Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Morry Silberstein
Summary: Vitamin D may be more effective than IL-6 antagonists like tocilizumab in treating COVID-19, as it modulates IL-6 immune responses and potentially reduces pro-inflammatory effects. Current studies indicate a positive therapeutic effect of Vitamin D in COVID-19 patients, providing a strong rationale for its use.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Sreedhar Subramanian, George Griffin, Martin Hewison, Julian Hopkin, Rose Anne Kenny, Eamon Laird, Richard Quinton, David Thickett, Jonathan M. Rhodes
Summary: Vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk of COVID-19, especially in winter or among individuals with less sunlight exposure or darker skin pigmentation. Some studies have shown an association between vitamin D deficiency and increased severity of COVID-19, but the results of interventional studies are inconclusive.
JOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Sreedhar Subramanian, Jonathan M. Rhodes, Joseph M. Taylor, Anna M. Milan, Steven Lane, Martin Hewison, Rene F. Chun, Andrea Jorgensen, Paul Richardson, Darshan Nitchingham, Joseph Aslan, Maya Shah, Coonoor R. Chandrasekar, Amanda Wood, Mike Beadsworth, Munir Pirmohamed
Summary: Vitamin D status is not significantly associated with mortality from COVID-19, but extremely low and high levels may be associated with mortality risks.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Josipa Domazet Bugarin, Svjetlana Dosenovic, Darko Ilic, Nikola Delic, Ivana Saric, Ivo Ugrina, Sanda Stojanovic Stipic, Bozidar Duplancic, Lenko Saric
Summary: COVID-19 symptoms range from asymptomatic cases to severe illness requiring hospitalization and intensive care. Low vitamin D levels have been associated with increased severity and mortality of COVID-19. However, this study found no significant benefit of vitamin D supplementation in patients with severe COVID-19 disease admitted to the ICU and in need of respiratory support.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sheng-Kang Chiu, Kuo-Wang Tsai, Chia-Chao Wu, Cai-Mei Zheng, Chung-Hsiang Yang, Wan-Chung Hu, Yi-Chou Hou, Kuo-Cheng Lu, You-Chen Chao
Summary: COVID-19 is characterized by significant immune dysfunction, requiring the development of effective treatments; various types of COVID-19 vaccines are under development and optimization, increasing public immunity may enhance vaccine effectiveness; Vitamin D supplementation may help mitigate the progression of COVID-19, but its role in vaccine efficacy remains unclear.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Priyanka Saxena, Kumud Nigam, Sayali Mukherjee, Sonia Chadha, Somali Sanyal
Summary: The coronavirus pandemic continues to be a global concern, and boosting the immune system as a preventive measure is widely speculated. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to the onset and progression of the disease and is being explored as a potential drug supplement.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGICAL METHODS
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Peter W. Horby, Martin J. Landray
Summary: Tocilizumab improved survival and other clinical outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients with hypoxia and systemic inflammation, regardless of the level of respiratory support, and provided additional benefits on top of systemic corticosteroid therapy.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Sophie De Niet, Mickael Tremege, Monte Coffiner, Anne-Francoise Rousseau, Doriane Calmes, Anne-Noelle Frix, Fanny Gester, Muriel Delvaux, Anne-Francoise Dive, Elora Guglielmi, Monique Henket, Alicia Staderoli, Didier Maesen, Renaud Louis, Julien Guiot, Etienne Cavalier
Summary: Retrospective studies have shown that vitamin D supplementation can improve the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization. This pilot study further confirmed the positive effects of vitamin D supplementation, including shorter hospital stays, reduced need for supplemental oxygen, and improved clinical recovery.
