Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections may be associated with a wide range of bacterial and fungal co-infections. We report the case of a patient with COVID-19 infection, which, during the course of the treatment, developed rhino-orbital mucormycosis. A 60- year-old male patient, a longstanding diabetic, with a positive reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was admitted for treatment. He received parenteral meropenem and oral oseltamivir with parenteral methylprednisolone. Over the course of the admission, he developed signs of orbital cellulitis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain, orbits, and paranasal sinuses, revealed soft tissue swelling in the right preseptal, malar, premaxillary and retrobulbar regions with paranasal sinusitis. A nasal biopsy revealed broad aseptate filamentous fungal hyphae suggestive of mucormycosis, which was confirmed on culture. Extensive use of steroids/monoclonal antibodies/broad-spectrum antibiotics may lead to the development/exacerbation of a preexisting fungal disease. Physicians should be aware of the possibility of secondary invasive fungal infections in patients with COVID-19 infection.

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Breast cancer is the most common neoplasm affecting women in the western world with an average frequency of 1 in 11, developing the malignancy and it is second most common cancer in India. Variations in serum levels of biochemical parameters especially alkaline phosphatase (ALP) changes may be of great help in diagnosis of breast carcinoma. Serum ALP activity was assayed in 388 histopathologically proven breast cancer patients using spectrophotometric methods and monitored association with cancer stages. Breast cancer is a female-biased disease and our study was conducted in a group of female patients with mean age of 48.67 ± 8.32 years. A significant increase in levels of ALP (809.65 ± 145.97 IU/L) was observed in stage IV of the disease. The logistic regression study gave a significant result (P < 0.001) when we compared the group of ALP level (>500 IU/L) with metastatic presentation. The present study besides being cost effective suggested the usefulness of ALP in differentiating breast cancer stages and metastasis.

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The higher prevalence of severe obesity among Indian population was associated with BC. The only alteration apart from early diagnosis is opting for a more natural lifestyle that will affect energy equilibrium and prove to be a viable option for prevention in carcinoma of breast for better survival.

Macroalgae have evolved different strategies to mitigate the damaging effects of solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR), including accumulation of photoprotective compounds such as mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs). MAAs are secondary metabolites, synthesized by a large variety of organisms including macroalgae, phytoplanktons, cyanobacteria, lichen, fungi and some marine animals. MAAs act as photoprotectants and antioxidants. In the present investigation, MAAs profile of methanolic extracts of two marine red algae Gelidium sp. and Ceramium sp., collected from their natural environment, was studied. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and UV-Vis spectrometry analyses were used to reveal different MAAs profile in the extracts obtained from these two red algae. The MAAs isolated by HPLC were identified as shinorine (λmax= 333.5 nm), porphyra-334 (λmax=332.3 nm) and palythine (λmax=317.9 nm) having retention times (RT) 1.26, 2.12 and 3.64 min, respectively, in the extract obtained from Gelidium sp. Similarly, shinorine (λmax=332.3 nm), porphyra-334 (λmax=333.5 nm) and palythinol (λmax=332.5 nm) with RT 1.27, 2.13 and 4.61 min, respectively, were identified in the extract obtained from Ceramium sp. This study revealed that Gelidium sp. and Ceramium sp. could serve as potential source for economical exploration of MAAs in pharmaceutical sciences.

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