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Background: Serological studies can demonstrate pathogen circulation in regional populations and reflect public health mea-sures' effectiveness during different pandemic phases. By late November 2021, coinciding with the third pandemic wave, the sero-prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 spike IgG antibodies among the Iranian population was 32.63%. Objective(s): This study aimed to assess the Iranian population's seroprevalence during the fifth pandemic wave by analyzing donated blood samples. Method(s): This population-based cross-sectional study was conducted on Iranian blood donors referred to all 31 main provincial capitals between August 2021 and September 2021. The participants selected through quota sampling were asked to complete a questionnaire on socio-demographics and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related information. Also, SARS-CoV-2 spike IgG antibodies were measured in serum samples using SARS-CoV-2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. The seroprevalence was weighted based on the gender and age groups of the population and then adjusted for test performance. Result(s): Totally 3,339 blood donors participated in this study. The overall population-weighted seroprevalence adjusted for test performance was 52.67% (95% confidence interval (CI): 50.14-55.21). Seroprevalence was higher among participants with a high school diploma (55.45%, 95% CI 50.61-60.29), a positive history of close contact with COVID-19 patients (65.23%, 95% CI 60.83-69.63), and previous positive COVID-19 PCR tests (86.51%, 95% CI 82.32-90.7). Conclusion(s): More than half of the study population was exposed to SARS-CoV-2, indicating a 1.7-fold increase in the seroprevalence between late November 2020 and mid-September 2021. Our finding illuminated the pattern of Iran's fifth wave of the pandemic.Copyright © 2023, Author(s).
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The coronavirus illness (COVID-19) is caused by serious acute respiratory disorder coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), moreover known as the COVID-19 virus. After the first-ever reports of COVID-19 in December 2019, the malady spread quickly. In January 2020, the WHO announced the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of Worldwide Concern, and by March 2020, the WHO characterized the episode as a global widespread . The current study aimed to detect the effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection in heart patients and study their immune response by detecting the levels of some cytokines, which may end in a cytokine storm and may lead to death. In this study, one hundred-eight subjects were enrolled on two comparison case-control groups, the case group included 54 patients suffering from SARS-COV2, all were selected from those who were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and were diagnosed by a specialist physician with severe acute respiratory syndrome due to SARS-COV2 documented by Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction( RT-PCR ) besides other clinical and laboratory criteria in Marjan Medical City in Babylon province, AL-Amal Hospital for Communicable Diseases and AL-Hakeem Hospital, Najaf/Iraq, for a period from March 2022 to October 2022 to evaluate the role of some selected serological among patients with SARA-COV2 . The control group in this study included 54 subjects, divided into three groups (Apparent Healthy, patients suffered from SARS-COV2, patients suffered from CVD). Blood samples were examined through immunological methods, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was adopted for the detection of the concentration of TNF-alpha, IL6, IL-10,1L-12 and CCL2 .The immunological evaluation to clarify the theory of cytokines storm carried in the present study revealed that (TNF-alpha, IL6, IL-10,1L-12, and CCL2) for patients with COVID-19 and CVD was significantly higher than all the comparison group. The study reported that interleukin (6, 10, 12) and TNF-a are significantly increased in patients with covid19, CVD, and COVID-19 patients only, compared to healthy people. furthermore, IL-6 and IL-12 levels increased in patients with CVD only when compared to healthy people. There is a significant increase in CCL2 in all study groups compared to healthy people who have lower levels and this study indicated that the infection with Covid disease was severe and critical in most patients with CVD. This increased the number of deaths among them.Copyright © 2021 Muslim OT et al.
