Clinical evidence of an interferon-glucocorticoid therapeutic synergy in COVID-19.

Synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone is the first trial-proven drug that reduces COVID-19 mortality by suppressing immune system. In contrast, interferons are a crucial component of host antiviral immunity and can be directly suppressed by glucocorticoids. To investigate whether therapeutic interferons can compensate glucocorticoids-induced loss of antiviral immunity, we retrospectively analyzed a cohort of 387 PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients with quasi-random exposure to interferons and conditional exposure to glucocorticoids.

Association of Daily Wear of Eyeglasses With Susceptibility to Coronavirus Disease 2019 Infection.

Importance: The proportion of daily wearers of eyeglasses among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is small, and the association between daily wear of eyeglasses and COVID-19 susceptibility has not been reported.

Objective: To study the association between the daily wearing of eyeglasses and the susceptibility to COVID-19.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study enrolled all inpatients with COVID-19 in Suizhou Zengdu Hospital, Suizhou, China, a designated hospital for COVID-19 treatment in the area, from January 27 to March 13, 2020.

Retrospective Multicenter Cohort Study Shows Early Interferon Therapy Is Associated with Favorable Clinical Responses in COVID-19 Patients.

Interferons (IFNs) are widely used in treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. However, a recent report of ACE2, the host factor mediating SARS-Cov-2 infection, identifying it as interferon-stimulated raised considerable safety concern. To examine the association between the use and timing of IFN-α2b and clinical outcomes, we analyzed in a retrospective multicenter cohort study of 446 COVID-19 patients in Hubei, China.