The COVID-19 pandemic is a highly dramatic concern for mankind. In Italy, the pandemic exerted its major impact throughout the period of February to June 2020. To date, the awkward amount of more than 134,000 deaths has been reported. Yet, post-mortem autopsy was performed on a very modest number of patients who died from COVID-19 infection, leading to a first confirmation of an immune-thrombosis of the lungs as the major COVID-19 pathogenesis, likewise for SARS. Since then (June-August 2020), no targeted early therapy considering this pathogenetic issue was approached. The patients treated with early anti-inflammatory, anti-platelet, anticoagulant and antibiotic therapy confirmed that COVID-19 was an endothelial inflammation with immuno-thrombosis. Patients not treated or scarcely treated with the most proper and appropriate therapy and in the earliest, increased the hospitalization rate in the intensive care units and also mortality, due to immune-thrombosis from the pulmonary capillary district and alveoli. The disease causes widespread endothelial inflammation, which can induce damage to various organs and systems. Therapy must be targeted in this consideration, and in this review, we demonstrate how early anti-inflammatory therapy may treat endothelia inflammation and immune-thrombosis caused by COVID-19, by using drugs we are going to recommend in this paper.

Keywords: immunopharmacology; immunotoxicology; infection; inflammation; pharmacoepidemiology.

Pandolfi S, Chirumbolo S, Ricevuti G, Valdenassi L, Bjørklund G, Lysiuk R, Doşa MD, Lenchyk L, Fazio S. Home pharmacological therapy in early COVID-19 to prevent hospitalization and reduce mortality: Time for a suitable proposal. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2022 Feb;130(2):225-239. doi: 10.1111/bcpt.13690

(1) Background: Italy accounts for more than 150,000 deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading the top rank in SARS-CoV-2-caused deceases in Europe. A survey on the different ways by which the COVID-19 pandemic emergency was managed in the foreign European countries compared to Italy is the purpose of this paper. (2) Methods: A literature search and various mathematical algorithms to approach a rank scoring scale were used to describe in detail the different approaches used by European countries to manage the COVID-19 pandemic emergency. (3) Results: The study showed that Italy stands at the bottom ranking for COVID-19 management due to its high mortality rate. Possible causes of the observed huge numbers of hospitalization and deaths were (a) the demographic composition of the European country; (b) its decentralized healthcare system organization; (c) the role of correct pharmacology in the early stages before hospitalization. Post-mortem examinations were of paramount importance to elucidate the etiopathogenesis of COVID-19 and to tailor a suitable and proper therapy in the early symptomatic stages of COVID-19, preventing hospitalization. (4) Conclusions: Factors such as the significant impact on elderly people, the public health organization prevalently state-owned and represented mainly by hospitals, and criticism of the home therapy approach toward SARS-CoV-2-infected people, may have concurred in increasing the number of COVID-19 deaths in Italy.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology; deaths rate; healthcare system; paracetamol.


Chronic exposure to arsenic (As) compounds leads to its accumulation in the body, with skin lesions and cancer being the most typical outcomes. Treating As-induced diseases continues to be challenging as there is no specific, safe, and efficacious therapeutic management. Therapeutic and preventive measures available to combat As toxicity refer to chelation therapy, antioxidant therapy, and the intake of natural dietary compounds. Although chelation therapy is the most commonly used method for detoxifying As, it has several side effects resulting in various toxicities such as hepatotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and other adverse consequences. Drugs of plant origin and natural dietary compounds show efficient and progressive relief from As-mediated toxicity without any particular side effects. These natural compounds have also been found to aid the elimination of As from the body and, therefore, can be more effective than conventional therapeutic agents in ameliorating As toxicity. This review provides an overview of the recently updated knowledge on treating As poisoning through natural dietary compounds. This updated information may serve as a basis for defining novel prophylactic and therapeutic formulations.

Keywords: arsenic; medicinal plants; natural compounds; toxicity; trace elements; vitamins


The COVID-19 outbreak seems to be the most dangerous challenge of the third millennium due to its highly contagious nature. Amongst natural molecules for COVID-19 treatment, the flavonoid molecule quercetin (QR) is currently considered one of the most promising. QR is an active agent against SARS and MERS due to its antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and some other beneficial effects. QR may hold therapeutic potential against SARS-CoV-2 due to its inhibitory effects on several stages of the viral life cycle. In fact, QR inhibits viral entry, absorption, and penetration in the SARS-CoV virus, which might be at least partly explained by the ability of QR and its derivatives to inhibit 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro) and papain-like protease (PLpro). QR is a potent immunomodulatory molecule due to its direct modulatory effects on several immune cells, cytokines, and other immune molecules. QR-based nanopreparations possess enhanced bioavailability and solubility in water. In this review, we discuss the prospects for the application of QR as a preventive and treatment agent for COVID-19. Given the multifactorial beneficial action of QR, it can be considered a very valid drug as a preventative, mitigating, and therapeutic agent of COVID-19 infection, especially in synergism with zinc, vitamins C, D, and E, and other polyphenols.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; coronavirus; infection; nanopreparations; prevention; quercetin; treatment.

Gasmi A, Mujawdiya PK, Lysiuk R, Shanaida M, Peana M, Gasmi Benahmed A, Beley N, Kovalska N, Bjørklund G. Quercetin in the Prevention and Treatment of Coronavirus Infections: A Focus on SARS-CoV-2. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2022 Aug 25;15(9):1049. doi: 10.3390/ph15091049.

In this paper, the theme of medical neutrality is highlighted, in particular, the definition of the concept and principles are defined, and examples of medical neutrality violation through the prism of armed aggression in Ukraine are given. Medical neutrality is seen as a social agreement that obliges society to protect health workers both in time of war and peacetime, and obliges medical personnel to provide medical care to all, regardless of religion, race, ethnic origin, political affiliation or other characteristics. The internationally coordinated system for the observance of human rights is clarified, attention is focused on the guarantees enshrined in Protocol I regarding the provision of medical care, as well as on the international axioms of the protection of medical workers and guarantees of their professional activity in martial law conditions, defined in Protocol I. The issue of legal assessment of the professional activity of medical workers in the territories in which the aggressor state has established or is trying to establish an occupation regime is revealed, and a fine line between the essence of the concept of medical neutrality and the professional activities of medical workers in the temporarily occupied territories is stated, which emphasizes the need for clarity and certainty in the presentation of legal norms to prevent human rights violations.