The assessment of cancer patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic has been mainly reported from a physician’s perspective. Patients with rare tumor entities such as neuroendocrine tumors (NET), which require a complex and specialized care infrastructure, were highly affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Using a structured questionnaire consisting of a general section on the disease and a special COVID-19 section to record medical care, vaccination behavior as well as social and psycho-emotional parameters were collected from NET patients. The survey was distributed via direct medical contact and via the patient organization NETZWERK NeT. A total of 684 patients participated in the survey and 79.2% (n = 542) of the participants answered the questionnaire completely (54 questions). Patient characteristics were comparable to those in large NET registries. The majority of participants were patients with pancreatic and small bowel NET on somatostatin analogue (SSA) therapy. Medical care under COVID-19 was adequate and appointment cancellations and postponements were not common. Nevertheless, the majority of patients were worried about adequate treatment for their tumor disease during the crisis. Most of the participants considered themselves to be at risk of severe COVID-19 infection and were therefore very concerned. This was accompanied by an extremely high vaccination readiness rate of 90%. Increased distress in the social and psycho-emotional domains in the course of the crisis reflected a need for optimization in the medical care of NET patients, although the rate of COVID-19 positive participants was low (3.7%). Therefore, patient-reported measurements are required to identify and address all areas of medical care. Overall, our survey provides an essential contribution to the care of NET patients during the COVID-19 pandemic from the patient’s perspective.

Metabolic bone disorder is an abnormality of bones indicated by reduced bone mass and high risk of fractures. Several lines of evidence have demonstrated that the local bone tissue renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is directly involved in bone metabolism and influences the bone health. This review aimed to assess the role of RAS in bone metabolism and comparative effectiveness of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in reducing the bone fractures. In summary, the clinical trials, in vivo studies, and functional - pharmacological experiments suggested that the RAS regulates bone marrow metabolism and influences the bone health. Hence, it warrants further investigation on the role of ACEIs and ARBs in reducing risk fractures.

The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) has a significant act in the pathology of blood pressure and cancer. One of the dominant sections of angiotensin II (Ang II) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) expression generation in the human body is the capillary veins in the lung. Changes in the expression of RAAS were revealed to be included in several lung diseases. There are several studies on the anticancer effect of ACE inhibitors; however, Hicks and colleagues reported an augmented risk of 14% for advancing lung cancer for patients consuming ACE inhibitors against angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) administration. Several lines of evidence indicated that ARB users have a lower risk of tumor progression and metastasis and progression of lung cancer. This review has surveyed some studies about the study by Hicks et al with conflicting results. Some Hicks’s study limitations are summarized here such as genetic effects, comparative study, residual confounding factors such as smoking, detection bias owing to cough, and socio-economic status. It is suggested some natural alternatives to ACE Inhibitors in here.

Increasing awareness regarding CKD and self-care during COVID-19 pandemic has become the most important aspect for the nephrologists. Hence it is appropriate that the theme of the forthcoming World Kidney Day on 11 March 2021 should be "Strive for kidney health for everyone during COVID-19"

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a novel coronavirus, started in livestock within the markets of Wuhan, China and was consequently spread around the world. The virus has been rapidly spread worldwide due to the outbreak. COVID-19 is the third serious coronavirus outbreak in less than 20 years after Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012. The novel virus has a nucleotide identity closer to that of the SARS coronavirus than that of the MERS coronavirus. Since there is still no vaccine, the main ways to improve personal immunity against this disease are prophylactic care and self-resistance including an increased personal hygiene, a healthy lifestyle, an adequate nutritional intake, a sufficient rest, and wearing medical masks and increasing time spent in well ventilated areas. There is a need for novel antivirals that are highly efficient and economical for the management and control of viral infections when vaccines and standard therapies are absent. Herbal medicines and purified natural products have the potential to offer some measure of resistance as the development of novel antiviral drugs continues. In this review, we evaluated 41 articles related to herbal products which seemed to be effective in the prevention or treatment of COVID-19.