MyMedR

Fulltext Inflammasomes and Pyroptosis as Therapeutic Targets for COVID-19

Yap JKY, Moriyama M, Iwasaki A

J Immunol, 2020 Jul 15;205(2):307-312.

PMID: 32493814 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2000513

The inflammatory response to severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 infection has a direct impact on the clinical outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 patients. Of the many innate immune pathways that are engaged by severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2, we highlight the importance of the inflammasome pathway. We discuss available pharmaceutical agents that target a critical component of inflammasome activation, signaling leading to cellular pyroptosis, and the downstream cytokines as a promising target for the treatment of severe coronavirus disease 2019-associated diseases.

Matched MeSH terms: Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy

Fulltext The First 75 Days of Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) Outbreak: Recent Advances, Prevention, and Treatment

Yan Y, Shin WI, Pang YX, Meng Y, Lai J, You C, et al.

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020 03 30;17(7).

PMID: 32235575 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17072323

The recent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, previously known as 2019-nCoV) outbreak has engulfed an unprepared world amidst a festive season. The zoonotic SARS-CoV-2, believed to have originated from infected bats, is the seventh member of enveloped RNA coronavirus. Specifically, the overall genome sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 is 96.2% identical to that of bat coronavirus termed BatCoV RaTG13. Although the current mortality rate of 2% is significantly lower than that of SARS (9.6%) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) (35%), SARS-CoV-2 is highly contagious and transmissible from human to human with an incubation period of up to 24 days. Some statistical studies have shown that, on average, one infected patient may lead to a subsequent 5.7 confirmed cases. Since the first reported case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the SARS-CoV-2 on December 1, 2019, in Wuhan, China, there has been a total of 60,412 confirmed cases with 1370 fatalities reported in 25 different countries as of February 13, 2020. The outbreak has led to severe impacts on social health and the economy at various levels. This paper is a review of the significant, continuous global effort that was made to respond to the outbreak in the first 75 days. Although no vaccines have been discovered yet, a series of containment measures have been implemented by various governments, especially in China, in the effort to prevent further outbreak, whilst various medical treatment approaches have been used to successfully treat infected patients. On the basis of current studies, it would appear that the combined antiviral treatment has shown the highest success rate. This review aims to critically summarize the most recent advances in understanding the coronavirus, as well as the strategies in prevention and treatment.

Matched MeSH terms: Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy

Fulltext Management of patients with liver derangement during the COVID-19 pandemic: an Asia-Pacific position statement

Wong GL, Wong VW, Thompson A, Jia J, Hou J, Lesmana CRA, et al.

Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol, 2020 08;5(8):776-787.

PMID: 32585136 DOI: 10.1016/S2468-1253(20)30190-4

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread rapidly worldwide. It is common to encounter patients with COVID-19 with abnormal liver function, either in the form of hepatitis, cholestasis, or both. The clinical implications of liver derangement might be variable in different clinical scenarios. With growing evidence of its clinical significance, it would be clinically helpful to provide practice recommendations for various common clinical scenarios of liver derangement during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Asia-Pacific Working Group for Liver Derangement during the COVID-19 Pandemic was formed to systematically review the literature with special focus on the clinical management of patients who have been or who are at risk of developing liver derangement during this pandemic. Clinical scenarios covering the use of pharmacological treatment for COVID-19 in the case of liver derangement, and assessment and management of patients with chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, liver cirrhosis, and liver transplantation during the pandemic are discussed.

Matched MeSH terms: Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy

Have we found the panacea to COVID-19 with remdesivir, an old but newly packaged drug?

Thalha AMM, Lee YY, Besari A, Omar SFS

J R Coll Physicians Edinb, 2020 06;50(2):159-161.

PMID: 32568289 DOI: 10.4997/JRCPE.2020.217

Matched MeSH terms: Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy*

Fulltext RAAS blockers in hypertension posing a higher risk toward the COVID-19

Singh Y, Gupta G, Satija S, Negi P, Chellappan DK, Dua K

Dermatol Ther, 2020 Jul;33(4):e13501.

PMID: 32359088 DOI: 10.1111/dth.13501

Matched MeSH terms: Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy*

Fulltext Vesicular drug delivery systems as theranostics in COVID-19

Satija S, Mehta M, Sharma M, Prasher P, Gupta G, Chellappan DK, et al.

