Tehran University Medical Journal

Strategies for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Post Covid-19 Fungal Infections in Immunocompromised Patients: A systematic review

Nasser Keikha

Background: Nowadays, understanding healthy treatment strategies is crucial in the post-COVID era where immunocompromised patients are more likely to get exposure to fungal infections. The aim of the research was to investigate studies of fungal infections after COVID-19.

Methods: The systematic review study was conducted from 11 July 2023 to 04 February 2024 in Zahedan, Iran. To extract articles on fungal infections, the vocabulary of selected Medical Subjects Headings (Mesh), other specialized literature was determined and a search strategy was formulated in three databases, Web Science, Scopus, and PubMed, without any time limitation. In addition, the articles were analyzed according to the research objectives, types of fungal infections encountered in immunocompromised patients, their incidence in different immunocompromised patient groups, diagnostic and detection strategies, treatment methods and other background information.
Results: A 15 number of related articles were included. The most common type of study was case report. From the lens of Aspergillus and mucormycosis fungal infections, they were given more attention, and in terms of the type of immunodeficiency, patients with a history of diabetes, including groups of diabetic patients, cancer groups, AIDS patients, and some groups with genetic disorders, were investigated in the studies. Appropriate treatment methods; particularly the use of corticosteroid drugs such as methylprednisolone as intravenous injection, systemic antifungal drugs such as liposomal amphotericin B, Antifungal treatment using high-dose amphotericin B, the use of prophylactic drugs, and isolation of the damaged tissue are recommended as the best treatment strategies. In order to prevent fungal infections in groups of Immunocompromised Patients, it is recommended to use simple hygiene Recommendations.
Conclusion: Analyzing the conditions of cocvid-19 patients and recognizing effective treatment strategies is inevitable, especially in the post- COVID era. A review of the literature showed that prevention and control of fungal infections after covid-19 was critical among immunodeficiency patients and the use of the recommended treatment method for their lifecycle continuity should be more considered by health care providers, health system managers and health policy makers.

The effect of Early Mobilization on the length of intensive care unit stay in pediatrics under ventilator: A Pilot study

Mohammad Mehdi Rajabi

Background: Prolonged stay in intensive care unit (ICU) can worsen the patient's prognosis and represents a significant economic burden. Previous studies have reported the effectiveness of early mobilization in reducing length of stay in ICUs for adult patients; However, conflicting results have been reported regarding its effects on pediatric patients. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the impact of early mobilization on the length of stay in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in ventilated children.
Methods: This pilot quasi-experimental study was conducted on 60 children admitted to the Children's Medical Center hospital from March 2020 to June 2021. For the control group, routine care (standard physiotherapy) was started on the second day of intubation and continued until discharge from the intensive care unit. In this study, we used an early mobilization protocol including active and passive exercises. The intervention was implemented by Pediatric intensive care unit nurses under supervision of a pediatric critical care fellowship physician. In the intervention group, passive exercises were started on the second day of intubation. At each shift, the nurses check the level of sedation and presence of delirium in the patients using the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale and the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium questionnaire. If the results showed that the sedation was not deep and delirium was not present, then active exercises were initiated. If the child did not achieve an adequate score indicating the absence of deep sedation and delirium, the patient remained in the passive exercise phase. The length of stay was recorded based on the patients' records. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis using SPSS version 23.

Results: The results showed that there was no significant difference in the length of stay in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) between the control (23.20±6.34 days) and intervention (22.60±6.18 days) groups (P=0.77).
Conclusion: The implementation of early mobilization did not significantly reduce the length of PICU stay for pediatric. The researchers are advised to identify and evaluate evidence-based guidelines for implementing early mobilization in children with different diagnoses.

Studying the educational satisfaction of obstetrics and gynecology residents of Tehran University of Medical Sciences with the residency training program

Marjan Ghaemi

Background: Given the significance of patient care in obstetrics and gynecology, we aimed to assess the satisfaction of Tehran University of Medical Sciences residents with their training program in this field.
Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 77 obstetrics and gynecology residents from the first to fourth year at Tehran University of Medical Sciences participated with informed consent, adhering to ethical principles, from April to October 2023 across four teaching hospitals: Imam Khomeini, Shariati, Mohib Yas, and Arash.The researcher developed a questionnaire consisting of 62 online questions, including 15 demographic questions and 47 related to satisfaction. Most of the questions are statements with five response options: strongly agree, agree no opinion, disagree, and strongly disagree. Each criterion was assessed and classified on a scale from one to five. The assistants' satisfaction levels were assessed in various areas, yielding an overall score of 47-235. Scores above 70% indicate high satisfaction, 50-69% reflects average satisfaction, and below 50% signifies dissatisfaction. It's important to clarify that the areas include clinics, with specific focus on rotation shifts for assistants in gynecology, oncology, prenatal care, and infertility. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS software, Version 22. Descriptive statistics included the median and range for continuous variables (number of surgeries and satisfaction scores) and frequency and percentage for nominal variables (quality of satisfaction) across three defined levels of desirability: appropriate, relatively appropriate, and unfavorable.

