Comparison between levels of Homocysteine, Interleukin-6 and Interleukin-10 in severe cases of Egyptian COVID-19 patients.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the reason of an outbreak of respiratory illnesses ranging from typical cold to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome. We intended to compare levels of IL-6, IL-10, and homocysteine in the sera of severe COVID-19 Egyptian patients and connect them with the extent of the illness. This cross-sectional study included 90 COVID-19 Egyptian patients. They included 45 non severe cases (group 1) and 45 severe cases (group 2). There was statistically significantly increase in IL-6 in group 2 (median = 7.05, IQR = 6.2 - 7.9; p < 0.001) in comparison to group 1 (median = 4.96, IQR = 4.5 - 5.8) and statistically significantly increase in IL-10 in group 2 (154.1 ± 73.3) in comparison to group 1 (47.04 ± 23.8; p < 0.001). There were no variations in the examined groups' homocysteine levels (p= 0.318). Furthermore, there was statistically substantial positive connection (r=0.30) between IL-6 and AST (p=0.046) and between IL-10 and HCT (r = 0.37, p=0.012). In addition, data of other studied parameters are presented. In conclusion, IL-6 and IL-10 could be proposed for follow up of COVID-19 patients and to detect cases before progressing to a severe disease stage.

Combination Therapy with Enalapril and Paricalcitol Ameliorates Streptozotocin Diabetes-Induced Testicular Dysfunction in Rats via Mitigation of Inflammation, Apoptosis, and Oxidative Stress.

BACKGROUND: As the impacts of diabetes-induced reproductive damage are now evident in young people, we are now in urgent need to devise new ways to protect and enhance the reproductive health of diabetic people. The present study aimed to evaluate the protective effects of enalapril (an ACE inhibitor) and paricalcitol (a vitamin D analog), individually or in combination, on streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetes-induced testicular dysfunction in rats and to identify the possible mechanisms for this protection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was carried out on 50 male Sprague-Dawley rats; 10 normal rats were allocated as a non-diabetic control group. A total of 40 rats developed diabetes after receiving a single dose of STZ; then, the diabetic rats were divided into four groups of equivalent numbers assigned as diabetic control, enalapril-treated, paricalcitol-treated, and combined enalapril-and-paricalcitol-treated groups. The effects of mono and combined therapy with paricalcitol and enalapril on testicular functions, sperm activity, glycemic state oxidative stress, and inflammatory parameters, as well as histopathological examinations, were assessed in comparison with the normal and diabetic control rats. RESULTS: As a result of diabetes induction, epididymal sperm count, sperm motility, serum levels of testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) as well as luteinizing hormone (LH), and the antioxidant enzyme activities, were significantly decreased, while abnormal sperm (%), insulin resistance, nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were significantly increased, along with severe distortion of the testicular structure. Interestingly, treatment with paricalcitol and enalapril, either alone or in combination, significantly improved the sperm parameters, increased antioxidant enzyme activities in addition to serum levels of testosterone, FSH, and LH, reduced insulin resistance, IL-6, and TNF-α levels, and finally ameliorated the diabetes-induced testicular oxidative stress and histopathological damage, with somewhat superior effect for paricalcitol monotherapy and combined therapy with both drugs compared to monotherapy with enalapril alone. CONCLUSIONS: Monotherapy with paricalcitol and its combination therapy with enalapril has a somewhat superior effect in improving diabetes-induced testicular dysfunction (most probably as a result of their hypoglycemic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties) compared with monotherapy with enalapril alone in male rats, recommending a synergistic impact of both drugs.