Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Efficacy Of Hydroxychloroquine And Tocilizumab In Patients With Covid-19: Single-Center Retrospective Chart Review., Sohaib Roomi, Waqas Ullah, Faizan Ahmed, Soban Farooq, Usama Sadiq, Asad Chohan, Munnam Jafar, Maryum Saddique, Shristi Khanal, Robert Watson, Margot Boigon

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

BACKGROUND: During the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an unfounded fervor surrounding the use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and tocilizumab (TCZ); however, evidence on their efficacy and safety have been controversial.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the overall clinical effectiveness of HCQ and TCZ in patients with COVID-19. We hypothesize that HCQ and TCZ use in these patients will be associated with a reduction in in-hospital mortality, upgrade to intensive medical care, invasive mechanical ventilation, or acute renal failure needing dialysis.

METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed to determine the impact of HCQ …

Cost-Effectiveness And Diagnostic Accuracy Of Telemedicine In Macular Disease And Diabetic Retinopathy: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis., Waqas Ullah, Sana Khan Pathan, Ankur Panchal, Swapna Anandan, Kaiser Saleem, Yasar Sattar, Ejaz Ahmad, Maryam Mukhtar, Haq Nawaz

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

OBJECTIVE: To determine cost-effectiveness and the diagnostic accuracy of teleophthalmology (TO) in the detection of macular edema (ME) and various grades of diabetic retinopathy (DR).

METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were searched for TO, ME, and DR on May 25, 2016. The search was updated on April 2, 2019. Pooled sensitivity and specificity for ME and various grades of DR were determined using Meta-Disc software. A systematic review of the articles discussing the cost-effectiveness of TO screening was also performed.

RESULTS: Thirty-three articles on the diagnostic accuracy and 28 articles on the cost-effectiveness were selected.

CONCLUSIONS: Telescreening is moderately …