scholarly journals Men and COVID-19: A Pathophysiologic Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 155798832095402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin S. Lipsky ◽  
Man Hung
Keyword(s):  
Early Recognition ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
World Health ◽  
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
Animal Data ◽  
The Common ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization

Coronaviruses are single-stranded ribonucleic acid viruses that can cause illnesses in humans ranging from the common cold to severe respiratory disease and even death.In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as the first pandemic. Compared to women, most countries with available data report that men with COVID-19 have greater disease severity and higher mortality. Lab and animal data indicate that men respond differently to the SARS-CoV-2 infection, offering possible explanations for the epidemiologic observations. The plausible theories underlying these observations include sex-related differences in angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptors, immune function, hormones, habits, and coinfection rates.In this review we examine these factors and explore the rationale as to how each may impact COVID-19. Understanding why men are more likely to experience severe disease can help in developing effective treatments, public health policies, and targeted strategies such as early recognition and aggressive testing in subgroups.

Current updates on COVID-19 - A review

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Ghotekar D S ◽  
Vishal N Kushare ◽  
Sagar V Ghotekar
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organization ◽  
Common Cold ◽  
Respiratory Diseases ◽  
Gastrointestinal Diseases ◽  
Hubei Province ◽  
World Health ◽  
The World ◽  
The Common ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause illness such as respiratory diseases or gastrointestinal diseases. Respiratory diseases can range from the common cold to more severe diseases. A novel coronavirus outbreak was first documented in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China in December 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic. A global coordinated effort is needed to stop the further spread of the virus. A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been identified in humans previously. Once scientists determine exactly what coronavirus it is, they give it a name (as in the case of COVID-19, the virus causing it is SARS-CoV-2).

scholarly journals Comparative Analysis of Pediatric COVID-19 Infection in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Japan, and China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Ju Ming Wong ◽  
Qalab Abbas ◽  
Soo Lin Chuah ◽  
Ririe Fachrina Malisie ◽  
Kah Min Pon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
South Asia ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
World Health ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Clinical Presentations ◽  
The Common ◽  
Health Organization

There is a scarcity of data regarding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in children from southeast and south Asia. This study aims to identify risk factors for severe COVID-19 disease among children in the region. This is an observational study of children with COVID-19 infection in hospitals contributing data to the Pediatric Acute and Critical Care COVID-19 Registry of Asia. Laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases were included in this registry. The primary outcome was severity of COVID-19 infection as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) (mild, moderate, severe, or critical). Epidemiology, clinical and laboratory features, and outcomes of children with COVID-19 are described. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify risk factors for severe/critical disease. A total of 260 COVID-19 cases from eight hospitals across seven countries (China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and Pakistan) were included. The common clinical manifestations were similar across countries: fever (64%), cough (39%), and coryza (23%). Approximately 40% of children were asymptomatic, and overall mortality was 2.3%, with all deaths reported from India and Pakistan. Using the multivariable model, the infant age group, presence of comorbidities, and cough on presentation were associated with severe/critical COVID-19. This epidemiological study of pediatric COVID-19 infection demonstrated similar clinical presentations of COVID-19 in children across Asia. Risk factors for severe disease in children were age younger than 12 months, presence of comorbidities, and cough at presentation. Further studies are needed to determine whether differences in mortality are the result of genetic factors, cultural practices, or environmental exposures.

scholarly journals Vietnamese Public Health Practices in the Advent of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons for Developing Countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 163-164
Author(s):  
Jeconiah Louis Dreisbach
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Short Communication ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
World Health ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) presents a great challenge to developing countries with limited access to public health measures in grassroots communities. The World Health Organization lauded the Vietnamese government for its proactive and steady investment in health facilities that mitigate the risk of the infectious disease in Vietnam. This short communication presents cases that could benchmark public health policies in developing countries.

scholarly journals Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genomes from across Africa reveals potentially clinically relevant mutations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Modeline N. Longjohn ◽  
Olivia S. Egbule ◽  
Samuel O. Danso ◽  
Eugene E. Akujuru ◽  
Victor T. Ibubeleye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Etiologic Agent ◽  
World Health ◽  
Sequence Alignments ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization

