As of November 29, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused almost 1.5 million deaths worldwide just from the disease itself. That number doesn’t take into account the deaths that have occurred because people have delayed care or avoided hospitals and physicians due to the pandemic. Because of social distancing, normal interactions – like being with...
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COVID-19 and Endothelial Inflammation
In May, the Journal of Clinical Medicine published an article titled “Hypertension, Thrombosis, Kidney Failure, and Diabetes: Is COVID-19 an Endothelial Disease? A Comprehensive Evaluation of Clinical and Basic Evidence.” The authors put forward a hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 infects the lining of the body’s blood vessels. The lining...
Read MoreCOVID-19 Gets Personal
Last month, I mentioned in the Medivizor newsletter that I had lost a family member. This loved one feared seeking medical attention for a serious condition because of the risk of catching COVID-19 at a hospital or doctor’s office. Now, a dear friend’s parents received notification that they were exposed to the SARS-2 coronavirus by a...
Read MoreThe Unappreciated Sense of Smell
The homey aroma of fresh baked bread, the mouth-watering fragrance of chocolate chip cookies just out of the oven, the loamy scent of autumnal leaves raked into high piles: cells in our noses snatch chemicals in the air which fire neurons in a part of the brain called the olfactory bulb. From the bulb information zips to other areas of the brain. The...
Read MoreAvoiding Healthcare Due to COVID-19
In June the CDC asked almost 10,000 respondents in the US the question, “Have you delayed or avoided medical care due to concerns related to COVID-19?” The survey question found that 41 percent answered yes to this statement. Twelve percent avoided urgent or emergency care and another 32 percent stated they had avoided routine care. Some of...
Read MoreMasks Work in Mysterious Ways
Theories abound as we learn more about COVID-19 but one that makes a lot of sense has to do with viral dosage. There is a term “LD50” which is the virus dose at which fifty percent of those who are exposed, die. Research determining this dosage is done in experiments on animals, varying the dose of virus to calculate a dose-mortality curve. ...
Read MoreMy father had COVID-19, this is what I learned
My name is Rick Davis. This summer, I interned remotely for Medivizor from my home in Cincinnati, Ohio. I am a sophomore studying finance and economic consulting at Indiana University. As much as the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted my life, its impact was not fully realized until a member of my household tested positive for the virus. My father...
Read MoreCOVID-19 with Cancer
Recent research presented at a virtual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 1 indicates the need for greater care and continued social distancing for those who are in treatment for cancer and – in one study that was presented – those who have a recent history of cancer (the research looked at people from 2015 to the...
Read MoreVaccine Targeting COVID-19’s Spikes (S-Proteins)
The protrusions on the Coronavirus are a group of three “S” proteins also call “Spike” proteins. These proteins bind to ACE2 receptors on the membranes of cells in the body. This has been a target of many of the over 120 vaccines that have been in production since the pandemic began. A recent intermediary report on one of the...
Read More“Happy Hypoxia?” More about COVID-19
What is hypoxia? When you find out you will wonder why anyone would called it “happy”? Hypoxia is low blood oxygen levels. When your lungs are healthy they keep the body and your blood saturated with oxygen. Your pulse oximeter reading would be 95-100%. However, if your pulse oximeter readings are lower than 90%, it is time to...
Read MoreMask Wearing as a Political Issue
The Pew Research Center released findings of a survey on mask wearing in the United States. Who could have guessed that wearing a mask to prevent illness would be made into a political issue? In answer to the question, “In the past month, how often, if ever, have you worn a mask or face covering when in stores or other businesses?” where...
Read MoreClinical trial for Treatment of COVID-19 Cytokine Storm
One of the causes of death for those infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19) is an immunological phenomenon. As you can see from the image below, this occurs in phase 3. See Reference 1 Image simplified from reference. A phase 3 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multi-center clinical trial to assess the efficacy and safety of Ruxolitinib...
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