Afsaneh Sadeghzadeh-Bazargan; Elham Behrangi; Azadeh Goodarzi
Abstract
Nowadays, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become a global health problem and, given the high mortality and transmission rate of this infection and the lack of approved or specific treatments for it so far, the exploitation of the potentials of existing drugs is of paramount importance, ...
Read More
Nowadays, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become a global health problem and, given the high mortality and transmission rate of this infection and the lack of approved or specific treatments for it so far, the exploitation of the potentials of existing drugs is of paramount importance, hence, we aimed to investigate all possible COVID-19-related mechanisms of systemic retinoids. We systematically searched all related evidence in various data bases about the effect of retinoic acids on respiratory failure as the most important COVID-19-related complication and the other important potentials of this drug to affect COVID pathomechanism. Considering the various behaviors and presentations of this virus in different people, paying attention to the underlying diseases, physical conditions, genetics, and medications that cause these differences may be helpful in reducing the mortality and morbidity of the disease. In the field of dermatology, retinoids are a group of drugs that have controversial evidence regarding their effects when administered to patients with COVID-19. On one hand, these drugs offer immunomodulatory, immuneenhancing, antiviral, and antiangiogenesis activity, and can stimulate the differentiation and repair of epithelial cells. On the other hand, they can increase inflammation and cause the fragility of oral and nasal mucosae. When prescribe systemic retinoids, all of these aspects should be considered in all fields of the medicine and dermatology is not an exception.
Afsaneh Sadeghzadeh-Bazargan; Elham Behrangi; Azadeh Goodarzi
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is currently the most important global health problem. Due to its pandemic state and high mortality rate, it is critical to find useful interventions that reduce the mortality rate and boost patient survival. Since there is no specific antiviral treatment for the ...
Read More
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is currently the most important global health problem. Due to its pandemic state and high mortality rate, it is critical to find useful interventions that reduce the mortality rate and boost patient survival. Since there is no specific antiviral treatment for the disease and given the growing amount of data about the role of the inflammatory response and cytokine storm in increased disease severity, we evaluated the mechanisms and possible positive effects of some specific anti-inflammatory drugs on the disease course of COVID-19 and examined some suggested treatments in the form of a scoping review article. It is important to select patients who may benefit from these treatments without inflicting any serious adverse effects. In our view, in approaching COVID-19 patients, we should consider the severity of the body’s inflammatory response. Mild cases may not require additional anti-inflammatory treatment or at least should be treated with safer immunoregulatory drugs such as chloroquines, whereas in severe cases with an overactive immune response evidenced by high serum inflammatory marker levels (TNF, ESR, CRP, WBC count, LDH, ferritin) and severe lung involvement in chest images, stronger immunoregulatory drugs (targeted immunotherapy) such as TNF and kinase inhibitors may be considered as adjunctive treatments in combination with antiviral drugs. However, further precisely designed studies are needed to confirm the therapeutic effect and safety of each of these anti-inflammatory drugs in COVID-19 patients and to determine their optimal dose, route of administration, and possible side effects.
Azadeh Goodarzi; Masoumeh Roohaninasab; Najmol Sadat Atefi; Afsaneh Sadeghzadeh Bazargan; Mohammadreza Ghassemi; Amir Pouyan Ghahremani; Niloofar Teymoori; Maryam Biglari Abhari
Abstract
Background: Acne vulgaris is a dermatologic disorder with a wide variety of distribution and presentation. Its high prevalence and important cosmetic and psychological concerns focusing on contributing factors would be of great value for better approach and prevention of acne vulgaris. ...
Read More
Background: Acne vulgaris is a dermatologic disorder with a wide variety of distribution and presentation. Its high prevalence and important cosmetic and psychological concerns focusing on contributing factors would be of great value for better approach and prevention of acne vulgaris. There are many articles that argue the role of some dietary and inflammatory factors in acnevulgaris. In this study, the serum levels of zinc in acne patients were determined and compared with healthy subjects. Methods: In this age and gender matched case-control study, 200 consecutive subjects with and without acne (moderate-very severe) referring to Rasoul Akram Hospital, 2016, were enrolled,and their serum zinc levels were determined and compared across the groups. Results: Serum zinc levels were alike across the groups (P > 0.05), and the severity of acne was not related to zinc level. The levels of zinc were significantly different between genders in the casegroup (men had lower levels). In female patients with acne, the level of zinc was inversely correlated with acne severity. Conclusion: Zinc is not related to acne incidence or its grade, but men with acne have lower levels of zinc compared with women. Also, acne severity in women is inversely correlated with zinc level. It can be assumed that zinc supplementation may be a good trend in men with acne or alleviate the severity of acne in women, which needs more evaluation and work up.
