To date, no antiviral therapy has shown proven clinical effectiveness in treating patients with COVID-19. We assessed the efficacy of remdesivir in hospitalized Egyptian patients with COVID-19. Patients were randomly assigned at a 1:1 ratio to receive either remdesivir (200 mg on the first day followed by 100 mg daily for the next 9 days intravenously infused over 30–60 minutes) in addition to standard care or standard care alone. The primary outcomes were the length of hospital stay and mortality rate. The need for mechanical ventilation was assessed as a secondary outcome. Two hundred patients (100 in each group) completed the study and were included in the final analysis. The remdesivir group showed a significantly lower median duration of hospital stay (10 days) than the control group (16 days; P < 0.001). Eleven of the patients in the remdesivir group needed mechanical ventilation compared with eight patients in the control group (P = 0.469). The mortality rate was comparable between the two groups (P = 0.602). Mortality was significantly associated with older age, elevated C-reactive protein levels, elevated D-dimer, and the need for mechanical ventilation (P = 0.039, 0.003, 0.001, and < 0.001 respectively). Remdesivir had a positive influence on length of hospital stay, but it had no mortality benefit in Egyptian patients with COVID-19. Its use, in addition to standard care including dexamethasone, should be considered, particularly in low- and middle-income countries when other effective options are scarce.

Background/purpose Temporomandibular joint disc displacement is the most frequently reported temporomandibular disorder that may severely impair quality of life and can be challenging to treat. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the efficiency of intra-articular injection of injectable platelet rich fibrin (i-PRF) following arthrocentesis or arthrocentesis alone in treatment of patients with TMJ disc displacement with reduction. Materials and methods Forty patients for a total of forty joints with reducible anterior disc displacement, as confirmed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) were selected and divided into 2 equal groups. In group I (control group), arthrocentesis alone was performed with Ringer solution. In group II (study group), a combination of arthrocentesis and intra-articular injection with 1.5 ml i-PRF was performed. The outcome variables included pain intensity evaluated with a visual analogue scale, inter-incisal opening, lateral movement evaluated in millimeters, and clicking. Assessments were done pre-operatively, and 1 week, 3 months, and 6 months postoperatively. Results There was statistically significant reduction in pain intensity and clicking sound and increase in mouth opening and lateral movement in i-PRF group when compared to arthrocentesis group. In addition, the differences between preoperative and postoperative status in all the measured parameters were statistically significant within the study and the control group throughout the postoperative period. Conclusion The combination of i-PRF with arthrocentesis is a safe and effective method in the treatment of TMJ disc displacement with reduction.

Background: Terlipressin is the first-line pharmacological treatment for hepatorenal syndrome. When terlipressin is unavailable, midodrine/octreotide or norepinephrine, with albumin, represent the alternative treatments. The comparative efficacy of these alternative regimens remains unclear.Objective: To compare the efficacy of midodrine/octreotide to that of norepinephrine for the treatment of patients with hepatorenal syndrome.Methods: In the intensive care setting, sixty patients with hepatorenal syndrome were randomized to initially receive either 0.5 mg/h of norepinephrine (maximum 3 mg/h) or 5 mg of oral midodrine three times/day (maximum 12.5 mg three times/day) plus octreotide (100 μg/6 h) as subcutaneous injection (maximum 200 μg/6 h), together with albumin (20–40 g/day). Treatment was allowed for a maximum of 10 days. Survival was analyzed for up to 30 days. The primary efficacy outcome was the proportion of patients who achieved full response, defined as the return of serum creatinine to a value within 0.3 mg/dl of the baseline at the end of treatment.Results: There was a significantly higher rate of full response in the norepinephrine group (15/26, 57.60%) than the midodrine/octreotide group (5/25, 20%) (p = 0.006). Eleven (42.30%) patients in the norepinephrine group and 6 (24%) in the midodrine/octreotide group survived (p = 0.166).Conclusion: Norepinephrine plus albumin is significantly more effective than midodrine and octreotide plus albumin in improving renal function in patients with hepatorenal syndrome.(ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT03455322).https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03455322?cond = Hepatorenal+Syndrome&amp;cntry = EG&amp;draw = 2&amp;rank = 1.

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Aims: Cilostazol (CLS) has shown antidepressant effect in cardiovascular patients, post-stroke depression, and animal models through its neurotrophic and antiinflammatory activities. Consequently, we aimed to investigate its safety and efficacy in patients with MDD by conducting double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study. Methods: 80 participants with MDD (DSM-IV criteria) and Hamilton DepressionRating Scale (HDRS) score >20 were treated with CLS 50 mg or placebo twice daily plus escitalopram (ESC) 20 mg once daily for six weeks. Patients were evaluated by HDRS scores (weeks 0, 2, 4, and 6). Serum levels of CREB1, BDNF, 5-HT, TNFα, NF-κB, and FAM19A5 were assessed pre-and post-treatment.Results: Co-administration of CLS had markedly decreased HDRS score at all-time points compared to the placebo group (p < 0.001). Early improvement, response, and remission rates after 6 weeks were significantly higher in the CLS group (90%, 90%, 80%, respectively) than in the placebo group (25%, 65%, 50% respectively) (p < 0.001). Moreover, the CLS group was superior to the placebo group in modulation of the measured neurotrophic and inflammatory biomarkers. Conclusion:CLS is safe and effective short-term adjunctive therapy in patients with MDD with no other comorbid conditions.Trial registration ID:NCT04069819.