ABSTRACT
Objective: Acute-phase proteins are a family of proteins synthesized by the liver. With this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of COVID-19 infection on acute phase reactants (AFR) and determine the usability of AFRs as prognostic factors in COVID-19 disease. Material(s) and Method(s): Serum samples taken for routine analysis of the patients admitted to the Emergency Department and diagnosed with COVID-19, were used. AFR levels of 30 patients who resulted in mortality and 30 recovered patients were evaluated. C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin (FER), ceruloplasmin (Cp), albumin (Alb), prealbumin (Prealb), transferrin (Trf), lactate, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE), and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) assessment was performed. Result(s): The hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval for FER, CRP, lactate, Alb, Cp, Prealb, Trf, Age, SOFA, and APACHE were 1.001 (1.000-1.001), 1.005 (1.001- 1.008), 1.141 (1.016-1.243), 1.016 (0.740-1.399), 1.016 (0.740-1.399), 1.056 (1.017-1.100), 0.978 (0.917-1.035), 1.000 (0.995-1.006), 1.032 (1.004- 1.064), 1.104 (0.971-1.247), and 1.012 (0.974-1.051), respectively, in univariable model. Only CRP, lactate, and FER found significant in multivariable model. In addition, patients in the nonsurvivors group had significantly higher FER, CRP, lactate, APACHE, age, and SOFA. Nonsurvivors also had lower Alb, Prealb, and serum Trf level compared to survivors. Conclusion(s): CRP, lactate, and FER, which we have shown to be significantly higher in severe COVID-19 patients, will be valuable parameters that will contribute to clinical improvement if they are used in the follow-up of patients due to their easy measurement and predictive values.Copyright © 2023, Nobelmedicus. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Virus-related respiratory epidemics have been the most common cause of infectious disease worldwide for the past century. SARS-CoV-2 has been a threat to humanity all across the world from the beginning of 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic can only be controlled by identifying and isolating the new cases, thereby interrupting community transmission. Policymakers, health care providers, and interdisciplinary scientists must collaborate to ensure pandemic preparedness utilizing cutting-edge technology. Nonetheless, the development of novel nanotherapeutic and vaccination techniques is critical. To address these issues, further research about the SARS-CoV-2 structure as well as the precise immunological response it elicits in the human body is needed. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Objective This study aimed to investigate whether complete blood count parameters have predictive properties in diagnosing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in regard to positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test in children with a prediagnosis of COVID-19, and whether these parameters are related to the severity of clinical findings in children with COVID-19. Methods This retrospective cross-sectional study included children who were hospitalized with a possible diagnosis of COVID-19 and had undergone PCR testing in the COVID-19 children's clinic. Probable case definition was made according to the COVID-19 diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Turkey. Results A total of 133 patients were included in the study, of which 46 (34.6%) were negative for the PCR test and 87 (65.4%) were positive for the PCR test. white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil, lymphocyte, and platelet levels were significantly lower in the PCR positive group than in the PCR negative group. The platelet to mean platelet volume ratio (PLT/MPV) was significantly lower in the PCR positive group than the PCR negative group, whereas the platelet distribution width (PDW) of the PCR positive patient group was significantly higher than the PCR negative group. For the multivariable model with PDW and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio/age factors included, F1 score was 0.864, area under the receiver operating characteristics was 0.804, and area under the precision-recall curve was 0.873. The decision tree had a 72.9% cross-validation accuracy value. Conclusion WBC, neutrophils, lymphocytes, platelets, PLT/MPV, and PDW parameters could be used in conjunction with clinical symptoms and findings to predict the PCR test result.