Results: Satisfaction with the number of surgeries and educational quality at Imam Khomeini Hospital was higher than at other hospitals (P=0.07). Significant differences were noted in the gynecology and pelvic surgery departments, with residents at both Imam Khomeini and Arash hospitals reporting greater satisfaction in gynecology (P=0.018) and pelvic surgery (P=0.036). Additionally, regarding the conference program and educational mornings, Shariati Hospital reported a higher level of satisfaction in this area (P=0.47).
Conclusion: The satisfaction scores in various areas indicate that 64.5% of assistants at Imam Khomeini Hospital rated their educational status as appropriate, while 60% at Arash Hospital rated it as relatively good, and 25% at Yas Hospital found it unfavorable.

Evaluating the Correlation between Liver Size and Fatty Liver Progression in Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Mahsa akhavan Sabagh

Background: Increasing the prevalence of non-contagious and chronic disorders such as Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) takes the attention of researchers. NAFLD recognized by abnormal accumulation in the liver tissue. The aim of present study is investigating the association between liver size liver enzymes and degree of fatty liver in patients with NAFLD.
Methods: Based on the inclusion criteria, 100 Patients were selected from those referred to the radiology and ultrasonography clinic in Golestan Hospital, Ahvaz, for fatty liver evaluation. The study was carried out during May 2022 to April 2023. Liver enzymes, including alanine aminotransaminase (ALT) and Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), were measured. Based on the ultrasonography results, patients were divided into four groups: healthy, mild fatty liver, moderate fatty liver, and severe fatty liver. Ultrasonography was carried out by an experienced expert. All demographic information of patients was collected. Data were analyzed by SPSS (V25).

Results: According to ultrasonography results, the mean of span was 148.4 ± 14.7 cm, which was significantly higher in patients with grade II of NAFLD (P<0.001). Further analysis revealed the highest difference between grades I and II (P<0.001). Also, a significant difference between grades II and III and grades III and I were found (P<0.001). Our data showed a significant relationship between body mass index (BMI) and NAFLD grades (P<0.001). The mean of BMI in grade I was significantly lower than in grades II and III (P<0.05). Our findings demonstrated that the mean of ALT in grade I was significantly lower than in grades II and III (P<0.05). In this line, the highest AST level was seen in grade III (P<0.001).
Conclusion: Our study showed that as NAFLD progresses, the enzymes and size of the liver increase. Based on ultrasound findings, the increasing liver size suggests NAFLD grade II, while the rise in AST and BMI suggests NAFLD grade II -III and progression of cirrhosis.

Investigating the causes and nature of medical errors in the voluntary reporting system in Firoozgar educational center

Leyla Abdolkarimi

Background: Medical errors are one of the biggest problems of the health system in countries. Identifying the factors responsible for these errors is crucial to designing optimal strategies to reduce such occurrences. The aim of this study was to investigate the type and nature of medical errors.
Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, all documented medical errors that occurred between March 2021 and February 2022 at Firoozgar Educational and Medical Center were thoroughly examined. The data collection involved reviewing records from various departments within the center to ensure a comprehensive analysis of error types. The extracted data were processed and analyzed using SPSS v.22 software, allowing for statistical evaluation and identification of potential patterns or trends in medical errors over the specified period.

Results: A total of 214 cases were reviewed. 45.3% of the recorded medical errors occurred in the morning shift, 20.6% in the evening shift and 34.1% in the night shift. The highest number of medical errors was reported by nurses (40.7%), followed by physicians (16.8%) and paramedics (11.7%). The etiology of most medical errors was systemic errors (63.6%) followed by pharmacological errors (15.4%) and technical errors (13.1%) and the most reported systemic errors were of insufficient supervision. Most of the patients who had medical errors were admitted to the inpatient wards (40.7%) and later to the surgical wards (17.3%) and ICU (12.6%). 62.1% of medical errors did not cause any specific complication and in 33.2% of cases, mild complication, 10.7% moderate complication and 3.3% severe complication occurred for patients. 62.1% of medical errors had no consequences for anyone, and in 36.9% of cases, the consequences of errors were to the patient and 1% of the consequences of errors were to the organization and employees.
Conclusion: Most of the reported medical errors were performed by nurses and were uncomplicated errors. Establishing transparent and accurate self-reporting systems is essential to identify medical errors of all employees.