Future Med Chem, 2020 09;12(18):1607-1609.

PMID: 32589055 DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2020-0149

Matched MeSH terms: Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy*

Fulltext Auditory Cinchonism in COVID Era

Saniasiaya J, Kulasegarah J

Ear Nose Throat J, 2020 Nov;99(9):597-598.

PMID: 32744901 DOI: 10.1177/0145561320947255

Matched MeSH terms: Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy*

Fulltext A review on chitosan and its development as pulmonary particulate anti-infective and anti-cancer drug carriers

Rasul RM, Tamilarasi Muniandy M, Zakaria Z, Shah K, Chee CF, Dabbagh A, et al.

Carbohydr Polym, 2020 Dec 15;250:116800.

PMID: 33049807 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2020.116800

Chitosan, as a biodegradable and biocompatible polymer, is characterized by anti-microbial and anti-cancer properties. It lately has received a widespread interest for use as the pulmonary particulate backbone materials of drug carrier for the treatment of infectious disease and cancer. The success of chitosan as pulmonary particulate drug carrier is a critical interplay of their mucoadhesive, permeation enhancement and site/cell-specific attributes. In the case of nanocarriers, various microencapsulation and micro-nano blending systems have been devised to equip them with an appropriate aerodynamic character to enable efficient pulmonary aerosolization and inhalation. The late COVID-19 infection is met with acute respiratory distress syndrome and cancer. Chitosan and its derivatives are found useful in combating HCoV and cancer as a function of their molecular weight, substituent type and its degree of substitution. The interest in chitosan is expected to rise in the next decade from the perspectives of drug delivery in combination with its therapeutic performance.

Matched MeSH terms: Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy

World War against COVID-19: How strong is our armamentarium?

Ramachandran V, Marimuthu RR, Chinnambedu RS

Med J Malaysia, 2020 05;75(3):314-315.

PMID: 32467555

No abstract provided.

Matched MeSH terms: Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy*

Fulltext Laboratory-confirmed case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in Malaysia: preparedness and response, April 2014

Premila Devi J, Noraini W, Norhayati R, Chee Kheong C, Badrul AS, Zainah S, et al.

Euro Surveill, 2014 May 08;19(18).

PMID: 24832116

On 14 April 2014, the first laboratory-confirmed case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection was reported in Malaysia in a man in his mid-fifties, who developed pneumonia with respiratory distress, after returning from a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. The case succumbed to his illness three days after admission at a local hospital. The follow-up of 199 close contacts identified through contact tracing and vigilant surveillance did not result in detecting any other confirmed cases of MERS-CoV infection.

Matched MeSH terms: Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy

Fulltext Natural Flavonoids as Potential Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 Inhibitors for Anti-SARS-CoV-2

Muchtaridi M, Fauzi M, Khairul Ikram NK, Mohd Gazzali A, Wahab HA

Molecules, 2020 Sep 01;25(17).

PMID: 32882868 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25173980

Over the years, coronaviruses (CoV) have posed a severe public health threat, causing an increase in mortality and morbidity rates throughout the world. The recent outbreak of a novel coronavirus, named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused the current Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that affected more than 215 countries with over 23 million cases and 800,000 deaths as of today. The situation is critical, especially with the absence of specific medicines or vaccines; hence, efforts toward the development of anti-COVID-19 medicines are being intensively undertaken. One of the potential therapeutic targets of anti-COVID-19 drugs is the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). ACE2 was identified as a key functional receptor for CoV associated with COVID-19. ACE2, which is located on the surface of the host cells, binds effectively to the spike protein of CoV, thus enabling the virus to infect the epithelial cells of the host. Previous studies showed that certain flavonoids exhibit angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition activity, which plays a crucial role in the regulation of arterial blood pressure. Thus, it is being postulated that these flavonoids might also interact with ACE2. This postulation might be of interest because these compounds also show antiviral activity in vitro. This article summarizes the natural flavonoids with potential efficacy against COVID-19 through ACE2 receptor inhibition.

Matched MeSH terms: Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy

Fulltext All together to Fight COVID-19

Momtazmanesh S, Ochs HD, Uddin LQ, Perc M, Routes JM, Vieira DN, et al.

