COVID-19: The Disease, the Immunological Challenges, the Treatment with Pharmaceuticals and Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation
The year 2020 will be carved in the history books—with the proliferation of COVID-19 over the globe and with frontline health workers and basic scientists worldwide diligently fighting to alleviate life-threatening symptoms and curb the spread of the disease. Behind the shocking prevalence of death...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Cells |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/10/9/2212 |
| _version_ | 1797519910399639552 |
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| author | Jihang Yu Edouard I. Azzam Ashok B. Jadhav Yi Wang |
| author_facet | Jihang Yu Edouard I. Azzam Ashok B. Jadhav Yi Wang |
| author_sort | Jihang Yu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The year 2020 will be carved in the history books—with the proliferation of COVID-19 over the globe and with frontline health workers and basic scientists worldwide diligently fighting to alleviate life-threatening symptoms and curb the spread of the disease. Behind the shocking prevalence of death are countless families who lost loved ones. To these families and to humanity as a whole, the tallies are not irrelevant digits, but a motivation to develop effective strategies to save lives. However, at the onset of the pandemic, not many therapeutic choices were available besides supportive oxygen, anti-inflammatory dexamethasone, and antiviral remdesivir. Low-dose radiation (LDR), at a much lower dosage than applied in cancer treatment, re-emerged after a 75-year silence in its use in unresolved pneumonia, as a scientific interest with surprising effects in soothing the cytokine storm and other symptoms in severe COVID-19 patients. Here, we review the epidemiology, symptoms, immunological alterations, mutations, pharmaceuticals, and vaccine development of COVID-19, summarizing the history of X-ray irradiation in non-COVID diseases (especially pneumonia) and the currently registered clinical trials that apply LDR in treating COVID-19 patients. We discuss concerns, advantages, and disadvantages of LDR treatment and potential avenues that may provide empirical evidence supporting its potential use in defending against the pandemic. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:49:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-888ae72b0d034cd7a26c3842f4a630a1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4409 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:49:28Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cells |
| spelling | doaj.art-888ae72b0d034cd7a26c3842f4a630a12023-11-22T12:22:36ZengMDPI AGCells2073-44092021-08-01109221210.3390/cells10092212COVID-19: The Disease, the Immunological Challenges, the Treatment with Pharmaceuticals and Low-Dose Ionizing RadiationJihang Yu0Edouard I. Azzam1Ashok B. Jadhav2Yi Wang3Radiobiology and Health, Isotopes, Radiobiology & Environment Directorate (IRED), Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), Chalk River, ON K0J 1J0, CanadaRadiobiology and Health, Isotopes, Radiobiology & Environment Directorate (IRED), Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), Chalk River, ON K0J 1J0, CanadaRadiobiology and Health, Isotopes, Radiobiology & Environment Directorate (IRED), Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), Chalk River, ON K0J 1J0, CanadaRadiobiology and Health, Isotopes, Radiobiology & Environment Directorate (IRED), Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), Chalk River, ON K0J 1J0, CanadaThe year 2020 will be carved in the history books—with the proliferation of COVID-19 over the globe and with frontline health workers and basic scientists worldwide diligently fighting to alleviate life-threatening symptoms and curb the spread of the disease. Behind the shocking prevalence of death are countless families who lost loved ones. To these families and to humanity as a whole, the tallies are not irrelevant digits, but a motivation to develop effective strategies to save lives. However, at the onset of the pandemic, not many therapeutic choices were available besides supportive oxygen, anti-inflammatory dexamethasone, and antiviral remdesivir. Low-dose radiation (LDR), at a much lower dosage than applied in cancer treatment, re-emerged after a 75-year silence in its use in unresolved pneumonia, as a scientific interest with surprising effects in soothing the cytokine storm and other symptoms in severe COVID-19 patients. Here, we review the epidemiology, symptoms, immunological alterations, mutations, pharmaceuticals, and vaccine development of COVID-19, summarizing the history of X-ray irradiation in non-COVID diseases (especially pneumonia) and the currently registered clinical trials that apply LDR in treating COVID-19 patients. We discuss concerns, advantages, and disadvantages of LDR treatment and potential avenues that may provide empirical evidence supporting its potential use in defending against the pandemic.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/10/9/2212COVID-19SARS-CoV-2low-dose radiotherapyX-ray |
| spellingShingle | Jihang Yu Edouard I. Azzam Ashok B. Jadhav Yi Wang COVID-19: The Disease, the Immunological Challenges, the Treatment with Pharmaceuticals and Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation Cells COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 low-dose radiotherapy X-ray |
| title | COVID-19: The Disease, the Immunological Challenges, the Treatment with Pharmaceuticals and Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation |
| title_full | COVID-19: The Disease, the Immunological Challenges, the Treatment with Pharmaceuticals and Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation |
| title_fullStr | COVID-19: The Disease, the Immunological Challenges, the Treatment with Pharmaceuticals and Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation |
| title_full_unstemmed | COVID-19: The Disease, the Immunological Challenges, the Treatment with Pharmaceuticals and Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation |
| title_short | COVID-19: The Disease, the Immunological Challenges, the Treatment with Pharmaceuticals and Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation |
| title_sort | covid 19 the disease the immunological challenges the treatment with pharmaceuticals and low dose ionizing radiation |
| topic | COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 low-dose radiotherapy X-ray |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/10/9/2212 |
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