heart failure exacerbation due to myocardial injury and an increased risk of thrombosis in prosthetic valves or native vessels due to hypercoagulability.

A Case Report of Progressive Liver Failure Inappropriate to Decompensated Heart Failure Following Infection With COVID-19.

This article is about a known case of heart failure presented with acute liver failure following a coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) respiratory tract infection. The patient was admitted with encephalopathy and respiratory distress with a positive COVID-19 reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test. Elevated liver enzymes, severe coagulopathy, and hypoglycemia were apparent without any clinical or laboratory findings of sepsis, acute viral hepatitis, medicine related or drug-induced, or autoimmune-related acute liver failure. Supportive and therapeutic measures related to his cardiovascular, respiratory, and liver function were executed in the ICU. Unfortunately, the patient expired because of respiratory failure.

Impact of vitamins A, B, C, D, and E supplementation on improvement and mortality rate in ICU patients with coronavirus-19: a structured summary of a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: This study will evaluate the main hypothesis that supplementation with vitamins A, B, C, D, and E significantly improves the severity and mortality rate in ICU patients with COVID-19. TRIAL DESIGN: This study is a randomized, single-blinded, two-arm (1:1 ratio) parallel group clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS: We are conducting this study in patients with COVID-19 admitted to intensive care units at the Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex in Tehran, Iran. The inclusion criteria are as follows: (1) aged between 20 and 60 years, (2) both male and female patients with COVID-19, (3) clinical or definitive diagnosis (using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test), (4) patients have not participated in other clinical trials, and (5) no renal or hepatic abnormalities. The exclusion criteria are as follows: (1) patients with specific and rare viral diseases such as HIV and (2) patients who have been undergoing chemotherapy for the past month. INTERVENTION AND COMPARATOR: Duration of intervention: 7 days from randomization Intervention in the treatment group: Vitamin A 25,000 IU daily Vitamin D 600,000 IU once during study Vitamin E 300 IU twice daily Vitamin C is taken four times per day B vitamins are taken as a daily Soluvit [which included thiamine nitrate 3.1 mg, sodium riboflavin phosphate 4.9 mg (corresponding to vitamin B2 3.6 mg), nicotinamide 40 mg, pyridoxine hydrochloride 4.9 mg (corresponding to vitamin B6 4.0 mg), sodium pantothenate 16.5 mg (corresponding to pantothenic acid 15 mg), sodium ascorbate 113 mg (corresponding to vitamin C 100 mg), biotin 60 µg, folic acid 400 µg, and cyanocobalamin 5 µg] The control group will not receive any supplements or placebo. All supplements are made in Iran except for Soluvit (from Fresenius Kabi, New Zealand). MAIN OUTCOMES: 1. Weight, height, and BMI 2. Severity of pulmonary involvement according to CT scan 3. Respiratory support (invasive or non-invasive) 4. Percentage of oxygen saturation (SpO2 level) 5. Serum levels of WBC, CRP, ESR, IL6, IFN-G, and TNF-α 6. The patient's body temperature 7. The presence or absence of involvement of organs other than the lungs (e.g., heart, liver, kidneys) 8. Duration of hospitalization 9. Mortality rate RANDOMIZATION: At baseline, eligible patients were randomly assigned to a 1:1 ratio to one of two groups: intervention and control. Block randomization is used based on the gender of patients. BLINDING (MASKING): Patients are unaware of being placed in the intervention or control groups after signing consent. All treatment staff will be aware of which group each of the patients is in due to the specific conditions of the ICU and the absence of placebo for the control group. NUMBERS TO BE RANDOMIZED (SAMPLE SIZE): The researchers plan to include 60 patients in total, with 30 patients in each group. TRIAL STATUS: This is the first version of the protocol which started on April 2, 2020. Recruitment began April 2, 2020, and is expected to be complete by July 4, 2020. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials IRCT20200319046819N1 . Registered on April 4, 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 (Fig. 1, Table 1).

Long Term Follow-Up of Sulfur Mustard Related Bronchiolitis Obliterans Treatment.

Bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) is the most remarkable pulmonary sequels of war-related sulfur mustard inhalation. There is little if any data about long-term efficacy of associated BO treatment. Five years spirometric records of three groups of patients with obstructive pulmonary diseases (asthma, COPD, BO) and documented sulfur mustard inhalation were evaluated. The BO patients were treated with inhaled Seretide 125-250/25 (2 puffs BID), azithromycin (250 mg, three times/week) and N-acetylcysteine (1200-1800/day). Asthma and COPD patients were treated according to existing guidelines. Seventy-three (38 asthma, 16 COPD and 19 BO) patients completed the 5 years follow-up. Basal and final FEV1 in BO patients (2.69±0.81 and 2.39±0.65 respectively) were not significantly different from COPD patients (2.46±0.56 and 1.96±0.76 respectively). There was also no significant difference between the yearly FEV1 decline in BO patients compared to COPD patients (60±84 cc vs. 99±79 cc respectively, P=0.163). The non-significant difference of FEV1 decline in BO compared to COPD patients suggests the effectiveness of azithromycin, inhaled steroid and N-acetyl cysteine in BO patients. Considering safety and possible effectiveness, this treatment is recommended until more data is available from controlled clinical studies.

Medical students' attitudes towards early clinical exposure in Iran.

OBJECTIVE: This study was carried out to investigate the medical students' attitudes towards early clinical exposure at Tehran University of Medical Sciences. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted during 2012-2015. A convenience sample of 298 first- and second-year students, enrolled in the undergraduate medical curriculum, participated in an early clinical exposure program. To collect data from medical students, a questionnaire consisting of open-ended questions and structured questions, rated on a five-point Likert scale, was used to investigate students' attitudes toward early clinical exposure. RESULTS: Of the 298 medical students, 216 (72%) completed the questionnaires. The results demonstrated that medical students had a positive attitude toward early clinical exposure. Most students (80.1%) stated that early clinical exposure could familiarize them with the role of basic sciences knowledge in medicine and how to apply this knowledge in clinical settings. Moreover, 84.5% of them believed that early clinical exposure increased their interest in medicine and encouraged them to read more. Furthermore, content analysis of the students' responses uncovered three main themes of early clinical exposure, were considered helpful to improve learning: "integration of theory and practice", "interaction with others and professional development" and "desire and motivation for learning medicine". CONCLUSIONS: Medical students found their first experience with clinical setting valuable. Providing clinical exposure in the initial years of medical curricula and teaching the application of basic sciences knowledge in clinical practice can enhance students' understanding of the role they will play in the future as a physician.

Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiography for Evaluation of Patients With Suspected Pulmonary Embolism: Use or Overuse.

BACKGROUND: The use of computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) has been increased during the last decade. OBJECTIVES: We studied the adherence to current diagnostic recommendations for evaluation of pulmonary embolism in a teaching hospital of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The registered medical records (Wells scores and serum D-dimer level) of all patients whose CTPA was performed with suspicion of pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) were studied retrospectively. Modified Wells score of each patient was determined without being aware of the CTPA results. The patients were categorized to those with a high (likely) clinical probability (score > 4) and low (unlikely) clinical probability (score≤ 4) of PTE. RESULTS: During a 6-month period, 82 patients who underwent CTPA were included. The prevalence of PTE was 62.2% in the group of subjects with a likely clinical risk. In 45 (54.8%) of those patients whose CTPA was requested, the PTE was unlikely based on modified Wells criteria. In the clinically unlikely group, serum D-dimer assay was done in 15 out of 45 (33.3%), while it was inappropriately checked in 10 out of 37 (27.0%) with a clinically likely risk. General adherence rate to diagnostic algorithm of PTE was 43.9%. CONCLUSION: There is still excessive unjustified concern of PTE in less trained physicians leading to excessive diagnostic work-up. Loyalty to the existing guideline for management of suspected PTE in educational hospitals and supervision of attending physicians could prevent overuse of CTPA.

Tricky brucellosis.

We present a 23-year-old woman who was admitted due to fever, palpitation, musculoskeletal pain and a transient bout of sudden-onset left-sided hemiparesis. She had also myopericarditis according to echocardiography findings. After comprehensive diagnostic work-up for infectious and immunologic disorders, brucellosis was confirmed by bone marrow aspiration culture. She received doxycycline, rifampin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for 3 months. The treatment was continued with doxycycline and rifampin for another 6 months. By the end of treatment, she recovered completely with no evidence of persistent neurological or cardiac complications.