Am J Trop Med Hyg, 2020 06;102(6):1181-1183.

PMID: 32323644 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-0281

Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), named a pandemic by the WHO, is the current global health crisis. National and international collaboration are indispensable for combating COVID-19 and other similar potential outbreaks. International efforts to tackle this complex problem have led to remarkable scientific advances. Yet, as a global society, we can and must take additional measures to fight this pandemic. Undoubtedly, our approach toward COVID-19 was not perfect, and testing has not been deployed fast enough to arrest the epidemic early on. It is critical that we revise our approaches to be more prepared for pandemics as a united body by promoting global cooperation and commitment.

Matched MeSH terms: Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy

Fulltext Current Drugs with Potential for Treatment of COVID-19: A Literature Review

Md Insiat Islam Rabby

J Pharm Pharm Sci, 2020;23(1):58-64.

PMID: 32251618 DOI: 10.18433/jpps31002

PURPOSE: SARS-CoV-2 first emerged in China in December 2019 and rapidly spread worldwide. No vaccine or approved drug is available to eradicate the virus, however, some drugs that are indicated for other afflictions seems to be potentially beneficial to treat the infection albeit without unequivocal evidence. The aim of this article is to review the published background on the effectiveness of these drugs against COVID-19 Methods: A thorough literature search was conducted on recently published studies which have published between January 1 to March 25, 2020. PubMed, Google Scholar and Science Direct databases were searched Results: A total 22 articles were found eligible. 8 discuss about treatment outcomes from their applied drugs during treatment of COVID-19 patients, 4 report laboratory tests, one report animal trial and other 9 articles discuss recommendations and suggestions based on the treatment process and clinical outcomes of other diseases such as malaria, ebola, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The data and/or recommendations are categorized in 4 classes: (a) anti-viral and anti-inflammatory drugs, (b) anti-malaria drugs, (c) traditional Chinese drugs and (d) other treatments/drugs.

CONCLUSION: All examined treatments, although potentiality effective against COVID-19, need either appropriate drug development or clinical trial to be suitable for clinical use.

Matched MeSH terms: Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy*

Fulltext Leveraging the advances in HIV for COVID-19

McMahon JH, Hoy JF, Kamarulzaman A, Bekker LG, Beyrer C, Lewin SR

Lancet, 2020 10 03;396(10256):943-944.

PMID: 33010825 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32012-2

Matched MeSH terms: Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy

Fulltext Drug Repositioning: New Approaches and Future Prospects for Life-Debilitating Diseases and the COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak

Low ZY, Farouk IA, Lal SK

Viruses, 2020 09 22;12(9).

PMID: 32972027 DOI: 10.3390/v12091058

Traditionally, drug discovery utilises a de novo design approach, which requires high cost and many years of drug development before it reaches the market. Novel drug development does not always account for orphan diseases, which have low demand and hence low-profit margins for drug developers. Recently, drug repositioning has gained recognition as an alternative approach that explores new avenues for pre-existing commercially approved or rejected drugs to treat diseases aside from the intended ones. Drug repositioning results in lower overall developmental expenses and risk assessments, as the efficacy and safety of the original drug have already been well accessed and approved by regulatory authorities. The greatest advantage of drug repositioning is that it breathes new life into the novel, rare, orphan, and resistant diseases, such as Cushing's syndrome, HIV infection, and pandemic outbreaks such as COVID-19. Repositioning existing drugs such as Hydroxychloroquine, Remdesivir, Ivermectin and Baricitinib shows good potential for COVID-19 treatment. This can crucially aid in resolving outbreaks in urgent times of need. This review discusses the past success in drug repositioning, the current technological advancement in the field, drug repositioning for personalised medicine and the ongoing research on newly emerging drugs under consideration for the COVID-19 treatment.

Matched MeSH terms: Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy*

Fulltext Meta-analysis of Effect of Statins in Patients with COVID-19

Kow CS, Hasan SS

Am J Cardiol, 2020 11 01;134:153-155.

PMID: 32891399 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2020.08.004

Matched MeSH terms: Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy*

Fulltext The Potential Benefit of Telmisartan to Protect Overweight Patients with COPD from the Acquisition of COVID-19

Kow CS, Hasan SS

Obesity (Silver Spring), 2020 11;28(11):2035.