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COVID-19, caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus, poses major challenges for global public health. The detection of antibodies in blood serum is one of the important methods for diagnostics of COVID-19 patients. The main aim was to study the dynamics of the appearance of neutralizing antibodies and antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 proteins in COVID-19 patients sera. Material and methods. The blood sera of four groups of people were studied: "intact" donors (blood sera were collected in 2016-2019);patients with a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of acute respiratory viral infection;patients with influenza (antibodies to the influenza virus have been identified) and patients with a PCR confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19. Blood sera were analyzed in ELISA with commercial kits for detection of IgG to SARS-CoV-2 (N, S) proteins and total antibodies to RBD of protein S and in neutralization test (NT). Results and discussion. Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 were not detected in paired blood sera of people from groups 1-3 by ELISA and NT. At the time of hospitalization of patients with COVID-19 in the sera of 12 (19%) patients antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 were absent when they were determined by NT and ELISA. In blood sera taken 4-9 days after hospitalization, neutralizing antibodies and antibodies to at least one viral protein were detected in ELISA. Conclusion. At the time of hospitalization, the overwhelming majority of patients had a humoral immune response to the SARS-CoV-2. In the dynamics of observation, the levels of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 proteins increased, to a greater extent to RBD.Copyright © 2022 Geotar Media Publishing Group
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Background: Many mechanisms responsible for COVID-19 pathogenesis are well-known, but COVID-19 includes features with unclear pathogenesis, like autonomic dysregulation, coagulopathies, and high levels of inflammation. The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD) receptor is angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). We hypothesized that some COVID-19 patients may develop immunoglobulins (Igs) that have negative molecular image of RBD sufficiently similar to ACE2 to yield ACE2-like catalytic activity - ACE2-like 'abzymes'. Method(s): To explore this hypothesis, we studied 67 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who had disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) anticoagulated plasma samples available, obtained about 7 days after admission. We used commercially available fluorometric ACE2 assays (Abcam), and a SpectraMax M5 microplate reader (Molecular Devices), measuring Relative Fluorescent Unit (RFU, Ex/Em = 320/420 nm;RFU) in a kinetic mode every 20 min at 37C. ACE2 inhibitor provided in the assay kit was used for additional controls. In some control experiments, we added Zn2+ to plasma, or conducted serial dilutions to decrease Zn2+. To deplete Igs, we passed plasma samples through a 0.45 mum filter to remove large particles, then passed the material through 100kDa cut-off ultrafiltration membrane (PierceTM) columns, and finally used protein A/G Magnetic Beads (Life Technologies) to specifically deplete Ig, removing >99.99% of Ig as assessed with a human IgG ELISA Kit (Abcam). Result(s): ACE2 is a metalloprotease that requires Zn2+ for activity. However, we found that the plasma of 11 of the 67 patients could cleave a synthetic ACE2 peptide substrate, even though the plasma samples were collected using EDTA anticoagulant. When we spiked plasma with synthetic ACE2, no ACE2 substrate cleavage activity was observed unless Zn2+ was added, or the plasma was diluted to decrease EDTA concentration. After processing samples by size exclusion and protein A/G adsorption, the plasma samples did not cleave the ACE2 substrate peptide. Conclusion(s): The data suggest that some patients with COVID-19 develop Igs with activity capable of cleaving synthetic ACE2 substrate. Since abzymes can exhibit promiscuous substrate specificities compared to the enzyme whose active site image they resemble, and since proteolytic cascades regulate physiologic processes, anti-RBD abzymes may contribute to some otherwise obscure features of COVID-19 pathogenesis. (Figure Presented).
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Background: The necessity for a vaccine to prevent this disease has been made abundantly clear by the appearance of the new SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19. The most reliable method of halting the spread of infectious illnesses is vaccination. Since they were first made available to the general public more than 200 years ago, vaccines have saved millions of lives. Method(s): There were eighty-one (81) participants in total in the study. Individuals ranged in age from 18 to 66 and had recently received COVID-19 mRNA Pfizer/BioNTech [BNT162b2] vaccination injections. They were given two injections of the vaccine of 30 g and 0.3 mL, twenty-one (21) days apart. Before the first vaccination, blood samples were collected. This procedure was repeated on days 7-10 after the first vaccination, and on days 7-10 after the second dose. All samples were tested for IL-4, and TNF-alpha using a High Sensitivity Human ELISA Kit corresponding to each marker (Elabscience/United State). Result(s): There was no significant increase in IL-4 levels in all groups, TNF-alpha results showed increased after the first and second doses compared to before vaccination, and the increase after the second dose is greater than the first dose. Conclusion(s): Our research demonstrated that vaccinations caused Th1 biases and prevented Th2 responses in all groups.Copyright © 2023, Codon Publications. All rights reserved.
