Journal of infection and public health
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J Infect Public Health · Oct 2020
ReviewRole of vitamin D in preventing of COVID-19 infection, progression and severity.
The outbreak of COVID-19 has created a global public health crisis. Little is known about the protective factors of this infection. Therefore, preventive health measures that can reduce the risk of infection, progression and severity are desperately needed. ⋯ Thus, people who are at higher risk of vitamin D deficiency during this global pandemic should consider taking vitamin D supplements to maintain the circulating 25(OH)D in the optimal levels (75-125nmol/L). In conclusion, there is not enough evidence on the association between vitamin D levels and COVID-19 severity and mortality. Therefore, randomized control trials and cohort studies are necessary to test this hypothesis.
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J Infect Public Health · Oct 2020
An overview of the safety, clinical application and antiviral research of the COVID-19 therapeutics.
Since a novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak in late December 2019, coronavirus disease -19 (COVID-19) epidemic has gradually spread worldwide, becoming a major public health event. No specific antivirals are currently available for COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The treatments for COVID-19 are mainly based on the experiences of similar virus such SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, HIV and influenza viruses. ⋯ In this article, we reviewed the current options for COVID-19 therapy including small molecules such as Remdesivir, Favipiravir, Lopinavir/Ritonavir etc, peptide inhibitors of ACE2, Traditional Chinese Medicines and Biologics such as SARS-CoV-2-specific neutralizing antibodies, mesenchymal stem cells and vaccines etc. Meanwhile, we systematically reviewed their clinical safety, clinical applications and progress of antiviral researches. The therapeutic effect of these antiviral drugs is summarized and compared, hoping to provide some ideas for clinical options of COVID-19 treatment and also provide experiences for the life-threatening virus diseases in the future.
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J Infect Public Health · Oct 2020
Mental health among healthcare providers during coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Saudi Arabia.
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was recently declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). The first confirmed case in Saudi Arabia was announced on March 2, 2020. Several psychiatric manifestations may appear during pandemics, especially among frontline healthcare providers. ⋯ This study revealed that depression and anxiety are prevailing conditions among healthcare providers. Although efforts were accelerated to support their psychological well-being, more attention should be paid to the mental health of female, 30-39 age group and nursing staff. Promoting healthcare service as a humanitarian and national duty may contribute to making it a more meaningful experience in addition to advocating for solidarity, altruism, and social inclusion. Longitudinal research studies need to be conducted to follow up on healthcare providers' mental health symptoms and develop evidence-based interventions.
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J Infect Public Health · Oct 2020
Analysis of medication data of women with uterine fibroids based on data mining technology.
The purpose of this study was to analyze the characteristics of the diagnosis and treatment of female uterine fibroids based on data mining technology and the medication rule. Clinical literature related to the treatment of uterine fibroids by Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) from 2004 to 2018 were searched, and the literature meeting the requirements were selected according to the inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria. ⋯ Based on the analysis of the frequency of drug, treatment effect and adverse drug reactions, it was found that the clinical application of mifepristone in the treatment of uterine fibroids was relatively common, with significant drug effect and mild adverse reactions, which was worthy of clinical promotion and application. Therefore, the results of this study provide a new basis for the clinical and basic research of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of uterine fibroids, but it still needs the verification of expert interpretation, experimental research and other methods.
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J Infect Public Health · Oct 2020
ReviewThe first few cases and fatalities of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region of the World Health Organization: A rapid review.
In December 2019, a cluster of atypical Pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China were reported to the World Health Organization (WHO). Later, those cases were attributed to a novel respiratory virus currently known as COVID-19. The infection is affecting every continent. ⋯ Much uncertainty still surrounds this viral infection, its modes of transmission and dynamics. Epidemiological investigations particularly for the first few cases of COVID-19 infection are critical to expand our knowledge about this evolving pandemic. In this review we summarized the data available about the first few cases and fatalities of COVID-19 infection up to 18 March 2020 across Eastern Mediterranean Region of the World Health Organization. such data were only available in websites of ministries of health of the targeted countries, WHO situational reports, online newspapers, and other media channels and this gave us an idea about the amount and type of data available for the public regarding this evolving infection.