COVID Articles

Spinal cord infarction is extremely uncommon among vascular events, accounting for only 0.3-1% of all strokes and 5-8% of acute myelopathies. While deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and stroke are commonly observed complications of COVID-19, spinal cord infarction is relatively rare.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome caused by one of the viruses of the Corona family is among the most dangerous diseases that have spread recently, with an estimated death rate of approximately 36%. Humanity has not been exposed to this type of epidemic since the spread of influenza A in 1918.

The effects of COVID-19 have been of increasing interest in all fields of medicine after the pandemic, especially considering the important impact and incidence of patients infected with coronavirus. Numerous studies have reported the vast clinical implications related to permanent organ and tissue damage after infection and long COVID. 

COVID-19 disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, emerged in Wuhan, China, and has spread worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), to date more than 750 million people have been infected with SARS-CoV2 and almost 7 million patients have died. The disease has a wide spectrum of symptoms from mild to life threatening conditions. Strong evidence has shown that the severity of the disease is due to high levels of circulating inflammatory mediators including cytokines and chemokines, leading to a condition of dysregulated innate immune response and uncontrollable systemic hyperinflammation called cytokine storm syndrome (CSS). Several studies have shown elevated cytokine levels, particularly in COVID-19 patients requiring ICU treatment. Especially for IL-6, it has been demonstrated the need for mechanical ventilation, a potential thrombotic state with a poor outcome. The syndrome is also characterized by hypercoagulable state with microvascular thrombosis and clot formation features and endothelial dysfunction. The worst clinical manifestation of the syndrome is respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) which is correlated with multiorgan failure and a high mortality.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to impact populations worldwide, emphasizing the need for improved diagnostic and treatment strategies. Understanding the immune response and identifying early diagnostic markers are crucial in this endeavor. In this comprehensive commentary, we delve into a recent study that investigated the immune cell profiles and NLRP3 gene expression as potential diagnostic markers in COVID-19 patients. 

The most significant global public health issue is still COVID-19. Due to the advent of a new variation and the widespread use of COVID-19 immunization, the disease is currently not as severe as it was in 2020. The immunization is still required, though. Here, the authors examine and offer suggestions for COVID-19 immunization as the illness transitions from an epidemic to an endemic condition.

The trigeminal nerve is one of twelve pairs of cranial nerves that attach to the brain. The name “trigeminal” literally means three twins and refers to the fact that the fifth cranial nerve has three major divisions: the ophthalmic (V1), the maxillary (V2), and the mandibular (V3) [1]. The trigeminal nerve is the major sensory nerve of the face and is the nerve of the first branchial arch.

Surgery is still one of the key components of Breast Cancer treatment. Even with the advancement in treatment options and surgical techniques, at least 35% of patients still undergo mastectomy, with a recent trend showing increasing rates of mastectomy [1].

The novel Coronavirus disease outbreak has impacted the lives of millions of people around the world. As of June 10, 2022, according to the World Health Organization COVID-19 Dashboard, 6, 305, 308 deaths due to COVID complications have occurred worldwide with the number of cases still rising. Global data show that although incidence of disease is comparable, severity and mortality of disease is significantly higher in males than females [1].

As a boosted, vaccinated infectious diseases physician I remained careful outside of work. I always wore a mask outside of my home. I even wore a mask while I am driving alone in my car because I needed it for my next encounter and it kept me warm. 
So how did I get SARS-CoV-2 infection? The same way most people do, from household exposure [1].

In an earlier manuscript, the author found a strong relationship between political views, vaccination levels and COVID-19 death rates. This study revealed that in U.S. counties where large proportions of voters cast their ballot for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, vaccination levels were lower and COVID-19 death rates were higher. This update explores this relationship six months later when more recent data are available. The updated analysis found that with the passage of time, the relationship between political views, vaccination levels and COVID-19 death rates became even stronger.

Hydroxychloroquine is an alternative drug that was proposed for possible usefulness in management of COVID-1. Until present, there still no conclusion whether the drug is useful for the management of COVID-19 or not. The wide usage of hydroxychloroquine during COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an increased report of side effects. It is necessary to weight between benefit and risk of the drug when it is applied as an alternative management of COVID-19 in each individual patient.

