Autologous Platelet-Rich Plasma Treatment for Androgenic Alopecia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials.

BACKGROUND: Androgenic alopecia (AGA) is a common condition associated with hair loss in both men and women (female pattern hair loss), causing considerable psychological distress. Ongoing research focuses on novel safe, cost-effective, and efficient treatments with the best patient outcomes. Autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has become increasingly popular in the treatment of AGA compared with hair transplantation techniques. The present study aims to evaluate the outcomes of PRP as a treatment for AGA/female pattern hair loss. METHODS: A computerized literature search was conducted on PubMed, clinicaltrials.gov , and Cochrane Library for articles published until November of 2020. The online screening process was performed by two independent reviewers with the Covidence tool against set inclusion/exclusion criteria. The protocol was reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses guidelines, and it was registered at the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews of the National Institute for Health and Care Research. Meta-analyses were performed by using the random effects model with the RevMan software. RESULTS: The initial search yielded 49 randomized controlled clinical trials. Eleven randomized controlled clinical trials were included in the study based on a priori criteria. PRP injections significantly increased the number of hair follicles, hair thickness, and density compared with placebo interventions. Also, the patients reported high overall satisfaction with the PRP treatment. Only temporary minor side effects were noted, including localized pain, bleeding, and itching. CONCLUSIONS: Autologous PRP significantly improves alopecia in select patients. Future research should focus on optimizing PRP treatment protocols and minimizing possible adverse reactions. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, II.

In vitro hair follicle growth model for drug testing.

In vitro models of human hair follicle-like tissue could be fundamental tools to better understand hair follicle morphogenesis and hair drug screening. During prenatal development and postnatal cyclic hair regeneration, hair follicle morphogenesis is triggered by reciprocal interactions and the organization of the epithelial and mesenchymal cell populations. Given this mechanism, we developed an approach to induce hair peg-like sprouting in organoid cultures composed of epithelial and mesenchymal cells. Human fetal/adult epithelial and mesenchymal cells were cultured in a medium supplemented with a low concentration of either Matrigel or collagen I. These extracellular matrices significantly enhanced the self-organization capabilities of the epithelial and mesenchymal cells, resulting in spherical aggregation and subsequent hair peg-like sprouting. The length of the hair peg sprouting and associated gene expression significantly increased in the presence of a well-known hair drug, minoxidil. This approach may be beneficial for testing hair growth-promoting drug candidates.

When asking 'are you stressed?' is not enough: Hair cortisol, subjective stress, and alcohol use during the first year of the pandemic.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by an increase in alcohol use in a third of the population worldwide. To date, the literature shows that subjective reports of stress predicted increased alcohol use during the early stages of the pandemic. However, no studies have investigated the effect of physiological stress (via the stress hormone cortisol) on alcohol use during the pandemic. This study aimed to identify the predictive value of cortisol and/or subjective stress on alcohol use during the first year of the pandemic. Every three months, between June 2020 and March 2021, 79 healthy adults (19-54 years old) answered online questionnaires assessing alcohol use. In May 2020, participants reported pre-pandemic alcohol use, while in June 2020, participants reported current alcohol use, subjective stress measures, and provided a 6 cm hair sample. The latter allowed us to quantify the cumulative levels of cortisol produced in the three months prior to and following the start of the mandatory lockdown measures in March 2020 in Quebec, Canada. A relative change in hair cortisol was computed to quantify the physiological stress response. While controlling for sex, age, and psychiatric diagnoses, multilevel linear regressions revealed that alcohol use increased only among people with concomitant high subjective stress and elevated hair cortisol concentrations. Moreover, this increased alcohol use remained elevated one year later. This study documents the importance of simultaneously considering stress biomarkers and subjective stress to identify people at risk of increasing their alcohol use during major stressful life events.

COVID-19, Overzealous Sanitizer Use, and Hair Discoloration: Case Reports.

