Acute hypobaric hypoxia induces various pathological mechanisms that lead to the development of oxidative stress damaging the neurons of the rat’s brain and therefore reducing their electrical impulse activity. Acute hypobaric hypoxia at an altitude of 7500 m (64–58 mm Hg) suppresses the biosynthetic processes in the brain that in turn causes amidation of the proteins and lipid peroxidation, and provokes oxygen deficiency. Thus, the natural components that carry antioxidant properties can be used for the prevention of various disorders in the brain caused by hypoxia. The current study aims to assess the antioxidant effects of Crataegus laevigata extract (100 mg/kg) as a natural free radical scavenger that induces neuronal activity during acute oxygen deficiency, preventing lipid peroxidation, thereby mitigating the accumulation of the malondialdehyde and the protein amidation in the cerebral cortex and hypothalamus of the rat’s brain. The study results indicate that the Crataegus laevigata extract shows antioxidant properties and therefore can be used to prevent the deteriorating effects in the brain caused by acute oxygen deficiency.

The hematological changes in COVID-19 patients continue to receive great attention, especially in the field of public health. To our knowledge, coronavirus disease may be identified based on the severity of illness, and the study of peripheral blood smears may offer important information to facilitate the identification. Thus, we evaluated the morphological abnormalities (atypical and immature lymphocytes, lymphocytes with micronuclei, various nuclear abnormalities among erythrocytes) and quantitative changes in peripheral blood cells among 48 individuals with COVID-19 disease. The present study is a retrospective analysis of 48 individuals, including 24 hospitalized patients diagnosed with COVID-19 disease. The blood smears of all patients were subjected to a hematological examination to identify various morphological abnormalities in white and red blood cells. In addition, a micronucleus test was conducted to assess the incidence of chromosomal damage in lymphocytes. Furthermore, the complete blood count (CBC) was performed to evaluate changes in peripheral blood cells, particularly the differential total leukocyte count, which could indicate the immune response against viral infection in COVID-19 patients. The findings of the hematological study conducted on patients diagnosed with COVID-19 disease revealed neutrophilia, eosinophilia, mild monocytosis, decreased hematocrit level, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and immature leukocytes. It was observed that patients who were infected with coronavirus demonstrated mild thrombocytopenia. Furthermore, the micronucleus test indicated the presence of immature cells with micronuclei among lymphocytes and numerous nuclear abnormalities in red blood cells. These results help to shed light on the hematological changes that occur in COVID-19 patients, and could potentially contribute to the development of more effective treatments for the disease. The examination of complete blood counts (CBCs) in conjunction with peripheral blood smears offers a potential means of identifying the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the hematopoietic and immune systems, thereby providing early indications of inflammation. Based on a study, it has been suggested that SARS-CoV-2 may affect red and white blood cells causing morphological alterations thereby establishing a corresponding relationship with disease severity.