In the past decade, a tremendous progress has been made in developing T cell engaging bi-specific antibodies (BsAbs) targeting CD19 to treat B cell malignancies. The T cell engaging bi-specific molecule binds to CD3 on a T cell and a tumor-associated antigen (TAA) on a target cell and redirects the T cell to a specific target cell bypassing the MHC restriction mechanism, leading to the formation of immune synapse between the T cell and target cell and target cell lysis [1,2].

We conducted a survey study assessing patient’s utilization of and satisfaction with telemental health (TMH) in the perinatal period. Our survey was conducted from March 2018 to June 2019, notably before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants in our study used TMH services, with both audio and video, across the second and third trimester of pregnancy and the first year postpartum. Nearly half of our study participants used TMH to see their provider within the first two weeks post-partum.

To date, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in over 44.8 million cases and 722,000 deaths in the US alone [1]. Breast cancer patients faced many delays in care at the beginning of the pandemic. Patients with cancer, especially those currently receiving chemotherapy, are at significantly higher risk of morbidity and mortality if infected with COVID-19, but delay in cancer treatment is also known to be associated with worse overall survival [2-9].

India has an estimated population of 1.39199 billion and current vaccination approach plans to cover adult population (>18 y, about 67.53%) very soon. As on 24 December 2021, the country completed about 1.41 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines, in about eleven months since the drive began.

A popular western misconception dating back to at least the time of President John F Kennedy is that one of the Chinese characters in the word “crisis” means opportunity. The manuscript
“Management of anaphylaxis in children undergoing oral food challenges in an adapted COVID-19 field hospital” [1] detailed a highly successful attempt to not only mitigate the effects of the crisis for
elective care brought by the COVID-19 pandemic but to seek to maximize the opportunity by better utilization and redeployment of staff allowing the team to reduce pre-pandemic waiting lists by 57%.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been placing enormous pressure on global healthcare systems. Considerable resource allocation to the treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, although fully inevitable, originated remarkable constraints in the access of patients with other diseases – in fact, elective admissions and nonurgent procedures or interventions were mostly canceled or deferred worldwide.

SARS-CoV-2 infection causes COVID-19, which has emerged as a health emergency worldwide. SARS-CoV-2 infects cells by binding to ACE2 receptors and enters into the cytoplasm following its escape from endolysosomes. Once in the cytoplasm, the virus replicates and eventually causes various pathological conditions including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) that is caused by pro-inflammatory cytokine storms.

Objective: To study vaccine hesitancy among health care workers who provide direct care in nursing homes and long-term care facilities which cater to the most vulnerable population of the community. 

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) led to a pandemic in the late 2019 and affected the worldwide population resulting in almost five million deaths and more than 200 million confirmed cases. Since the pandemic progressed, more studies shed light on the topic and researchers started speculating that comorbidities can increase the risk of adverse outcomes in COVID-19 disease. Autoimmune diseases (ADs) including systemic sclerosis (SSc) were one of the comorbidities that came under scrutiny as researchers hypothesized that extensive use of immunosuppressive and anti-cytokine drugs for the treatment of these conditions may put the patients at higher risk of COVID-19 infection. On the contrary, one study suggested that morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 infection in SSc patients may not be as severe as initially thought. Due to these inconsistencies among the studies and challenges surrounding the management of SSc patients during the pandemic, we reviewed the recently published articles on the topic.

A recent article published by Abbas et al. in the Journal of Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy systematically revealed about the vaccines developed against the recent pandemic agents SARS-CoV-2 and its variants [1]. The authors insightfully provided an overview on the distinct features of the SARS-CoV-2 new variants, the associated mortality rate, hospitalization, re-infection and finally the efficacy of different vaccines.

In April 2021, researchers from the University of Rochester reported on the methods used to convert multiplex SARS-CoV-2 IgG serology and neutralization assays into novel dual reporter IgG and IgM assays on the Luminex® xMAP® INTELLIFLEX DR-SE (RUO) System. The multiplex SARS-CoV-2 IgG detection assay was developed by Cameron et al. on the Luminex FLEXMAP 3D® System for detecting IgG antibodies against the spike (S), receptor-binding domain (RBD), and nucleocapsid (Nc) antigens of SARS-CoV-2.