Proper hand hygiene is one of the top preventive measures against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this study, we report the cases of four patients who presented with blonde discoloration of hair of the dorsal hands and distal forearms during the COVID-19 pandemic. The mean age of participants was 41.25±4.35 years, and 75% percent of them were men. Three patients were medical staff who had to use antiseptics frequently, and one of them was a housewife. In all participants, the primary color of hand hair was black. The duration of sanitizer use was approximately four months (Table 1). One of the patients, a 42-year-old male ophthalmologist, was examined due to the blonde discoloration of hairs of the dorsal hands and distal forearms (Figure 1). The color of the hand and forearms hair had changed to blonde. However, the underlying skin was unaffected. A dermoscopy examination showed lighter hair compared with the natural black hair of unaffected parts. In addition, the hair color of the scalp, upper arms, and other body parts was normal. The patient had frequently used a hand sanitizer that contained 70% ethanol and didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (DDAC) for the past five months. The three other patients also had blonde discoloration observable on the hair of dorsal hands. They all reported excessive use of various alcoholic sanitizers. However, they were unaware of other ingredients. In addition, the examination of hair shafts and underlying skin was normal. The COVID-19 pandemic caused an abrupt increase in the use of sanitizers. Hand disinfectants consist of two main categories: non-alcohol-based hand sanitizers and alcohol-based hand sanitizers. The alcohol-based type is an effective measure for the inactivation of enveloped viruses such as coronaviruses (1). It has been shown that percutaneous absorption of alcohol is possible through intact skin. The use of ethanol as a penetration enhancer for pharmaceutical purposes also confirms that ethanol can be absorbed via the skin and be systematically distributed in the body (2). Reisfield et al. observed that intensive use of ethanol-based sanitizers led to an increase in urinary ethanol biomarkers concentrations (3). Alcohols used in various types of gels and solutions are easily released during hand rubbing (4). Ethanol absorption by inhalation should therefore also be taken into account (5). Different pathways of ethanol metabolism can produce free radicals, which affect the antioxidant system (6). In addition, DDAC is also associated with cell growth inhibition and stress oxidative induction (7). Hair discoloration may be a voluntary cosmetic change or a result of chemical or metal exposure. Most unwanted hair discolorations are blonde or white (8). Previous data suggested that an increase in pro-oxidants and a decrease in antioxidants play an important role in hair discoloration. A study performed by Akin Belli et al. demonstrated that hair discoloration is closely related to factors such as emotional stress and alcohol consumption, which cause oxidative stress (9). Hair discoloration might therefore result from oxidative stress induced by ethanol and DDAC used in sanitizers. Golden hair discoloration has been associated with chloride in water. Hypochlorous acid in swimming pool water can penetrate the hair cortex through the cuticle, where it can oxidize and degenerate melanosomes (10). Another possible hypothesis is that the chloride compound in DDAC might be the culprit in sanitizer hair discoloration. Additionally, the bleaching compounds used in some hand disinfectants could be another possible cause of hair discoloration. To the best of our knowledge, this observation of hair discoloration was not previously reported during the COVID-19 outbreak. It is also noteworthy that most hair discoloration normalizes over time (8). The limitations of our study included the fact that the hand sanitizers used by the patients were unavailable and thus their ingredients could not be examined. Furthermore, as most of the sanitizers in this current pandemic are not standardized, they may have unknown ingredients with discoloration properties. Due to the overzealous use of various antiseptics during the pandemic, it is expected that this side-effect will be observed more and more often. Therefore, physicians must be aware of this presentation and reassure the patient regarding this phenomenon. Additionally, products free of such agents should be prescribed to avoid hair discoloration.

