Comprehensive analysis of drugs to treat SARS‑CoV‑2 infection: Mechanistic insights into current COVID‑19 therapies (Review)

The major impact produced by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) focused many researchers attention to find treatments that can suppress transmission or ameliorate the disease. Despite the very fast and large flow of scientific data on possible treatment solutions, none have yet demonstrated unequivocal clinical utility against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19). This work represents an exhaustive and critical review of all available data on potential treatments for COVID‑19, highlighting their mechanistic characteristics and the strategy development rationale. Drug repurposing, also known as drug repositioning, and target based methods are the most used strategies to advance therapeutic solutions into clinical practice. Current in silico, in vitro and in vivo evidence regarding proposed treatments are summarized providing strong support for future research efforts

A new threat from an old enemy: Re‑emergence of coronavirus (Review)

The new outbreak of coronavirus from December 2019 has brought attention to an old viral enemy and has raised concerns as to the ability of current protection measures and the healthcare system to handle such a threat. It has been known since the 1960s that coronaviruses can cause respiratory infections in humans; however, their epidemic potential was understood only during the past two decades. In the present review, we address current knowledge on coronaviruses from a short history to epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestation of the disease, as well as treatment and prevention strategies. Although a great amount of research and efforts have been made worldwide to prevent further outbreaks of coronavirus‑associated disease, the spread and lethality of the 2019 outbreak (COVID‑19) is proving to be higher than previous epidemics on account of international travel density and immune naivety of the population. Only strong, joint and coordinated efforts of worldwide healthcare systems, researchers, and pharmaceutical companies and receptive national leaders will succeed in suppressing an outbreak of this scale

Industrial Structure, Concentration and the Speed of Price Adjustment.

It is argued that the relationship between market structure and the speed of price adjustment involves two distinct forces with opposing directions: "t he leadership effect" and the "industry profitability effect." The direction of the relationship will depend on the relative importance of these effects. Estimation of an equation explaining the speed of price adjustment in terms of industrial concentration and the length of the production period provided evidence of negative effects for bo th the above variables. Copyright 1988 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Predicting Currency Crises: Evidence from Two Transition Economies

This paper investigates the role of fundamentals in the speculative episodes experienced by the Czech Republic and Poland during the 1990s. The evidence suggests that the currency crises of the two Central and Eastern European countries are significantly related to macroeconomic fundamentals. The analysis has implications for the design of macroeconomic policies in transition economies and for the sustainability of an exchange rate commitment.currency crises, probit analysis, transition economies,

Capital Mobility and Inflation Persistence: Theory and Evidence from Greece

International audienc

Capital mobility and inflation persistence: theory and evidence from Greece

This paper examines the relationship between the openness of the capital account and inflation persistence. In the theoretical part we find that in a fixed (floating) exchange rate regime inflation persistence is negatively (positively) associated with the intensity of capital controls. In the empirical part of the paper we analyse the dynamics of the inflation rate in Greece by associating inflation persistence with the capital account openness and we find evidence in favour of a positive relationship. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

INTRAVITREAL RANIBIZUMAB, INTRAVITREAL RANIBIZUMAB WITH PDT, AND INTRAVITREAL TRIAMCINOLONE WITH PDT FOR THE TREATMENT OF RETINAL ANGIOMATOUS PROLIFERATION A Prospective Study

Purpose: To compare 1) intravitreal ranibizumab, 2) intravitreal ranibizumab plus photodynamic therapy (PDT), and 3) intravitreal triamcinolone plus PDT in retinal angiomatous proliferation. Methods: In this prospective study, 37 eyes of 37 patients with retinal angiomatous proliferation were randomly assigned in 1 of the 3 groups. The patients in Group 1 (n = 13) received 3 monthly injections of 0.5 mg of ranibizumab. The patients in Group 2 (n = 13) received one session of PDT and 3 monthly intravitreal injections of 0.5 mg ranibizumab and the patients in Group 3 (n = 11) received one session of PDT and 1 injection of 4 mg triamcinolone. Retreatment, with the same therapeutic scheme in each group, was considered in case of persistence or recurrence of subretinal fluid or intraretinal fluid. Results: All the patients completed at least 6 months of follow-up. A total of 61.53% patients in Group 1, 76.92% in Group 2, and all in Group 3 had the same or better visual acuity at the end of the follow-up (P = 0.0232). The mean central retinal thickness reduction in Group 1 was 32.23 mu m (P = 0.548), in Group 2 20.31 mu m (P = 0.042), and in Group 3 73.92 mu m (P < 0.0001). Also, the patients in Group 3 received on average the lowest number of injections (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: All groups resulted in stabilization of the disease, while a significant trend towards better visual acuity and anatomic restoration of the affected area was observed in the intravitreal triamcinolone & PDT group