Background: lack of knowledge and awareness of COVID-19 and radiation safety among healthcare professionals will adversely affect their health and the patients’ safety due to unnecessary radiation exposure and rapid spread of COVID-19. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the knowledge and the awareness of both domains; COVID-19 and radiation awareness in one survey study. 

Objective: Need to control the COVID-19 pandemic resurgence is a priority in India which has an estimated population of 1.39199 billion. Immunity whether acquired by recovery or vaccine, controls an infectious disease epidemic. In case of COIVD-19, the latter is more desirable. The objective of this study is to answer a research question “What is the impact of current vaccination drive in adults in generating vaccine-induced immunity in India?”

A 22-day-old male neonate was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with complaints of abnormal movements, fever, breath holding spells, refusal and bluish discoloration of skin. He was born at term with a birthweight of 2·72 kg to a mother with a history of positive polymerase chain reaction for SARS-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2) virus (RT-PCR-positive), asymptomatic 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at 32-33 weeks gestation, which did not require any supportive measures.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) remains one of the most effective treatments for depression, catatonia and other conditions. Additionally, it appears to be particularly efficacious in the elderly population. Furthermore, since ‘Electroconvulsive Therapy in Geriatric Psychiatry: A Selective Review’ was previously published there has been additional evidence of not just ECT efficacy in this subset of the population, but also its safety. This commentary will aim to inform others about advances in this uniquely effective treatment consistent with the latest treatment guidelines and evidence. 

COVID-19 is a serious global health threat caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus enters human host cells through the recognition of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors or cluster of differentiation 147 (CD147) via the virus’s spike glycoprotein. Once inside the cell, SARS-CoV-2 uses its genomic RNA as template to produce the two overlapping polyproteins, pp1a and pp1ab, that are subsequently cleaved into 16 nonstructural proteins (NSPs).

Cancer care has been greatly impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of cases and deaths caused by the COVID-19 pandemic continues to escalate throughout the United States and the world. Worldwide, over 150 million people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus and more than 3 million have died.

Cardiovascular disease, which includes coronary heart disease, hypertension and stroke, is the predominant cause of morbidity and mortality in older women.Cardiac rehabilitation is pivotal in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, in that it lowers cardiovascular risk and mortality.

The COVID-19 pandemic presents unprecedented challenges for anesthesia professionals and their surgical patients. Beyond managing infection risk, positive COVID-19 surgical patients add additional challenges to their perioperative care, where its perioperative risk are superimposed onto an already baseline anesthesia risk in real-time with an unknown and unpredictable fashion.

Our paper entitled “Discussing diabetes, palliative care and end of life care: choosing the right language” reports a core aspect of our research program, which focuses on older people with diabetes, palliative and end of life care for people with diabetes, and the effect of language on clear communication, that commenced in 2009 [1]. 

SARS-CoV-2 virus is the cause of COVID-19 disease. This disease was initially thought to be a pure respiratory illness characterized by cough and fever however it soon became evident that it could cause kidney failure, strokes and involve multiple organ systems as the acute phase evolves into a cytokine storm 10-12 days after symptom onset [1] In April of 2020 reports from Europe [2] and United States highlighted MIS-C which occurs two to four weeks after the initial infection [3].

The identification of new mutations in SARS-CoV-2 and their roles in the viral fitness towards evolution and survival to face the selective pressure imposed by the human host immune response have become the target of great attention recently. As result, concerns related to the emergence of novel variants with more transmissibility and pathogenic potential have led many countries to apply more restrictive measures to avoid increase in the number of infections and collapse of healthcare systems.

Nursing homes, neglected for too long by government administrations, have paid a very high tribute to the lack of protective measures and social distancing that COVID-19 has imposed. To date, it has been calculated that almost a fifth of all residents in nursing home in northern Italy have died due to COVID-19, with a mortality of Lombardy nursing homes varying between 10% and 50% of all residents. In some cases, 3-4 guests of a single home died in a single day.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) currently has become a significant public health crisis and one of leading causes of death internationally. A considerable number of cases progresses to pneumonia with severe respiratory failure. So far, many studies address reduction of inpatient mortality and containment of the spread of infection. Nevertheless, most infected people develop smooth symptoms and are treated ambulatory.