Association of polygenic risk scores and hair cortisol with mental health trajectories during COVID lockdown.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global stressor with inter-individually differing influences on mental health trajectories. Polygenic Risk Scores (PRSs) for psychiatric phenotypes are associated with individual mental health predispositions. Elevated hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) and high PRSs are related to negative mental health outcomes. We analyzed whether PRSs and HCC are related to different mental health trajectories during the first COVID lockdown in Germany. Among 523 participants selected from the longitudinal resilience assessment study (LORA), we previously reported three subgroups (acute dysfunction, delayed dysfunction, resilient) based on weekly mental health (GHQ-28) assessment during COVID lockdown. DNA from blood was collected at the baseline of the original LORA study (n = 364) and used to calculate the PRSs of 12 different psychopathological phenotypes. An explorative bifactor model with Schmid-Leiman transformation was calculated to extract a general genetic factor for psychiatric disorders. Hair samples were collected quarterly prior to the pandemic for determining HCC (n = 192). Bivariate logistic regressions were performed to test the associations of HCC and the PRS factors with the reported trajectories. The bifactor model revealed 1 general factor and 4 sub-factors. Results indicate a significant association between increased values on the general risk factor and the allocation to the acute dysfunction class. The same was found for elevated HCC and the exploratorily tested sub-factor "childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorders". Genetic risk and long-term cortisol secretion as a potential indicator of stress, indicated by PRSs and HCC, respectively, predicted different mental health trajectories. Results indicate a potential for future studies on risk prediction.

Rapid and Visual RPA-Cas12a Fluorescence Assay for Accurate Detection of Dermatophytes in Cats and Dogs.

Dermatophytosis, an infectious disease caused by several fungi, can affect the hair, nails, and/or superficial layers of the skin and is of global significance. The most common dermatophytes in cats and dogs are Microsporum canis and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Wood's lamp examination, microscopic identification, and fungal culture are the conventional clinical diagnostic methods, while PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) and qPCR (Quantitative PCR) are playing an increasingly important role in the identification of dermatophytes. However, none of these methods could be applied to point-of-care testing (POCT). The recent development of the CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) based diagnostic platform promises a rapid, accurate, and portable diagnostic tool. In this paper, we present a Cas12a-fluorescence assay to detect and differentiate the main dermatophytes in clinical samples with high specificity and sensitivity. The Cas12a-based assay was performed with a combination of recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA). The results could be directly visualized by naked eyes under blue light, and all tested samples were consistent with fungal culture and sequencing results. Compared with traditional methods, the RPA-Cas12a-fluorescence assay requires less time (about 30 min) and less complicated equipment, and the visual changes can be clearly observed with naked eyes, which is suitable for on-site clinical diagnosis.

Increases in Circulating Cortisol during the COVID-19 Pandemic are Associated with Changes in Perceived Positive and Negative Affect among Adolescents.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has spread across the world and resulted in over 5 million deaths to date, as well as countless lockdowns, disruptions to daily life, and extended period of social distancing and isolation. The impacts on youth in particular are astounding, with shifts in learning platforms, limited social outlets, and prolonged uncertainty about the future. Surveys have shown that mental health among youth has severely suffered during the pandemic. However, limited research to date has reported on physiological indices of stress surrounding the pandemic, such as cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone that typically increases during stressful situations and can have deleterious effects on mental and physical health when chronically heightened. The present study leveraged hair cortisol concentration measurements, which allowed the retrospectiveinvestigation of circulating cortisol prior to- versus after pandemic-related local lockdowns during the first wave of the pandemic. A final sample of 44 youth ages 10- to 18-years-old provided hair samples and reported on their perceived affective well-being and level of concern regarding pandemic-related stressors between May and June of 2020. We found significant levels of concern and decreases in affective well-being following local lockdowns. Moreover, we saw that cortisol robustly increased following local lockdowns, and those increases were predictive of changes in affect. These findings provide critical insights into the underlying neuroendocrinology of stress during the pandemic and support the need for resources to support youths' mental health and well-being during this globally significant event.

Prenatal hair cortisol concentrations during the COVID-19 outbreak: Associations with maternal psychological stress and infant temperament.

