Basic Science and Clinical Studies on Non-COVID-19 Topics, of Coronavirus Victims


PDF - Export to EndNote - PubMed Central XML format - PubMed Central XML format - PubMed Central XML format
PMID: 33680366 (PubMed) - PMCID: PMC7903434 - View online: PubReader
Volume 13, Issue 1, January-March , Page 1 to 1
Wednesday, October 21, 2020 :Received , Wednesday, October 21, 2020 :Accepted


  • Corresponding author Psychiatric Research Center, Roozbeh Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Email: s.akhond@neda.net
  • Corresponding author Psychiatric Research Center, Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Email: a-shamabadi@student.tums.ac.ir


Editorial:

Despite advancements of societies in terms of health, epidemics do happen; the latest is the outbreak of coronavirus. Re-assortment of viruses is a biological phenomenon that creates new subtypes of viruses, indicating that pandemics are unavoidable 1. The SARS-CoV-2 crisis has so far affected all countries of the world, which has been more pronounced in aspects related to health and economy. One area in which COVID-19 has had a significant impact is research 2. The fact that a pandemic of a virus has caused and continues to cause deaths worldwide and dire consequences for the economies of nations are of main reasons for the focus of research in this field. Currently, people and the media are paying the most attention to the disease among other health-related issues, and governments are asking researchers to find solutions to the problem has negatively affected all of society. As a result, research centers' budgets are prioritized with issues related to COVID-19, and the majority of researchers have focused on the disease 2-4. In this situation, are basic science research and diseases other than COVID-19 given necessitous attention 5-7?

The large number of researchers focusing on the field and the rapidity of the publication of research, despite its many advantages, has several significant disadvantages that affect both COVID-19 related and other research. Rapid and immature conclusions from some trials and their use in the clinic, despite the low quality of several studies and small size of study samples-compared to the COVID-19 spectrum-along with disruption of the peer review process even in reputable journals are of the significant drawbacks affecting COVID-19-related research 3,8. The negative impact of this pandemic on clinical trials on topics other than COVID-19 is worrying. Due to the transmission problem required to perform many trials, performing such studies is problematic in terms of implementation and practice, but the main problem goes back to before this stage. Governments want to resolve the coronavirus crisis, people and the media are following the issue of COVID-19, COVID-19 is a priority for research center budgets, and journals publish research on the field faster; as a result, individual interests such as advancement in academic status and financial profits in this field are better secured 2-8. Delays in progress in basic science and clinical research other than COVID-19 due to budget cuts and reduced researcher focus will have long-term adverse effects 9.

Doing basic science and free studies-that is, studies for which there are no questions or requests-often leads to other questions and sometimes to answers to which we have never asked a question. The results of these studies are knowledge and understanding and are necessary for further studies. These studies are the entrance to a bridge built from the laboratory to the clinic to the community 9. Science works this way, from free studies to patient treatment, and the result of a reduction in funding and a reduction in basic science and clinical studies other than COVID-19 will be nothing but a delay in the advancement of science in general.


 

 

 



References :
  1. Potter CW. A history of influenza. J Appl Microbiol 2001;91(4):572-9.   [PubMed]
  2. Donthu N, Gustafsson A. Effects of COVID-19 on business and research. J Bus Res 2020;117:284-9.   [PubMed]
  3. Harper L, Kalfa N, Beckers GMA, Kaefer M, Nieuwhof-Leppink AJ, Fossum M, et al. The impact of COVID-19 on research. J Pediatr Urol 2020.
  4. Webster P. How is biomedical research funding faring during the COVID-19 lockdown? Nat Med 2020.   [PubMed]
  5. Noorbala AA, Akhondzadeh S, Davari-Ashtiani R, Amini-Nooshabadi H. Piracetam in the treatment of schizophrenia: implications for the glutamate hypothesis of schizophrenia. J Clin Pharm Ther 1999;24(5):369-74.   [PubMed]
  6. Akhondzadeh S. The 5-HT hypothesis of schizophrenia. IDrugs 2001;4(3):295-300.   [PubMed]
  7. Kashani L, Omidvar T, Farazmand B, Modabbernia A, Ramzanzadeh F, Tehraninejad ES, et al. Does pioglitazone improve depression through insulin-sensitization? Results of a randomized double-blind metformin-controlled trial in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome and comorbid depression. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2013;38(6):767-76.   [PubMed]
  8. Rabin R. The pandemic claims new victims: Prestigious Medical Journals. The New York Times June 15, 2020.   [PubMed]
  9. Schor NF. Why our patients (and we) need basic science research. Neurology 2013;80(22):2070-5.