Drug discoveries & therapeutics
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The virus severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is currently affecting more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. It has been declared as pandemic by World Health Organization (WHO) and the whole world is suffering from corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Currently, no treatment for SARS-CoV-2 are approved because of lack of evidence, but a number of clinical trials are in process and we are expecting fruitful results very soon. This review focuses on various approaches of treatment and few of the most recent clinical trials carried out in this field.
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The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 rapidly spread across China and worldwide. Remdesivir had been proposed as a promising option for treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We provided a rapid review to critically assess the potential anti-coronavirus effect of remdesivir on COVID-19 and other coronaviruses based on the most up-to-date evidence. Even though remdesivir was proposed as a promising option for treating COVID-19 based on laboratory experiments and reports from compassionate use, its safety and effect in humans requires high-quality evidence from well-designed and adequately-powered clinical trials for further clarification.
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Review
Review of current clinical management guidelines for COVID-19 with special reference to India.
The healthcare sector has been overwhelmed by the global rise in the number of COVID-19 cases. The primary care physicians at the forefront of this pandemic are being provided with multiple guidelines (state, national, international). ⋯ A discordance was noted between the national and state guidelines with respect to indication, duration and dosage of antivirals, steroids/immunomodulators, anticoagulation and convalescent plasma. The lack of concordance between various guidelines mandates the need for a unified national guideline that is regularly updated.
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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of hepatic malignancies, with poor prognosis. Treatment for HCC are limited, especially for patients with advanced disease who are not eligible for curative hepatectomy or hepatic transplantation. Mechanisms of immune response during tumor development have been investigated for decades. ⋯ Here we reviewed the immunotherapy strategies for HCC, as well as the particularity of liver immune system and the immune tolerance of HCC. Vaccines, adaptive therapy, immune checkpoint blockades and cytokines are included. We hope this review will give us an integral concept on HCC immunotherapy and help the readers to understand the mechanism of immune tolerance in liver cancer.
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Drug-induced pulmonary parenchymal disease (DIPPD) can be caused by a variety of agents, including antibiotics, chemotherapeutic drugs, antiarrhythmic agents and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). DIPPD includes acute bronchospasm, organizing pneumonia, alveolar hypoventilation and hypersensitivity reactions. History, physical examination and investigations are required mainly to exclude other causes of lung diseases. ⋯ Recognition of DIPPD is difficult because the clinical, radiologic, and histologic findings are nonspecific. Management includes drug withdrawal and in some cases corticosteroid therapy. In this article we reviewed the various drugs known to cause pulmonary parenchymal diseases, various patterns of parenchymal diseases observed and their management.