BACKGROUND: Maternal psychological stress during pregnancy, including stress resulting from disasters and trauma, has been linked to temperamental difficulties in offspring. Although heightened cortisol concentrations are often hypothesized as an underlying mechanism, evidence supporting this mechanism is not consistent, potentially because of methodological issues and low stress in the population. AIM: To address these issues, this preregistered study investigated the following associations between: 1) prenatal psychological stress and hair cortisol, as a biomarker for chronic stress, during the COVID-19 outbreak (i.e., as a major worldwide psychological stressor), and 2) maternal hair cortisol during the COVID-19 outbreak and later infant temperamental negative affectivity and orienting/regulation. Additionally, we explored whether associations were different for women with low versus high socioeconomic status (SES; maternal education and annual household income) and at different stages of pregnancy. METHOD: Pregnant women (N = 100) filled out online questionnaires during the first COVID-19 lockdown. Six months later, when most mothers were still pregnant or had just given birth, maternal hair samples were collected during home visits. When infants were six months old, mothers reported on their infant's temperament. RESULTS: Although hierarchical regression analyses revealed no associations between prenatal COVID-19 psychological stress and hair cortisol during the COVID-19 outbreak, SES proved to be a moderator in this association. Only pregnant women with higher levels of SES, not lower levels, showed a positive association between work-related and social support-related COVID-19 worries and hair cortisol. Finally, prenatal hair cortisol was not associated with later infant temperamental negative affectivity and orienting/regulation. CONCLUSION: Although the COVID-19 outbreak proved to be a major psychological stressor worldwide, the physiological impact of the crisis might be different for pregnant women with higher SES as compared to lower SES.

Respiratory protection preparedness in critical care healthcare workers: An observational audit of facial hair at a major tertiary hospital in Australia.

BACKGROUND: Facial hair under a tight fitting P2/N95 respirator diminishes respiratory protection. There is limited guidance with respect to the threshold to be clean shaven in readiness to wear N95 respirators. METHODS: We performed a cross sectional audit in late August 2021 to observe whether staff had facial hair that could decrease respiratory protection of tight fitting respirators. The audit was conducted in three critical care areas at a major tertiary public hospital in Australia during a period of moderate-to-high community prevalence of COVID-19. All staff observed had previously successfully completed quantitative fit testing with a clean shaven face in the preceding 12 months. RESULTS: 110 consecutive male critical care staff were observed including thirty staff who were required to wear a N95/P2 respirator at the time. Forty - five percent of male staff observed were not clean shaven in the face seal zone of their respirators. CONCLUSIONS: The readiness to wear a tight-fitting respirator and hence the need to be clean shaven, should be guided by both state and local COVID-19 risk ratings, as well as the specific respiratory biohazard risks present in the clinical area at that time. During periods of significant community transmission of COVID-19, critical care clinical staff should be clean shaven, so they are fit-for-purpose and ready to wear a tight fitting respirator at short notice. Respiratory protection preparedness in critical care healthcare workers: An observational audit of facial hair at a major tertiary hospital in Australia.

Pre-pandemic socio-emotional vulnerability, internalizing and externalizing symptoms predict changes in hair cortisol concentrations in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic in children.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to increased distress in many children, particularly in girls. Socio-emotional vulnerability, as well as psychiatric symptomatology prior to or during the initial stages of the pandemic, have been identified as important predictors of this distress. Still, it is unclear whether the pandemic also had physiological repercussions in children. If so, it remains to be determined whether these same predictors could provide insight into inter-individual variability. This longitudinal study aimed to investigate the effects of socio-emotional vulnerability, as well as pre-pandemic internalizing and externalizing symptoms, on hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in healthy youth. In June 2020 (T1), 69 healthy children (M = 11.57 y/o) who visited the laboratory between 2017 and 2019 (T0) provided a 6 cm hair sample. This technique allowed us to quantify cortisol secretion during the three months preceding the COVID-19 pandemic (Segment A) and during the first three months of the first wave of the pandemic in Quebec, Canada (Segment B). At T0, participants completed the Dominic Interactive to assess pre-pandemic internalizing and externalizing symptoms. A socio-emotional composite score (SECS) was derived using a weighted z-score with the following constructs: anxiety sensitivity (Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index) measured at T0, trait anxiety (Trait subscale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAI-C)), intolerance of uncertainty (Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale for Children), and trait rumination (Children's Response Style Scale) measured at T1. A linear regression was conducted using the percent change in HCC across Segment A and B as the dependent variable, where SECS, pre-pandemic internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and sex were used as predictors. We found a main effect of sex, with girls presenting increased HCC reactivity compared to boys. We also found that SECS and internalizing symptoms negatively predicted HCC, whereas the opposite relationship was found between externalizing symptoms and HCC reactivity. For healthy children, our results suggest that previous psychiatric symptoms and socio-emotional vulnerability may be risk factors for the presentation of diverging cortisol response patterns in response to an adverse life event (such as the COVID-19 pandemic).