AbstractSARS-CoV-2 is a betacoronavirus, the etiologic agent of the novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 as a pandemic in March 2020 after the outbreak in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. Across the continents and specifically in Africa, all index cases were travel-related. Understanding how the virus’s transportation across continents and different climatic conditions affect the genetic composition and the consequent effects on transmissibility, infectivity, and virulence of the virus is critical. Thus, it is crucial to compare COVID-19 genome sequences from the African continent with sequences from selected COVID-19 hotspots/countries in Asia, Europe, North and South America and Oceania.To identify possible distinguishing mutations in the African SARS-CoV-2 genomes compared to those from these selected countries, we conducted in silico analyses and comparisons. Complete African SARS-CoV-2 genomes deposited in GISAID and NCBI databases as of June 2020 were downloaded and aligned with genomes from Wuhan, China and other SARS-CoV-2 hotspots. Using phylogenetic analysis and amino acid sequence alignments of the spike and replicase (NSP12) proteins, we searched for possible vaccine coverage targets or potential therapeutic agents. Identity plots for the alignments were created with BioEdit software and the phylogenetic analyses with the MEGA X software.Our results showed mutations in the spike and replicate proteins of the SARS-Cov-2 virus. Phylogenetic tree analyses demonstrated variability across the various regions/countries in Africa as there were different clades in the viral proteins. However, a substantial proportion of these mutations (90%) were similar to those described in all the other settings, including the Wuhan strain. There were, however, novel mutations in the genomes of the circulating strains of the virus in African. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study reporting these findings from Africa. However, these findings’ implications on symptomatic or asymptomatic manifestations, progression to severe disease and case fatality for those affected, and the cross efficacy of vaccines developed from other settings when applied in Africa are unknown.

scholarly journals A plausible path to contain the spread of 2019 Novel Coronavirus; a computational analysis prompts to the use of ACE2 receptor blockers

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Whitman
Keyword(s):  
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme ◽  
World Health ◽  
Converting Enzyme ◽  
Time Sharing ◽  
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 ◽  
Bioinformatic Tools ◽  
Receptor Blockers ◽  
Genetic Sequences ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract Starting December 30th, 2019, a virus spread from Wuhan, in the Hubei Province of China. The virus had soon been recognized as part of the Coronavirus and temporarily named 2019 Novel Coronavirus. The dramatic increase of infections led to the death of over 400 people, by Feb 4th, 2020. By this day the virus had already crossed into 27 countries. March 11th, 2020 the World Health Organization declared the Novel Coronavirus a pandemic, pointing to over 118,000 cases of infections in over 110 countries. This public health threat drove the international community to real-time sharing of the genetic sequences isolated from the viruses. We used these freely accessible genetic data, while leveraging bioinformatic tools, with the intent to explore possible contributions to address this threat. Angiotensin-converting Enzyme 2 Inhibition has been proven to be a valuable strategy address the spread of SARS. After proving remarkable genetic similarities between SARS and the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, we computationally built the first known ex-novo model of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Spike Glycoprotein entirely generated from its aminoacidic sequence, using I-TASEER. We then assessed the 2019 Novel Coronavirus interaction with the human Angiotensin-converting Enzyme 2. This research prompts at the potential use of Angiotensin- converting Enzyme 2 receptors blockers, as both clinical and prophylaxis measures to contain the spread of 2019 Novel Coronavirus.

scholarly journals Significance of cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Malathi M ◽  
Devinder Mohan Thappa
Keyword(s):  
Early Recognition ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
World Health ◽  
Disease Stage ◽  
Cutaneous Lesions ◽  
Cutaneous Manifestations ◽  
Diagnosis And Prognosis ◽  
Viral Particles ◽  
Tract Disease ◽  
Health Organization

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the whole world to a grinding halt. With the pandemic still ongoing, it is worthwhile to recapitulate the cutaneous manifestations for dermatologists, their significance, and spectrum of COVID-19 disease. COVID-19 is a highly contagious respiratory tract disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It was first reported on December 1, 2019, from Wuhan, China and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. COVID-19 indirectly involves the skin just like any other viral infection and is independent of the disease stage or severity. Cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19 may present a few days before or after the first general symptoms of the disease. The appearance of cutaneous manifestations before early respiratory symptoms can promote early recognition of COVID-19 in such cases. The pathophysiology of cutaneous lesions in COVID-19 is still unclear. It is attributed to immune dysregulation, vasculitis, vessel thrombosis, neogenesis, hypercoagulable states, or simple hypersensitivity in COVID-19. Endothelial swelling with the presence of SARS-CoV-2 viral particles in the endothelial cells has also been seen on electron microscopy. Thus, the clinical features indicative of viral exanthems/enanthems which can be found in other diseases therefore fail to provide specific clues for diagnosis and prognosis of COVID-19. On the other hand, vasculopathy-related skin manifestations may provide prognostic values by indicating severe complications due to COVID-19 and may help in monitoring disease severity. Early detection of cutaneous signs associated with severe disease is crucial to improve patient outcomes.

