Olfactory and Gustatory Dysfunction in 2019 Novel Coronavirus: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

From Emergence to Endemicity: A Comprehensive Review of COVID-19

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), later renamed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), was first identified in Wuhan, China, in early December 2019. Initially, the China office of the World Health Organization was informed of numerous cases of pneumonia of unidentified etiology in Wuhan, Hubei Province at the end of 2019. This would subsequently result in a global pandemic with millions of confirmed cases of COVID-19 and millions of deaths reported to the WHO. We have analyzed most of the data published since the beginning of the pandemic to compile this comprehensive review of SARS-CoV-2. We looked at the core ideas, such as the etiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical symptoms, diagnostics, histopathologic findings, consequences, therapies, and vaccines. We have also included the long-term effects and myths associated with some therapeutics of COVID-19. This study presents a comprehensive assessment of the SARS-CoV-2 virology, vaccines, medicines, and significant variants identified during the course of the pandemic. Our review article is intended to provide medical practitioners with a better understanding of the fundamental sciences, clinical treatment, and prevention of COVID-19. As of May 2023, this paper contains the most recent data made accessible.

Moxibustion Treatment of COVID-19 and Rehabilitation Period of COVID-19: A Scoping Review

Objective: The aim of this study is to provide a scoping review of the clinical literature on moxibustion therapy for the treatment of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Design: The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP databases were searched from January 1, 2020, to August 31, 2022. Essential data were extracted from each article, and the data were displayed using tables and graphs. The study did not require IRB approval. Results: This scoping review included 14 research articles: 8 observational studies, 5 randomized controlled trials, and 1 nonrandomized clinical trial. All the studies were published by Chinese scholars. The findings revealed that moxibustion can contribute to reducing the symptoms of patients with COVID-19, improving inflammation and immune indicators, and shortening the time of nucleic acid negative conversion. Moxibustion confers curative effects on patients of all ages and degrees of illness. In addition, moxibustion can optimize the prognosis of patients in the rehabilitation period. The most commonly chosen acupoints are ST36, RN4, RN8, and RN12. No side effect was mentioned in the included studies. Conclusion: Moxibustion can produce a good effect in the treatment and rehabilitation of patients with COVID-19. It is safe, effective, simple, and noninvasive and should be included as standard care.

Chemosensory loss in COVID ‐19

The COVID‐19 pandemic caused by SARS‐CoV‐2 virus quickly spread globally, infecting over half a billion individuals, and killing over 6 million*. One of the more unusual symptoms was patients' complaints of sudden loss of smell and/or taste, a symptom that has become more apparent as the virus mutated into different variants. Anosmia and ageusia, the loss of smell and taste, respectively, seem to be transient for some individuals, but for others persists even after recovery from the infection. Causes for COVID‐19‐associated chemosensory loss have undergone several hypotheses. These include non‐functional or destroyed olfactory neurons and gustatory receptors or of their supporting cells, disruption of the signaling protein Neuropilin‐1, and disruption in the interaction with semaphorins, key molecules in the gustatory and olfactory axon guidance. The current paper will review these hypotheses and chart out potential therapeutic avenues.

Perspective: COVID-19 and Its Neurologic Sequelae

COVID-19 led to a catastrophic, international, public health crisis after its first detection in 2019 [1]. Though it is primarily a respiratory virus, it impacts the central and peripheral nervous systems leading to further COVID-19-associated disability [2]. This Perspective reviews our current understanding of the neurological sequelae of COVID-19 and the gaps in our understanding of their treatment and epidemiology.