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Objective: To assess the risk of developing pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in accordance with prior history of COVID-19 infection., Background: Since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic much discussion has been had on the possible role it might play on global efforts to combat TB; most, focusing on the pandemic's impact on health care systems' capabilities to manage TB cases. Mechanisms have also been proposed by which the COVID-19 infection may directly affect individuals' chance of developing TB infection. Cases have been reported with a history of COVID-19 infection preceding a diagnosis of TB, evidencing its possible role as a risk factor for the disease., Methods: A case-control study was conducted enrolling patients diagnosed with pulmonary TB in the absence of major risk factors previous history of TB, (HIV) human immunodeficiency virus infection), end-stage renal disease, organ transplants, and use of immunosuppressive agents) for developing TB. Each patient was age and sex matched with one healthy control. Data regarding prior COVID-19 infection, diabetes, and smoking status as well as the use of corticosteroids and Tocilizumab for the treatment of COVID-19 infection was obtained. Bivariate analysis was conducted and variables with a likely association with TB status were entered in a multivariate model., Results: Bivariate analysis demonstrated a significant relationship between prior COVID-19 infection and TB (95% confidence interval = 1.1-22.8, odds ratio [OR] = 5). Among other variables the severity of COVID-19 infection was found to have a likely association with TB status (p = .125). In a multivariate model, prior COVID-19 infection per se, was not found to be significantly associated with TB (p = .12, OR = 4.5)., Conclusions: There seems to be an association between prior history of COVID-19 and a future diagnosis of TB partially linked to the severity of disease. The findings of the current study may serve as a basis for further studies to determine the need for and efficacy of measures to follow-up COVID-19 patients at an increased risk for developing TB., (© 2024 The Authors. Immunity, Inflammation and Disease published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background and Objectives: To explore the prevalence and characteristics of secondary bacterial infections among patients suffering from mucormycosis following COVID-19 infection. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, retrospective analysis from March 2020 to April 2022 at Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex in Tehran. The study included patients with histopathologically confirmed mucormycosis and documented secondary bacterial infections. We extracted and analyzed data from hospital records using SPSS software, version 26. Results: The study comprised 27 patients, with a predominance of females (70.4%) and an average age of 56 years. The majority of these patients (63%) had pre-existing diabetes mellitus. The severity of their COVID-19 infections varied. Treatment regimens included immunosuppressive drugs and antibiotics. Rhinocerebral mucormycosis was the most common form observed. The predominant secondary infections involved the urinary tract, respiratory system, bloodstream (bacteremia), and soft tissues, with resistant strains of Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae being the most frequently identified microorganisms. Notably, cases of bacteremia and pneumonia exhibited a higher mortality rate. Ultimately, 55.6% of patients were discharged, while 44.4% succumbed to their infections. Conclusion: Patients recovering from COVID-19 with mucormycosis are significantly susceptible to secondary bacterial infections, particularly those with diabetes mellitus or those undergoing immunosuppressive therapy. Such infections compound the morbidity and mortality risks in this vulnerable patient cohort.

Abstract Objective To assess the risk of developing pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in accordance with prior history of COVID‐19 infection. Background Since the advent of the COVID‐19 pandemic much discussion has been had on the possible role it might play on global efforts to combat TB; most, focusing on the pandemic's impact on health care systems' capabilities to manage TB cases. Mechanisms have also been proposed by which the COVID‐19 infection may directly affect individuals' chance of developing TB infection. Cases have been reported with a history of COVID‐19 infection preceding a diagnosis of TB, evidencing its possible role as a risk factor for the disease. Methods A case‐control study was conducted enrolling patients diagnosed with pulmonary TB in the absence of major risk factors previous history of TB, (HIV) human immunodeficiency virus infection), end‐stage renal disease, organ transplants, and use of immunosuppressive agents) for developing TB. Each patient was age and sex matched with one healthy control. Data regarding prior COVID‐19 infection, diabetes, and smoking status as well as the use of corticosteroids and Tocilizumab for the treatment of COVID‐19 infection was obtained. Bivariate analysis was conducted and variables with a likely association with TB status were entered in a multivariate model. Results Bivariate analysis demonstrated a significant relationship between prior COVID‐19 infection and TB (95% confidence interval = 1.1−22.8, odds ratio [OR] = 5). Among other variables the severity of COVID‐19 infection was found to have a likely association with TB status (p = .125). In a multivariate model, prior COVID‐19 infection per se, was not found to be significantly associated with TB (p = .12, OR = 4.5). Conclusions There seems to be an association between prior history of COVID‐19 and a future diagnosis of TB partially linked to the severity of disease. The findings of the current study may serve as a basis for further studies to determine the need for and efficacy of measures to follow‐up COVID‐19 patients at an increased risk for developing TB.

