Background and Aims: Scientists and healthcare workers have expressed their concerns on the impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic on vaccination coverage in children and adolescents. Therefore, we aimed to systematically review the studies addressing this issue worldwide.Methods: We conducted a systematic search of relevant studies using the keywords on databases of PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane on May 22, 2021. The identified records were imported into EndNote software and underwent a two‐phase screening process consisting of title/abstract and full‐text screenings against inclusion criteria. The data of the included studies were summarized into a table and the findings were analyzed in a systematic approach.Results: From 26 eligible studies, 21 studies demonstrated decreased vaccination rates in the children during the COVID‐19 pandemic, while three studies found increased or no significant changes only in influenza vaccination. The two remaining studies from Brazil and Sweden also showed no significant changes in vaccination rates in the children during the pandemic.Conclusion: Most of the reports worldwide reported a decline or delay in vaccination at the time of the COVID‐19 pandemic. A sustained catch‐up program seems to be necessary, especially in low‐income countries, to avoid any vaccine dose missing. Facilitating the vaccination process is recommended, such as decreasing the waiting time for vaccination at the health center, addressing the fear and concerns related to COVID infection for parents, and enhancing vaccine availability, and promoting access in remote areas. Countries should ensure proper vaccination to prevent future pandemics related to vaccine‐preventable diseases.

Background: Oxygenation serves as a cornerstone in the treatment of COVID-19, and several methods have been extensively studied so far. Herein, we aimed to systematically review the studies discussing hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to examine its reported efficacy and adverse events in patients with COVID-19. Methods: We systematically searched and retrieved the relevant articles using keywords on the online databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases up to April 11th, 2021. The retrieved records underwent a two-step title/abstract and full-text screening process, and the eligible papers were identified. National Institutes of health (NIH) quality assessment tool was used for this study. This study was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) with ID CRD42021269821. Results: Eight articles from three countries were included. All the included studies had good and fair quality scores, with no poor studies included in this systematic review (Good: n = 5, Fair: n = 3). Studies were divided into clinical trials and case reports/series. Most of the studies used HBOT less than 1.5–2 absolute atmospheres (ATA) for 90 min sessions and thereafter sessions were decreased to 60 min. Trials demonstrated most of the patients recovered after receiving HBOT, and blood oxygen saturation increased after several sessions of HBOT. Conclusion: Overall, HBOT seems to be a safe and effective oxygenation method in patients with COVID-19. However, there is limited knowledge and evidence regarding the effects and mechanism of HBOT in COVID-19 treatment, and further evaluations require extensive well-designed studies.

Since the epidemic of COVID-19 attractedthe attention, reports were surrounding electrocardiographic changes in the infected individuals. We aimed at pinpointing different observed ECG findings and discussing their clinical significance. We conducted a systematic search in PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases. We included eligible original papers, reports, letters to the editors, and case reports published from December 2019 to May 10, 2020. The team identified 20 articles related to this topic. We divided them into articles discussing drug-induced and non-drug-induced changes. Studies reported an increased risk of QTc interval prolongations influenced by different therapies based on chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, and azithromycin. Although these medications increased risks of severe QTc prolongations, they induced no arrhythmia-related deaths. In the non-drug-induced group, ST-T abnormalities, notably ST elevation, accounted for the most observed ECG finding in the patients with COVID-19, but their relation with myocardial injuries was under dispute. This systematic review suggests that identifying ECG patterns that might be related to COVID-19 is vital. Provided that physicians do not recognize these patterns, they might erroneously risk the lives of their patients. Furthermore, important drug-induced ECG changes provide awareness to the health-care workers on the risks of possible therapies.

Background: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. It has also been hypothesized that plasma exosomal lncRNAs may be used as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) biomarkers. In this systematic review, we compiled all studies on the subject to evaluate the accuracy of lncRNAs in identifying AD cases through meta-analysis. Methods: A PRISMA-compliant systematic search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases for English publications till September 2022. We included all observational studies published which investigated the sensitivity and specificity of various lncRNAs in plasma samples of AD diagnosis. Our search strategy included lncRNA and all the related spelling and abbreviation variations combined with the keyword Alzheimer’s disease. Methodological quality was assessed using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines and the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-II) tool. The meta-analysis was carried out using the area under the Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curves (AUC) and sensitivity and specificity values to assess the accuracy of the identified lncRNAs in AD diagnosis. To account for the predicted heterogeneity of the study, a random-effects model was used. All the statistical analyses and visualizations were conducted using Stata 17.0 software. Results: A total of seven studies (AD patients = 553, healthy controls = 513) were included in the meta-analysis. Three lncRNAs were upregulated (RNA BACE-AS1, RNA NEAT1, RNA GAS5), and one lncRNA (MALAT1) was downregulated in plasma samples of AD patients. RNA 51A and RNA BC200 were reported to have variable expression patterns. A lncRNA (RNA 17A) was not significantly different between AD and control groups. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, and AUC values of lncRNAs in identifying AD were (0.74; 95% CI [0.63, 0.82], I2 = 79.2%), (0.88; 95% CI [0.75, 0.94], I2 = 88.9%), and 0.86; 95% CI [0.82, 0.88], respectively. In addition, the pooled diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) of the five individual lncRNAs in AD diagnosis was 20. Conclusion: lncRNAs had high accuracy in identifying AD and must be seen as a promising diagnostic biomarker of the disease.

Corneal keratopigmentation (KTP) has a long history of use in management of patients suffering from disfiguring corneal opacities. Due to progresses and modifications in KTP surgical techniques and its low rate of complications, it is taken into consideration to be used in selected groups of patients for therapeutic or functional indications. In this paper we present an overview on clinical applications of KTP in both cosmetic and functional aspects and also, we discuss the outcomes of KTP and its characteristics in experimental and histopathological studies.

Introduction: Several reports previously described mucormycosis co‐infection in patients with COVID‐19. As mucormycosis and COVID‐19 co‐infection might adversely affect patients' outcomes, we aimed to systematically review the related evidence and the subsequent outcomes.Methods: We conducted a systematic review of relevant articles searching the keywords in the online databases of PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science. All the records from the start of the pandemic until June 12th, 2021 underwent title/abstract and then full‐text screening process, and the eligible studies were included. We did not include any language or time restrictions for the included studies.Results: We found 31 eligible studies reporting 144 total cases of COVID‐19 and mucormycosis co‐infection. The nose, cranial sinuses, and orbital cavity were the most commonly involved organs, although the cerebrum, lungs, and heart were also involved in the studies. Pre‐existing diabetes mellitus (DM), as well as corticosteroid use, were the most commonly identified risk factors, but other underlying conditions and immunomodulatory drug use were also present in several cases. Aspergillus was the most commonly reported micro‐organism that caused further co‐infections in patients with concurrent COVID‐19 and mucormycosis. As most of the studies were case reports, no reliable estimate of the mortality rate could be made, but overall, 33.6% of the studied cases died.Conclusion: Early diagnosis of mucormycosis co‐infection in COVID‐19 patients and selecting the right treatment plan could be a challenge for physicians. Patients with underlying co‐morbidities, immunocompromised patients, and those receiving corticosteroids are at higher risk of developing mucormycosis co‐infection and it is crucial to have an eye examination for early signs and symptoms suggesting a fungal infection in these patients.