Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer neoadjuvant therapy: a retrospective institutional analysis

Background: COVID-19 pandemic motivated a reorganization of healthcare institutions, which may have led to a negative impact on cancer patients' treatment. This study compared the pathological response (PR) rate to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in breast cancer (BC) patients who underwent treatment before (BCv) and during (DCv) the COVID-19 pandemic at our institution.

A critical appraisal of evidence in the use of preprocedural mouthwash to avoid SARS-CoV-2 transmission during oral interventions.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to review and report the current evidence supporting the use of mouthwashes as a preprocedural protocol on dental offices. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study is a secondary one that performed a comprehensive literature search of scientific studies published up to 10th August 2020 in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Scientific Electronic Library Online (Scielo) databases. The electronic search strategy was performed using free text and DeCS/MeSH terms. RESULTS: Only five studies were included in this work, despite 140 studies that were identified with the research strategy. In vivo studies were carried out in two works, in vitro studies were described in two papers, and a in silico approach was used in one work. No cetylpyridinium chloride studies were identified, while chlorhexidine and povidone studies were more studied. CONCLUSIONS: There is reduced evidence about how preprocedural mouthwashes decrease SARS-CoV-2 salivary load.

Dental workers in front-line of COVID-19: an in silico evaluation targeting their prevention

OBJECTIVE: SARS-CoV-2 has high human-human transmission rate. The aerosols and saliva droplets are the main contamination source. Thus, it is crucial to point out that dental practitioners become a high-risk group of contagion by SARS-CoV-2. Based on this, protocols have been recommended to avoid cross-contamination during dental care;however, appropriate evidence has not yet been established. Our study sought to make a screening, by in silico analysis, of the potential of mouth rinses used in dental practices to prevent the dental workers' contamination by SARS-CoV-2. METHODOLOGY: Multiple sequence comparisons and construction of the phylogenetic tree were conducted using the FASTA code. Therefore, molecular docking investigation between SARS-CoV-2 proteins (Main Protease, Spike Glycoprotein, Non-structure Protein, and Papain-like Protease) and molecules used in dental practices (chlorhexidine digluconate, hydrogen peroxide, cetylpyridinium chloride, povidone-iodine, gallic acid, beta-cyclodextrin, catechin, and quercetin) was performed using AutoDock Vina. Moreover, 2D interactions of the complex protein-ligand structure were analyzed by Ligplot+. RESULTS: The obtained results showed a remarkable affinity between SARS-CoV-2 proteins and all tested compounds. The chlorhexidine digluconate, catechin, and quercetin presented a higher affinity with SARS-CoV-2. CONCLUSIONS: The overall results allowed us to suggest that chlorhexidine is the most suitable active compound in reducing the SARS-CoV-2 salivary load due to its better binding energy. However, in vivo studies should be conducted to confirm their clinical use.