PMID: 32692903 DOI: 10.1002/oby.22976

Matched MeSH terms: Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy*

Fulltext Flash survey on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infections in paediatric patients on anticancer treatment

Hrusak O, Kalina T, Wolf J, Balduzzi A, Provenzi M, Rizzari C, et al.

Eur J Cancer, 2020 06;132:11-16.

PMID: 32305831 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2020.03.021

INTRODUCTION: Since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic, it is known that the severe course of the disease occurs mostly among the elderly, whereas it is rare among children and young adults. Comorbidities, in particular, diabetes and hypertension, clearly associated with age, besides obesity and smoke, are strongly associated with the need for intensive treatment and a dismal outcome. A weaker immunity of the elderly has been proposed as a possible explanation of this uneven age distribution. Thus, there is concern that children treated for cancer may allso be at risk for an unfavourable course of infection. Along the same line, anecdotal information from Wuhan, China, mentioned a severe course of COVID-19 in a child treated for leukaemia.

AIM AND METHODS: We made a flash survey on COVID-19 incidence and severity among children on anticancer treatment. Respondents were asked by email to fill in a short Web-based survey.

RESULTS: We received reports from 25 countries, where approximately 10,000 patients at risk are followed up. At the time of the survey, more than 200 of these children were tested, nine of whom were positive for COVID-19. Eight of the nine cases had asymptomatic to mild disease, and one was just diagnosed with COVID-19. We also discuss preventive measures that are in place or should be taken and treatment options in immunocompromised children with COVID-19.

CONCLUSION: Thus, even children receiving anticancer chemotherapy may have a mild or asymptomatic course of COVID-19. While we should not underestimate the risk of developing a more severe course of COVID-19 than that observed here, the intensity of preventive measures should not cause delays or obstructions in oncological treatment.

Matched MeSH terms: Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy

Fulltext Experience of short-term hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin in COVID-19 patients and effect on QTc trend

Hor CP, Hussin N, Nalliah S, Ooi WT, Tang XY, Zachariah S, et al.

J Infect, 2020 08;81(2):e117-e119.

PMID: 32474031 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinf.2020.05.058

Matched MeSH terms: Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy

Fulltext Venous thromboembolism in critically ill COVID-19 patients receiving prophylactic or therapeutic anticoagulation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Hasan SS, Radford S, Kow CS, Zaidi STR

J Thromb Thrombolysis, 2020 Nov;50(4):814-821.

PMID: 32748122 DOI: 10.1007/s11239-020-02235-z

Many aspects of care such as management of hypercoagulable state in COVID-19 patients, especially those admitted to intensive care units is challenging in the rapidly evolving pandemic of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We seek to systematically review the available evidence regarding the anticoagulation approach to prevent venous thromboembolism (VTE) among COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units. Electronic databases were searched for studies reporting venous thromboembolic events in patients admitted to the intensive care unit receiving any type of anticoagulation (prophylactic or therapeutic). The pooled prevalence (and 95% confidence interval [CI]) of VTE among patients receiving anticoagulant were calculated using the random-effects model. Subgroup pooled analyses were performed with studies reported prophylactic anticoagulation alone and with studies reported mixed prophylactic and therapeutic anticoagulation. We included twelve studies (8 Europe; 2 UK; 1 each from the US and China) in our systematic review and meta-analysis. All studies utilized LMWH or unfractionated heparin as their pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis, either prophylactic doses or therapeutic doses. Seven studies reported on the proportion of patients with the previous history of VTE (range 0-10%). The pooled prevalence of VTE among ICU patients receiving prophylactic or therapeutic anticoagulation across all studies was 31% (95% CI 20-43%). Subgroup pooled analysis limited to studies reported prophylactic anticoagulation alone and mixed (therapeutic and prophylactic anticoagulation) reported pooled prevalences of VTE of 38% (95% CI 10-70%) and 27% (95% CI 17-40%) respectively. With a high prevalence of thromboprophylaxis failure among COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units, individualised rather than protocolised VTE thromboprophylaxis would appear prudent at interim.

Matched MeSH terms: Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy*

Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 26 in total