A double-blinded parallel randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on two groups of colorectal cancer patients to study the therapeutic benefit of orally administered bovine lactoferrin (bLF) on colorectal cancer patients having age ranges from 20 to 71 years and who received 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin calcium. Test group (15 patients) received oral bLF 250 mg/day beside chemotherapy for three months. Control group (15 patients) received chemotherapy only. Serum lactoferrin (LF), serum glutathione-s-transferase enzyme (GST), interferon gamma (INF-γ), tumor marker carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), renal function tests, hepatic function tests, and complete blood count were measured for both groups before and at the end of the trial. Although, there was a significant effect of oral bLF (250 mg/day) that indicated a significant improvement in mean percent of change of all parameters 3 months after treatment, there was no significant difference between results of patients in the test group and patients in the control group after treatment. This result suggests that oral bLF has significant therapeutic effect on colorectal cancer patients. Our study suggests that daily administration of bLF showed a clinically beneficial effect to colorectal cancer patients with better disease prognosis but that needs further looking into.
Background
Since the end of 2019, the world has been afflicted by a coronavirus pandemic caused by coronavirus 2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome) (SARS-CoV-2). COVID-19 causes a wide range of signs and symptoms with varying consequences. The impact of the COVID-19 infection on pregnant women and their fetuses is still under investigation.
Case presentation
A case of a 34-years-old non-vaccinated pregnant woman who had a COVID-19 infection in the first month of her pregnancy and went into premature labor at 34 weeks was reported. Congenital heart disease and hydrops were present in the fetus. The infant girl was cyanotic after delivery, experienced bradycardia, and was in poor overall condition; she was admitted to the NICU and died 5 days later.
Conclusions
Some theories suggest that SARS-CoV-2 may be transmitted vertically from mother to fetus. Congenital abnormalities can be caused by a variety of viruses. Although, congenital heart diseases can occur due to different causes, we suggest that COVID-19 may play a role in the development of congenital heart defects.
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