Articles: coronavirus.
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Eur. J. Heart Fail. · Jun 2020
The impact of COVID-19 on heart failure hospitalization and management: report from a Heart Failure Unit in London during the peak of the pandemic.
To examine the impact of COVID-19 on acute heart failure (AHF) hospitalization rates, clinical characteristics and management of patients admitted to a tertiary Heart Failure Unit in London during the peak of the pandemic. ⋯ Incident AHF hospitalization significantly declined in our centre during the COVID-19 pandemic, but hospitalized patients had more severe symptoms at admission. Further studies are needed to investigate whether the incidence of AHF declined or patients did not present to hospital while the national lockdown and social distancing restrictions were in place. From a public health perspective, it is imperative to ascertain whether this will be associated with worse long-term outcomes.
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Since the outbreak of COVID-19 many studies have been published showing possible therapies, here the author discusses the end of stage disease related drugs, like Tocilizumab which is currently being used in ARDS patients. In some patients, disease progression leads to an enormous secretion of cytokines, known as cytokine storm, among those cytokines IL-6 plays an important role. Here the author shows how IL-6 has both pro and anti-inflammatory properties, depending on the pathway of transduction: soluble (trans-signaling) or membrane-related (classic signaling), and suggests how targeting only the pro-inflammatory pathway, with SGP130Fc, could be a better option then targeting them both. Other possible IL-6 pathway inhibitors such as Ruxolitinib and Baricinitib are then analyzed, underlying how they lack the benefit of targeting only the pro-inflammatory pathway.
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J Coll Physicians Surg Pak · Jun 2020
A Systematic Analysis of Studies on Corona Virus Disease 19 (COVID-19) from Viral Emergence to Treatment.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has created tremendous panic around the globe amid rapid transmission and high mortality. The virus emerged from China in December 2019 and spread to over 200 countries. The number of cases in USA and Europe has surpassed that of China. ⋯ In this context, current manuscript is aimed to provide amalgamated information in a single document to healthcare professionals, researchers and the general public regarding the outbreak-turned-pandemic of COVID-19. This systematic review discusses epidemiology, pathogenesis, transmission, clinical manifestations, severity, treatment, prevention, vaccination, medication repositioning, potential drug candidates, and control and public awareness of COVID-19. Key Words: COVID-19, Pandemic, Epidemiology, Virology, SARS-CoV-2, World Health Organization, Corona Virus.
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Indian J Ophthalmol · Jun 2020
The impact of COVID-19 related lockdown on ophthalmology training programs in India - Outcomes of a survey.
In 2020, in response to the emergence and global spread of the disease COVID-19, caused by a new variant of coronavirus 2019-nCoV, the government of India ordered a nationwide lockdown for 21 days, which was then extended to a total of over 50 days. The aim of this study is to assess the effect of the lockdown on ophthalmic training programs across India. ⋯ Our survey showed that majority ophthalmology trainees across the country felt that the COVID-19 lockdown adversely affected their learning, especially surgical training. While most found online classes and webinars useful, the trainees' perceived stress levels were higher than normal during the lockdown. Training hospitals should take cognizance of this and reassure trainees; formulate guidelines to augment training to compensate for the lost time as well as mitigate the stress levels upon resumption of regular hospital services and training. Going ahead, permanent changes such as virtual classrooms and simulation-based training should be considered.
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Comment Letter
Will Virtual Teaching Continue After the COVID-19 Pandemic?