scholarly journals Role of nutrients regulation in the immune system in preventing COVID-19 infection: A brief review

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 760-765
Author(s):  
Anamika Chauhan
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Coronavirus Infection ◽  
The Common ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization

This review aimed to focus on using foods to boost immunity against COVID-19 in all age groups. In human, coronavirus causes the common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and a major threat to public health. The novel coronavirus was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization due to its rapid infectivity. COVID-19 infection is most probably reported in people with low immunity response. The nutrients, which show beneficial effects on the immune system, are called immune nutrients and diet is called immune diet. A healthy diet can reduce the risk of infection of COVID-19 and can prevent disease. Nutritional food intake is also necessary for people with chronic illness, obese persons, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cognitive dysfunction like anxiety and depression. All nutrients are essential for maintaining immunity and providing appropriate amounts of protein, fat, carbohydrate, vitamins, and minerals for the surveillance mode of keeping us from getting sick. The use of plenty of water, minerals such as micronutrients, zinc, copper, selenium, iron, magnesium, food rich in vitamins, and a good lifestyle can promote health and overwhelm this coronavirus infection.

scholarly journals COVID–19: Guidance Outlines on Infection Prevention and Control for Health Care Workers

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-14
Author(s):  
Suresh Kumar Sharma ◽  
Shiv Mudgal ◽  
Prasan Panda ◽  
Pratima Gupta ◽  
Pradeep Aggarwal
Keyword(s):  
Severe Disease ◽  
Respiratory Illness ◽  
World Health ◽  
Infection Prevention And Control ◽  
The People ◽  
Moderate Disease ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
And Control

Coronavirus are a common family of viruses and there are seven different types of coronaviruses including this new member of coronavirus i.e. 2019 novel coronavirus, which can make the people infected and sick. Some strains of this family of virus cause mild to moderate disease symptoms like common cold while other strains cause very severe disease like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).(1,2) In late December, in Wuhan Hubei Province, China a number of people suffered with severe respiratory illness including a cluster of pneumonia cases. On 31 December 2019, China notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about cluster of patient with symptoms of respiratory illness of unknown cause, which were connected to an open seafood and animal market of Wuhan city, China.(3)

scholarly journals The Role of a Medicalized Discourse in the Global Activities of the World Health Organization

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 173-191
Author(s):  
Marta Hoffmann
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
European Union ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
World Health ◽  
Tobacco Policy ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

This article presents selected results of a research project entitled Medicalization strategies of the World Health Organization1 in which the author analyzed and described three WHO policies characterized by a medicalizing approach. These three policies were compared with each other in terms of their conceptual (narrative) and institutional (practical) levels of medicalization and their effects. In order to better understand the role of a medicalized discourse in the global activities of the WHO, these three cases were also compared to one non-medicalizing policy. The aim of this article is twofold: firstly, to present two cases analyzed as part of the project, namely, the tobacco policy (a ‘medicalized’ one) and the ageing policy (a ‘non-medicalized’ one) and secondly, to consider the possible influence of WHO discourse on tobacco and ageing on public health policies in the European Union.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Mimicking Acute Colitis

2021 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-146
Author(s):  
Jaeseok Park ◽  
Jaekwon Jung ◽  
Hyunsoo Kim ◽  
Changkeun Park ◽  
Daejin Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
World Health Organization ◽  
Clinical Picture ◽  
Hubei Province ◽  
World Health ◽  
Acute Colitis ◽  
The World ◽  
The Common ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization

On 11 February, 2020, the World Health Organization announced that COVID-19 was a novel coronavirus disease first detected in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. COVID-19 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The complete clinical picture is not fully known. Illness ranges from mild to fatal. The common symptoms include fever, cough, and dyspnea usually developing 2-14 days after exposure. However, diarrhea was present in a few patients with COVID-19. We report a case of COVID-19 mimicking acute colitis.

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