Efficacy and Tolerance of Thymus Vulgaris Extract in Patients with Covid-19

The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has been a pandemic since February 2020. So far, no effective treatment has been found. WHO has recommended research on medicinal plants as an alternative treatment course. Several studies conducted on Thymus vulgaris have established its antioxidant, antiviral and immunomodulatory properties that induce the elimination of viruses such as Herpes simplex Virus 1 and 2. Following this, we initiated a study entitled Efficacy and tolerance of Thymus vulgaris extract in patients with coronavirus 2019. Material and method: Thymus vulgaris powder was used in this study. A consent letter and a questionnaire about the patients’ symptoms were prepared to be used by a research investigator. According to the statistical calculations of this cohort study, 161 patients testing positive for COVID-19 PCR were consecutively recruited, of which 75 patients were not exposed to Thymus vulgaris and 86 patients were exposed. Information from the questionnaire was gathered from the patients before the initiation of conventional treatment (vitamin C 1000 1 tablet/day, Zinc 20 mg 1tablet/day, Azithromycin 500 1cp day and amoxicillin/clavulamic acid 1g/125 1 tablet per 12 hours for six days in both cohorts) and by combining Thymus vulgaris (1 teaspoon, i.e. 5g, in 100 ml of hot water to be taken every 8 hours) by the patients in the exposed cohort. After three days of this treatment, the evaluative part of the questionnaire was completed to assess the impact of taking or not taking Thymus vulgaris on early symptoms and tolerance; on the 10th day after the start of treatment, the PCR control test was carried out. Thereafter, the various statistical analyses were performed. Results: Statistical evaluation after three days of treatment shows that taking Thymus vulgaris has a statistically significant positive effect on cough (p <0.01), dyspnoea (p <0.001), dizziness (p <0.029), fatigue (p <0.001), anorexia (p <0.001), chest pain (p <0.001), fever (p <0.024), agueusia (p <0.029) and anosmia (p <0.001). There was a significant decrease in neutrophils (p <0.01); in addition, the lymphocyte count increased significantly (p <0.001) as did the serum calcium level (p <0.03). Blood urea level decreased significantly (p <0.01). Significant negative results of the COVID-19 PCR were obtained at Day 10 in the exposed group (p <0.001). In addition, there was no significant change in other biological parameters such as creatinine, blood glucose, aspartate amino transferase. Conclusion: Results of this study show that the use of the powder of Thymus vulgaris, a medicinal plant, with antioxidant, immunomodulatory and antiviral properties, was very effective on coronavirus-induced symptoms and virus elimination. Moreover, there was good tolerance after taking Thymus vulgaris.

Haematological and biochemical indices of camels fed some preferred forages

The study was aimed at investigating the hematological parameters and biochemical profile of camels fed some preferred forages in the Sudan Savannah ecological zone of Nigeria. A total of five healthy male camels were used in six feeding periods. The blood indices were determined at an interval of one week during the feeding period. The results show significantly (P<0.05) higher Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC). No significant difference (P>0.05) was recorded in neutrophils, amylase and cholesterol. Also, the blood urea level, total protein, serum globulin and albumin were affected significantly (P<0.05) by the experimental forages. It was however concluded that experimental forages could induce significant changes in the physiological responses of the dromedary camel blood without deleterious effect.

Overview of Ureum and Creatinine Levels in Hemodialysis Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic Kidney Disease is evident if the blood urea level is more than 200 mg/dl. Uremia causes a malfunction in almost all organ systems such as; fluid and electrolyte disorders, metabolic endocrine, neuromuscular, cardiovascular and pulmonary, skin, gastrointestinal, hematological, and immunological. Hemodialysis is an attempt to reduce the symptoms of uremia so that the patient's clinical condition can also improve. The purpose of this study was to determine the description of Ureum and Creatinine in CKD Patients undergoing Hemodialysis. This type of research is observational descriptive. The sample included all CKD patients undergoing hemodialysis at the Ir Sukarno Sukoharjo Regional Hospital in 2019 who met the inclusion criteria, so as many as 83 samples were obtained. The type of data is secondary data obtained from medical records. The results showed that most patients were in the 40-60 years age group of 72% and the majority of the male sex were 51 patients (61%). Urea and creatinine appearance in patients undergoing hemodialysis has increased very high. In 83 patients with CKD increased serum creatinine levels ( 100%) with a mean creatinine level in men of 11.80 mg / dL and women of 9.73 mg / dL and an increase in ureum levels with a mean of 167 men, 09 mg / dL and women of 164.39 mg / dL. This study concludes that all patients with CKD have increased levels of urea and creatinine by more than 100%.