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Backgrounds: SARS-COV-2 infection is not always correlated with protection. Antibody seroprevalence in unvaccinated individuals, which is usually measured by N-specific antibodies, is not necessarily correlated with protection, while antibodies against S protein show a better correlation with protection due to its neutralizing epitopes. In this study, we tried to improve our conception of the hidden perspective of SARS-COV-2 in epidemiological reports and investigate anti-S antibody prevalence among anti-N antibody-positive asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients. Material(s) and Method(s): Blood samples were collected from asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic volunteer participants and symptomatic hospitalized patients with negative PCR results from May 30 to June 17, 2020. Detection of SARS-COV-2 antibodies was done using an ELISA kit targeting N or S protein. Finding(s): Totally, 716 samples from volunteer participants and 81 samples from symptomatic hospitalized patients with negative PCR results were evaluated. The test performance-adjusted seroprevalence (%95 CI) of SARS-COV-2 antibody was 17.3% (8.8-25.8%) for anti-N IgG in volunteers and 25.5% (12.8-39.7%) for anti-N and anti-S IgM in hospitalized patients. Among anti-N IgG positive infected individuals, %49.2 (21.4 and 78.8%) were anti-S antibody positive. Conclusion(s): The results showed that SARS-COV-2 infection sometimes occurs in individuals without symptoms or with mild symptoms, but in more than half of them, the produced antibody is not protective. The findings of hospitalized patients showed that the combination of IgM assay with real-time PCR improved the disease diagnosis by more than 25% in cases with negative molecular test results.Copyright © 2022, TMU Press.
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Confirming detected SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies is necessary to reveal immune response in COVID-19 convalescent subjects as well as to conduct population studies by screening for specific antibodies to assess rate of COVID-19 prevalence. With this purpose St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute was the first in Russia to develop the ELISA kit for the quantitative determination of human IgG to the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N-CoV-2-IgG PS). Arbitrary units (AU/ml) were used to assess the level of antibodies. The data shown in AU/ml were recalculated later to the international units (BAU/ml) in accordance with established the First WHO International Standard for anti-SARS-CoV-2 human Immunoglobulin. Comparing the data of the N-CoV-2-IgG PS calibration curve with those of the First WHO International Standard for anti-SARS- CoV-2 human Immunoglobulin revealed a complete inter-assay association (r = 0.999, R-2 = 0.997) allowing to find that 1BAU/ml = 5.97 AU/ml. The aim of the study was to characterize the "SARS-CoV-2 protein N Human IgG Quantitative ELISA Kit" (N-CoV-2-IgG PS), compare quantitative and qualitative data of ELISA kits, assess a correlation between the binding antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 N proteins and the neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. The data of correlation analysis of the 83 COVID-19 convalescent blood plasma samples a significant relationship between the antibodies quantitative values and titers SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody (r = 0.8436, R-2 = 0.7802) as well as a moderate relationship between antibody concentration and positivity index (r = 0.6648, R-2 = 0.3307), assessed by Chaddock scale. Comparing concentration of N-protein binding antibodies with neutralizing antibody titers level uncovered data consistency obtained by quantitative and virus microneutralization assays (r = 0.7310, R-2 = 0.6527) used in parallel to analyze 80 blood plasma samples obtained from COVID-19 patients and convalescents. AUC under the ROC curve comprised 0.701 (P < 0.0001) evidencing about a satisfactory informative value for "N-CoV-2-IgG PS" compared with microneutralization assay. In addition, the efficacy of the "N-CoV-2-IgG PS" was 95%, while the positive and negative prognostic value was 97% and 87%, respectively. The data obtained confirmed a correlation between N-protein binding antibody level and neutralizing antibody titer. Checking inter-assay agreement evidenced about acceptance for informativeness and efficacy of using "N-CoV-2-IgG PS", thereby confirming an opportunity to apply the Kit to screen for SARS-CoV-2 N protein-specific IgG antibody level and assess seroprevalence in diverse population cohorts.
