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Objective: The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is a highly transmittable and pathogenic viral infection, causes severe acute respiratory syndrome and was spread throughout the world in early 2020. The effects of vitamin and micronutrient supplements on the prevention and treatment of COVID- 19 seems challenging in scientific considerations. On the other side generally, experts warn against over-consumption of these supplements. Materials and methods: This study aimed to investigate the vitamin and micronutrient supplementation usage pattern in past history of patients with COVID-19 via a cross-sectional inquiry. Totally 510 patients referring to the infectious disease clinic of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran from March 2020 to May 2020 were recruited. The inclusion criterion was suspected patients for COVID-19 based on clinical findings and CT scans of the lung. The infected patients included both inpatients (171) and outpatients (339). Demographic information, clinical signs, and the supplement pattern use were collected through a questionnaire and the data were statistically analyzed. Results: Vitamin D3 intake was reported in 30% (103 patients) of outpatients and 16.5% (28 patients) of hospitalized patients, which is statistically significant (P=0.001). It shows that, the frequency of vitamin D3 consumption in the outpatient group was higher than inpatient group. This significant difference has also been shown in zinc consumption, in 29 patients (9%) outpatients versus 4 patients (2%) inpatients were reported (P=0.007). Multi nominal regression showed that vitamin D3 intake has a supportive effect and reduces the risk of exacerbation and worsening of the disease. (OR=0.291; 95% CI 0.102-.0834, P=0.022). Conclusion: According to the results of the present study and the findings of other studies, considering the supportive effect of vitamin D3 in reducing the severity of infectious diseases; Clinical trials with an appropriate sample size are recommended to investigate the functional role of this vitamin in improving viral diseases of the respiratory tract.

Background Cervical cancer is one of the most common malignancies among women. Appropriate and timely treatment of these patients can reduce the complications and increase their survival. The objective of this study was to compare neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus radical hysterectomy (NACTRH) and chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) in patients with bulky cervical cancer (stage IB3 & IIA2). Material and methods The medical records of patients with bulky cervical cancer (stage IB3 & IIA2) that received NACTRH or CRT between 2007 and 2017 were evaluated for therapeutic effects. Demographic characteristics, complications of chemo-radiotherapy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy, were collected in a researcher-made questionnaire. Our primary outcome was comparison of overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS) between two groups receiving NACTRH and CRT modalities. Results One-hundred and twenty three patients were enrolled in the study. The median age and the proportion of patients with stage IIA2 were higher in the CRT group compared to the NACTRH group (p P = 0.003). There were 16 (34.8%) and 22 (43.1%) recurrences in the NACTRH and CRT group, respectively (P = 0.4). The median (95% CI) DFS was 4.5 (3.88–5.12) years in the NACTRH group and 3.6 (2.85–4.35) years in the CRT group (P = 0.004). The 3-year OS rate in NACTRH and CRT groups were 97 and 90% respectively. The 3-year DFS rate in NACTRH and CRT groups were 88 and 66% respectively. Conclusions NACTRH is associated with a higher OS and DFS compared to CRT.

Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with poorer outcomes in some cancers. Its effect on ovarian cancer is less clear. We consider the effect of DM on overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Methods A retrospective cohort study of 215 patients with EOC diagnosed between 2009 and 2016 was performed. Records were reviewed for standard demographic, pathologic and DM diagnosis data. Cox regression was used to evaluate the relationship between disease status and survival after adjustment for age, body mass index (BMI), parity, stage, grade, histology, debulking status, hypertension (HTN), menopause status and neoadjuant chemotherapy. Results Patients with DM (27.97, 95%CI: 23.63 to 32.30) had a significantly shorter OS rates compared to patients without DM (41.01, 95%CI: 38.84 to 43.17). The unadjusted hazard ratio (HR) for the association between OS time and DM was 4.76 (95%CI: 2.99 to 7.59, P

Context: Given the importance of learning from both cognitive and non-cognitive aspects of development in medical science education, the selection of appropriate educational strategies is a key structural issue. The jigsaw method is used in cooperative learning to improve cognitive and non-cognitive skills. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the status of the jigsaw method as a cooperative learning technique. Methods: This was a review and meta-analysis, in which relevant studies were identified through electronic database searching using specific keywords. The inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis were experimental and quasi-experimental studies. The intervention involved the comparison of the jigsaw method to other methods, and various cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes were assessed. The meta-analysis to determine the summary estimation using comprehensive meta-analysis software was performed using the fixed model method. The heterogeneity of the studies was evaluated based on the I2 index. Results: From the extracted studies (n = 682) with various stages of investigation in the target databases and exclusion of the repetitive cases, 10 articles were selected based on the inclusion criteria, and seven articles with common outcomes were selected for the meta-analysis. The summary estimate of 1.29 (95% CI: 1.07 - 1.51) was calculated, and many outcomes were individually interpreted. Conclusions: The national literature review indicated that the jigsaw method is rarely used in medical education. Considering the impact of this approach on cognitive and non-cognitive skills, the necessary cooperative learning approaches should be developed in the medical education system.