Selenium and mercury concentrations in biological samples from patients with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a systemic disease affecting multiple organs. Furthermore, viral infection depletes several trace elements and promotes complex biochemical reactions in the body. Smoking has been linked to the incidence of COVID-19 and associated mortality, and it may impact clinical effects, viral and bacterial conversion, and treatment outcomes. OBJECTIVES: To study the relationship between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 and the elemental concentrations of selenium (Se) and mercury (Hg) in biological samples from smokers and nonsmokers infected with the virus and in healthy individuals. METHOD: We evaluated changes in the concentrations of essential (Se) and toxic (Hg) elements in biological samples (blood, nasal fluid, saliva, sputum, serum, and scalp hair) collected from male smokers and nonsmokers (aged 29-59 years) infected with COVID-19 and from healthy men in the same age group. The patients lived in different cities in Sindh Province, Pakistan. The Se and Hg concentrations were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. RESULTS: Se concentrations in all types of biological samples from smokers and nonsmokers with COVID-19 were lower than those of healthy smokers and nonsmokers. Hg concentrations were elevated in both smokers and nonsmokers with COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: In the current study, persons infected with COVID-19 had higher concentrations of toxic Hg, which could cause physiological disorders, and low concentrations of essential Se, which can also cause weakness. COVID-19 infection showed positive correlations with levels of mercury and selenium. Thus, additional clinical and experimental investigations are essential.

Investigating the influence of shift work rosters on stress measured as cortisol in hair during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the workload and has affected physical and mental health of many employees. Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) has proven useful as a marker for retrospective assessment of stress in epidemiological studies and was measured here in non-healthcare night-shift workers with standard shifts (8-h shifts) and extended shifts (12-h shifts) before and during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Results showed a twofold increase in HCC among shift workers during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic compared with previous measurements. Subjectively reported measures of psychosomatic stress were not found to be reliable predictors of HCC. No statistically significant HCC differences were found between rosters. Working 12-h shifts does not appear to be an additional stressor in the already demanding COVID-19 pandemic.

Hair cortisol as a risk marker for increased depressive symptoms among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Determining pre-existing biological risk markers of incident depression and other mental health sequelae after exposure to a new stressor would help identify vulnerable individuals and mechanistic pathways. This study investigated primarily whether hair cortisol predicted elevated depressive symptoms in middle-aged and older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, 6 years later. A secondary aim was to deduce whether any association differed by sex. METHODS: We studied 1025 adults aged 50 and older (75% female) as part of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing. Hair cortisol samples were collected at 2014 (Wave 3) and depressive symptoms were assessed using the 8-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale in 2014 (Wave 3), 2016 (Wave 4), 2018 (Wave 5) and again in 2020 as part of TILDA's COVID-19 Study. Hierarchical mixed effects logistic regression models were applied to investigate the association between cortisol levels and clinically significant depressive symptoms before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: In a full covariate adjusted model there was a significant interaction between cortisol and wave on depressive symptoms (χ2 = 8.5, p = .03). Cortisol was positively and significantly associated with elevated depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 Study (OR =1.3, 95% CI 1.11, 1.56, p = .003), and was associated with an increased likelihood of reporting clinically significant depressive symptoms during first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, when compared with before, OR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.05, 1.9, p = .015. There was no evidence of effect modification by sex. CONCLUSIONS: Higher hair cortisol, assessed 6 years previously, predicted clinically significant depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older adults during (but not before) the pandemic. Findings suggest a biological phenotype which denotes increased susceptibility to the negative impact of environmental stress on psychological health.

Testosterone but not cortisol concentrations in hair correlate between mothers and their prepubertal children under real-life stress conditions.

