Several studies have indicated that selenium deficiency may be detrimental in the context of various viral disorders, and in the case of COVID-19, several studies have reported heterogeneous results concerning the association of selenium deficiency with the severity of disease. To summarize the available data surrounding the association of body selenium levels with the outcomes of COVID-19, a systematic search was performed in the Medline database (PubMed), Scopus, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science using keywords including “SARS-CoV-2,” “COVID-19,” and “selenium,” Studies evaluating the association of COVID-19 with body selenium levels were included. Among 1,862 articles viewed in the database search, 10 articles were included after title, abstract, and full-text review. One study was further included after searching the literature again for any newly published articles. Out of 11 included studies, 10 studies measured serum selenium level, and one study investigated urinary selenium level. Three of 10 studies measured serum SELENOP level as well as selenium level. Glutathione peroxidase-3 level in serum was also assessed in one study. The reported outcomes were severity, mortality, and risk of COVID-19. Nine studies indicated that a lower serum selenium level is associated with worse outcomes. Two studies reported no significant association between serum selenium level and COVID-19. In one study, urinary selenium level was reported to be higher in severe and fatal cases compared to non-severe and recovered patients, respectively. In most cases, selenium deficiency was associated with worse outcomes, and selenium levels in COVID-19 patients were lower than in healthy individuals. Thus, it could be concluded that cautious selenium supplementation in COVID-19 patients may be helpful to prevent disease progression. However, randomized clinical trials are needed to confirm this.

Introduction:Peyronie’s disease described as penile curvature, fibromathosis and pain that occur most often in men aged 40 to 60 years. The main complaint that caused the patient to visit the clinic is nodules on the upper surface of the penis, causing curvature and distortion particularly during erection, but they don’t have any urinary problem. In this study, we evaluated the effect of verapamil compared to pentoxifylline in Peyronie’s disease.Method:In this study, 90 patients with signs and symptoms of Peyronie’s disease which were diagnosed and were in the age range 40 to 70 years enrolled. The patients were randomly divided into 3 groups. First group received pentoxifylline orally at a dose of 400 mg three times a day, in the second group verapamil (10 mg every other week for up to 12 sessions) was injected into the lesion and the third group received both treatments in combination.Results:In patients, who received pentoxifylline, curvature reduction was 26.7%, plaque size reduction was 30%, the recovery rate of erectile dysfunction was 46.7% and pain reduced was 73.3%. Each of these cases in patients, who used beta-blockers, was 36.7%, 33.3%, 66.7% and 76.6%. In combination therapy, curvature reduction was 36.7%, plaque size reduction was 33.3%, the recovery rate of erectile dysfunction was 86.7% and pain reduced was 80%.Conclusion:In our study there was no significant difference between two groups using verapamil or pentoxifylline, but there was a significant improvement in combination therapy group. Due to our results we propose that combination therapy can improve results and should be considered as a choice in treatment of Peyronie’s disease.

Background: Bedsore is a common problem in patients with stroke, causing an increased number of hospitalizations, increased healthcare costs, and mortality of these patients. Typically, due to their numerous problems, these patients are not able to take care of themselves and thus their care providers play an important role in providing care at their home. Objectives: The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating home-based training on the incidence of bedsore in patients with stroke, during year 2017. Methods: In the present clinical trial study, 70 family caregivers of stroke patients that had referred to Ali Ebne Abitaleb Hospital, Zahedan, Iran, were chosen through available sampling and then randomly assigned to control and intervention groups. In the intervention group, explanations were provided for the family caregivers about stroke, its resulting problems, bedsore, methods for preventing and caring for bedsore at home. The explanations were provided at the place of residence of the patient at the time of discharge as well as two and three weeks after discharge at home, and on the patient's bedside. In the control group, on the other hand, routine trainings of the ward were given. After 12 weeks, both groups were evaluated in terms of incidence of bedsore, based on scoring presented by the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP). Data analysis was performed by chi-square and t-test, using SPSS 21. Results: The number of individuals in each group was 35. Frequency of incidence of bedsore after the intervention in the intervention and control groups was 25.7 and 48.6%, respectively. The statistical results indicated that there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of frequency of bedsore (P = 0.046). Conclusions: Home-based training is a practical and inexpensive method for participation of family members in providing care for patients with stroke and reducing incidence of bedsore in these patients.

The contribution of oxidative stress in several chronic and degenerative diseases suggests that antioxidant therapy can be a promising therapeutic strategy. However, in the case of many antioxidants, their biodistribution...

BACKGROUND: Incidence of bacteraemia and driving concerns about antibiotic resistance is increasing globally. Risk factors for developing antimicrobial resistance are antibiotic overuse, incorrect dosing and extended duration of administration. AIM: This study was conducted to examine the prescription and susceptibility pattern of antibiotics in bacteraemia patients with ESBL producing and Non-ESBL-producing E. coli and their correlation with mortality. METHODS: Data were collected from medical records of the patients aged 18 years and above, diagnosed with E. coli bacteremia from January 2013 through July 2017. Institutional ethics committee approval was obtained before the study (IEC 483/2017). Cumulative sensitivity/resistance pattern of isolated microorganisms and DDD/100 bed days of prescribed antibiotics were obtained. RESULTS: 182 cases of E. coli bacteraemia were reviewed. 59.9% (n = 109) were male with an age range of 20-90 years. The mortality rate was 24.9% (n = 44). 55.5% (n = 101) of the isolated organisms were ESBL-producing. A high percentage of resistance to cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones were observed among the patients, and most of the identified isolates were sensitive to the aminoglycosides, carbapenems and β-lactam and β-lactamase inhibitor combinations (BLBLIs). CONCLUSIONS: Frequent utilisation of the high-end antibiotics and increase in microorganism’s resistance to different antibiotics can lead to a worrisome level. Local antibiotic resistance data and consumption policy are essential to prevent and slow down this process. We observed a descending resistance trend for amoxicillin-clavulanic acid combination in our setting to both the ESBL producing and non-producing.