Articles: coronavirus.
-
Recently, a mini-review was published in the Medical Hypotheses journal by Usul Afsar entitled 2019-nCoV-SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection: Cruciality of Furin and relevance with cancer. Previous studies have pointed out that disruption of the proteolytic cleavage of proteins can promote infectious and non-infectious diseases. The last few weeks have been marked by an important revelation concerning the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2. ⋯ Recent data indicate that SARS-CoV-2 enters human cells by binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. Subsequently, the S protein is cleaved by transmembrane protease serine 2 with the help of FURIN which facilitates the entry of the virus into the cell after binding. Furthermore, it seems that FURIN is implicated in the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 and potentially in the increased rates of human-to-human transmission.
-
Semin. Arthritis Rheum. · Oct 2020
COVID-19 in systemic lupus erythematosus: Data from a survey on 417 patients.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic disease characterised by autoimmunity and increased susceptibility to infections. COVID-19 is a systemic viral disease currently spreading as a pandemic. Little is known about the impact of COVID-19 in patients with SLE. ⋯ COVID-19 morbidity might only moderately be increased in most patients with SLE, although limited information can be inferred on more severe cases. Hydroxychloroquine apparently seems not to confer protection to infection per se, although other beneficial roles cannot be excluded. Containment policies and behavioural preventive measures could have a major role in limiting the impact of COVID-19 in patients with SLE.
-
The COVID-19 pandemic is a large-scale public health emergency that likely precipitated sleep disturbances in the community. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and correlates of sleep disturbances during the early phase of COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ A high proportion of people in Hong Kong felt that their sleep had worsened since the COVID-19 outbreak. Insufficient stock of masks was one of the risk factors that were associated with sleep disturbances. Adequate and stable supply of masks may play an important role to maintain the sleep health in the Hong Kong general population during a pandemic outbreak.
-
The healthcare and social disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could pose significant risk to patients with intrathecal pump (ITP) who may miss refill or replacement appointments. In some cases, this could be life-threatening. We designed and piloted a novel refill protocol to assess its efficacy and safety. ⋯ Our protocol offers a safe and efficient pathway for ITP management during a pandemic.