Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is now a global pandemic with the highest number of affected individuals in the modern era. Not only is the infection inflicting significant morbidity and mortality, but there has also been a significant strain to the health care system and the economy. COVID-19 typically presents as viral pneumonia, occasionally leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and death. However, emerging evidence suggests that it has a significant impact on the cardiovascular (CV) system by direct myocardial damage, severe systemic inflammatory response, hypoxia, right heart strain secondary to ARDS and lung injury, and plaque rupture secondary to inflammation. Primary cardiac manifestations include acute myocarditis, myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, and abnormal clotting. Several consensus documents have been released to help manage CV disease during this pandemic. In this review, we summarize key cardiac manifestations, their management, and future implications.

At present, one of greatest concerns of medical personnel is Zika virus (ZIKV). Though it has been reported for quite a long time, its rapid emergence, new modes of transmission, and more importantly, the congenital anomalies associated with it have made the situation worse. It was first detected in 1947. After that, this infection was found in the countries of Africa as well as Asia. At present, interestingly it has been reported from Brazil. Microcephaly and intracranial calcification have been postulated to be related to maternal infection with this virus. Though it is asymptomatic in maximum number of cases, the serious complications of the infection should be prevented at the earliest. No specific treatment and vaccine are available till now. But research continues and hopefully, success is not far off. The right information about this infection should reach patients as well as physicians. It will prevent unnecessary panic. In August, Brazil is going to organize the Olympic and Paralympic Games and all eyes are now focused on this. In this review article, the authors have tried to focus on the important points about this infection. The data were gathered after searching for relevant articles published in PubMed, the World Health Organization's (WHO) website, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) website, and some other related websites on the Internet.

The risk of cardiovascular disease has been reported to have a linear relationship with LDL levels. Additionally, the currently recommended LDL target goal of 70 mg/dl does not diminish the CV risk entirely leaving behind some residual risk. Previous attempts to maximally lower the LDL levels with statin monotherapy have met dejection due to the increased side effects associated with the treatment. Nevertheless, with the new advancements in clinical medicine, it has now become possible to bring down the LDL levels to as low as 15 mg/dl using PCSK9 monoclonal antibodies alone or in combination with statins. The development of inclisiran, siRNA silencer targeting PCSK9 gene, is a one step forward in these endeavors. Moreover, various studies aiming to lower the CV risk and mortality by lowering LDL levels have demonstrated encouraging results. The current challenge is to explore this arena to redefine the target LDL levels, if required, to avoid any suboptimal treatment. After thorough literature search in the PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar, we present this article to provide a brief overview of the safety and efficacy of lowering LDL below the current goal.