ABSTRACT
COVID-19 has caused mayhem in the life of people. It has disrupted the social fabric of life. The children and adolescent population has been particularly affected by its direct and indirect effects. This systematic review aims to find the prevalence of depression and anxiety in children and adolescent age groups. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines for finding the prevalence of depression and anxiety. We found the total number of participants to be 71,016. A random effect model was used for conducting meta-analysis. The prevalence of depression was mentioned in 17 studies of 23 and the pooled prevalence was 27% [95% confidence interval: 21%-36%] and heterogeneity (I2 statistics; P <.00001) was 100%. The prevalence of anxiety was found in 20 studies of 23 and the pooled anxiety prevalence was 25% (95% confidence interval: 16%-41%) and heterogeneity (I2 statistics; P < .00001) was found to be 100%. The summary of the findings has been provided. Due to high heterogeneity, moderator analysis was performed separately for depression and anxiety subgroups. The study design consisted of cross-sectional studies and some studies conducted through online surveys. The age range varied considerably from 1 year to 19 years; 5 studies had participants aged more than 19 years, but the mean age of the total sample was less than 18 years. We conclude that indeed there is a mental health epidemic among the child and adolescent population. We recommend early intervention and tailored made strategies should for management. As the pandemic is enduring, rigorous monitoring should be done. This age group is under extra pressure owing to a large uncertainty about their studies as well their future.
ABSTRACT
As of August 16, 2021, there have been 207,173,086 confirmed cases and 4,361,996 deaths due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and the pandemic remains a global challenge. To date, no effective and approved drugs are available for the treatment of COVID-19. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) plays a crucial role in the invasion into host cells by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiological agent of COVID-19. Notably, ACE2 density is influenced by medical conditions, such as hypertension, or by drugs, including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), which can change the fate of SARS-CoV-2 infectivity. ACE2 is a target for these drugs and can be manipulated to limit the viral entry and replication within the cells. Different strategies aimed at blocking ACE2 with small molecules, peptides, and antibodies, or by neutralizing the virus through its competitive binding with human recombinant soluble ACE2 (hrsACE2) are currently under investigation. In this article, we review the current state of knowledge that emphasizes the need to find effective therapeutic agents against COVID-19 by exploiting ACE2 as a potential target. The increased soluble ACE2 levels and the application of hrsACE2 in patients with COVID-19 can be implemented to control the disease. It has not yet been established whether hypertension and other comorbidities, independent of age, have a direct role in COVID-19. Therefore, the use of renin-angiotensin system inhibitors, ACEIs and ARBs, should not be discontinued during COVID-19 treatment.
ABSTRACT
Mucormycosis is a serious and potentially fatal fungal infection caused by a type of rare but opportunistic fungal pathogen called mucormycetes. Recently, mucormycosis, also known as black fungus, made severe chaos in India during the second wave (between April and June 2021) of the tragical COVID-19 epidemic by its sudden and devastating surge with up to 50% mortality rate. While the exact cause of its sharp rise suddenly and specifically during the second wave still remains debatable, it has been noted that the people who are diabetic and have recovered from COVID-19 infection are more predisposed to mucormycosis. Nevertheless, the precise reason and mechanism(s) underlying the surge of this deadly infection needs to be investigated to comprehend its pathogenesis and pathological elements and discover rationale preventative/ therapeutic solutions. It is speculated that the indiscriminate use of steroids, antibiotics and zinc as a self-medication practice that increased during the COVID-19 epidemic may have promoted the dysbiosis of gut microbiota thereby inducing immune-suppression and making the risk group highly susceptible to this mycotic disease. In these contexts, this timely article attempts to contemplate and discuss some of the possible factors and potential mechanisms that can help to understand and explain the conundrum of sudden, steep and deadly upsurge of mucormycosis infections during the second wave of COVID-19 epidemic.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The global health emergency of COVID-19 has necessitated the development of multiple therapeutic modalities including vaccinations, antivirals, anti-inflammatory, and cytoimmunotherapies, etc. COVID-19 patients suffer from damage to various organs and vascular structures, so they present multiple health crises. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are of interest to treat acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection. MAIN BODY: Stem cell-based therapies have been verified for prospective benefits in copious preclinical and clinical studies. MSCs confer potential benefits to develop various cell types and organoids for studying virus-human interaction, drug testing, regenerative medicine, and immunomodulatory effects in COVID-19 patients. Apart from paving the ways to augment stem cell research and therapies, somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) holds unique ability for a wide range of health applications such as patient-specific or isogenic cells for regenerative medicine and breeding transgenic animals for biomedical applications. Being a potent cell genome-reprogramming tool, the SCNT has increased prominence of recombinant therapeutics and cellular medicine in the current era of COVID-19. As SCNT is used to generate patient-specific stem cells, it avoids dependence on embryos to obtain stem cells. CONCLUSIONS: The nuclear transfer cloning, being an ideal tool to generate cloned embryos, and the embryonic stem cells will boost drug testing and cellular medicine in COVID-19.