Rethinking COVID-19 ‘pneumonia’ – is this primarily a vaso-occlusive disease, and can early anticoagulation save the ventilator famine?

Does this patient have ventilator-associated pneumonia?

CONTEXT Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a common and serious nosocomial infection. Accurate, timely diagnosis enables affected patients to receive appropriate therapy and avoids mistreatment of patients having other conditions. OBJECTIVE To review the published medical literature describing the precision and accuracy of clinical, radiographic, and laboratory data to diagnose bacteria...

The vaso-occlusive crisis of sickle cell disease.

Sickle cell anaemia was the first molecular disease to be described'; despite intensive study we still do not understand the relations between the clinical picture, the cellular defects, and the molecular make up of any one person. Two recent papers have further elucidated the complex pathophysiology associated with painful crisis, although their implications for treatment are unclear. Clinicia...

The COVID-19 Pandemic: Is It A Wolf Consuming Fertility?

Breathing patterns during vaso-occlusive crisis of sickle cell disease.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To determine the effect of sickle cell pain and its treatment on patients' breathing patterns, and to compare the effect of thoracic cage pain to pain at other sites. DESIGN Prospective, observational study. SETTING Sickle Cell Center Day Hospital. PATIENTS Twenty-five patients with sickle cell disease admitted to the Sickle Cell Center Day Hospital for treatment of vaso-...

Vitamin D and Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19); Is Deficiency and Maintenance Supplementation Therapy Necessary?

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin with a well-known general metabolism and actions in bone structure and immune system regulation. Vitamin D exhibits direct antimicrobial activities against a spectrum of microbes, including Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, enveloped and non-enveloped viruses, as well as fungi. An observational study showed that concentrations of 38 ng/ml or more were ...