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Daniela Briceno Noriega, Huub F. J. Savelkoul
Summary: Vitamin D deficiency is associated with various diseases and may play a role in the prevention and mitigation of COVID-19, particularly in high-risk populations and hospitalized patients.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
John P. Bilezikian, Neil Binkley, Hector F. De Luca, Angelo Fassio, Anna Maria Formenti, Ghada El-Hajj Fuleihan, Annemieke C. Heijboer, Andrea Giustina
Summary: This work reviews and discusses controversial topics regarding vitamin D, SARS-CoV-2 infection, and COVID-19. The International Conferences Controversies in Vitamin D are workshops that started in 2017 and feature international experts and leaders in the field. The fifth annual conference was held in Stresa, Italy, in September 2021.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY & METABOLISM
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Ryan D. Castle, Michelle A. Williams, William C. Bushell, J. Adam Rindfleisch, Christine Tara Peterson, James Marzolf, Kimberly Brouwer, Paul J. Mills
Summary: This review and analysis aimed to determine the efficacy of various interventions on inflammatory markers most affected by COVID-19, finding that adjunctive interventions had a higher impact rate on these markers and demonstrated superior effects; it also highlighted the importance of nonstandard adjunctive treatments like vitamin D3, melatonin, and meditation in the treatment of COVID-19.
JOURNAL OF INFLAMMATION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Christian Mingiano, Tommaso Picchioni, Guido Cavati, Filippo Pirrotta, Marco Calabrese, Ranuccio Nuti, Stefano Gonnelli, Alberto Fortini, Bruno Frediani, Luigi Gennari, Daniela Merlotti
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between 25-OH vitamin D (25OHD) levels and prognosis, mortality, mechanical ventilation, and orotracheal intubation in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The study found a positive correlation between 25OHD levels and oxygenation levels, and significantly lower levels in patients requiring mechanical ventilation and intubation. Patients with severe 25OHD deficiency had longer hospital stays and higher mortality rates. Additionally, supplementation with calcifediol reduced hospitalization duration and mortality rates.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Alexandra Povaliaeva, Viktor Bogdanov, Ekaterina Pigarova, Larisa Dzeranova, Nino Katamadze, Natalya Malysheva, Vitaliy Ioutsi, Larisa Nikankina, Liudmila Rozhinskaya, Natalia Mokrysheva
Summary: This study revealed that COVID-19 patients have low levels of vitamin D and increased production of active vitamin D metabolite, possibly to prevent hypocalcemia.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marie Bicikova, Ludmila Macova, Martin Hill
Summary: Vitamin D plays an important role in immunomodulation, brain development, and functioning. Its potential immunoprotective role in COVID-19 has been discussed. This study found that individuals who took vitamin D had a significantly lower risk of COVID-19 infection.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Carlos Salama, Jian Han, Linda Yau, William G. Reiss, Benjamin Kramer, Jeffrey D. Neidhart, Gerard J. Criner, Emma Kaplan-Lewis, Rachel Baden, Lavannya Pandit, Miriam L. Cameron, Julia Garcia-Diaz, Victoria Chavez, Martha Mekebeb-Reuter, Ferdinando Lima de Menezes, Reena Shah, Maria F. Gonzalez-Lara, Beverly Assman, Jamie Freedman, Shalini Mohan
Summary: Among hospitalized patients with Covid-19 pneumonia not on mechanical ventilation, tocilizumab reduced the risk of progression to mechanical ventilation or death, but did not improve overall survival. There were no new safety concerns identified.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Tong Cheng, Zhusheng Chen, Yibin Qin, Xiang Zhu, Hongsheng Chen, Zhongling Xu, Xiaqing Ma
Summary: Morphine is commonly used and effective for pain relief, but its side effect of itching limits its clinical use. This paper discusses the potential of using esketamine to treat morphine-induced itching.
MEDICAL HYPOTHESES
(2024)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Sung Eun Lee, Eunjung Park, Ji-yun Kim, HyukHoon Kim
Summary: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a potential therapeutic modality that has been recognized for its favorable mechanisms in various diseases, including sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE). HBOT has neuroprotective effects through its anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic effects as well as increased tissue oxygenation capacity. However, there are caveats and limitations in applying HBOT in sepsis.
MEDICAL HYPOTHESES
(2024)