Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, has been spreading since 2019, causing a worldwide pandemic. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, tuberculosis, AIDS, and malaria have adversely affected the quality of life of patients and killed millions of people. In addition, COVID-19 continues to impede the delivery of health services, including those for the control of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Furthermore, NTDs have been reported as possible co-pathogens among patients infected with COVID-19. However, studies regarding parasitic co-infection among these patients have been limited. This review aimed to explore and describe the cases and reports of parasitic infections in the backdrop of COVID-19 to provide comprehensive knowledge regarding this aspect. We reviewed seven cases of patients who had parasitic co-infection and tested positive for COVID-19, and summarized the literature on the importance of controlling parasitic diseases. In addition, we identified recommendations for the control of parasitic diseases under possible difficulties, such as declining funding for parasitic diseases in 2020. This review highlights the growing burden of NTDs under COVID-19 that may be caused by the deficiency of healthcare infrastructure and human resources as the main reasons. Clinicians should remain vigilant for possible co-infections with parasites in COVID-19 patients, while policymakers are urged to reinforce a balanced and long-term health strategy that addresses both NTDs and COVID-19.

Although the association of genetic polymorphisms in glutathione S-transferase(GST) and N-acetyltransferase(NAT) with bladder cancer has been reported, limited numbers of studies have been indicated the association of CYP2E1 with bladder cancer, particularly in Asian population. A hospital based case-control study was conducted in South Korean, consisting of 232 histologically confirmed prevalent bladder cancer cases and 165 controls to evaluate the association between genetic polymorphisms of CYP2E1(RsaI) and development of bladder cancer. The frequency of CYP2E1(RsaI) c1/c1 genotype in bladder cancer cases was higher than in controls; 114 of 201(56.7%) vs. 62 of 146(42.5%). Men with CYP2E1(RsaI) c1/c1 genotype had increased risk of development of bladder cancer compared to men with at least one c2 allele(OR=1.7, 95% CI=1.1-2.7). The bladder cancer risk increased as the number of c1 allele increased(p for trend=0.005). The risk increased as the amount of smoking increased(p for trend=0.009). When data were analyzed for the interaction between smoking and CYP2E1 genetic polymorphisms, smokers with c1/c1 genotype have 2.5 greater risk in development of bladder cancer(95% CI=1.0-6.2) compared to nonsmokers with c2 allele(p for interaction=0.008). Our findings suggest that the interaction between genetic polymorphisms of CYP 2E1 (RsaI, c1/c1) and smoking may play an important role for development of bladder cancer among Koreans.
Alleles ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Case-Control Studies ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2E1* ; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System* ; Cytochromes* ; Genotype ; Glutathione ; Humans ; Korea* ; Male ; Polymorphism, Genetic* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms* ; Urinary Bladder*

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to demonstrate changes of subjective medication satisfaction and clinical benefit after once-daily paliperidone extended release (ER) in treatment of schizophrenia. METHODS: In an open-label, observational, and multicenter study, 374 patients with schizophrenia who switched to paliperidone ER due to any reason were recruited. Medication Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ), Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S), Clinical Global Impression-Improvement and visual analogue scale for sleep (VAS) were assessed at baseline, 4 weeks and 8 weeks after treatment. We also examined the type, frequency, and severity of adverse events newly formed. RESULTS: Among 374 patients, 320 patients (76.5%) were included in the intent-to-treat analysis set. The mean dose of paliperidone ER was 5.33+/-2.31 mg/day at the initiation. At the endpoint, the mean dose of paliperidone ER was 6.68+/-3.13 mg/day. The percentages of patients satisfied with medication were changed from 40.9% at baseline to 67.8% at endpoint (p<0.001). Both CGI-S scores and VAS for daytime drowsiness were significantly decreased after 8 weeks (both p<0.0001) and mean scores of MSQ and VAS for sleep quality were improved after 8 weeks (both p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: After switching to paliperidone ER, 67.8% of patients with schizophrenia who had any reason to switch medication showed subjective satisfaction for medication and clinical improvement without significant adverse events. Regarding that medication satisfaction was associated with changes of clinical states, medication satisfaction can be used for measures for clinical scales in the treatment of schizophrenia.
Humans ; Isoxazoles ; Prospective Studies ; Pyrimidines ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Schizophrenia ; Sleep Stages ; Weights and Measures