Our previous article, Technology-Based Mental Health Treatment and the Impact on the Therapeutic Alliance, explored factors that influence the therapeutic alliance when treatment was delivered via telemental health, such as video conferencing or telephone. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of telemental health became a necessity rather than simply a preference. In this commentary, we explore the use of telemental health in direct response to COVID-19 social distancing orders and offer updated suggestions around best practices for building and maintaining alliance in technology-based mental health treatments.

Health Care worker (HCW) infection with corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a serious problem and there is a potential risk of mortality associated with it [1]. Such infection is generally attributed to transmission from patients with COVID-19 infection and there are now recommendations for best practices to limit such transmission.

In early 2020, the contagious and deadly virus, SARS-CoV-2, was identified. The virus spread rapidly worldwide and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March of 2020 [1]. While many who became infected remained asymptomatic, an alarming number of infected individuals developed severe symptoms, often requiring hospitalization and intensive care, or resulting in death.

In SARS-CoV-2 infection, increased inflammation, complement activation, and excessive clotting are responsible for morbidity and mortality. Recent reports suggest that mannose binding lectin (MBL) and mannose-associated serine protease 2 (MASP2) lies at the intersection of these pathways. Consistent with this concept, we observed that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binds MBL-MASP1/2 complex in human serum. We therefore suggested treating a severely ill, ventilated SARS-CoV-2 patient in whom all other treatments had failed with the anti-MASP2 antibody Narsoplimab. Following a 4-week course of Narsoplimab, the patient made a near complete recovery, supporting the utility of MASP2 inhibition for treating hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 patients. 

This study examines differences between patients with and without cancer in patient demographic and clinical characteristics and COVID-19 mortality and discusses the implications of these differences in relation to existing cancer disparities and COVID-19 vulnerabilities. Data was collected as a part of a retrospective study on a cohort of COVID-19 positive patients across Mount Sinai Health System from March 28, 2020 to April 26, 2020. Descriptive, comparative, and regression analyses were applied to examine differences between patients with and without cancer in demographic and clinical characteristics and COVID-19 mortality and whether cancer status predicts COVID-19 mortality controlling for these covariates using SAS 9.4. Results showed that, of 4641 patients who tested positive for COVID-19, 5.1% (N=236) had cancer.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought many challenges to each sector of life. The most affected are the health in general and elective services in specific. The postponement of planned surgical procedures is one of the elective services that not only increased the waiting time in the short-term but will strain the healthcare services in the long-run

The management of anxiety and distress in patients with cancer is stressful for the oncology clinicians who treat them. Unfortunately, psychosocial care for patients with cancer is not universally available or standardized. Referrals from oncology services to psychological serves are often not initiated early enough, may not be encouraged from medicine or surgical services, and are subsequently foregone or patients do not follow up beyond a single appointment.

The recent pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 has emerged as a health emergency to develop effective therapeutic strategies for restricting deadly disease, COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 infects cells by the endocytosis process via receptor-mediated binding and priming by cellular proteases.

In the early phases of the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) the emphasis of diagnosis and treatment was on acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

COVID-19 mainly affects the respiratory system; however, cardiovascular complication is not uncommon. Given the high mortality of COVID-19, it is mandatory to understand the pathogenesis and the mechanism of how it attacks the cardiovascular system. Pre-existing cardiovascular diseases have shown higher morbidity and mortality among COVID-19 patients.

The ongoing global Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID19) pandemic has enormous social and economic impact. COVID19 is caused by the Coronavirus Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and is characterized by a high transmission rate and increased mortality from acute respiratory distress syndrome compared to other viruses.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the masks we wear, quite paradoxically, are an expression of our shared experience of isolation, as much as they are a signal of our caring for each other. We have not only been fighting this emergency but are struggling with consequences. These days Vienna is additionally shaken by a presumably terrorist shooting in the last hours before lockdown.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19, is highly virulent and can be transmitted via respiratory droplets and close contact. Recent studies suggest that although viral load could be a poor predictor of disease, the concentration of the virus in the respiratory tract may be linked to contagiousness when coupled with significant co-variables factors such as nasal discharge and cough, hence impacting transmission.

