Microbial infection and cancer are two leading causes of global mortality. Discovering and developing new therapeutics with better specificity having minimal side-effects and no drug resistance are of an immense need. In this regard, cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMP) with dual antimicrobial and anticancer activities are the ultimate choice. For better efficacy and improved stability, the AMPs available for treatment still required to be modified. There are several strategies in which AMPs can be enhanced through, for instance, nano-carrier application with high selectivity and specificity enables researchers to estimate the rate of drug delivery to a particular tissue. In this review we present the biology and modes of action of AMPs for both anticancer and antimicrobial activities as well as some modification strategies to improve the efficacy and selectivity of these AMPs.
Graphical Abstract
Live and nonpathogenic microorganisms are called probiotics which are proved to be beneficial for their host. They play a key role on treatment and inhibition of infectious and non-infectious diseases. Since cancer is considered the main cause of death worldwide, it is important to find some strategies for reducing the side effects of chemotherapy. One of the key characteristics of probiotics is their role in treatment and recovery of different kinds of cancers by secondary metabolites which are produced by them. Up to date, different species of probiotics affecting cancer treatment have been explored. In this review, the relationship between probiotics and treatment of different diseases like cancers are investigated in order to use these crucial microorganisms in treatment of different neoplastic diseases.
Purpose:
Since the outbreak in late December 2019 in Wuhan, China, coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic. We analyzed and compared the clinical, laboratory, and radiological characteristics between survivors and non-survivors and identify risk factors for mortality.
Methods:
This single-center study was conducted at Hospital for COVID-19 patients in Kashan, Iran. Inpatients with confirmed COVID-19 were included. Clinical and laboratory variables, radiological features, complications were collected. Patients were classified as the discharged or survivor group and the death or non-survivor group based on their outcome (improvement or death). Clinical, Epidemiological characteristics, as well as laboratory parameters, were extracted from electronic medical records. Cox regression analysis was conducted to identify the risk factors for mortality. Significant level was set as 0.05 in all analyses.
Results:
Multiple Cox regression showed age (HR 1.028; 95% CI 1.016–1.039), LDH (HR 1.0004; 95% CI 1.0002–1.001), AST (HR 1.002; 95% CI 1.001–1.004) and BUN (HR 1.008; 95% CI 1.004–1.012) as factors associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality.
Conclusion:
The current study showed that higher mortality was significantly associated with age, LDH, AST and BUN. Assessing risk factors of the disease could be helpful for clinicians to detect the risk of disease progression, to perform proper intervention earlier to get the best therapeutic outcome.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.