Today, finding natural polymers with desirable properties for use in various industries is one of the critical axes of research in the world. Polysaccharides are a group of natural polymers that have various applications in the pharmaceutical industry. The attachment of monosaccharides forms polysaccharides through glycosidic bonds that are widely found in various sources, including plants. Genus Astragalus belongs to the Fabaceae family. Plants belonging to this genus have different polysaccharides. Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) have attracted a great deal of attention among natural polymers discussed as suitable candidates for use in pharmaceutical formulations and preparation of new drugs to control COVID-19 infection because they are non-toxic, biodegradable, and biocompatible. Currently, APS has great drug potential for curing or treating various diseases. Due to the different biological activities of polysaccharides, including Astragalus, this study has investigated the chemical structure of APS, research report on antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and stimulation of cytokine secretion by these polysaccharides. Also, in this study, the pharmaceutical approaches of APS compounds, as a natural, new and inexpensive source, have been.

Objectives: The present study seeks to provide insight into managing patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) infected with COVID-19.Methods: Patients with COVID-19 with CKD were included in the study. The eligible patients were divided into four groups: 1) patients who were not on dialysis, 2) patients on maintenance dialysis, 3) patients who underwent dialysis following COVID-19, 4) patients with a history of a kidney transplant. After reviewing clinical charts, nursing records, laboratory findings, radiological reports, and other medical records of CKD patients with COVID-19 confirmed infection, clinical presentation, laboratory data, radiology findings, and results were extracted from documented medical records. The epidemiological, clinical, laboratory and outcome characteristics of the subgroups were evaluated and compared.Results: Seventy-eight patients were included into the study. Hypertension (50 cases, 72.5%), diabetes (44 cases, 63.8%), and Cardiovascular disease (26 cases, 38.2%) were the most common risk factors in the studied patients. Among all participants, 40 (52.6%) patients died. The most common symptom was dyspnea (56.6%), followed by dry cough (38.7%). Comparison of blood, inflammatory, biochemical, and clinical indices among the patients' groups show that LDH (P=0.022), AST (P=0.038), and ALT (P= 0.004) indices were significantly different between groups of patients. According to the results in Table 3, Unilateral ground-glass opacity (GGO) in the radiological findings of the Nondialysis CKD group was significantly (P=0.50) higher than the other groups. Conclusion:It can be concluded that CKD is one of the critical factors that can cause poor prognosis in COVID-19 patients.

Background: Hospitals are one of the most important units in providing healthcare services. The assessment of the quality of provided services is essential in these settings. Patient satisfaction is one of the key indicators of service quality in healthcare organizations. Objectives: This study aimed at investigating the gap between the perceptions and expectations of service recipients in Shohada-e-Tajrish Hospital (Tehran, Iran), using the SERVQUAL model in 2020. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on patients with cancer, who were upon discharge from Shohada-e-Tajrish Hospital. Patients (> 18 years) with a cancer diagnosis, who were being discharged from the oncology ward of the hospital, were included in this study. The sample size was estimated at 118. The required information was collected, using the modified SERVQUAL questionnaire. Statistical analyses were performed in SPSS version 20, using a paired t test and one-sample t-test. Results: The results showed that the quality of the provided services from the patients’ perspective was significantly lower than their expectations. The mean gap between the expectations and perceptions of patients was significantly above zero (P < 0.001). The most influential factor in improving patient satisfaction with the quality of services was assurance, followed by reliability, while the least effective factor was empathy. The correlation coefficient between the general status of provided services from the patients’ point of view and loyalty was 0.740 (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The findings of the present study indicated that patient expectations were higher than their satisfaction. Therefore, hospital authorities should take major steps to improve the quality of services, especially reliability and responsiveness, through proper planning, prioritization of services, and review of processes contributing to patient expectations. The existing gaps can also be addressed by considering the perspectives of patients as the clients of healthcare organizations.

Background: Ischemic heart disease and psychiatric disorders are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Plans for providing basic health services to community members require knowledge of the current state. Therefore, the aim of this study was to systematically review the literature to estimate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among patients with ischemic heart disease. Materials and Methods: In this study, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were systematically searched to find studies published before June 6, 2021. The systematic review included all original articles on the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among patients with ischemic heart disease. Two independent researchers evaluated the quality of studies, using the Joanna Briggs Institute questionnaire. All analyses were performed in Stata/MP version 16. A random-effects model was used for data analysis. Results: Of 1672 studies initially identified, 13 studies were included in our meta-analysis, with a total of 2233 participants. The overall prevalence of psychiatric disorders was estimated at 46.85% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 36.08–57.62; I 2 = 100%; P < 0.001 for heterogeneity). The most common disorder was depression (27.80%; 95% CI: 18.27–37.34; I 2 = 99.99%; P < 0.001 for heterogeneity). Based on the results, the prevalence of psychiatric disorders had increased by 25.55% from 2000 to 2021 compared to1984–2000. Conclusion: The prevalence of psychiatric diseases in people with ischemic heart disease is high and increases over time. It is recommended that preventive measures be taken worldwide.

Aim: The present study seeks to provide insight into the management of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) infected with COVID-19.Material and methods: Patients with COVID-19 were included in the study if they met the inclusion criteria. 78 eligible patients were divided into four groups. After reviewing clinical charts, nursing records, laboratory findings, radiological reports and other medical records of CKD patients with COVID-19 confirmed infection, clinical presentation, laboratory data, radiology findings, and results were extracted from documented medical records using data collection forms. laboratory tests were performed again before discharge. Independent t-test, paired t-test, and chi-square were used to compare the clinical features of patients with COVID-19. A P< 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. All the statistical analyses were performed by the SPSS. v 26.0.Results: Hypertension (72.5%), diabetes (63.8%), and Cardiovascular disease (38.2%) were the most common among patients, respectively. Among all participants, 40 (52.6%) patients died. The most common symptom was dyspnea (56.6%), followed by dry cough (38.7%). Comparison of blood, inflammatory, biochemical, and clinical indices between the four groups in patients show that LDH (P=0.022), AST (P=0.038), and ALT (P= 0.004) indices were significantly different between groups of patients. According to the results in Table 3, Unilateral ground-glass opacity (GGO) in the radiological findings of the Non-dialysis CKD group was significantly (P=0.50) higher than the other groups.Conclusion: It can be concluded that CKD is an important factor that can cause poor prognosis in COVID-19 patients.