Comparison of the effects of Althaea officinalis and eucalyptus nebulizers on the severity of cough in patients with Covid-19: Clinical trial

Fateme Kameli

Background: one of the most common and important complications of COVID-19 is cough. The present study was designed with the aim of comparing the effect of althaea officinalis and eucalyptus nebulizer on the severity of cough in COVID-19 patients.
Methods: in this randomized clinical trial, from January 2022 to June 2022, 36 patients with COVID-19 were selected and randomly divided into three groups. Next, the severity of cough was recorded two hours before the intervention based on the visual analogue (VAS) in both groups until the patient was admitted to the hospital, then, one cc aqueous extract of althaea officinalis with five cc Normal Saline for the althaea officinalis group and four cc aqueous extract eucalyptus whit five cc Normal Saline for the eucalyptus group, were nebulized once a day for 15 minutes. Two hours after the intervention, the intensity of cough was again recorded in two groups. This intervention continued until the hospitalization of the patients. No intervention was done for the control group. The data was analyzed with Spss software at a significance level of less than 0.05.

Results: In this study before the intervention, there was no statistically significant difference between the three groups in terms of cough intensity (p>0.05), but after the intervention on the second and third days, there was a statistically significant difference between the three groups in terms of cough intensity. The rate of reduction in cough severity in althaea officinalis group was higher than the other two groups (p<0.05). Also, the results of Friedman's test indicated that althaea officinalis and eucalyptus nebulizers incense improved the severity of cough in patients over time.
Conclusion: the use of althaea officinalis and eucalyptus nebulizer improved the severity of cough in patients with COVID-19, but althaea officinalis nebulizer had a greater effect on cough severity compared to eucalyptus. It is suggested to use althaea officinalis nebulizer as well as eucalyptus as a treatment method along with other treatment methods.

Investigating the relationship between the type of delivery and neonatal and maternal outcomes in public and private hospitals in Yazd

Fateme Moshirenia

Background: The type of delivery significantly affects a woman's life and her newborn's health. Various factors, including medical conditions, personal preferences, and cultural influences, shape this decision. Increasing cesarean delivery rates have raised concerns about associated risks. This study examines the health impacts of different delivery types on mothers and newborns in Yazd hospitals, with a focus on maternal and neonatal outcomes.
Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study involved a substantial cohort of 69,321 mothers who delivered in Yazd between March 21, 2018 to March 20, 2022. Comprehensive data were collected from Iman Hospital and relevant online patient records. To analyze the relationship between delivery type and health outcomes, independent samples t test and chi-square test were utilized. Additionally, odds ratios were calculated to assess relative risks concerning various maternal and neonatal outcomes. SPSS 26 software was employed for all analyses, with a significance level set at 5% to ensure robustness in the findings.

Results: The average age of participants in the study was 34.45±6.44 years, highlighting a mature population of mothers. Neonatal outcomes indicated that babies delivered naturally were more likely to have unfavorable Apgar scores (ranging from four to six) when compared to infants delivered via cesarean section (CI=0.99-1.55, P=0.05, OR=1.24). Furthermore, naturally delivered infants showed a significantly higher likelihood of having Apgar scores below six (CI=0.90-1.03, P=0.001). Alarmingly, the odds of neonatal death were found to be 1.22 times higher for cesarean births (CI=1.19-1.25, P<0.001). Additionally, mothers who underwent cesarean deliveries exhibited nearly a 4.9 times higher likelihood of requiring intensive care after delivery (CI=4.71-5.12, P<0.001, OR=4.9) and were 14.3 times more likely to be hospitalized postoperatively compared to those who had natural deliveries (CI=3.53-1.31, P<0.001, OR=14.33).
Conclusion: This study indicates that cesarean delivery is associated with higher complications for both mothers and newborns, highlighting the need to promote natural childbirth for better health outcomes.

Evaluation of maternal and neonatal out come in twin or multiple births in Imam Khomeini Hospital of Ahwaz

Fatemeh Beitsayah

Background: Maternal and neonatal complications in twin and multiple pregnancies are higher than in singleton pregnancies. The purpose of this study is to investigate maternal and neonatal outcomes in twin or multiple births.
Methods: In this descriptive and analytical study, 266 pregnant women with twins and multiples were selected in a goal-based manner who had medical records in Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ahwaz from March 2020 to March 2022. This study is based on the purpose of selection and then the required information was extracted from the archive department of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ahwaz. A two-part checklist was used to collect data, and then the collected information was analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistical tests.