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Background: The COVID19 disease has different outcomes ranging from asymptomatic disease to critically ill or even fatal outcomes in some people. This imposed the need for identification of early biomarkers that can predict the outcome. Previous studies show that VEGF-D has an important role in acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome, yet its role in COVID19 disease has not been evaluated thoroughly. Our study aimed to determine the possible use of VEGF-D as a predictor for COVID19 severity. Method(s): This is a retrospective study that includes 74 hospitalized patients with COVID19 in a period of one month at the University clinic for Infectious diseases and febrile conditions in Skopje. The patients were divided into two subgroups according to their outcome, a group of 45 patients with fatal outcome within the first week of hospitalization, and another group of 29 patients with mild COVID19 that required hospitalization less than 7 days without oxygen support. Sera samples were collected on the day of admission, and serological testing for human VEGF-D was performed using Quantikine ELISA Kit (R&D systems, Minneapolis, US). Result(s): The values measured for VEGF-D were 835.69+/-330.52 for the first group and 677.91+/-148.48 for the second. Student's t-test was performed, and it showed statistically significant difference between the groups;T test value = 2.413, p = 0.0183. The mean VEGF-D value in the group of patients with mild COVID19 is slightly above the reference range (153-642 pg/mL), while the group of patients with fatal outcome had significantly higher values. Conclusion(s): O ur f irst r esults i dentified V EGF-D a s a p ossible b iomarker for COVID19 severity. The significance of the test can be even of higher value, having in mind potential use of VEGF inhibitors as a treatment in COVID19 patients. The limitations of the study are the small sample size and variable time interval between symptom onset and hospital admission, so additional evaluation is planned on a larger cohort.
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Background and Objectives: Serological studies are based on the detection of antibodies. However, the produced antibodies decrease over time;therefore, such methods cannot provide a valid estimate of prevalence and incidence. The present study aimed to determine the serum prevalence and cumulative incidence in the Ravansar cohort population (Youth and RaNCD Cohort) in October 2020. Method(s): A random sample of 716 people aged > 18 years old were selected from the participants in the Ravansar cohort study in October 2020. Euroimmun anti-SARS COV-2 IgG ELISA kits (Lubeck, Germany) were used to measure antibody levels. Seroprevalence was estimated with considering of cut-off = 1, and cumulative incidence (modified and modified based on test specificity) was determined using modeling. Result(s): In the present study, the serum prevalence of COVID-19 viral infection in the Ravansar cohort population from 22 October 2020 to 18 November 2020 was estimated to be %35.16 (95%CI: %31.64, %38.79). Modified Cumulative incidence and modified based on test characteristics from 20 February to 18 November 2020 were estimated to be %68.85 and %67.71, respectively. Conclusion(s): Although very high cumulative incidence may be a sign of approaching herd immunity, adherence to health protocols is still recommended due to the potential role of asymptomatic cases in transmitting the disease to other members of the community;and the presence of new variants of the virus and reduced antibody levels should be considered.Copyright © 2022 The Authors.
