Highlights• The majority of cases were in the age group of 50 to 60 years of old.•A total of 2964 cases of COVID-19 were investigated. J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o fThe datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

p-Cymene [1-methyl-4-(1-methylethyl)-benzene] is a monoterpene found in over 100 plant species used for medicine and food purposes. It shows a range of biological activity including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, anxiolytic, anticancer and antimicrobial effects. This last property has been widely investigated due to the urgent need for new substances with antimicrobial properties, to be used to treat communicable diseases whose diffusion in developed countries has been facilitated by globalization and the evolution of antimicrobial resistance. This review summarizes available scientific data, as reported by the most recent studies describing the antimicrobial activity of p-cymene either alone, or as the main component of plant extracts, as well as addressing the mechanisms of action of cymenes as antimicrobial agents. While p-cymene is one of the major constituents of extracts and essential oils used in traditional medicines as antimicrobial agents, but considering the limited data on its in vivo efficacy and safety, further studies are required to reach a definitive recommendation on the use and beneficial effects of p-cymene in human healthcare and in biomedical applications as a promising candidate to functionalize biomaterials and nanomaterials.

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Chitosan is considered as a functional packaging component for maintaining the quality and increasing the shelf life of perishable foods include meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, and all cooked leftovers. The present study was conducted to evaluate edible coating of chitosan (2%) containing ethanolic extract of propolis (1% and 2%) on microbiological (mesophilic aerobic, psychrotrophic, lactic acid bacteria, coliforms, and Staphylococcus aureus counts), chemical (TBARS, TVN and Peroxide values) and sensory (odor, color, texture, taste, and overall acceptance) properties of chicken fillet. Microbial analysis showed that coating had a significant reducing effect on growth of bacteria during 12 days at 4 8C. Besides, the increase of TBARS, Total volatile nitrogen, and peroxide value of samples coated by chitosan and ethanolic extract of propolis was less than control group. According to our results, chitosan and propolis can be used to enhance the shelf life of fillet and maintain its quality. Practical applicationsPropolis is used for infections caused by bacteria, viruses, fungus, and by single-celled organisms called protozoans. Propolis is also used as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. Ethanol extract of propolis improve the properties of chitosan edible coating in chicken fillet preservation.The chitosan coating incorporated with ethanolic extract of propolis can improve the microbial, chemical, and sensory quality of food and enhance the shelf life of them by synergistic effects. K E Y W O R D Schitosan, fillet, propolis, shelf life

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Background:The differentiation of infected diabetic foot ulcers (IDFU) from non infected diabetic foot ulcers (NIDFU) is a challenging issue for clinicians.Objectives:Recently, procalcitonin (PCT) was introduced as a remarkable inflammatory marker. We aimed to evaluate the accuracy of PCT in comparison to other inflammatory markers for distinguishing IDFU from NIDFU.Materials and Methods:We evaluated PCT serum level as a marker of bacterial infection in patients with diabetic foot ulcers. Sixty patients with diabetic foot ulcers were consecutively enrolled in the study. A total of 30 patients were clinically identified as IDFU by an expert clinician, taking as criteria for purulent discharges or at least two of manifestations of inflammation including warmth, redness, swelling and pain.Results:Procalcitonin, white blood cells (WBCs), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP), were found significantly higher in the IDFU group compared to the NIDFU group. The best cut-off value, sensitivity and specificity were 40.5 mm/h, 90% and 94% for ESR, 7.1 mg/dL, 80% and 74% for CRP, 0.21, 70% and 74% for PCT, and 7.7×109/L, 66% and 67% for WBCs, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for ESR was the greatest (0.967; P < 0.001), followed by CRP (0.871; P < 0.001), PCT (0.729; P < 0.001), and finally WBCs (0.721; P = 0.001).Conclusions:These results suggest that PCT can be a diagnostic marker in combination with other markers like ESR and CRP to distinguish infected from non-infected foot ulcers, when clinical manifestations are un specific. Additional research is needed before the routine usage of PCT to better define the role of PCT in IDFU.