Infusion of convalescent plasma is associated with clinical improvement in critically ill patients with Covid-19: a pilot study

ABSTRACT Background: The ideal treatment of coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 has yet to be defined, but convalescent plasma (CoPla) has been successfully employed. Objective: The objective of the study was to study the safety and outcomes of the administration of CoPla to individuals with severe COVID-19 in an academic medical center. Methods: Ten patients were prospectively treated with plasma from COVID-19 convalescent donors. Results: Over 8 days, the sequential organ failure assessment score dropped significantly in all patients, from 3 to 1.5 (p = 0.014); the Kirby index (PaO2/FiO2) score increased from 124 to 255, (p < 0.0001), body temperature decreased significantly from 38.1 to 36.9°C (p = 0.0058), and ferritin levels also dropped significantly from 1736.6 to 1061.8 ng/ml (p = 0.0001). Chest X-rays improved in 7/10 cases and in 6/10, computerized tomography scans also revealed improvement of the lung injury. Decreases in C-reactive protein and D-dimer levels were also observed. Three of five patients on mechanical ventilation support could be extubated, nine were transferred to conventional hospital floors, and six were sent home; two patients died. The administration of CoPla had no side effects and the 24-day overall survival was 77%. Conclusions: Although other treatments were also administered to the patients and as a result data are difficult to interpret, it seems that the addition of CoPla improved pulmonary function.

Comparación de los perfiles de resistencia antimicrobiana de Escherichia coli uropatógena e incidencia de la producción de betalactamasas de espectro extendido en tres establecimientos privados de salud de Perú / Comparison of Escherichia coli antibiotic-resistance profiles and incidence of beta- lactamase phenotypes in three private health facilities in Perú

Introducción. La aparición de enterobacterias multirresistentes y productoras de betalactamasas de espectro extendido en pacientes ambulatorios con infecciones urinarias representa un problema de salud pública en Perú. Objetivo. Comparar los perfiles de resistencia de Escherichia coli uropatógenas e identificar los fenotipos de cepas productoras de betalactamasas de espectro extendido en tres establecimientos privados de salud localizados en las regiones de la costa, la sierra y la selva de Perú. Materiales y métodos. Se llevó a cabo durante el 2016 un estudio descriptivo de 98 muestras de orina de pacientes con infección urinaria, 35 procedentes de Lima (costa), 38 de Juliaca (sierra) y 25 de Iquitos (selva), en el que se determinó la sensibilidad antimicrobiana utilizando ocho discos antibióticos. Asimismo, se evaluó la producción de betalactamasas de espectro extendido con discos de cefotaxima, de ceftazidima o de su combinación, con ácido clavulánico en agar Mueller-Hinton. Resultados. Se identificaron 18 perfiles de resistencia que incluían desde los sensibles a todos los antibióticos hasta los resistentes simultáneamente a siete antibióticos, con el 18,4 % de aislamientos resistentes a un antibiótico y el 54,0 % de multirresistentes. Se detectó producción de betalactamasas en el 28,6 % de las cepas procedentes de la región de Puno. También, se observó un mayor número de casos en el rango de edad de 31 a 45 años con resistencia a ceftazidima, ceftriaxona, gentamicina y trimetoprim-sulfametoxazol en el establecimiento de salud de Puno. Conclusión. Los perfiles de resistencia variaron según la localización geográfica del establecimiento de salud, observándose mayor resistencia a los antibióticos en la región de la sierra de Perú, con el 28,6 % de cepas productoras de betalactamasas de espectro extendido.

Introduction: The appearance of multidrug-resistant and beta-lactamase producing enterobacteria in outpatient care facilities represent a public health problem in Perú. Objective: To compare the resistance profiles of uropathogenic Escherichia coli and to identify extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing phenotypes in three private health facilities located in the Peruvian coast, Andean and jungle regions. Materials and methods: We conducted a descriptive study on 98 urine samples from Lima (coast), Juliaca (Andean region) and Iquitos (jungle region) during 2016. We determined the antimicrobial susceptibility in 35 samples from Lima, 38 from Juliaca and 25 from Iquitos using eight antibiotic disks in samples from patients diagnosed with urinary infection. We also evaluated the production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases with cefotaxime and ceftazidime disks and a combination of both with clavulanic acid on Mueller-Hinton agar. Results: We identified 18 resistance profiles ranging from those sensitive to others simultaneously resistant to seven antibiotics: 18.4% resistant to one and 54.0% to multiple antibiotics. We detected beta-lactamase production in 28.6% of the strains from the Puno region. Likewise, we observed a greater number of cases with resistance to ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, gentamicin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole in Puno's health facility in patients within the 31 to 45 year age range. Conclusion: Resistance profiles varied according to the geographical location of the health facilities under study. Resistance to antibiotics was higher in the Andean region with 28.6% of strains producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases.