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Introduction: The most widely used marker for the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis (IA) is the detection of galactomannan by ELISA. This study describes the evaluation of the results obtained by Euroimmun Aspergillus antigen ELISA (EIA-GM-E) in serum samples and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) from patients at risk of IA, and compares these results with those obtained by Bio-Rad Galactomannan EIA (EIA-GM-BR). Method(s): Anonymous retrospective case-control comparative study in 64 serum samples and 28 BAL from 51 patients. Result(s): Overall agreement of the results of the two assays was observed in 72 of 92 samples (78.3%). The sensitivity of EIA-GM-BR and EIA-GM-E in serum samples was 88.9% and 43.2%, respectively, and 100% and 88.9% for BAL. The specificity of EIA-GM-BR and EIA-GM-E in serum samples was 91.9% for both assays, and 68.4% and 84.2% in BAL. There were no statistically significant differences in the results of both assays. Conclusion(s): Both methods show good results for the discrimination of patients with IA when BAL is tested, or serum in case of EIA-GM-BR.Copyright © 2021 Sociedad Espanola de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiologia Clinica
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Here, we report the development of an indirect ELISA antibodies detection method for African swine fever virus (ASFV). Two purified monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against ASFV p30 and p54 protein were used as targets and a phage-displayed 12-mer peptide library was used to conduct four rounds of biopanning to screen peptide epitopes, then amino acids GGG was used as a linker to synthesize tandem-epitope peptide of ASFV p30 and p54 protein which was used as coating antigen. The optimum reaction conditions of indirect ELISA were determined by chessboard titration, and clinical serum samples were used to evaluate the specificity, sensitivity, stability and conformity of this method. The biopanning experiment indicated that 146PAEPYTT152 was a core domain of the B cell linear epitope of p54 protein. The optimization results of ELISA reaction conditions showed that the tandem-epitope peptide coupled with ovalbumin (OVA) at N-terminal had low background of non-specific serum reaction. And the optimum reaction effect was obtained when the polypeptide antigen was coated with carbonate buffer in 2 mug.mL-1, the serum was diluted 100-fold with blocking solution (1% gelatin solution), and the HRP-antibody was diluted 5 000 times with 0.05% PBST solution. The cut-off value was determined to be 0.339. Furthermore, the results of specificity, sensitivity and stability tests showed that there is no cross-reaction in positive serum samples of classical swine fever virus (CSFV), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), porcine parvovirus (PPV) and porcine pseudorabies virus (PRV), the detection limit of ASFV positive sera is 1:1 600, and the method had high repeatability. Finally, Total 320 swine serum samples were detected simultaneously by the present established method and commercial ASFV antibody detection kit. The results showed that the relative specificity and sensitivity of the two methods were 97.6% and 97.3%, respectively. And the coincidence rate was 97.5%. In conclusion, this method showed good specificity, sensitivity, repeatability and coincidence rate, that had the potential value of developing clinical diagnostic kit.Copyright © 2022 Editorial Board, Institute of Animal Science of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. All rights reserved.
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The severe consequences and high mortality of COVID-19 prompted the development of a wide range of preventive vaccines. The first vaccines to be tested were developed in China and formulated as inactivated SARS-CoV-2 adsorbed on aluminium hydroxide. One of the quality indicators for inactivated adsorbed vaccines is the degree of adsorption, which can be used to control the content not only of non-adsorbed antigen, but also of specific antigen in one dose of a vaccine. The aim of the study was to investigate the possibility of desorbing SARS-CoV-2 antigen from formulated adsorbed vaccines and the possibility of measuring its concentration using the BioScan-SARS-CoV-2 (S) ELISA kit for SARS-CoV-2 S-protein content determination. Material(s) and Method(s): the study used four batches of BBIBP-CorV by CNBG, Sinopharm (China) and three batches of CoronaVac by Sinovac Biotech (China). The authors desorbed SARS-CoV-2 S antigen in accordance with monograph FS.3.3.1.0029.15 of the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation edition XIV (Ph. Rus.), and quantified it using the BioScan-SARS-CoV-2 (S) ELISA kit by Bioservice Biotechnology Co. Ltd. (Russia). Result(s): mean S-antigen concentrations in the desorbed samples ranged from 61 to 129 ng/mL for BBIBP-CorV and from 461 to 533 ng/mL for CoronaVac. Conclusion(s): the study demonstrated the possibility of specific SARS-CoV-2 antigen desorption from the surface of aluminium hydroxide using the Ph. Rus. method, as well as the possibility of S-antigen quantification in desorbed medicinal products and supernatants using the BioScan-SARS-CoV-2 (S) ELISA kit. The authors observed 3.6- to 8.7-fold difference between the S-antigen concentrations of the desorbed preparations by the two manufacturers.Copyright © 2023 Safety and Risk of Pharmacotherapy. All rights reserved.