The COVID-19 pandemic has produced unprecedented conditions and difficulties for the global delivery of healthcare services. In this situation, all the healthcare employees, including neurosurgeons are facing many complexities. Telemedicine has decreased the spread of infection between neurosurgeons and patients.

COVID-19 pandemic is a global threat that is having devastating consequences in congregate settings such as nursing homes and assisted facilities around the world. Several measures have been adapted by the nursing home through the guidance of CMS for protecting the most vulnerable population.

SARS-CoV-2 disease (COVID-19) has dramatically increased since March 2020. There is no sufficient data to establish the risk of acquiring the hyponatremia in patient with COVID-19 infection. The prevalence, causal factors, clinical characteristics, severity, treatment and prognosis of hyponatremia in patients with pneumonia due to COVID-19 is not yet known, although several articles on kidney injury and electrolyte abnormalities have recently been described.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); a worldwide pandemic as declared by the World Health Organization (WHO). SARS-CoV-2 appears to infect cells by first binding and priming its viral-spike proteins with membrane-associated angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2).

Several countries are in different phases of safely lifting the lockdowns necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic and re-opening their economies. As they do so, it is important for authorities to recommend or impose some public health measures like social distancing and wearing face masks. Scientific articles are appearing in peer reviewed medical journals and even in the lay press on this topic. Some of the scientific definitions used in these articles might be erroneous.

While other countries have begun to see a flattening of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome – Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) curve, the United States continues to see a rise in cases, with approximately 7.4 million confirmed cases to date. Even more worrisome, various news articles have begun to shed light on the healthcare inequities that have become increasingly more transparent during this crisis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease of yet unknown etiology causing joint tenderness, swelling, destruction and premature death. Extraarticular manifestations such as cervical spine involvement, bursitis, tendovaginitis, rheumatoid nodules, rheumatoid vasculitis, pulmonary fibrosis, and accelerated atherosclerosis - to name a few – may occur. Autoantibodies such as rheumatoid factor and anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) as well as elevated inflammation parameters such as erythrocyte-sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein characterize RA as an autoimmune-mediated systemic inflammatory process. About 0.5-1% of the adult population is afflicted with RA with female predominance and rising incidence among the elderly.

Stress is defined as ''a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances''. In today’s world, we are hearing the word “stress” quite frequently in our daily lives and conversations. Stress comes out in different forms that can change from one person/society to another. The physiological results of stress are regulated by the central nervous system (CNS) through the stimulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.

According to the International Organization of Physical Therapy in Mental Health (IOPTMH), physiotherapy in mental health is a recognized specialty of physical therapy, with a subgroup representing physiotherapists from around the world before the World Confederation of Physical Therapy (WCPT). It is implemented in different settings, in health, psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine.

The protection of health care workers from nosocomial infection is a paramount consideration in the current pandemic involving severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Not only is prevention of viral transmission the most effective means to lessen the public health impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but also both quarantine and illness – that disproportionately affect health care workers – have devastating effects on the ability of hospitals to adequately care for increased patient loads.

Mongolia is located between Russia to the north and China to the south, where it neighbors the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The total population in Mongolia is about 3.3 million and nearly half of the people live in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, and in other provincial centers.

In the nightmare of the coronavirus pandemic that is spreading around the world, parents could take comfort in one thing - early reports that the virus mysteriously spares children, even though this often leads to critical illness in older people. An article published in the Journal “Pediatrics”, based on 2,143 young people in China, provides the most comprehensive evidence of the spread of the virus among children, and there is bad news and good news [1].

Acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality for patients with thoracic aortic aneurysms, despite significant advances in the surgical treatment. An aortic dissection is a life-threatening condition which occurs when blood enters through a tear in the wall of the aorta causing the aortic layers to separate or “dissect”.