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Objectives: To identify the biochemical, hematological, and immune biomarkers in COVID-19 patients on admission that are predictive of eventual admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted on all confirmed COVID-19 cases hospitalized at Royal Hospital, Oman from 24 February to 30 July 2020. The demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected from the hospital information system. Patients were divided into two groups: non-ICU admitted group and ICU admitted group. Results: Out of 445 patients, 276 (62.0%) were male and 169 (38.0%) were female; 259 (58.2%) patients were admitted to COVID-19 general wards whereas 186 (41.8%) were admitted to ICU. Admission to ICU was more likely when patient had the following comorbidities: diabetes (OR = 1.8; 95% CI: 1.3-2.7), liver diseases (OR = 2.1; 95% CI: 1.1-4.3), and respiratory diseases (OR = 2.0; 95% CI: 1.1-3.7). Between ICU and non-ICU patients, there were significant differences in on-admission laboratory blood/serum parameters: total white blood cells (WBCs) count, lymphocytes count, C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin, corrected calcium, interleukin 6 (IL-6), D-dimer, alanine transaminase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), albumin, and troponin. Conclusions: The current study identified the presence of the comorbidities (i.e., diabetes, liver diseases, and respiratory diseases) and on-admission laboratory blood and serum test results (i.e., WBC, lymphocytes, CRP, ferritin, corrected calcium, IL-6, D-dimer, ALT, LDH, albumin, and troponin) that are associated with ICU admission.
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BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a global, growing and costly public health problem. In the literature, there are conflicting reports on the effect of consumption of bee honey on diabetes. We assessed the possible effect of a commercially available bee honey (given orally by gavage at doses of 1 g/kg/day for 4 weeks) on the blood concentrations of glucose, insulin and leptin and body weight of rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. METHODS: Thirty-six rats were allocated randomly into six groups equally and treated for 4 weeks as follows: Group.1: non-diabetic rats given distilled water, group.2: non-diabetic rats given honey (1 g/kg), group.3: Diabetic rats given distilled water, group.4: Diabetic rats given honey, group.5: Diabetic rats given insulin (10 IU/kg), and group.6: Diabetic rats given combination of insulin (10 IU/kg) with honey (1 g/kg). The body weight, blood glucose, insulin and leptin concentrations of each rat were measured. RESULTS: Honey treatment did not significantly affect the glucose, leptin and insulin concentrations of diabetic rats. It did not significantly affect the excessive water intake or urinary output in diabetic rats when compared to the insulin-treated groups. Neither honey nor insulin improved body weight in diabetic rats. CONCLUSION: Contrary to the reports of a salutary effect of honey in diabetic humans and rodents, our results showed that consumption of honey caused no significant changes in body weight, or glucose and insulin concentrations. However, further studies with different doses and durations of treatment are warranted.