Introduction: Low serum vitamin D has been shown to be a risk factor for Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of this study was to assess the effects of high dose vitamin D supplementation on hs-CRP, ESR and clinical outcomes, including duration of hospitalization, quality of life and New York Heart Association (NYHA) Functional Classification, in adults with COVID-19. Methods: This double-blind, randomized control trial will be conducted on patients with RT-PCR and/or chest CT scan diagnosis of COVID-19 admitted in Imam Reza Hospital, Mashhad, Iran. Participants will be randomized into control and intervention groups based on randomization sampling. The intervention group will receive soft gel containing 50,000 IU vitamin D on the first day followed by 10,000 IU/day through a supplement drop daily for 29 days. The control group will receive 1000 IU vitamin D daily through supplement drop and a placebo soft gel. All participants will undergo laboratory assessment including inflammatory markers, serum 25)OH)D, complete blood count (CBC), liver and renal profile, lipid profile and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) at baseline and at day 30. The mortality rate will be recorded in both groups. Results: Data will be presented using descriptive statistics. Comparison of changes in study parameters over the study period will be performed using analysis of covariance adjusting for possible confounders. Conclusions: The findings of this will provide evidence on the effects of high dose vitamin D supplementation on inflammatory markers in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

In this study, we have investigated delivery of cisplatin as the anticancer drug molecules in different carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the gas phase using molecular dynamics simulation. We examined the shape and composition of the releasing agent by using the different nanowires and nanoclusters. We also investigated the doping effect on the drug delivery process using N-, Si, B-, and Fe-doped CNTs. Different thermodynamics, structural, and dynamical properties have been studied by using the pure and different doped CNTs in this study. Our results show that the doping of the CNT has significant effect on the rate of the drug releasing process regardless of the composition of the releasing agent.

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Background:The patient-centered approach improves the quality of health care. Promoting this approach will increase the patients' satisfaction and improve interpersonal skills among health care providers. Objectives:The aim of the current study was to compare the viewpoints of interns toward the patient-centered approach in the beginning and the end of the internship at the Kerman University of Medical Sciences (KUMS). Methods: This longitudinal study was carried out at KUMS between March 2017 and July 2018. All medical students who had passed the internship entrance exam were selected through a census. The Persian version of the patient-practitioner orientation scale (PPOS) was completed at the start and the end of the internship. This instrument has 18 items in two 9-item subscales: sharing and caring. The minimum and maximum scores were 1 to 6, respectively. The higher the score, the more the patient-centered orientation. The data were analyzed by SPSS using independent and paired t-tests, ANOVA, and multiple linear regression. Results:The mean scores of PPOS were 3.92 ± 0.42 and 3.86 ± 0.37 at the beginning and the end of the internship, respectively. This difference was not statistically significant. The mean score of the caring subscale significantly increased during internship but no significant change was found in the mean score of the sharing subscale. Conclusions:The results of our study showed that the patient-centered attitude toward patient caring improved during the internship in the majority of interns but no significant improvement was found in terms of patient sharing. Significant progress can be made in the quality of physician-patient communication and patient satisfaction if necessary training programs are run on patient-centeredness.