An Updated Systematic Review on Remdesivir's Safety and Efficacy in Patients Afflicted With COVID-19.

Globally, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had a significant impact on everyone's lives and put a tremendous strain on healthcare systems. Since the outbreak began, remdesivir has been investigated as a potential treatment for COVID-19 that may be both effective and safe. Remdesivir has had a huge impact on the disease's progression, complications, and mortality. This review provides an updated assessment of the literature regarding remdesivir's efficacy and safety for the treatment of patients with COVID-19. The search was performed through PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, and Scopus for articles published from 2019 to September 20, 2022. Studies that assessed remdesivir's efficacy and safety were included in this review, with clinical improvements as the primary outcome measure. Seventeen studies were identified following the implementation of the search strategy. Among them, 11 corroborated remdesivir's efficacy. Meanwhile, the remaining six studies did not observe a statistically significant difference in clinical improvement. Remdesivir is a potentially safe and effective antiviral that shows clinical improvement especially when used during the early course of the disease. However, current literature still questions its safety in patients who are afflicted with the complications of COVID-19, highlighting the need for studies on a large scale.

The association of COVID-19 severity and susceptibility and genetic risk factors: A systematic review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is associated with several risk factors such as distinct ethnicities (genetic ancestry), races, sexes, age, pre-existing comorbidities, smoking, and genetics. The authors aim to evaluate the correlation between variability in the host genetics and the severity and susceptibility towards COVID-19 in this study. METHODS: Following the PRISMA guidelines, we retrieved all the relevant articles published until September 15, 2021, from two online databases: PubMed and Scopus. FINDINGS: High-risk HLA haplotypes, higher expression of ACE polymorphisms, and several genes of cellular proteases such as TMPRSS2, FURIN, TLL-1 increase the risk of susceptibility and severity of COVID-19. In addition, upregulation of several genes encoding for both innate and acquired immune systems proteins, mainly CCR5, IFNs, TLR, DPPs, and TNF, positively correlate with COVID-19 severity. However, reduced expression or polymorphisms in genes affecting TLR and IFNλ increase COVID-19 severity. CONCLUSION: Higher expression, polymorphisms, mutations, and deletions of several genes are linked with the susceptibility, severity, and clinical outcomes of COVID-19. Early treatment and vaccination of individuals with genetic predisposition could help minimize the severity and mortality associated with COVID-19.

The impact of misinformation on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the inception of the current pandemic, COVID-19 related misinformation has played a role in defaulting control of the situation. It has become evident that the internet, social media, and other communication outlets with readily available data have contributed to the dissemination and availability of misleading information. It has perpetuated beliefs that led to vaccine avoidance, mask refusal, and utilization of medications with insignificant scientific data, ultimately contributing to increased morbidity. Undoubtedly, misinformation has become a challenge and a burden to individual health, public health, and governments globally. Our review article aims at providing an overview and summary regarding the role of media, other information outlets, and their impact on the pandemic. The goal of this article is to increase awareness of the negative impact of misinformation on the pandemic. In addition, we discuss a few recommendations that could aid in decreasing this burden, as preventing the conception and dissemination of misinformation is essential.