A novel small enveloped RNA virus with the typical characteristic of the family to which it belongs, a crown, hence the name coronavirus, appeared in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and subdued the world to its influence. The particular severity of the disease and higher mortality rates in patients with associated morbidities, including hypertension, obesity and diabetes, increases the concern over the consequences of this pandemic. In this review, the features of SARS-CoV-2 will be addressed, as well as the reasons why it poses a particular challenge to diabetic patients. We will also highlight the recent treatment strategies being explored to control this pandemic. Emerging evidence demonstrates that the correct management of diabetes in those patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 is of utmost importance for the viral disease progression, therefore, the importance of blood glucose control will also be addressed.

Brain metastases are a frequent complication of cancer. However, effective treatments are available. This article aims to review clinical aspects of patients with brain metastases discussing the various treatment options for such patients. It will address the importance and significance of brain metastases in patients with breast cancer and, finally, review the problem of brain metastasis associated with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer. With ever-improving survival rates of patients with cancer, there is a greater likelihood that many will develop brain metastases. Treatments such as whole brain or stereotactic radiotherapy and surgery have been shown to be effective against brain metastases. In HER2+ breast cancer, trastuzumab has been shown to be very effective, although it cannot cross the blood-brain barrier. If patients with breast cancer who are being treated with trastuzumab and are responding systemically, develop brain metastases, then patient prognosis does need to be taken into account; however, maintaining treatment with trastuzumab while using available therapies to treat intracranial lesions should be considered as an option.

Spinal arterial vascularization is supplied by a large anastomotic net, making spinal ischemic events far less common than ischemic cerebral strokes. Polycythemia vera, due to blood hyperviscosity and activated platelet aggregation, is associated with a higher risk of arterial and venous thrombotic events. We report a patient with spinal cord transient ischemic attacks, a rarely presenting manifestation, and polycythemia vera, which highlights the thrombotic potential of this disease, and the requirement of exhaustive diagnostic workout of a spinal ischemic event.

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis is a severe and potentially fatal disease caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania, transmitted by phlebotomine sandflies. In Europe and the Mediterranean region, L. infantum is the commonest agent of visceral leishmaniasis, causing a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, including asymptomatic carriage, cutaneous lesions and severe visceral disease. Visceral leishmaniasis is more frequent in immunocompromised individuals and data obtained in experimental models of infection have highlighted the importance of the host immune response, namely the efficient activation of host's macrophages, in determining infection outcome. Conversely, few studies have addressed a possible contribution of parasite variability to this outcome.