<strong>Background:</strong> Recently, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been affected by the extreme acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and has developed important global health a...<strong>Background:</strong> Recently, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been affected by the extreme acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and has developed important global health anxiety. At this time, the treatment options for this disease are only moderately successful. Smoking has been related to COVID-19 and its mortality, and it has the potential to affect bacteriological and viral conversion, clinical effects, and treatment outcomes. <strong>Methods:</strong> The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between critical essential trace {zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), and copper (Cu)} and toxic {cadmium (Cd) and nickel (Ni)} elements in human biological samples such as scalp hair, serum, saliva, blood, nasal fluid, and sputum of smoking and nonsmoking male COVID-19 patients (n = 139, age range 25 - 38 years) from Hyderabad, Pakistan. For comparative purposes, the biological specimens of referent persons (n = 83), pulmonary Tuberculosis (T.B) patients (n = 67), Pneumonia (n = 56) of the same age groups were also be analyzed. Microwave oven mediated digestion method was employed, and digestion of samples was carried out with the help of 2:1 mixture solution of HNO<sub>3</sub> (65%) and H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> (30%). Atomic absorption spectrometry was employed for the determination of elemental concentrations from the microwave oven employed digested samples. <strong>Results:</strong> The found average of essential elements (Zn, Fe, and Cu) in biological specimens of smoker and nonsmoker male COVID-19, T.B, and Pneumonia patients was found to lower, whilst cadmium and nickel were found to be higher when compared with samples from referents (p < 0.001). <strong>Conclusions:</strong> Improved elemental (Cu, Fe, Zn) concentrations may also decrease the risk of bacterial co-infection by enhancing the mucociliary clearance and respiratory epithelial barrier function, in addition to providing direct antibacterial effects against <i>S. pneumoniae</i>. Our findings also suggest that higher Cd and Ni concentrations are linked to cigarette smoking, which could lead to COVID-19 and other lung-infected diseased recurrences. However, further clinical and experimental research is required.展开更多
文摘<strong>Background:</strong> Recently, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been affected by the extreme acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and has developed important global health anxiety. At this time, the treatment options for this disease are only moderately successful. Smoking has been related to COVID-19 and its mortality, and it has the potential to affect bacteriological and viral conversion, clinical effects, and treatment outcomes. <strong>Methods:</strong> The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between critical essential trace {zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), and copper (Cu)} and toxic {cadmium (Cd) and nickel (Ni)} elements in human biological samples such as scalp hair, serum, saliva, blood, nasal fluid, and sputum of smoking and nonsmoking male COVID-19 patients (n = 139, age range 25 - 38 years) from Hyderabad, Pakistan. For comparative purposes, the biological specimens of referent persons (n = 83), pulmonary Tuberculosis (T.B) patients (n = 67), Pneumonia (n = 56) of the same age groups were also be analyzed. Microwave oven mediated digestion method was employed, and digestion of samples was carried out with the help of 2:1 mixture solution of HNO<sub>3</sub> (65%) and H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> (30%). Atomic absorption spectrometry was employed for the determination of elemental concentrations from the microwave oven employed digested samples. <strong>Results:</strong> The found average of essential elements (Zn, Fe, and Cu) in biological specimens of smoker and nonsmoker male COVID-19, T.B, and Pneumonia patients was found to lower, whilst cadmium and nickel were found to be higher when compared with samples from referents (p < 0.001). <strong>Conclusions:</strong> Improved elemental (Cu, Fe, Zn) concentrations may also decrease the risk of bacterial co-infection by enhancing the mucociliary clearance and respiratory epithelial barrier function, in addition to providing direct antibacterial effects against <i>S. pneumoniae</i>. Our findings also suggest that higher Cd and Ni concentrations are linked to cigarette smoking, which could lead to COVID-19 and other lung-infected diseased recurrences. However, further clinical and experimental research is required.
