Open Access DOI:10.23937/2378-3656/1410330

Scrofuloderma: A Rare Case Report on Cutaneous Tuberculosis

Taksande Amar, MD, FIAE, Zeeshan Patel, MBBS and Meshram Rewat, MD

Article Type: Case Report | First Published: December 04, 2020

Globally, India has one of the highest burdens of tuberculosis (TB). The diagnosis of tuberculosis is challenging, particularly in young children due to a high rate of extra-pulmonary and meningeal disease. Scrofuloderma is cutaneous tuberculosis, accounting for approximately 1.5% of extra-pulmonary cases. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the main etiological agent and, rarely, by Mycobacterium bovis. The cutaneous variants of tuberculosis have a variable clinical appearance, significance and progn...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2474-3658/1510177

Tocilizumab Improves Survival in Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19

Ivan Lozada Martinez, Daniela Torres Llinás, Maria Bolaño Romero and Luis Moscote Salazar

Article Type: Commentary | First Published: November 22, 2020

The pandemic caused by COVID-19 continues to be the main objective of hundreds of scientific societies and world organizations, to mitigate the impact it has generated on the human race, and to seek a solution definite eradication. Recent research on the pathophysiological process generated by this disease in humans has identified key molecular aspects for the creation of vaccines, or the specific use of some medicines that can control the inflammatory process produced at the multi-systemic leve...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2474-3658/1510176

High Mutation Rate in SARS-CoV-2: Will It Hit Us the Same Way Forever?

Ivan Lozada Martinez, Daniela Torres Llinás, Maria Bolaño Romero and Luis Moscote Salazar

Article Type: Commentary | First Published: November 22, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic that currently plagues the world has infected over 37,601,848 people, killed 1,077,799 over people, and daily infects around 300,000 people. Different genomic studies indicate that SARS-CoV-2 originated from the bat or the pangolin, however, these conclusions are not substantial and it remains a global priority to detail all the characteristics of this agent, looking to discover therapeutic targets, explain the pathophysiological process it produces in humans, and describe ...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2474-3658/1510175

Remdesivir Mortality Benefit in Mechanically Ventilated COVID-19 Patients: A Retrospective Review

Sydney Asselstine, MD, Kevin Ly, MD, Zeeshan Khan, MD and Nirav Shah, DO

Article Type: Brief Report | First Published: November 18, 2020

COVID-19 has presented unprecedented challenges due to the sparse availability of information surrounding the novel virus; continuing to gather data on the disease is vital for preventing further devastation. Remdesivir has been introduced as a potential treatment for the viral disease. The goal of this study was to identify the effects of Remdesivir on mortality in critically ill, mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients. This observational study analyzed outcomes of ventilated COVID-19 positi...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2474-3690/1510052

Distance Learning Support of Hypertension Self-Management

Amisha Oza, DNP and Kim Chapman, DNP

Article Type: Research Study | First Published: November 16, 2020

Distance learning has the potential to aide those in remote communities who have infrequent contact with traditional health services. This study used videoconferencing to deliver educational and support interventions to rural hypertensive adults who received care at an outpatient clinic in the Central Valley of California to develop understanding of high blood pressure management. Based on recommendations from the American Heart Association, topics of discussion included daily salt intake, dieta...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5858/1510103

Werner Syndrome Helicase (WRN) Gene Variants and Cancer in Japanese Elderly: An Autopsy Study

Yuan Zong, Masashi Tanaka, Masaaki Muramatsu and Tomio Arai

Article Type: Case Study | First Published: November 25, 2020

Werner Syndrome (WS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by symptoms of premature aging, including elevated risk of malignancies. The causative WRN gene encodes a DNA helicase, which maintains the integrity of the human genome. While WS patients have functional null mutations in both alleles of the WRN gene, phenotypes of heterozygote carriers have not been described. Cellular assays showed that heterozygote carriers also have genetic instability to a lesser extent. To this end ...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5858/1510102

Epidemiological Characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 in Elderly Mexican Population: A Perspective of Mortality

Noelia Carolina Del Castillo Salazar, Martin Luis Figueroa Velásquez, Jesús Ojino Sosa-García, and José Ángel González Sánchez

Article Type: Original Article | First Published: November 21, 2020

We analyzed the open data of COVID-19 from the Mexican government from March 19th to June 19th, 2020. A total of 141,009 cases were included, where 7,394 patients were aged over 65 years with a positive RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2. We investigated symptoms, comorbidities, pneumonia diagnosis, the need of hospitalization, orotracheal intubation, and intensive care unit [ICU] admission. The data were analyzed with SPSS version 25.0 for Windows. In a population aged over 65 years, 57% (n = 3,899) we...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5793/1510132

Treatment of Warts in Pediatrics: A Review

Marisa Pope, Kalliope Kyriakides and Cindy Hoffman

Article Type: Literature Review | First Published: November 27, 2020

Cutaneous warts, or verruca vulgaris, are a viral skin condition caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) that are very common in children. Many physicians struggle with treatment of warts, due to the resistant nature of the lesions. There are a variety of treatment modalities that are offered. The goal of this paper is to review the different treatments that are beneficial and safe to use for warts in the pediatric population. We will break down the adverse effects, benefits, and efficacy of e...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5793/1510131

Investigating the Relationship between Mental Health and Goal Attainment for Individuals Participating in a Healthy Lifestyles Program: A Pragmatic Randomized Pilot Trial

Arielle Sutton, Lawrence Mbuagbaw, Zainab Samaan, Japteg Singh and Elizabeth Alvarez

Article Type: Brief Report | First Published: November 21, 2020

The intervention group participated in weekly education and peer-support sessions and monthly visits with a healthcare team to develop health goals and action plans. The comparator arm met every three months to set goals and action plans with a research assistant. Mental health symptomology was measured with validated health scales. Goal attainment was measured on a 7-point Likert scale. Poor mental health is a barrier to achieving health goals. Partaking in a complex intervention helped partici...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-567X/1510071

Insulin Resistance and Glucose Intolerance in HIV Infected Children on Antiretroviral Therapy at Lubango Pediatric Hospital- Angola

Ketha Francisco, Beatriz Pole, Sandra Tchiva, Thomas Ngwiri, Ruth Nduati, Lucy Mungai, David Gathara and Habbas Qadreh

Article Type: Research Article | First Published: November 24, 2020

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has proved to be an important intervention in the reduction of both morbidity and mortality of HIV infected patients. As the use of ART increases, a number of studies have associate it to some metabolic complications including glucose intolerance, dyslipidaemia, and diabetes mellitus. Despite the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Africa and the recent increased access to Antiretroviral drugs, information on ART related insulin resistance and glucose metabolism in the Af...