scholarly journals Can Melatonin Reduce the Severity of COVID-19 Pandemic?

Author(s):  
Alexander Shneider1 ◽  
Aleksandr Kudriavtsev ◽  
Anna Vakhrusheva

The current COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most devastating events in recent history. The virus causes relatively minor damage to young, healthy populations, imposing life-threatening danger to the elderly and people with diseases of chronic inflammation. So, if we could reduce the risk for vulnerable populations, it would make the COVID-19 pandemic more similar to other typical outbreaks. Children do not suffer from COVID-19 as much as their grandparents and have a much higher melatonin level. Bats also do not suffer from the virus they transmit, and bats too have a much higher level of melatonin. Viruses generate an explosion of reactive oxygen species, and melatonin is the best natural antioxidant that is lost with age. Melatonin inhibits the programmed cell death which coronaviruses induce, causing significant lung damage. Coronavirus causes inflammation in the lungs which requires inflammasome activity. Melatonin blocks the inflammasome. The immune response is impaired by anxiety and sleep deprivation. Melatonin improves sleep habits, reduces anxiety and stimulates immunity. Fibrosis may be the most dangerous complication after COVID-19. Melatonin is known to prevent fibrosis. Mechanical ventilation may be necessary but yet imposes risks due to oxidative stress, which can be reduced by melatonin. Thus, by using the safe over-the-counter drug melatonin, we may be immediately able to prevent the development of severe disease symptoms in coronavirus patients, reduce the severity of their symptoms, and/or reduce the negative effects of coronavirus infection on patients’ health after the active phase of the infection is over.

Author(s):  
Alex Shneider ◽  
Aleksandr Kudriavtsev ◽  
Anna Vakhrusheva

The current COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most devastating events in recent history. The virus causes relatively minor damage to young, healthy populations, imposing life-threatening danger to the elderly and people with diseases of chronic inflammation. Therefore, if we could reduce the risk for vulnerable populations, it would make the COVID-19 pandemic more similar to other typical outbreaks. Children don’t suffer from COVID-19 as much as their grandparents and have a much higher melatonin level. Bats are nocturnal animals possessing high levels of melatonin, which may contribute to their high anti-viral resistance. Viruses induce an explosion of inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species, and melatonin is the best natural antioxidant that is lost with age. The programmed cell death coronaviruses cause, which can result in significant lung damage, is also inhibited by melatonin. Coronavirus causes inflammation in the lungs which requires inflammasome activity. Melatonin blocks these inflammasomes. General immunity is impaired by anxiety and sleep deprivation. Melatonin improves sleep habits, reduces anxiety and stimulates immunity. Fibrosis may be the most dangerous complication after COVID-19. Melatonin is known to prevent fibrosis. Mechanical ventilation may be necessary but yet imposes risks due to oxidative stress, which can be reduced by melatonin. Thus, by using the safe over-the-counter drug melatonin, we may be immediately able to prevent the development of severe disease symptoms in coronavirus patients, reduce the severity of their symptoms, and/or reduce the immuno-pathology of coronavirus infection on patients’ health after the active phase of the infection is over.


2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 71-75
Author(s):  
N. V. Agranovich ◽  
L. I. Tkachenko ◽  
S. A. Knyshova ◽  
M. V. Titorenko ◽  
A. P. Lichacheva

BACKGROUND. In the modern era, COVID-19 is the biggest problem facing doctors and scientists around the world. SARSCоV-2 is a multisystem infection that is not limited to lung damage and has the immuno-mediated effect of negative effects on organs and systems, including the kidneys. To date, there is no precise understanding of the pathogenesis of nephrological disorders in patients with COVID-19. Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are a group of particularly high risk of CO-VID-19 infection and high mortality in the development of the disease.THE AIM: to evaluate the features of the course of a new coronavirus infection (COVID 19) in patients with acute kidney injury and terminal renal insufficiency.PATIENTS AND METHODS. The study of clinical, laboratory and instrumental parameters was carried out in 119 patients (67 men and 52 women) diagnosed with COVID-19. The average age of the patients was 63.1±1.7 years. All patients were divided into two groups: group 1 - patients with CKD and HD, group 2 - patients with newly diagnosed kidney damage against the background of coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Statistical data analysis was carried out using the software package "IBM SPSS Statistics 21.0" (USA) (Russified version).RESULTS. As a result of the study, it was found that in the clinical picture of COVID-19 patients suffering from CKD and undergoing hemodialysis, such a symptom as myalgia was noted 2 times more often, the percentage of saturation of arterial blood hemoglobin with oxygen (SaO2,%) was significantly lower compared to patients with newly diagnosed kidney damage on the background of infection. The duration of the temperature reaction during the disease was 5 times longer than in patients without CKD. Although the incidence of lung damage in patients of both groups was identical, mortality was significantly higher in the group of patients with CKD.CONCLUSION. In the patients examined by us, proteinuria, an increase in the level of nitrogenous metabolites, as well as D-dimers in both groups, are associated with increased mortality. Mortality in patients with CKD and HD was several times higher than in those without pathology of the urinary system. The severity of the patients' condition was primarily due to the symptoms of damage to the respiratory system, but the degree of renal dysfunction is undoubtedly an important prognostic value. Thus, monitoring the state of individual nephron structures in patients with CO-VID-19 is of great importance, and emergency nephroprotective measures may be crucial in the fight against cytokine storm.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 90-95
Author(s):  
V.D. Moskalyuk ◽  
Y.O. Randiuk ◽  
I.V. Balanyuk ◽  
T.R. Kolotylo

