Since Dec. 2019 the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has infected millions and claimed life of several hundred thousand worldwide. However, so far no approved vaccine or drug therapy is available for treatment of virus infection. Convalescent plasma has been considered a potential modality for COVID-19 infection. One hundred eighty-nine COVID-19 positive patients including 115 patients in plasma therapy group and 74 patients in control group, registered in the hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 infection, entered this multi-center clinical study. Comparison of outcomes including all-cause mortality, total hospitalization days and patients’ need for intubation between the two patient groups shows that total of 98 (98.2 %) of patients who received convalescent plasma were discharged from hospital which is substantially higher compared to 56 (78.7 %) patients in control group. Length of hospitalization days was significantly lower (9.54 days) in convalescent plasma group compared with that of control group (12.88 days). Only 8 patients (7%) in convalescent plasma group required intubation while that was 20 % in control group. This clinical study provides strong evidence to support the efficacy of convalescent plasma therapy in COVID-19 patients and recommends this treatment for management of these patients. Clinical efficacy, immediate availability and potential cost effectiveness could be considered as main advantages of convalescent plasma therapy.
Probiotics are live microbial food supplements or their components, which have been shown to have beneficial effects on human health. Probiotics can be bacteria, molds, or yeasts, but most of them fall into the group known as lactic acid bacteria and are normally consumed in the form of yogurt, fermented milk, or other fermented foods. Data from clinical trials have shown contrasting effects and should be interpreted with caution. A large variety of potential beneficial effects have been reported including improvement of intestinal tract health, enhancing the immune system, reducing symptoms of lactose intolerance, decreasing the prevalence of allergy in susceptible individuals, reducing risk of certain cancers, treating colitis, lowering serum cholesterol concentrations, reducing blood pressure in hypertensives, and improving female urogenital infections and Helicobacter pylori infections. The aim of this article is to present a review of the current expanding knowledge of applications of utilizing probiotic microorganisms in the prevention and treatment of several diseases.
Peptides are secreted by different cell types and are trendy therapeutic agents that have attracted attention for the treatment of several diseases such as infections. Antimicrobial peptides exert various mechanisms such as changing cell membrane permeability which leads to inhibition or death of bacterial cells. mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are key to produce antimicrobial peptides and to inhibit the growth of pathogens. These cells have been shown to be capable of producing antimicrobial peptides upon exposure to different bacteria. As a result, antimicrobial peptides can be considered as novel agents for the treatment of infectious diseases. The purpose of this review was to investigate the targets and mechanisms of antimicrobial peptides secreted by MSCs.
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