Abstract Background The clinical course of COVID-19 may vary significantly. The presence of comorbidities prolongs the recovery time. The recovery in patients with mild-to-moderate symptoms might take 10 days, while in those with a critical illness or immunocompromised status could take 15 days. Considering the lack of data about predictors that could affect the recovery time, we conducted this study to identify them. Methods This cross-sectional study was implemented in the COVID-19 clinic of a teaching and referral university hospital in Tehran. Patients with the highly suggestive symptoms who had computed tomography (CT) imaging results with typical findings of COVID-19 or positive results of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were enrolled in the study. Inpatient and outpatient COVID-19 participants were followed up by regular visits or phone calls, and the recovery period was recorded. Results A total of 478 patients were enrolled. The mean age of patients was 54.11 ± 5.65 years, and 44.2% were female. The median time to recovery was 13.5 days (IQR: 9). Although in the bivariate analysis, multiple factors, including hypertension, fever, diabetes mellitus, gender, and admission location, significantly contributed to prolonging the recovery period, in multivariate analysis, only dyspnea had a significant association with this variable (p = 0.02, the adjusted OR of 2.05; 95% CI 1.12–3.75). Conclusion This study supports that dyspnea is a predictor of recovery time. It seems like optimal management of the comorbidities plays the most crucial role in recovery from COVID-19.

Background and Objectives: To explore the prevalence and characteristics of secondary bacterial infections among patients suffering from mucormycosis following COVID-19 infection. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, retrospective analysis from March 2020 to April 2022 at Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex in Tehran. The study included patients with histopathologically confirmed mucormycosis and documented secondary bacterial infections. We extracted and analyzed data from hospital records using SPSS software, version 26. Results: The study comprised 27 patients, with a predominance of females (70.4%) and an average age of 56 years. The majority of these patients (63%) had pre-existing diabetes mellitus. The severity of their COVID-19 infections varied. Treatment regimens included immunosuppressive drugs and antibiotics. Rhinocerebral mucormycosis was the most common form observed. The predominant secondary infections involved the urinary tract, respiratory system, bloodstream (bacteremia), and soft tissues, with resistant strains of Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae being the most frequently identified microorganisms. Notably, cases of bacteremia and pneumonia exhibited a higher mortality rate. Ultimately, 55.6% of patients were discharged, while 44.4% succumbed to their infections. Conclusion: Patients recovering from COVID-19 with mucormycosis are significantly susceptible to secondary bacterial infections, particularly those with diabetes mellitus or those undergoing immunosuppressive therapy. Such infections compound the morbidity and mortality risks in this vulnerable patient cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: COVID-19 has led to the demand for finding effective antiviral agents. Preliminary experiments showed Umifenovir inhibit replication in vivo. There is limited data on the clinical efficacy of COVID-19-infected pneumonia. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate this medication based on clinical findings. Methods: The present study was designed to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of Umifenovir and compared to empirical treatments. For this purpose, multi-stage sampling was considered. 56 people who had mild-to-moderate symptoms without signs of pneumonia, were selected by accidental non-random sampling method and divided into two groups [(group A with Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and group B in combination with Umifenovir] by randomized block sampling (1:1). During the study, three patients left the case group. Their clinical signs and symptoms were evaluated on 3rd, 7th, and 14th day after taking these medicines in the disease course. The SPSS software was used for data analysis and the significance level was considered to be p<0.05. Results: On the seventh day after visiting the patients, there were statistically significant differences in recuperation dry cough (p=0.001), weakness (p=0.004), gastrointestinal symptoms (p=0.043) and shortness of breath (p=0.001) between the two groups so that group B patients (HCQ and Umifenovir) had a faster recovery. In patients treated with HCQ and Umifenovir compared to the control group, myalgia (p=0.03), gastrointestinal symptoms (p=0.047) and weakness (p=0.007) improved significantly earlier during the illness. Conclusion: Evaluation of the clinical findings in mild-to-moderate COVID-19 patients' symptoms was performed and it was shown that recuperation was faster in the group who received both HCQ and Umifenovir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]