Articles: coronavirus.
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Vascular pharmacology · Apr 2021
SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-mediated cell signaling in lung vascular cells.
Currently, the world is suffering from the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that uses angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a receptor to enter the host cells. So far, 60 million people have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, and 1.4 million people have died because of COVID-19 worldwide, causing serious health, economical, and sociological problems. However, the mechanism of the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on human host cells has not been defined. ⋯ The recombinant protein that contains only the ACE2 receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein S1 subunit (Arg319 - Phe541), on the other hand, did not cause this activation. Consistent with the activation of cell growth signaling in lung vascular cells by the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, pulmonary vascular walls were found to be thickened in COVID-19 patients. Thus, SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-mediated cell growth signaling may participate in adverse cardiovascular/pulmonary outcomes, and this mechanism may provide new therapeutic targets to combat COVID-19.
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Wien. Klin. Wochenschr. · Apr 2021
Impact of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic on number of patients and patterns of injuries at a level I trauma center.
The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) and its associated illness, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has led to a global health crisis burdening frontline emergency departments, including orthopedic and trauma units. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the impact of the lockdown secondary to the pandemic on patient numbers and pattern of injuries at the department of traumatology of the Medical University of Vienna. ⋯ Despite the reduction in total number of patients, trauma departments should continue to provide adequate service during lockdown considering that severe injuries showed no change. Conditions such as breakdown of social networks and limited access to mental health care and support might account for the significant rise in hospital admissions due to suicides. We recommend that more attention and effort should be made to prevent this excess of suicide deaths.
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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and subsequent restrictions on dental services have had a significant impact on the provision of dental care in Australia and around the world. ⋯ The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions on dental practice have had a profound impact on the provision of dental care in Australia and elsewhere in the world. In this context, population-level medication surveillance is important to identify and respond to changes in prescribing patterns that have arisen due to COVID-19 and restrictions on the provision of dental care. This research is particularly important for governments, regulators, and professional associations to ensure therapeutic guidelines and recommendations during the pandemic period remain relevant and evidence based.
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Comparative Study
The G614 pandemic SARS-CoV-2 variant is not more pathogenic than the original D614 form in adult Syrian hamsters.
Dynamic tracking of variant frequencies among viruses circulating in the global pandemic has revealed the emergence and dominance of a D614G mutation in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. To address whether pandemic SARS-CoV-2 G614 variant has evolved to become more pathogenic, we infected adult hamsters (>10 months old) with two natural SARS-CoV-2 variants carrying either D614 or G614 spike protein to mimic infection of the adult/elderly human population. Hamsters infected by the two variants exhibited comparable viral loads and pathology in lung tissues as well as similar amounts of virus shed in nasal washes. Altogether, our study does not find that naturally circulating D614 and G614 SARS-CoV-2 variants differ significantly in pathogenicity in hamsters.
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Wien. Klin. Wochenschr. · Apr 2021
Strong correlation between prevalence of severe vitamin D deficiency and population mortality rate from COVID-19 in Europe.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes a very wide range of disease severity: from completely asymptomatic to fatal, and the reasons for that are not well understood; however, there are some data that show vitamin D may have a protective effect. ⋯ The authors recommend universal screening for vitamin D deficiency, and further investigation of Vitamin D supplementation in randomized control studies, which may lead to possible treatment or prevention of COVID-19.