The aim of the present study is to test the hypothesis that there is an association between the neuroendocrine state, reflected by testosterone and cortisol concentrations in hair, of the mother and her child under difficult real-life stress conditions (COVID-19 pandemic). The research sample consisted of 45 healthy mothers and their prepubertal children (7 - 11 years) of both sexes. The hair samples of mother-child dyads were collected twice to obtain cumulative stress hormone concentrations from April till the end of June and July till the end of September 2020. Thus, 90 mother-child pairs were analyzed. The results showed that both cortisol and testosterone concentrations were significantly higher in the hair of mothers compared to those in their children. The results of cortisol concentrations in hair do not support the hypothesis stated above. In line with our hypothesis are the results of hair testosterone measurements showing a positive correlation between testosterone concentrations in mothers and their children. With respect to the known relationship of testosterone with aggressive behavior, an important finding is that above-mentioned correlation was particularly strong in women with intense subjective feelings of anger in the investigated three months period. Women with strongly prevalent subjective feelings of sadness failed to show a significant correlation between hair cortisol concentrations in mothers and their children, in spite of the known relationship of cortisol to depressive mood. It may be suggested that chronic testosterone secretion reflects the association between the neuroendocrine function of the mother and her child under real-life stress conditions.

Retrospective analysis of laboratory data from 19,275 hair samples submitted for drug abuse/misuse analysis from February 2019 to June 2021.

Drug abuse/misuse is now a major global problem affecting public health as well as economic and social stability. This study presents a retrospective view of the prevalence of drugs in hair. Reasons for hair testing include the need for law enforcement to test suspicious individuals and the need for employers in specific industries to test their employees. Toxicology analysis results were reviewed for a total of 19,275 hair samples requested for drug abuse/misuse analysis at the Academy of Forensic Science over 29 months from February 2019 to June 2021. Drugs and their metabolites in hair samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry. In the study, the 19,275 hair samples were screened for a total of 62 illegal drugs, which were divided into three categories: illegal-drugs (I), medication (II), and new psychoactive substances (III). These three categories contain 11, 29 and 22 drugs respectively. In these hair samples, 4852 (25.2 %) tested positive for one or more drugs. Among them, the positive rate of category I was the highest (48.7 %), followed by category II (28.5 %), and category III (22.7 %). Over all, the positive rate of male users (26.2 %) was higher than that of female users (23.7 %), and most of them were young people (25-44 years old). Illegal-drugs (morphine, etc.) had the highest positive rate. Under the influence of some certain factors, the drug abuse situation will also undergo corresponding changes. The results can provide a scientific knowledge database which can help in the prevention of drug abuse.

Nail and hair findings developing in patients treated for COVID-19 infection fluorescence of keratinized tissues on Wood's lamp in COVID-19 disease.

BACKGROUND: The new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-2019) disease. A wide variety of symptoms of the disease has been frequently reported in the literature in recent years. However, information on the findings in keratinized tissues is still limited. Data on changes in keratinized tissues such as nails, teeth and hair, and oral mucousa due to drugs used in the treatment of this disease are also extremely insufficient. AIM: With this study, it was aimed to evaluate the changes in the keratinized tissues of our patients with COVID-19, who are frequently encountered in the Ear Nose and Throat outpatient clinic. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The study was carried out on patients who applied to Baskent University Ear Nose and Throat clinic. There were 3 groups. The first group consisted of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and received relevant medical treatments, the second group included individuals who have never experienced COVID-19 infection but have been vaccinated against COVID-19, and the third group is the control group with normal healthy individuals who have never been diagnosed with COVID-19 infection and have not been vaccinated so far. With the Wood's lamp, fluorescent changes in nails, hair, tooth, and the oral mucousa were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 124(75 females, 49 males) patients were included in the study. Positive Wood's finding was significantly higher in COVID-19 group(Group 1) who received Favipravir when compared with individuals who did not receive Favipravir (p < 0.001). Wood's positivity was not detected in any of the individuals who did not use favipravir. The rate of determining Wood's positivity in favipravir users decreases after 58 days. DISCUSSION: Accordingly, Favipravir accumulation in the kretainized tissues manifest positive Wood's sign in our study. CONCLUSION: The adverse effects of the accumulation of the drugs-mainly Favipravir-used in the treatment of COVID-19 disease, have not yet been clearly demonstrated so far. Revealing the findings in these tissues with this study will pave the way for investigating changes or drug sequestrations in other organs in the long term.