Wound healing is known as one of the most complicated biological processes for injured skin caused by surgical, trauma, burns, or diabetic diseases, which causes a nonfunctioning mass of fibrotic tissue. Recent reports have suggested that exosomes (EXOs) secreted by this type of stem cells may contribute to their paracrine effect. In this study, the EXOs were isolated from the supernatant of cultured adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) via ultracentrifugation and filtration. The EXO loaded in the alginate-based hydrogel was used as a bioactive scaffold to preserve the EXO in the wound site in the animal model. The physical and biochemical properties of EXO loaded Alg hydrogel were characterized and results proved that fabricated structure was biodegradable and biocompatible. This bioactive wound dressing technique has significantly improved wound closure, collagen synthesis, and vessel formation in the wound area. Results offer a new viewpoint and a cell-free therapeutic strategy, for wound healing through the application of the composite structure of EXO encapsulated in alginate hydrogel. K E Y W O R D S adipose-derived stem cells, alginate based hydrogel, exosomes, wound dressing, wound healing

Aim To describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics along with outcomes of hospitalized Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with and without diabetes. Methods This retrospective, single-center study included 595 consecutive hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 at Baqiyatallah Hospital in Tehran, Iran, from February 26, 2020 to March 26, 2020. Demographic data, clinical, laboratory, and radiological findings were collected and compared between patients based on diabetes status. Complications and clinical outcomes were followed up until April 4, 2020. Results From among the 595 hospitalized patients with COVID-19, the median age was 55 years and 401 (67.4%) were male. The most common symptoms included fever (419 [70.4%]), dry cough (368 [61.8%]) and dyspnea (363 [61%]). A total of 148 patients (24.9%) had diabetes, and compared with patients without diabetes, these patients had more comorbidities (eg, hypertension [48.6% vs. 22.3%; P < 0.001]); had higher levels of white blood cell count, neutrophil count, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and blood urea nitrogen, and had a higher proportion of patchy ground-glass opacity in chest computed tomography findings (52.7% vs. 25.7%; P < 0.001). Significantly, patients with diabetes had more complications and needed more respiratory support than those without diabetes ( P < 0.001). At the end of the follow-up, treatment failure and death was significantly higher in patients with diabetes compared to those without diabetes (17.8% vs. 8.7%; P = 0.003). Conclusion COVID-19 patients with diabetes are at a higher risk of complications and a higher in-hospital mortality during hospitalization. Diabetes status of COVID-19 patients and frequent monitoring of glycemia would be helpful to prevent deteriorating clinical conditions.

Methimazole is used as an antithyroid drug to control the symptoms of hyperthyroidism and maintain patients in a euthyroid state. Administration of this drug is associated with agranulocytosis and hepatotoxicity, which are the two most significant adverse effects. The present investigation was conducted to study the protective role of taurine against cytotoxicity induced by methimazole and its proposed reactive intermediary metabolite, N-methylthiourea, in an in vitro model of isolated rat hepatocytes.At different points in time, markers such as cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial membrane potential, and hepatocyte glutathione content were evaluated.Treating hepatocytes with methimazole resulted in cytotoxicity characterized by the reduction in cell viability, an increase in ROS formation and lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial membrane potential collapse, and a reduction in cellular glutathione content. Furthermore, a significant amount of oxidized glutathione (GSSG) was formed when rat hepatocytes were treated with methimazole. N-methylthiourea toxicity was accompanied by a reduction in cellular GSH content, but no significant changes in lipid peroxidation, ROS formation, GSSG production, or changes in mitochondrial membrane potential were detected. Administration of taurine (200 μM) effectively reduced the toxic effects of methimazole or its metabolite in isolated rat hepatocytes.

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Methimazole and propylthiouracil have been used in the management of hyperthyroidism for more than half a century. However, hepatotoxicity is one of the most deleterious side effects associated with these medications. The mechanism(s) of hepatic injury induced by antithyroid agents is not fully recognized yet. Furthermore, there are no specific tools for predicting the occurrence of hepatotoxicity induced by these drugs. The purpose of this article is to give an overview on possible susceptibility factors in liver injury induced by antithyroid agents. Age, gender, metabolism characteristics, alcohol consumption, underlying diseases, immunologic mechanisms, and drug interactions are involved in enhancing antithyroid drugs-induced hepatic damage. An outline on the clinically used treatments for antithyroid drugs-induced hepatotoxicity and the potential therapeutic strategies found to be effective against this complication are also discussed.