Potential role of biochemical markers in the prognosis of COVID-19 patients.

The global pandemic due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has posed an overall threat to modern medicine. The course of the disease is uncertain with varying forms of presentation that cannot be managed solely with clinical skills and vigor. Since its inception, laboratory medicine forms a backbone for the proper diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, and prediction of the severity of the disease. Clinical biochemistry, an integral component of laboratory medicine, has been an unsung hero in the disease prognosis and severity assessment in COVID-19. This review attempts to highlight the biomarkers which have shown a significant role and can be used in the identification, stratification, and prediction of disease severity in COVID-19 patients. It also highlights the basis of the use of these biomarkers in the disease course and their implications.

Poor Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients in Two Tertiary Care Centers during COVID-19 Lockdown: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

Introduction: Lockdown enforced to control the rapid transmission of novel coronavirus has resulted in the confinement of people in the home and restrictions of movement. This may have altered the lifestyle and glycemic control of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. This study aimed to find the prevalence of poor glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in two tertiary care centres during COVID-19 lockdown. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 259 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in selected hospitals from 1st September to 30th September 2020 after receiving ethical approval from the Departmental Research Unit, Biochemistry under Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: DRU/01/2020). A convenience sampling method was used. Data analysis was done by using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26.0. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and proportion for binary data. Results: Among 259 patients with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, 183 (70.65%) (65.10-76.20 at 95% Confidence Interval) had poor glycemic control during the lockdown period. Mean fasting and post-prandial blood glucose among these patients were 164.16±49.30 mg/dl and 246.76±69.86 mg/dl respectively. Conclusions: Our study depicts that the majority of the type 2 diabetes mellitus patients had poor glycemic control during the lockdown period which was similar when compared to other studies. Keywords: COVID-19; glycemic control; healthy lifestyle; lockdown; type 2 diabetes.

Approach to Sample Collection, Transport and Processing of Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 Patients for Biochemistry Investigations.

During this global pandemic period of COVID-19, the health care system is the most affected area. Health care workers including clinicians, laboratory professionals, and other allied health workers pose a high threat for acquiring and transmission the disease. Apart from the diagnosis of disease by the RT-PCR, other laboratory investigations are equally essential in disease prognosis and monitoring. This biosafety guidance is intended to provide and insight to the clinicians, nurses, and laboratory professionals in handling the blood and other body fluid samples for biochemical investigations concerning the proper methods of sample collection, transport, processing, and disposal. Every day, the laboratory receives samples of the patient with confirmed and suspected cases of COVID-19 patients. This poses a high threat of contamination to the health professionals and thus, a proper risk assessment and standard precautions protocol must be followed to ensure safety, minimize the risk of contamination and disease transmission.