During the current COVID-19 pandemic, a need for evaluation of already available drugs for treatment of the disease is crucial. Hereby, based on literature review from the current pandemic and... Show moreDuring the current COVID-19 pandemic, a need for evaluation of already available drugs for treatment of the disease is crucial. Hereby, based on literature review from the current pandemic and previous outbreaks with corona viruses we analyze the impact of the virus infection on cell stress responses and redox balance. High levels of mortality are noticed in elderly individuals infected with SARS-CoV2 and during the previous SARS-CoV1 outbreak. Elderly individuals maintain a chronic low level of inflammation which is associated with oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokine production, a condition that increases the severity of viral infections in this population. Coronavirus infections can lead to alterations of redox balance in infected cells through modulation of NAD + biosynthesis, PARP function along with altering proteasome and mitochondrial function in the cell thereby leading to enhanced cell stress responses which further exacerbate inflammation. ROS production can increase IL-6 production and lipid peroxidation resulting in cell damage. Therefore, early treatment with anti-oxidants such as NAC during COVID-19 can be a way to bypass the excessive inflammation and cell damage that lead to severe infection, thus early NAC as intervention should be evaluated in a clinical trial setting. Show less
The landscape of civil justice has changed rapidly in very short time. The Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has an impact on civil cases on a global scale that could be characterised as... Show moreThe landscape of civil justice has changed rapidly in very short time. The Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has an impact on civil cases on a global scale that could be characterised as unprecedented. Numerous countries across the globe are facing the question how to enable courts to cope with civil cases in these strange times. Do courts proceed as usual? If not, which cases are dealt with, and how? And perhaps: will the current situation teach us something for the post-pandemic period (which we are all hoping for)? Show less
