Cutaneous Manifestations of COVID-19: A Systematic Review.

Objective: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is currently a pandemic. Although pulmonary health has been the primary focus of studies during the early days of COVID-19, development of a comprehensive understanding of this emergent disease requires knowledge of all possible disease manifestations in affected patients. This Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)-compliant review focuses on cutaneous manifestations reported in COVID-19 patients. Approach: Literature review was conducted using the PubMed database to examine various cutaneous manifestations related to the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Published articles (n = 56) related to search criteria from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to June 30, 2020, were included. The primary literature articles included in this study were mainly from France, Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Results: Unique to many other symptoms of COVID-19, its cutaneous manifestations have been found in people of all age groups, including children. The cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19 are varied and include maculopapular, chilblain-like, urticarial, vesicular, livedoid, and petechial lesions. In addition, rashes are common in multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, a new and serious health condition that shares symptoms with Kawasaki disease and is likely related to COVID-19. In addition, personal protective equipment-related skin wounds are of serious concern since broken cutaneous barriers can create an opening for potential COVID-19 infections. Innovation and Conclusion: As this virus continues to spread silently, mainly through asymptomatic carriers, an accurate and rapid identification of these cutaneous manifestations may be vital to early diagnosis and lead to possible better prognosis in COVID-19 patients. This systematic review and photo atlas provide a detailed analysis of the skin pathologies related to COVID-19. Study of these cutaneous manifestations and their pathogenesis, as well their significance in human health will help define COVID-19 in its entirety, which is a prerequisite to its effective management.

Nutritional Supplement and Functional Food Use Among Medical Students in India.

This study was conducted to assess the pattern of use of nutritional supplements (NSs) and functional foods (FFs), reasons for their use, factors influencing their use, and perception toward their use among medical students. Data were collected from 400 randomly chosen participants using a self-administered semistructured questionnaire. The most common source of information on these substances was from medical professionals (n = 140 [35%]). Multivitamins were consumed by 48 (45.3%) participants. Most common reasons stated for the use of supplements were for good health (n = 39 [36.8%]), doctor's prescription (n = 36 [34%]), and to balance a poor diet (n = 34 [32.1%]). Sixty-six (62.3%) users used NSs on a daily or more than once daily basis. In 17.9% of the users, supplements were not recommended by a doctor or a dietician. The use of NSs was significantly more among females (p < .001), participants who exercised regularly (p < .001), participants who habitually skipped breakfast (p = 0.04), those with a family history of use of these products (p < .001), and those with "poor to fair" self-rated health (p = .017). Use of FFs was associated with family history of use (p < .001) and intensity of exercise (p = .039). Participants who significantly used multiple NSs in this study were those who were vegetarians (p = .044) and those with "poor to fair" self-rated health (p = .047). Participants who used multiple FFs were female (p < .001). Only 18 (16.9%) users felt that regular use of NSs results in side effects. In multivariate analysis, family history of NS use was found to influence its usage among participants (p < 0.001). It is a matter of concern that there is lack of knowledge on NSs and FFs among medical students. Therefore, they need to learn more about the indications and the safety of prescription of these products.