Articles: coronavirus.
-
Internal medicine journal · Dec 2020
Challenges in diagnosing hydroxychloroquine myopathy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hydroxychloroquine is being used for COVID-19 symptoms and in clinical trials, but can cause a toxic myopathy that leads to muscle weakness. A review of skeletal muscle biopsies from patients with hydroxychloroquine myopathy gives pointers of steps that can be taken to diagnose this toxic myopathy early and help differentiate it from COVID-19-related muscle weakness.
-
Homeless individuals face many barriers to accessing healthcare, and EDs are often their primary entry point to the healthcare system. The COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to exacerbate existing social inequities and health disparities, including barriers to accessing social services and healthcare. Addressing the complex social and chronic health issues associated with homelessness can be challenging within the acute care environment. This perspective reflects upon the delivery of emergency healthcare to patients experiencing homelessness, and highlights strategies for optimising health outcomes during and beyond the pandemic.
-
Currently, there are no treatment options available for the deadly contagious disease, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Drug repurposing is a process of identifying new uses for approved or investigational drugs and it is considered as a very effective strategy for drug discovery as it involves less time and cost to find a therapeutic agent in comparison to the de novo drug discovery process. The present review will focus on the repurposing efficacy of the currently used drugs against COVID-19 and their mechanisms of action, pharmacokinetics, dosing, safety, and their future perspective. ⋯ These drugs either act through virus-related targets such as RNA genome, polypeptide packing and uptake pathways or target host-related pathways involving angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) receptors and inflammatory pathways. Using the basic knowledge of viral pathogenesis and pharmacodynamics of drugs as well as using computational tools, many drugs are currently in pipeline to be repurposed. In the current scenario, repositioning of the drugs could be considered the new avenue for the treatment of COVID-19.
-
J Racial Ethn Health Disparities · Dec 2020
Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Racial Disparities: a Perspective Analysis.
Health disparity refers to systematic differences in health outcomes between groups and communities based on socioeconomic isolation. In the USA, health disparities among minority groups, especially African Americans, limit their access to quality medical care and other beneficial resources and services. ⋯ With inadequate access to quality healthcare, viable resources, and information, COVID-19 will continue to have a disastrous effect on African American communities. This communication provides a brief overview of the health inequalities resulting in African Americans dying disproportionately during the COVID-19 pandemic.
-
The outbreak of COVID-19 in December 2019, has become an urgent and serious public health emergency. At present, there is no effective treatment or vaccine for COVID-19. Therefore, there is a crucial unmet need to develop a safe and effective treatment for COVID-19 patients. ⋯ Moreover, the contribution of MSCs to prevent cell death and inhibit tissue fibrosis is well established. In the current review article, the potential mechanisms by which MSCs contribute to the treatment of COVID-19 patients are highlighted. Also, current trials that evaluated the potential of MSC-based treatments for COVID-19 are briefly reviewed.