Dietary Supplementation of a Yeast-Whey Preparation for Weaned Piglets

Weaning is a stressful period for the piglets and the sow. Stress during weaning is related to the change of diet which can affect the physiology of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as the microbial and immunological status of the animals. In the experiment a yeast-whey preparation was used to decrease the transient growth depression related to reduction of feed intake by the piglets. The piglets were assigned to three treatments. In the control group (I) the animals obtained standard feed mixture used routinely at the farm. In the case of piglets from II and III treatment, the yeast-whey preparation was added in the quantity of 4 and 7%, respectively.Application of 7% yeast-whey preparation to the diet significantly increased the body weight of piglets (p<0.05) and in consequence the average daily body weight gain (p<0.01) in comparison with the control group of animals. Additionally, piglets which were fed the yeast-whey preparation diet had a higher feed intake (p<0.05) and better feed conversion ratio (p<0.05) than those fed a diet without the addition of this preparation. No significant differences were stated for most biological parameters (p>0.05), except for the blood urea level, which was significantly lower (p<0.05) in the treatments where the yeast-whey preparation was used. These results indicated that yeast-whey preparation efficiently suppressed post-weaning diarrhea and improved the performance of the animals.

Gambaran Kadar Ureum Darah pada Ibu Hamil Trimester III di Rumah Sakit Robert Wolter Mongisidi Manado

Urea is waste product of protein breakdown metabolism. In the normal pregnancy, blood urea in pregnant women will decrease compared with in non-pregnant women due to physiological change of hematology, cardiovascular, and kidney hormonal in pregnancy. This study was aimed to obtain the blood urea profile of 3rd trimester of pregnancy. This was a descriptive study with a cross-sectional design, using total sampling technique. Subjects were 3rd trimester pregnant women who came to Robert Wolter Mongisidi Hospital Manado from October to November 2018. There were 39 subjects in this study. Blood urea examination showed that 39 subjects (100%) had normal blood urea levels. Conclusion: All 3rd trimester pregnant women had normal blood urea level.Keyword: blood urea level, pregnancy Abstrak: Urea adalah sisa-sisa produk metabolisme dari pemecahan protein. Pada kehamilan normal, kadar urea dalam darah akan menurun dibandingkan dengan yang tidak hamil disebabkan oleh perubahan fisiologik terutama hematologi, kardiovaskular, hormonal pada ginjal yang terjadi selama kehamilan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendapatkan gambaran kadar ureum darah pada ibu hamil trimester III. Jenis penelitian ialah deskriptif dengan desain potong lintang, dilaksanakan selama bulan Oktober – November 2018 di Rumah Sakit Robert Wolter Mongisidi Manado. Pengambilan sampel dilakukan menggunakan metode total sampling. Terdapat 39 ibu hamil trimester III sebagai subyek penelitian. Pada pemeriksaan kadar ureum didapatkan 39 subyek (100%) mempunyai kadar ureum normal. Simpulan: Kadar ureum darah pada semua ibu hamil trimester III dalam batas normal.Kata kunci: ureum, kehamilan

