Bratisl Med J
-
Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) were the only viable choice to mitigate or suppress transmission of COVID-19 in the absence of efficient and safe vaccines. In this study, we examined the association between the stringency of containment measures and cumulative incidence of the COVID-19 cases in the first wave of the pandemic across 28 European countries. Our results support the effectiveness of containment measures in the mitigation or suppression of COVID-19 epidemics. ⋯ The delayed adoption of stringent containment measures did not fully compensate for the lack of early response. Containment measures continue to play a significant role in the control of COVID-19 in the post-vaccination period, when limited vaccination coverage, the emergence of vaccine resistance, and/or increased mobility enabled further disease transmission (Tab. 4, Fig. 22, Ref. 50). Keywords: non-pharmaceutical interventions, containment, COVID-19, mobility, social distancing, Containment and Health Index, epidemiology, public health measures, SARS-CoV-2.
-
Serum total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol may be associated with a poor prognosis in COVID-19 patients. ⋯ We think that hypocholesterolaemia may be an indicator of the impending danger. Our study examined COVID-19 in terms of lipid metabolism and offers a different perspective on the disease (Tab. 4, Ref. 23). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: COVID-19, lipid, mortality.
-
This study aims to make a comparative evaluation of the change in the incidence of intracranial hemorrhage [intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH)] cases that attended our hospital in the Covid-19 pandemic period with that of the same term one year ago. This study included 80 patients diagnosed with ICH and/or SAH in the period that started with the pandemic in 2020. It was determined that 51 patients had been diagnosed with ICH and/or SAH during the same period of 2019. ⋯ Although increased incidence of acute intracranial hemorrhage has been observed during COVID-19 pandemic a athophysiological correlation between the two clinical presentations could not be clearly demonstrated. When rapidly progressing neurological deterioration findings are present in COVID-19 patients, existence of intracranial hemorrhage should always be considered (Tab. 2, Ref. 21). Keywords: subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, COVID-19.
-
The indications for specific treatment in the cases of inflammatory cardiomyopathy are based on limited data from several small clinical trials. ⋯ In our study population, we proved no positive effect of combined immunosuppressive therapy on the left ventricular function over 12 months. The main limitation of the study is the small number of enrolled patients (Tab. 4, Fig. 1, Ref. 35).
-
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and asthma are associated with chronic inflammation leading to airway obstruction and remodelling. There is little information on possible differences in the TGFB signalling pathway in the pathologies compared to less severe chronic bronchitis without airway obstruction. ⋯ Although we observed no differences in our patients, other studies should investigate the genes and their possible correlation with advanced airway obstruction and emphysematous changes (Tab. 2, Fig. 3, Ref. 27). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: TGFB signalling pathway, COPD, asthma, chronic bronchitis, bronchoalveolar lavage.