Relevance. In today's world, the attention of health professionals in each country is focused on the outbreak of acute respiratory disease, called coronavirus disease in 2019 - COVID-19. Today there is an increase in the incidence of this disease both in Ukraine and abroad, the disease is more severe, mortality has increased and the percentage of diseases among children has increased. Objective іs to analyze the clinical and epidemiological features of COVID-19 in Bukovina. Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis of medical histories of patients with confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, who were hospitalized in the infectious department of OKNP "Chernivtsi Regional Clinical Hospital". Results. The age of patients ranged from 22 to 79 years; the average age is 53.6 years. There were 35 men and 30 women (53.8 and 46.2%, respectively). In most patients the course of the disease was moderate, and only 6% of patients had a severe course of the disease. Each hospitalized patient had bronchial and pulmonary lesions, which were confirmed radiologically and by computed tomography (CT). The structure of diagnosed pneumonia was dominated by bilateral lung damage (98.3%). Symptoms of gastrointestinal lesions were noted in 11 patients (16.9%). Conclusions. According to our observations, we can conclude that susceptibility to a new coronavirus infection is common. However, the elderly, as well as patients with comorbidities, are more likely to develop severe symptoms and higher mortality. Patients at risk with severe course (6%) required special attention. In the early stages of the disease, the use of minimal respiratory support through oxygen therapy is justified.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 38-43
Author(s):  
E. A. Malashenkov ◽  
S. V. Gudova ◽  
D. A. Gusev ◽  
I. P. Fedunyak ◽  
E. L. Denisova ◽  
...  

The aim of this work was to attempt to analyze the demographic structure, clinical and radiological forms of tuberculosis and COVID-19, as well as the course and outcome of the disease in patients with this coinfection in the light of a new and still poorly understood problem of the mutual influence of tuberculosis and COVID-19.Material and methods. Examination and treatment were carried out in the infectious-tuberculosis departments of the Botkin Clinical Infectious Disease Hospital. We examined 63 patients identified in the first seven months of the epidemic in the multimillion city of St. Petersburg (Russia). Tuberculosis, confirmed by conventional bacteriological and molecular genetic methods, had an active phase in all of them. The new coronavirus infection was verified by a positive polymerase chain reaction test for SARS-CoV-2.Results. Tuberculosis in 43 patients was detected simultaneously with COVID-19, in 20 people it preceded coronavirus infection. Disseminated forms of tuberculosis prevailed - 50.8%; in 36.5%, two or more organs and systems were affected, which is associated with a high proportion (54.0%) of HIV-positive patients with an advanced stage of the disease. Lung damage with COVID-19 was noted in 36.5%. Fatal outcomes ended in 20.6% of cases of coinfection, the structure of the causes of death is given.Conclusion. An assumption was made about the possibility of an aggravating effect of tuberculosis on COVID-19 in the case of severe or widespread forms of these diseases. The negative influence of HIV infection on the outcome of the disease has also been shown. Further follow-up is required to identify more reliable associations between tuberculosis and COVID-19. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 27-32
Author(s):  
Olga Yu. Kuznetsova ◽  
Anna V. Lubimova ◽  
Zhanna V. Pleshanova ◽  
Olga S. Zamyatina ◽  
Nikita V. Donetskov ◽  
...  

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of providing medical care for coronavirus infection in a university student who has been moved to an observatory organized in a hotel-type hostel of the university to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among students living in hostels. The article provides data on the positive experience of using dexamethasone in the treatment regimen for moderately severe disease, follow-up and examination data. The article considers the tactics of managing a patient with suspected COVID-19 in the presence of data for pneumonia according to computed tomography and clinical manifestations characteristic of a new coronavirus infection, which was later confirmed in the study of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. The importance of round-the-clock medical monitoring of persons placed in the observatory, finding out the details of the epidemiological history from them, as well as determining the tactics of their treatment with limited hospitalization opportunities in a growing number of patients with severe manifestations of COVID-19 requiring inpatient treatment is emphasized. A new coronavirus infection can lead to a rapid deterioration of the condition in young patients, which is not always manifested by severe lung damage according to computed tomography data, but is characterized by persistent fever that cannot be stopped by antipyretics, as well as severe muscle pain, severe asthenia, which can be considered as clinical indicators of the development of hyperactive inflammatory syndrome. The use in the treatment regimen of intravenous dexamethasone at a dose of 0.1 mg / kg of body weight twice led to a rapid normalization of temperature, relief of all clinical symptoms and was not accompanied by any complications both in the early period of convalescence and 2 months after discharge from the observatory.


