The rapid spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) worldwide urges the need for studies on the illness and its management. The COVID-19 infection leads to hypercoagulation due to inflammatory cytokine release and D-dimer increase in critically ill patients, resulting in pulmonary thromboembolism (PE) and venous thromboembolism (VTE) evolving to sepsis and death. The study evaluated the currently existing evidence on heparin administration in patients with severe COVID-19. An integrative literature review was done by searching for scientific studies in the PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science databases. The analyzed studies showed that heparin use in critically ill patients could efficiently prevent thrombotic events and reduce the exacerbated inflammatory process. However, further investigation on the effect on patients is still needed. The use of heparin in critically ill COVID-19 patients has been prescribed increasingly by doctors. But its use has not yet had its outcomes well established in the literature. Therefore, deeper investigations and new research development are needed to clarify potential beneficial effects.
Hypertensive patients with COVID-19 are susceptible to complications of the disease, so this study aimed to analyze the action of drugs that act on Angiotensin (TA) in the presence of COVID-19 in comparison with other antihypertensives, as well as to identify the main ones. evidence on the subject presented so far. It is an integrative literature review containing 34 articles selected according to the inclusion criteria, between January / 2020 to February / 2021, in the PubMed, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science databases. The results do not show a causal relationship between the increase in COVID-19 infection and the use of RAAS inhibitors, but a possible protective effect of these against the severe manifestation of the disease due to the inhibition of the pro-inflammatory diseases of AT II. Thus, about ⅔ of the studies defended the continuity of use and the protection factor of RAAS blockers to the detriment of the other classes of antihypertensive drugs that do not modulate RAAS. It was found, then, that antihypertensive treatment should be maintained, as it does not worsen the prognosis in the face of Sars-CoV-2 infection. However, the studies are mainly observational and, therefore, cannot establish strong causal relationships. For this reason, robust randomized controlled trials are needed to better understand this topic.
Objective: The potential antitumor effects of the levamisole immunomodulatory agent remain uncertain, and its beneficial effects with increased survival in the adjuvant treatment of malignant tumors are controversial. The present study aims to compare the effects of levamisole with cisplatin in the treatment of urethane-induced lung carcinoma in rats. Methods: Wistar rats were allocated into three groups (n = six each). Group A: mice with lung tumor + treatment with levamisole. Group B: mice with lung tumor + cisplatin treatment. Group C: mice with lung tumor + saline treatment. After 12 weeks of the tumor induction process, the results were validated by ex vivo fluorescence imaging, determining the mean fluorescent intensity in the animal’s lungs. Serum dosages of cytokines and alkaline phosphatase were performed. Results: Mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) in the lungs (ex vivo) was measured in all animals subjected to urethane effects. In levamisole-treated, the intensity (245 +/- 15) was lower than in cisplatin-treated (277 +/- 28), but the difference was not statistically significant (p<0.05). In those treated with saline, the MFI was 680 +/- 57, significantly higher than in the other groups (p<0.05). Dosages of TNF-α (pg/ml), IL-Iβ (pg/ml), IL-6 (pg/ml) and alkaline phosphatase (mg/dl) were significantly lower in levamisole-treated rats than in rats with cisplatin and saline (p<0.005). Conclusion: In conclusion, this study demonstrates the positive influence of levamisole in treatment of urethane-induced lung tumors in rats.
To analyze the pathophysiological aspects of lupus mastitis (LM), clinical presentation, epidemiology, radiological and histological findings, and treatment, to disseminate it to the academic community and draw attention to this pathology as one of the differential diagnoses in the management of breast lesions in males, especially in the case of breast cancer in men. A literature review was done by searching scientific studies in the PubMed / Medline, Scopus, Scielo, Embase, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases. Relevant scientifically validated studies related to lupus mastitis in men were selected. The analysis, review and selection of articles carried out in pairs, blindly and separately, based on the reading of the title and abstract, with a third reviewer in case of disagreement. The LM should be suspect in patients known to have lupus erythematosus who present painful breast nodules associated with skin changes. However, LM can be the initial manifestation of lupus and mimic, both clinically and imaging, malignant neoplasms. The histopathological diagnostic criteria are well-established, finding mainly hyaline fat necrosis and lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate. Treatment must be drug-based as invasive procedures can exacerbate the injury. Due to physiological and anatomical aspects, this condition can appear and evolve differently in men. The knowledge of this pathology is necessary to carry out the correct approach since the non-identification of the disease and its erroneous management can lead to complications and irreversible sequelae to the patient.
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