Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), the pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), caused the outbreak escalated to pandemic. Reports suggested that near 1–3% of COVID‐19 cases have a fatal outcome. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) are widely used in hypertension, heart failure and chronic kidney disease. These drugs have been reported to upregulate angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) which produces Ang (1–7), the main counter-regulatory mediator of angiotensin II. This enzyme is also known as the receptor of SARS‐CoV‐2 promoting the cellular uptake of the virus in the airways, however, ACE2 itself proved to be protective in several experimental models of lung injury. The present study aimed to systematically review the relationship between ACEI/ARB administration and ACE2 expression in experimental models. After a comprehensive search and selection, 27 animal studies investigating ACE2 expression in the context of ACEI and ARB were identified. The majority of these papers reported increased ACE2 levels in response to ACEI/ARB treatment. This result should be interpreted in the light of the dual role of ACE2 being a promoter of viral entry to cells and a protective factor against oxidative damage in the lungs.

Visualization of the nerve structures of brachial plexus allows anesthesiologists to use a lower dose of local anesthetics. The content of this low dose is not unequivocal, consequently, the pharmacokinetics of local anesthetics used by various authors are difficult to compare. In this study, the onset times and duration of the analgesic effect of local anesthetic mixture solutions used for brachial plexus blocks are investigated and the quality of anesthesia is compared. 85 unpremedicated American Society of Anesthesiologist physical status I-III, 19-83-year-old patients scheduled for upper limb trauma surgery are assigned to four groups for the axillary-supraclavicular block with lidocaine 1% and bupivacaine 0,5% 1:1 mixture (Group LB) or bupivacaine 0.33% (Group BS) or lidocaine 0,66% (Group LS) or bupivacaine 0.5% and lidocaine 1% 2:1 mixture (Group BL). 0.4 ml/kg was administered to the four groups. The onset time was significantly shorter in the lidocaine group (LS 13.0 ± 1.02) than in the other study groups (LB 16.64 ± 0.89; BS 17.21 ± 0.74; BL 16.92 ± 0.51 min ±SEM, p = 0.002). No differences were observed in the onset times between LB, BS, and BL groups (p > 0.05). Statistical differences were found in the duration of local anesthetics between LB (392.9 ± 20.4), BS (546.4 ± 14.9), LS (172.85 ± 7.8), and BL (458.7 ± 11.9 min ±SEM, p = 0.001). Lidocaine does not shorten the onset times, but significantly decreases the duration of action of bupivacaine when used in mixture solutions. Lidocaine exhibits a good quality of block in the applied dose, while other solutions have excellent quality. Bupivacaine without lidocaine has the longest duration of action to achieve the longest postoperative analgesia.

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