Results: The observations of this study show that the highest frequency of the total number of births is from March 2020 to March 2021 (6729 people), while the highest ratio of the number of twin or multiple births to the total number of births is from March 2021 to March 2022 (4.63 percent). The frequency of stillbirths is the highest from March 2021 to March 2022 (62.96 percent). There is a significant difference in fetal complications of twin and multiple births, premature birth, low birth weight and intrauterine growth delay between twin and multiple births (P-value<0.05) and for fetal anomaly and death from March 2021 to March 2022. Comparison of the two years under study shows no significant difference was observed between twin and multiple births (P-value>0.05). Pre-eclampsia was observed in 7.8 percent for twin births and 6 percent for multiple births, which statistically has no significant difference between them (P-value=0.331) and for diabetes, placental abruption and placenta Previa. There is a significant difference between twin and multiple births (P-value<0.05).
Conclusion: The frequency of multiple pregnancy shows an increase compared to previous studies in Iran, and prevention of premature birth and careful monitoring of the fetus can improve the outcome of twin or multiple births.

Creation of the suitable natural human kidney scaffold: comparison of 2 decellularization methods

Mohammad Aslzare

Background: A range of diseases can result in end-stage renal disease (ESRD), characterized by a gradual decline in kidney function and associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Currently, renal transplantation as the most effective treatment for managing ESRD. Tissue engineering presents a considerable opportunity to expand the available supply of donor organs for kidney transplants. The aim of this research was to develop a suitable technique for preparing decellularized kidney scaffolds from human tissues.
Methods: The present study was carried out from April 2019 to August 2019 in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. In this study, two decellularization protocols were compared using sections of human kidney tissue. Therefore, two human kidneys which collected from Ghaem and Imam Reza hospitals were used. In the first protocol, detergents such as 1% Triton X-100 (1A) and 1% SDS (Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate) (1B) were employed, followed by the application of DNase I. The second protocol utilized 0.5% SDS (2A) and 1% SDS (2B). The effectiveness of these techniques was evaluated using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI), DNA quantification, and immunohistochemistry (IHC).

Results: Based on H&E staining results, comparison of the decellularized and native human kidney tissues showed a successful elimination of cell nuclei and the ameliorate extracellular matrix preservation in triton-treated scaffolds (1A) in comparison with the SDS-treated scaffolds (1B) at all times protocols. Furthermore, DNA quantification illustrated triton X-100 in removing DNA was more effective in eliminating DNA from kidney tissues compared to other protocols in renal tissues. In addition, IHC staining demonstrated that the expression of collagen IV and laminin was preserved throughout the decellularization process with Triton X-100 on day fifth. Also, IHC staining indicated human leukocyte antigen (HLA) was completely eliminated in the cortex-medulla of human scaffolds treated with Triton X-100 within day fifth.
Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that triton X-100 outperformed SDS as a detergent for decellularizing human kidneys. Meanwhile these results indicate suitable method for decellularization of human kidneys to produce functional kidneys.

Comparative clinical and epidemiological analysis of waves during the corona epidemic based on a university surveillance system

Pezhman Bagheri

Background: COVID-19 is one of the most recent known human infections that has resulted in a global pandemic, causing high rates of morbidity and mortality worldwide. This study evaluated the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the waves of the corona epidemic within a university surveillance system in southern Iran.
Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 24,132 individuals with Covid-19 in the registered waves from the beginning of the Corona epidemic from March 2020 to March 2021 in one of the southern universities of Iran. Information on age, gender, number of infections, severity, hospitalization, recovery rate, dominant strain, and compliance with protocols separately for each wave from 2020 to 2021 was collected from the University's databases. After calculating the cumulative incidence rate, mean and standard deviation and drawing graphs, chi-square, Mann-Whitney and one-way ANOVA were used in SPSS26 at a significance level of 5%.

Results: The cumulative incidence of the disease was 11.36%, with a relative frequency of hospitalization at 11.7% and an average hospital stay of Seven days. The highest percentage of protocol compliance was applied in the initial waves. The highest frequency of infection was in the third wave, where men were more infected than women in all waves except the 4th and 5th waves. High blood pressure was the most common underlying disease in patients and the most lung involvement was observed in the fifth wave. Most of the patients have recovered, and the highest rate of recovery was observed in the sixth wave. Significant associations were found between hospitalization duration, underlying conditions, and clinical symptoms across different waves (P<0.001). Systemic symptoms were the most common, and there was a notable difference in radiological findings between waves (P<0.001).
Conclusion: The findings of this study emphasize the significant impact of underlying diseases and the severity of clinical symptoms on hospitalization outcomes. They also highlight the need for appropriate evidence-based management strategies and consideration of clinical changes and radiological patterns when evaluating diseases in different groups.

Effect of maternal death on number of childbirths in the only hospital of a city: a letter to editor

Amin Daemi