COVID-19 Biomarkers Comparison: Children, Adults and Elders.

Background and Objectives: this study aimed to research links between C-reactive protein (CRP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatinekinase (CK), 25-OH vitamin D (25-OHD), ferritin (FER), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL)cholesterol and clinical severity in patients from the western part of Romania, and compare their potential use as biomarkers for intensive care units (ICU) admission and death in children, adults and elders. Materials and Methods: this study is a retrospective cohort study, performed on patients positively diagnosed with COVID-19. Available CRP, LDH, CK 25-OH vitamin D, ferritin, HDL cholesterol and clinical severity were recorded. The following were assessed: median group differences, association, correlation and receiver operating characteristic. Results: 381 children, 614 adults and 381 elders were studied between 1 March 2021 and 1 March 2022. Most children and adults presented mild symptomatology (53.28%, 35.02%, respectively), while most elders presented severe symptomatology (30.04%). ICU admission was 3.67% for children, 13.19% for adults and 46.09% for elders, while mortality was 0.79% for children, 8.63% for adults and 25.1% for elders. With the exception of CK, all other biomarkers showed some significant associations with clinical severity, ICU admission and death. Conclusions: CRP, LDH, 25-OH vitamin D, ferritin and HDL are important biomarkers for COVID-19 positive patients, especially in the pediatric population, while CK was mostly within normal ranges.

COVID-19 Inflammatory Markers and Vitamin D Relationship in Pediatric Patients.

BACKGROUND: Biomarkers play an important role in COVID-19, and more research in this regard is needed, especially in the case of children. This study aimed to look for a link between the C reactive protein (CRP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), vitamin D and COVID-19 in pediatric patients. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study, performed on children diagnosed positively with COVID-19 at a children's hospital in western Romania. Available CRP, LDH, CK vitamin D and clinical severity were recorded. For each biomarker, groups were formed by patients' age. Mean/median group differences were assessed using Student's t test or Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis with Dunn's post hoc tests. Association was assessed using the chi2 test, while correlation was assessed using Spearman's rank correlation. RESULTS: 181 positive children were studied between 1 August 2021 and 1 February 2022. Average age was 8.76 years (SD = 3.93). There were 94 (51.93%) males and 87 (48.07%) females. The cases were: 62 asymptomatic (34.25%), 107 mild (59.12%), 9 moderate (4.97%), 3 severe (1.66%). Regarding CRP, a significant difference between older and younger patients was observed (p = 0.0034). Clinical severity was associated with CRP (p = 0.0281), LDH (p = 0.0410) and vitamin D (p = 0.0444). Regarding CK, no differences or associations proved significant. Correlation testing was conducted for CRP, LDH, vitamin D and clinical signs. With the exception of LDH-CRP and LDH-vitamin D, all relationships proved statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: CRP, LDH and vitamin D levels are important biomarkers for COVID-19-positive pediatric patients, while CK was mostly within normal ranges.

Identification of Genomic Variants of SARS-CoV-2 Using Nanopore Sequencing.

Background and Objectives: SARS-CoV-2 is the first global threat and life-changing event of the twenty-first century. Although efficient treatments and vaccines have been developed, due to the virus's ability to mutate in key regions of the genome, whole viral genome sequencing is needed for efficient monitoring, evaluation of the spread, and even the adjustment of the molecular diagnostic assays. Materials and Methods: In this study, Nanopore and Ion Torrent sequencing technologies were used to detect the main SARS-CoV-2 circulating strains in Timis County, Romania, between February 2021 and May 2022. Results: We identified 22 virus lineages belonging to seven clades: 20A, 20I (Alpha, V1), 21B (Kappa), 21I (Delta), 21J (Delta), 21K (Omicron), and 21L (Omicron). Conclusions: Results obtained with both methods are comparable, and we confirm the utility of Nanopore sequencing in large-scale epidemiological surveillance due to the lower cost and reduced time for library preparation.