Gambaran kadar urea nitrogen darah pada vegetarian lacto-ovo

Protein is required to provide amino acids for nitrogen formation. Urea is the major disposal form of amino groups derived from amino acids. The nitrogen of urea is derived from amonia and aspartatedue to the action of five enzyme-catalyzed reactions of urea cycle. Concentration of urea in blood mainly describes the balance between formation of urea and protein catabolism as well as urea excretion by the kidneys. Vegetarian lacto-ovo is a type of vegetarians who does not consume animal proteins except for milk and eggs, and all plant proteins. This study aimed to obtain blood urea levels among lacto-ovo vegetarians. This was a descriptive study with a cross-sectional design. Respondents were obtained by using total sampling method. This study was coducted in Klabat University, Airmadidi. Twentyfive respondents were involved in the study. The results showed that 19 respondents (76.0%) had normal blood urea level and 6 respondents (20%) had low blood urea levels; no respondent (0%) had a high blood urea level. Conclusion: Blood urea levels of most lacto-ovo vegetarians were within normal level. Keyword: urea nitrogen, protein, lacto-ovo vegetarian Abstrak: Protein dibutuhkan untuk menyediakan asam amino yang akan digunakan untuk memroduksi senyawa nitrogen sebagai penggganti nitrogen yang telah dikeluarkan dari tubuh dalam bentuk urea. Urea merupakan produk akhir dari metabolisme nitrogen yang penting pada manusia yang disintesis dari amonia, dan aspartat melalui lima reaksi enzim-katalis dari siklus urea. Konsentrasi urea dalam darah terutama menggambarkan keseimbangan antara pembentukan urea dan katabolisme protein serta ekskresi urea oleh ginjal. Vegetarian lacto-ovo yaitu vegetarian yang tidak mengonsumsi sumber protein hewani selain susu, telur, dan juga mengonsumsi semua sumber protein nabati. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui gambaran kadar urea darah pada vegetarian lacto-ovo. Jenis penelitian ini deskriptif dengan desain potong lintang. Penelitian ini dilakukan di Universitas Klabat Airmadidi. Terdapat 25 responden yang diperoleh melalui total sampling. Hasil penelitian mendapatkan 19 responden (76,0%) dengan kadar urea darah normal dan 6 responden (20%) dengan kadar urea darah rendah; tidak ditemukan responden (0%) dengan kadar urea darah tinggi. Simpulan: Gambaran kadar urea nitrogen darah pada vegetarian lacto-ovo sebagian besar normal.Kata kunci: urea nitrogen, protein, vegetarian lacto-ovo

Comparative analysis of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in head and neck cancer and carcinoma cervix during concurrent chemoradiotherapy

Background: Cisplatin is widely used as radio sensitizer in head and neck cancer (HNC) and carcinoma cervix (CaCx). This study aims to see comparative nephrotoxicity of cisplatin in HNC and in CaCx without obstructive uropathy treated by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Materials and Methods: Fifty patients of HNC and 50 patients of CaCx stage II/III without obstructive uropathy were included in this study. Cisplatin 50 mg intravenous weekly was given before EBRT with adequate hydration and premedication in both groups. Before chemotherapy; blood urea, serum creatinine, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were measured. GFR was measured using 99m Tc diethylene triamine pentacaetic acid (DTPA) renogram study. Results: At the end of 4 th week, blood urea level 41-45 mg% was in 40 and 4% in HNC and CaCx, respectively (P = 0.018). At the end of 3 rd and 4 th week, blood urea level >45 mg% was 10 and 6% in HNC cases, respectively. At the end of 4 th week, serum creatinine level 1.1-1.5 mg% was 50 and 8% in HNC and CaCx, respectively (P = 0.047). Serum creatinine level >1.5 mg% was 6, 8, and 22% in HNC at the end of 2 nd , 3 rd , and 4 th week, respectively. GFR <80 ml/min at the end of 4 th week was 14% in HNC and only 2% in CaCx. GFR <100ml/min was significant at the end of 4 th week (P = 0.04). Univariate analysis showed significant relation between reduced oral fluid intake and reduced GFR (P < 0.001). Conclusion: In HNC, during concurrent chemoradiation, as the 3 rd -4 th week is reached, oral mucosal reactions increase and affect oral intake which further add to the cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. In CaCx without obstructive uropathy, renal function impairment is less severe as oral intake of water and liquid is not much impaired.

Blood cell and metabolic profile of Nellore bulls and their correlations with residual feed intake and feed conversion ratio

Due to the potential metabolic changes related to the residual feed intake (RFI), this study investigated the correlation of traditional RFI (RFI1), RFI adjusted for final rump fat thickness (RFI2) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) with the metabolic and blood profiles, as well as determined the possible different classes of RFI1 and RFI2. For this purpose, 46 Nellore bulls, 22 month-old and 411kg of weight at the beginning of the study were used. The animals were fed with the same diet for 84 days, and blood samples were collected every 21 days for evaluation of serum metabolites and blood cell profiles. No significant correlations were found between FCR and metabolic or blood traits, although there was a significant correlation between RFI1 and urea serum concentration. There were also differences between the RFI classes for creatinine, in which more efficient animals showed higher values. The RFI2 did not correlate with any metabolic and blood cell variable, but young bulls with smaller RFI2 had a smaller number of eosinophils when compared to animals with higher RFI2. These results suggest that animals with a high RFI can have greater energy expenditure due to protein synthesis and degradation process, resulting in a larger blood urea level.