Infectious Disorders Drug Targets

INTRODUCTION: Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks have been among the cornerstones of COVID-19 prevention. Therefore, evaluating their preventive effects against COVID-19 is crucial. This review aimed to systematically search for the systematic review articles that explored the role of various types of face masks in preventing COVID-19. METHODS: We browsed the keywords of this study in the online databases of Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane on 10th January 2023 and retrieved all the relevant systematic review articles...

INTRODUCTION: The objective of the study was to determine T-cell subtypes, Natural Killer cell activity and cytokines in COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate disease and compare them between patients who had recovered and those who had progressed to severe disease. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples of COVID-19 patients were collected at the time of hospital admission and after one week. These samples were analysed for interleukins (IL-6, IL-17a) using chemiluminescence ELISA...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

INTRODUCTION: Toxin-antitoxin systems (TAs) are highly conserved in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). The TAs role in maintaining and disseminating drug resistance in bacterial populations has been indicated. So, we aimed to analyze the expression level of MazEF-related genes in drug-susceptible and multi drug-resistant (MDR) Mtb isolates under isoniazid (INH) and rifampin (RIF) stress. METHODS: We obtained 23 Mtb isolates, including 18 MDR and 5 susceptible isolates, from the Ahvaz Regional TB Laboratory collection...

BACKGROUND: At the beginning of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) was widely used as a possible antiviral agent. Current knowledge indicates that HCQ has little or no effect on individual clinical outcomes of COVID-19, but populational effects on disease transmissibility are still unknown. OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the hypothesis that massive HCQ consumption by a population may contribute to reducing the transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 spread by reducing the viral load of infected individuals...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Bacterial persister cells are quiescent, slow-growing or growth-arrested phenotypic variants of normal bacterial cells that are transiently tolerant to antibiotics. It seems that persister cells are the main cause of the recurrence of various chronic infections. Stress response (RpoS-mediated), toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems, inhibition of ATP production, reactive oxygen species (ROS), efflux pumps, bacterial SOS response, cell-to-cell communication and stringent response (ppGpp- mediated) are the primary potential mechanisms for persistence cell formation...

INTRODUCTION: E. faecium and E. faecalis are the common species of Enterococcus responsible for the majority of infections. Earlier, species other than the common ones were usually unidentified and reported as Enterococcus species. However, modern equipment, like MALDI-TOF and VITEK2, have been utilitarian, helping us to identify the previously unidentified species. E. hirae is an organism seldom reported to cause human infections. Here, we report a case of a biliary tract infection in a female patient with cholangiocarcinoma caused by E...

Remdesivir has appeared to be the most effective medication against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and is broadly administered to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients around the world. Remdesivir is an RNA polymerase inhibitor with a broad spectrum of antiviral activities against RNA viruses in in-vitro and in-vivo models of SARS-CoV, the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and SARS-CoV-2. Remdesivir is the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved anti-SARS-CoV-2 treatment for adult and pediatric patients and has been used for not hospitalized and have mild-to-moderate COVID-19, and are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous mucormycosis is an unusual fungal infection that continues to occur. It needs aggressive surgical debridement and timely administration of antifungals due to its high fatality rate. High clinical suspicion on the part of a surgeon is required to prevent the same. CASE PRESENTATION: We present two cases of cutaneous mucormycosis in which the patients succumbed to death, highlighting the seriousness of the condition. One patient had a lower leg ulcer and was diabetic, and the other patient had a gluteal abscess following an intramuscular injection...

SARS-CoV-2 causes mostly mild cases. However, a considerable number of patients develop fatal acute respiratory distress syndrome due to the cytokine storm and imbalanced immune response. Several therapies depending on immunomodulation have been used, including glucocorticoids and IL-6 blockers. However, their efficacy is not perfect with all patients and patients with concomitant bacterial infections and sepsis. Accordingly, studies on different immunomodulators, including extracorporeal techniques, are crucial to save this category of patients...

INTRODUCTION: Earlier reports described the possibility of higher SARS-CoV-2 infection and severity in patients with hematological malignancies. Given the importance and incidence of these malignancies, we aimed to systematically review SARS-CoV-2 infection and severity in patients with hematologic cancers. METHODS: We retrieved the relevant records by searching the keywords in online databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, and Scopus on December 31st , 2021...

BACKGROUND: Dermatophytosis has gained significant importance in recent years owing to increased incidence, more atypical lesions, changing mycological profile and growing antifungal resistance. Therefore, this study was planned to know the clinicomycological profile of dermatophytic infections in patients attending our tertiary care centre. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 700 patients with superficial fungal infections belonging to all age groups and both sexes were taken up for this cross-sectional study...

BACKGROUND: Hemorrhoid disease (HD) is an anal-rectal ailment that is commonly painful or may be painless and causes rectal bleeding with or without prolapsing anal tissue. It is generally associated with bleeding, prolapse, pruritus, and discomfort, which results in a diminished quality of life and well-being. OBJECTIVE: To highlight the recent developments in terms of safety, clinical efficacy, and marketed formulation for the effective management of hemorrhoids...

Monkeypox, a zoonotic orthopoxvirus, unintentionally infects humans and causes a condition resembling smallpox with noticeably reduced fatality. Despite the name monkeypox, the virus did not originate in monkeys. The virus has been linked to several rodents and small mammals, but the real source of monkeypox is still unknown. It was first noticed in macaque monkeys; hence it is named monkeypox. Although monkeypox transmission from person to person is extremely uncommon, it is frequently linked to respiratory droplets or close contact with mucocutaneous lesions of an infected person...

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance among gram-negative bacteria has been growing, particularly in developing countries, like Iran. The emergence and spread of carbapenem-resistance mechanisms is a major public health concern because no definite treatments have yet been established for this problem. This study aimed to evaluate antibiotic susceptibility of gram-negative bacteria, metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) and carbapenemase-producing genes, including bla NDM, bla VIM, and bla IMP in patients referred to Children's Medical Center, Tehran, Iran...

The monkeypox virus is a zoonotic illness with a tropical distribution in Africa, and around the world. The disease is spread through contact with infected animals or humans, and can also be spread from person to person through close contact with respiratory or bodily fluids. Fever, swollen lymph nodes, blisters, and crusted rashes characterize the disease. The incubation period is five to twenty-one days. It is difficult to distinguish the rash caused by infection from varicella and smallpox. Laboratory investigations are essential aspects of illness diagnosis and surveillance, and novel tests are required for more accurate and faster diagnosis...

INTRODUCTION: SARS-CoV-2 cause pneumonia can spread across the lung and lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in severe cases. Post-exposure prophylaxis has shown great potential to prevent the transmission of some viral infections; however, such results for COVID-19 are still inconclusive. METHODS: Therefore, the aim of this study was to systematically review the resources that utilized postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) for COVID-19 and the possible clinical benefits of such drugs...

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) induced coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has produced an unparalleled setback for the world's economy and health. One of the best therapies to significantly lower severe illness and mortality from SARS-CoV-2 infection is vaccination. Worldwide vaccination campaigns are being implemented. New-onset autoimmune problems, such as immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia, autoimmune liver disorders, IgA nephropathy, Guillain-Barré syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, and rheumatoid arthritis, have recently been described more frequently after receiving COVID-19 vaccine...