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Abstract Background SARS-CoV-2 caused an outbreak in late December 2019. It has been suggested that gut microbiota dysbiosis influences the severity, mortality, and quality of life of patients with COVID-19. So, identifying the gut microbiota pattern could be helpful to determine the prognosis of the disease, and maybe determine some potential treatment approaches. Our aim will be to compare gut microbiota patterns between patients with severe or non-severe COVID-19, and healthy controls. Methods We will include 183 samples: 122 samples from COVID-19 patients, including 61 severe patients and 61 non-severe patients, and 61 samples from healthy controls. Total bacterial DNA will be extracted from samples and 16 S rRNA gene will be amplified through two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) stages. Fecal samples will be analyzed using a targeted metabolomics technique. The differences in each RNA or DNA expression between patients with severe COVID-19, patients with non-severe COVID-19, and controls will be compared. Also, we will assess the relationships between each DNA or RNA and the risk of COVID-19 severity, sort of clinical manifestations, and comorbidities. Concurrent medication data will be collected and patients will also be grouped based on their drug history. Results We hypothesize that the gut microbiota composition will be affected by the COVID-19 severity and there might be differences in terms of sex and age. Conclusions The results of our study could be the backbone for further trials which might lead to the development of prognostic factors and treatment options. Further studies can also consider the limitations of the study like potential confounders and selection and recall biases.

Opioid use accelerates normal aging in adults that raises a question on whether it may trans-generationally affect aging and aging biomarkers in the offspring of users as well? In the present research, we investigated the relative telomere length in umbilical cord blood of newborns born to opioid consuming mothers compared to normal controls. Telomere length shortening is a known biomarker of aging and aging related diseases. Its measure at birth or early in life is considered as a predictor of individual health in adulthood. Here, we performed a case-control study to investigate whether maternal opioid use affects newborns relative telomere length (RTL). 57 mother-newborn dyads were included in this study, 30 neonates with opioid using mothers (OM), and 27 with not-opioid using mothers (NOM)). RTL was measured in leukocyte cells genomic DNA using real-time PCR. The correlation of maternal opioid use with neonates telomer length was assessed using logistic regression analysis. The results displayed a significant association between odds ratio of long RTL and maternal opioid use when sensitivity analysis was performed by neonate sex; where the data indicates significantly increased odds ratio of long leukocyte RTL in association with maternal opioid use in male neonates only. Further work is necessary to assess this association in larger samples and test the potential underlying mechanisms for this observation.

Background and Aim: Pulmonary hydatid disease, caused by Echinococcus granulosus , presents significant clinical challenges, particularly in pediatric populations. Surgical intervention remains the gold standard for treatment, with various techniques employed, including capitonnage and non-capitonnage methods. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates the efficacy and safety of capitonnage compared to non-capitonnage techniques in children., Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis followed the PRISMA guidelines to ensure methodological rigor. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases to identify relevant studies. To assess pooled event rates and corresponding 95% confidence intervals for both complications and cure rates, we employed a random-effects model, allowing for variability among study populations. All statistical analyses were conducted using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software (version 3.7)., Results: Thirteen studies met the established inclusion criteria for analysis. The overall complication rate was 46%, with significantly lower rates in the capitonnage group (24%) compared to the non-capitonnage group (58%). The cure rate was higher in the capitonnage group (83.5%) than in the non-capitonnage group (65.2%). Meta-regression analysis indicated that complication rates were influenced by cyst diameter, study publication date, mean age, and type of surgery., Conclusion: The findings suggest that capitonnage is associated with better outcomes in terms of lower complication rates and higher cure rates. This evidence supports the use of capitonnage as a preferred surgical technique for managing pulmonary hydatid disease in children. Further research is recommended to explore the long-term outcomes and potential benefits of combining surgical and pharmacological treatments., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest. There are no financial or personal relationships that could inappropriately influence or bias the content of the research., (© 2024 The Author(s). Health Science Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)