Haemophilia ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 428-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Godreuil ◽  
R. Navarro ◽  
P. Quittet ◽  
L. Landreau ◽  
J-F. Schved ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jagjit S Soar

he current COVID-19 pandemic now believed to be based on the mutation of the SARS-CoV virus (first reported in 2002) to SARS-CoV-2 emerging in 2019, is naturally causing extreme worry and concern around the world with sometimes mixed and incoherent messages on how to deal with it. There is a plethora of information from previous epidemics caused by other coronaviruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome, SARS (2002) and Middle East respiratory syndrome MERS (2012) from which we can extrapolate guidance on how to deal with the current pandemic. In the current absence of specific pharmaceutical agents, we propose assessing the extended tools that we already possess in our biological armoury to combat, prevent and control the spread of this virus. Using a set of precise criteria to locate such possible contenders, we conducted literature searches to find compounds that met these criteria. We have now reduced this to a shortlist of three agents that may be the best candidates. We propose vitamin C, vitamin D and Curcumin fit our criteria well. These compounds are widely available to the general public. They are available online and over-the-counter as supplements. Otherwise healthy individuals are safely able to self-administer these agents as a prophylactic to protect themselves and to enhance their immune response. This would be especially desirable for the elderly and at risk groups. These agents can also be used as adjunct therapy, particularly for those who may have early symptoms. This preventative therapy could be implemented whilst awaiting specific pharmaceutical drugs to emerge as a treatment for COVID-19. Our suggested compounds are a highly cost-effective way to potentially reduce the mortality that is regretfully mounting as a result of COVID-19 infection. The biological mode of action and the dosing of these compounds are summarised.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Franca Rosa Guerini ◽  
Matteo Cesari ◽  
Beatrice Arosio

AbstractThe risk of serious complications and the fatality rate due to COVID-19 pandemic have proven particularly higher in older persons, putting a further strain in healthcare system as we dramatically observed.COVID-19 is not exclusively gerophile (géro “old” and philia “love”) as young people can be infected, even if older people experience more severe symptoms and mortality due to their greater frailty. Indeed, frailty could complicate the course of COVID-19, much more than the number of years lived. As demonstration, there are centenarians showing remarkable capacity to recover after coronavirus infection.We hypothesize that centenarian’s portfolio could help in identifying protective biological mechanisms underlying the coronavirus infection.The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) is one of the major genetic regions associated with human longevity, due to its central role in the development of adaptive immune response and modulation of the individual’s response to life threatening diseases. The HLA locus seems to be crucial in influencing susceptibility and severity of COVID-19.In this hypothesis, we assume that the biological process in which HLA are involved may explain some aspects of coronavirus infection in centenarians, although we cannot rule out other biological mechanisms that these extraordinary persons are able to adopt to cope with the infection.


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1457
Author(s):  
Dewald Schoeman ◽  
Burtram C. Fielding

Over the past 18 years, three highly pathogenic human (h) coronaviruses (CoVs) have caused severe outbreaks, the most recent causative agent, SARS-CoV-2, being the first to cause a pandemic. Although much progress has been made since the COVID-19 pandemic started, much about SARS-CoV-2 and its disease, COVID-19, is still poorly understood. The highly pathogenic hCoVs differ in some respects, but also share some similarities in clinical presentation, the risk factors associated with severe disease, and the characteristic immunopathology associated with the progression to severe disease. This review aims to highlight these overlapping aspects of the highly pathogenic hCoVs—SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2—briefly discussing the importance of an appropriately regulated immune response; how the immune response to these highly pathogenic hCoVs might be dysregulated through interferon (IFN) inhibition, antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE), and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA); and how these could link to the ensuing cytokine storm. The treatment approaches to highly pathogenic hCoV infections are discussed and it is suggested that a greater focus be placed on T-cell vaccines that elicit a cell-mediated immune response, using rapamycin as a potential agent to improve vaccine responses in the elderly and obese, and the potential of stapled peptides as antiviral agents.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 3059
Author(s):  
Corrado Pelaia ◽  
Cecilia Calabrese ◽  
Eugenio Garofalo ◽  
Andrea Bruni ◽  
Alessandro Vatrella ◽  
...  

Among patients suffering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) syndrome, one of the worst possible scenarios is represented by the critical lung damage caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)-induced cytokine storm, responsible for a potentially very dangerous hyperinflammatory condition. Within such a context, interleukin-6 (IL-6) plays a key pathogenic role, thus being a suitable therapeutic target. Indeed, the IL-6-receptor antagonist tocilizumab, already approved for treatment of refractory rheumatoid arthritis, is often used to treat patients with severe COVID-19 symptoms and lung involvement. Therefore, the aim of this review article is to focus on the rationale of tocilizumab utilization in the SARS-CoV-2-triggered cytokine storm, as well as to discuss current evidence and future perspectives, especially with regard to ongoing trials referring to the evaluation of tocilizumab’s therapeutic effects in patients with life-threatening SARS-CoV-2 infection.


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