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BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection induces a pro-inflammatory state of an organism with long-term systemic consequences as a result. Systemic inflammation, characterized by a high circulating level of inflammatory cytokines, is a significant factor influencing articular cartilage metabolism in osteoarthritis (OA). This study aimed to determine the levels of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in plasma of patients with OA following SARS-CoV-2 infection and to compare them with those of healthy controls. METHOD(S): The experiment involved patients of the Orthopedic Specialty Clinic aged 46 to 69 diagnosed with knee OA. Among persons with joint pathology a group of convalescent patients from 6-9 months after COVID-19 was identified. The control group involved relatively healthy donors. The plasma levels of pro-inflammatory (IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12beta, tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-alpha], interferon-gamma [IFN-gamma]) and anti-inflammatory (IL-4 and IL-10) cytokines were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULT(S): It was established that in patients with OA, as well as after suffering from SARS-CoV-2 infection, an increase in the plasma levels of IL-1beta was observed against the background of a decrease in the levels of IL-4, IL-8, IL-10, IL- 12beta, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma, compared to the healthy controls. COVID-19 more significantly influenced the plasma levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1beta and IL-12beta. CONCLUSION(S): The results indicate the imbalance of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the plasma in patients with OA for a long post-COVID. Shanges in the levels of inflammatory mediators suggest distinct immunoregulatory mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of both joint pathology and systemic disorders caused by SARS-COV-2.Copyright © 2022 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA.
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Background: Zonulin is a protein, reversibly increasing the permeability of the intestinal wall by changing the structure of tight junctions of the lateral surfaces of intestinal epithelial cells. Fecal zonulin is used for noninvasive assessment of increased intestinal permeability. Normal values of zonulin in stool (<= 110 ng/ml) indicate the absence of damage of the intestinal villous mucosal surface and normal density of intercellular contacts. The aim of the study was to determine the level of fecal zonulin (FZ) in the feces of ulcerative colitis (UC) patients with exacerbation of the disease and the presence of COVID-19 in the acute period and without COVID-19 to assess the degree of intestinal permeability. Method(s): 46 patients with IBD without COVID-19 (Me age - 36 years) and 31 patients with UC with the presence of COVID-19 infection in the acute period (Me age - 42 years) were examined. Untreated stool samples of patients were frozen and stored at a temperature of 80 degreeC. FZ was measured by ELISA (IDK Zonulin ELISA Kit, Immunodiagnostik AG, Germany) in ng/ml. Reference values: < 83.15 ng/ml - a variant of the norm, 83.15-110 ng/ml - an elevated level, 110 ng/ml - a high level Results: In the stool samples of patients with UC exacerbation without COVID-19 FZ was detected from 172.6 to 460.8 ng/ml (Me - 316), the average value was 322.4+/-14.6 ng/ml. In the stool samples of patients with UC exacerbation and COVID-19 infection, FZ was detected from 354.8 to 628.3 ng/ml (Me - 489.9), the average value was 472.9+/-18.4 ng/ml (p=0.000001). Conclusion(s): FZ concentration in the feces of UC patients is significantly higher in UC patients with the presence of COVID-19 infection in the acute period, which indicates a higher permeability of the intestinal wall.
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Background: The risk for transmission of COVID-19 to people in close contact with infected people, especially healthcare workers, has not been well estimated. Therefore the present study was conducted to assess the household secondary attack rate (SAR) of COVID-19 among healthcare workers and related factors. Material(s) and Method(s): The present prospective case-ascertained study was conducted on 202 healthcare workers with confirmed COVID-19 in Hamadan, diagnosed from March 1, 2020, to August 20, 2020. For households with close contact with the index case, RT-PCR was performed regardless of symptoms. We defined SAR as the proportion of secondary cases from the total contacts that live in the index case household. SAR was reported as a percentage and 95% confidence interval (CI). Multiple logistic regression was performed to explore the predictors of COVID-19 transmission of index cases to their households. Result(s): We found 36 secondary cases out of 391 household contacts with laboratory confirmation (RT-PCR), representing a household SAR of 9.2% (95% CI: 6.3, 12.1). Among factors related to the family member, female gender (OR: 2.9, 95% CI: 1.2, 6.9), being the patient's spouse (OR: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.0, 4.6), and living in the apartment (OR: 2.78, 95% CI: 1.24, 6.23), and among factors related to index cases, hospitalization (OR: 5.9, 95% CI: 1.3, 26.9) and caught (OR: 2.4, 95% CI: 1.1, 5.2) were the significant predictors of disease transmission to other family members (P<0.05). Conclusion(s): The findings of this study suggest that the SAR is remarkable in household contacts of infected healthcare workers. Some characteristics of family members of the index case, including female gender, being the patient's spouse, and living in the apartment, and some characteristics of the index case, including hospitalization and caught, were associated with the increased SAR.Copyright © 2022 NRITLD, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Iran.
