No specific antiviral drugs have been approved for the treatment of COVID-19. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of favipiravir in treatment of COVID-19. This was a multicenter randomized controlled study including 96 patients with COVID-19 who were randomly assigned into a chloroquine (CQ) group and a favipiravir group. None of the patients in the favipiravir group needed mechanical ventilation (p = 0.129). One patient (2.3%) in the favipiravir group and two patients (4.2%) in the CQ group died (p = 1.00). Favipiravir is a promising drug for COVID-19 that decreases the hospital stay and the need for mechanical ventilation. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT04351295.

Researchers around the world are working at record speed to find the best ways to treat and prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of ivermectin for the treatment of hospitalized mild to moderate COVID‐19 infected patients. This was a randomized open‐label controlled study that included 164 patients with COVID‐19. Patients were randomized into two groups where Group 1 (Ivermectin group) included patients who received ivermectin 12 mg once daily for 3 days with standard care and Group 2 (control group) included patients who received standard protocol of treatment alone for 14 days. The main outcomes were mortality, the length of hospital stay, and the need for mechanical ventilation. All patients were followed up for 1 month. Overall, 82 individuals were randomized to receive ivermectin plus standard of care and 82 to receive standard of care alone. Patients in the ivermectin group had a shorter length of hospital stay (8.82 ± 4.94 days) than the control group (10.97 ± 5.28 days), but this was not statistically significant ( p = 0.085). Three patients (3.7%) in each group required mechanical ventilation ( p = 1.00). The death rate was three patients in the ivermectin group (3.7%) versus four patients (4.9%) in the control group without any significant difference between the two groups ( p = 1.00). Although there was no statistically significant difference in any endpoints by ivermectin doses (12 mg/day for 3 days); there was an observed trend to reducing hospital stay in the ivermectin‐treated group.

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Background:In Egypt, there has been a remarkable increase in the proportion of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among chronic liver diseases patients. This rising proportion may be explained by the increasing risk factors as hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, improvement of the diagnostic tools of HCC as well as the extended survival among patients with cirrhosis to allow time for some of them to develop HCC. The aim of this study was to study the epidemiology of HCC in Nile delta over the last decade.Methods:The study was carried out on patients diagnosed as HCC in liver cancer clinic in Tanta University Hospital, Egypt, from January 2005 to January 2015. This retrospective study reviewed the files of HCC patients with special stress on age, sex, residence, occupation, smoking, and viral markers.Results:Over the last decade, 1440 HCC patients were diagnosed or referred to liver cancer clinic in Tropical Medicine Department in Tanta University Hospital from January 2005 to January 2015. The mean age of HCC patients was 56.13 ± 9.53 years. Nearly, half of the patients with HCC were smokers and quarter of HCC patients were diabetics. HBV surface antigen-positive patients were only 3.26%, and the majority of patients were HCV-Ab positive (94.86% of patients).Conclusions:In Nile delta, hepatitis C rather than hepatitis B was linked to the development of HCC in our region which may be related to the high prevalence of HCV in this area.

Introduction: The goal of treatment of chronic hepatitis C (HCV) is viral eradication. However, obtaining histological regression is even more important, because it will reduce the overall morbidity and mortality related to cirrhosis. Introduction of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) in HCV improves rates of sustained virologic response (SVR). However, fibrosis regression has not been extensively assessed. The aim of this study was to detect the factors affecting fibrosis regression in chronic HCV patients treated with interferon containing regimens versus interferon-free DAA regimens. Methods: This prospective observational cohort study was conducted at the Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases Department, Tanta University, Egypt, between October 2015 and December 2017. Transient elastography (FibroScan®) examination was performed before therapy, at SVR12, 6 months and 1 year after completing therapy for cured patients. Results: Reduction in fibrosis was reported in; 46.7% and 49.3% of patients with moderate fibrosis, and 89% and 78.7% of patients with advanced fibrosis after one year of interferon containing and interferon free DAAs regimens respectively. Using multiple regression analysis; it was found that BMI, degrees of hepatic stiffness and steatosis were related to regression of hepatic fibrosis after therapy. Conclusion: DAAs with or without interferon resulted in a significant reduction of liver fibrosis. BMI, steatosis and liver stiffness were independent factors for fibrosis regression in chronic HCV patients treated with DAAs. Further studies are needed to explore the mechanism by which steatosis affects HCV related fibrosis regression after treatment with DAAs.