Expression analysis of the Arabidopsis thaliana AtSpen2 gene, and its relationship with other plant genes encoding Spen proteins

Abstract Proteins of the Split ends (Spen) family are characterized by an N-terminal domain, with one or more RNA recognition motifs and a SPOC domain. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the Spen protein FPA is involved in the control of flowering time as a component of an autonomous pathway independent of photoperiod. The A. thaliana genome encodes another gene for a putative Spen protein at the locus At4g12640, herein named AtSpen2. Bioinformatics analysis of the AtSPEN2 SPOC domain revealed low sequence similarity with the FPA SPOC domain, which was markedly lower than that found in other Spen proteins from unrelated plant species. To provide experimental information about the function of AtSpen2, A. thaliana plants were transformed with gene constructs of its promoter region with uidA::gfp reporter genes; the expression was observed in vascular tissues of leaves and roots, as well as in ovules and developing embryos. There was absence of a notable phenotype in knockout and overexpressing lines, suggesting that its function in plants might be specific to certain endogenous or environmental conditions. Our results suggest that the function of Atspen2 diverged from that of fpa due in part to their different transcription expression pattern and divergence of the regulatory SPOC domain.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis increases the content of volatile terpenes and plant performance in Satureja macrostema (Benth. ) Briq / La simbiosis micorrícica arbuscular aumenta el contenido de terpenos volátiles y el rendimiento vegetal en Satureja macrostema (Benth.) Briq

We studied the effect of Rhizophagus irregularis on plant performance and volatile terpenes content of the Mexican native medicinal plant Satureja macrostema (Benth.) Briq. (Lamiaceae) in greenhouse conditions. The growth parameters considered in this research and the composition of volatile components were quantified monthly in mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants. The essential oil was collected from aerial parts and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Colonization by R. irregularis significantly increased biomass, shoot and root length, and the amount of volatile terpenes. The more concentrated volatile terpenes were limonene, β- linalool, menthone, pulegone, and verbenol acetate. It is concluded that the use of R. irregularis allows optimal growth of S. macrostema plants in low fertility soils and increased production of the main components of the essential oil.

El efecto de Rhizophagus irregularis sobre el rendimiento vegetal y la producción de los terpenos volátiles de Satureja macrostema (Benth.) Briq. (Lamiaceae), una planta medicinal nativa mexicana, fue estudiado en condiciones de invernadero. Los parámetros de crecimiento considerados en esta investigación y los componentes volátiles, fueron cuantificados mensualmente en plantas con y sin micorrizas. El aceite esencial fue colectado de la parte aérea y fue analizado por técnicas de cromatografía de gases-espectrometría de masas. La colonización de R. irregularis aumentó significativamente la biomasa, longitud de tallo y raíz, y la cantidad de terpenos volátiles. Los terpenos volátiles mayoritarios fueron limoneno, β-linalol, mentona, pulegona y acetato de verbenol. Se concluye que el uso de R. irregularis permitió un óptimo crecimiento de las plantas de S. macrostema en suelos de baja fertilidad, con un aumento de los componentes principales del aceite esencial.

Serum lipid profiles and homocysteine levels in adults with stroke or myocardial infarction in the town of Gombe in northern Nigeria.

While the incidence of infectious diseases has been on the decline in developing countries, the toll of cardiovascular diseases, including stroke and myocardial infarction, has been increasing. The impression of physicians in certain regions of the western Sahel, including the state of Gombe in northeastern Nigeria, is that macrovascular disease in the indigenous population is on the rise. This study was, therefore, undertaken to compare well-established risk factors for cardiovascular disease in a group of 53 men (n=34) and women (n=19) in the town of Gombe who had suffered a stroke or heart attack with the corresponding parameters in 48 age- and gender-matched healthy adults living in the same environment. The parameters of cardiovascular diseases considered were: overweight and obesity, blood pressure, lipid profiles, and homocysteine. While the male and female patients who had suffered stroke (n=48) or heart attack (n=5) were borderline hypertensive, their mean body mass index values were not different from the corresponding values of their control groups. Although the serum homocysteine levels of the patients and controls were not significantly different, 85% of the stroke patients had serum homocysteine levels greater than 10 microM. These high homocysteine levels could not be accounted for by sub-optimal folate or vitamin B 12 status. The serum levels of HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride were not significantly different between the male and female patients and their respective controls. However, the males, but not the females, with macrovascular disease had significantly higher levels of total cholesterol (161 vs 137 mg/dL, p=0.04) and LDL-cholesterol (91 vs 70 mg/dL, p=0.02). In addition, both female and male stroke/myocardial infarction patients exhibited an elevated LDL-cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio. These results indicate that blood pressure and the LDL-cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio are associated with stroke and myocardial infarction in adults in northern Nigeria, thereby creating potential opportunities for possible public-health interventions.