Investigating the association between allergic diseases and COVID-19 in 400 Iranian patients.

INTRODUCTION: Allergic diseases could play a role of a predisposing factor for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of this study was to investigate allergic comorbidity and its association in COVID-19 patients. METHODS: Demographic data, clinical manifestations, laboratory reports, and radiologic findings, together with underlying comorbidity of patients, were studies. Allergic diseases were identified by using the standard GA2LEN questionnaire. The severity of COVID-19 was assessed by a visual analog scale (VAS) and an intensive care unit (ICU) report. RESULTS: Out of 400 COVID-19 patients admitted in the hospital, 158 (39.5%) presented with different allergic diseases, and a reverse association was observed between having allergic comorbidity and severity of COVID-19 infection (P = 0.005, relative risk = 0.96; 95% Confidence Interval (95% CI): 0.77-1.19). The respective frequency of asthma, allergic rhinitis (AR), chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), atopic dermatitis, chronic urticaria, and food or drug allergy was 7.3%, 16%, 1.8%, 5%, 10% and 13.3%. Significantly, only AR was reversely associated with the severity of COVID-19 (P = 0.02, relative risk = 0.45; 95% CI: 0.77-1.19). Additionally, 43% of the patients presented hypoxemia, and 93.5% had chest CT scan involvement. Interestingly, patients with allergic diseases had significantly lower hypoxemia and chest CT involvement as compared with non-allergic patients (P = 0.002 and 0.003, respectively). CONCLUSION: The results of this study established that allergic diseases were not determined to be a predisposing factor for the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) due to coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Significantly, AR patients developed mild clinical manifestations of COVID-19 and admitted to ICU as compared to non-AR patients.

Association between lifestyle and height growth in high school students.

Introduction: An important indicator that plays a pivotal role in examining the health of individuals living in a community is their height. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between lifestyle and height among female high school students in Dezful, Iran. Methods: This research was a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study. Participants included 351 female high school students who were selected from public and private high schools in Dezful using random cluster sampling. Miller-Smith Lifestyle Assessment Inventory was used to collect data about students' lifestyles, and their height was measured based on self-report. Results: The total lifestyle score of the study participants was 52.23 ± 11.31. Also, 30.2%, 67.2%, and 2.6% of the students had high, moderate, and low lifestyle scores, respectively. A negative and significant relationship was observed between the total score of lifestyle and its components, that is, nutrition, sleep, exercise, and mental stress, and the height growth of female high school students in Dezful (P < 0.05) according to Pearson's correlation. Results of regression analysis showed that the total lifestyle score and its components could significantly predict the height growth of students. Conclusion: Our results are indicative of the relationship between lifestyle and its components with height growth among female high school students.

Berberine Inhibits the Gene Expression and Production of Proinflammatory Cytokines by Mononuclear Cells in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Healthy Individuals.

OBJECTIVE: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most prevalent autoimmune arthritis. Berberine is an alkaloid isolated from Berberis vulgaris, and its anti-inflammatory effect has been identified. METHODS: Twenty newly diagnosed RA patients and 20 healthy controls participated. Peripheral mononuclear cells were prepared and stimulated with bacterial lipopolysachharide (LPS,1 µg/ml), exposed to different concentrations of berberine (10 and 50µM) and dexamethasone (10-7 M) as a reference. The toxicity of compounds was evaluated by WST-1 assay. The expression of TNF-α and IL-1ß was determined by quantitative real-time PCR. Protein level of secreted TNF-α and IL-1ß was measured by using ELISA. RESULTS: Berberine did not have any toxic effect on cells, whereas Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation caused a noticeable rise in TNF-α and IL-1ß production. Berberine markedly downregulated the expression of both TNF-α and IL-1ß, and inhibited TNF-α and IL-1ß secretion from LPS-stimulated PBMCs. DISCUSSION: This study provided a molecular basis for anti-inflammatory effect of berberine on human mononuclear cells through the suppression of TNF-a and IL-1secretion. Our findings highlighted the significant inhibitory effect of berberine on proinflammatory responses of mononuclear cells from rheumatoid arthritis individuals, which may be responsible for antiinflammatory property of Barberry. We observed that berberine at high concentration exhibited anti-inflammatory effect in PBMCs of both healthy and patient groups by suppression of TNF-a and IL-1cytokines at both mRNA and protein levels. CONCLUSION: Berberine may inhibit the gene expression and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by mononuclear cells in rheumatoid arthritis and healthy individuals without affecting cell viability. Future studies with a larger sample size are needed to prove the idea.