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Background/Aim. Plasma containing a high titer of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, donated from individuals who re-covered from COVID-19, has the potential to be used as initial therapy for patients who have been infected (passive immunization). It is a challenge to find suitable donors. The aim of the study was to successively monitor antibody titer in donations and to investigate the correlation between an-tibody titer and the severity of the clinical manifestations. Methods. The retrospective study was conducted from May 1 to October 31, 2020, at the Blood Transfusion Insti-tute of Vojvodina. Donors had to meet certain criteria for inclusion in the study: proven SARS-CoV-2 infection, de-tected SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the serum/plasma, ful-fillment of general criteria for performing plasmapheresis, and adequate laboratory findings. Results. During the study, 651 apheresis plasma units were collected and divided into two equal doses. Plasma was donated by 311 COVID-19 convalescents, including 208 (66.9%) men and 103 (33.1%) women. There were 15 (4.8%) plasma donors with asymptomatic infection, 235 (75. 6%) with a mild form of illness, 45 (14.5%) with a moderate form of illness, 16 (5.1%) with a severe form of illness, and none with a critical form of illness. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies were pre-sent in the plasma of donors for more than 6 months after the disease. Plasma donors with a more severe clinical mani-festation of COVID-19 had stable antibody levels for a longer period. However, the Pearson correlation of clinical severity and antibody titer did not confirm a statistically sig-nificant correlation between the variables. Conclusion. An-ti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were present in the sample of re-covered patients, plasma donors, for more than 6 months after the disease. Even though no statistically significant correlation was found between the anti-SARS-CoV-2 anti-body titer and the clinical severity of COVID-19, in patients with a more severe clinical manifestations of the disease, stable antibody levels were maintained for a longer period.Copyright © 2022 Inst. Sci. inf., Univ. Defence in Belgrade. All rights reserved.
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Aim: Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection can easily occur through direct or close contact with infected people, just as with other infectious diseases. Therefore, it is important to detect it prior to the intervention for protecting the health of both the healthcare worker and the patient. In the study, it was aimed to determine the seropositivity rates of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C virus and human immune deficiency virus infections among children who underwent gastrointestinal endoscopy. Material(s) and Method(s): The study was conducted at the Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology of the Karabuk University in Turkey from December 2020 to December of 2021. A total of 175 children were included in the study. The study was divided into three age groups as follows: 1-6 years old, 7-12 years old and 13-18 years old. All children were screened for acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C virus and human immune deficiency virus infections. Result(s): The median age was 12.5 years (1-18). The seroprevalence of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, Anti-HAV IgM, Anti-HAV IgG, HBsAg, Anti-HBs, Anti-HCV, Anti-HIV and were detected 0.57%, 0.57%, 42.8%, 0%, 58.8%, 1.1% and 0 % respectively. The seroprevalence of Anti-HAV IgG was significantly higher in children aged 1-6 years than in the group aged 13-18 years (95.7 vs 25.2: chi2=48.1, p=0.001). Discussion(s): Although seroprevalence rates prior to endoscopy were low in this study, viral screening, except for hepatitis A infection, is essential for the safety of both patients and healthcare.Copyright © 2022, Derman Medical Publishing. All rights reserved.
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The aim was to estimate the prognostic role of PAI-1 on admission in hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia. Material(s) and Method(s): We observed 2 groups: Main - 85 patients (59 (52;65) years, men - 45 (52.9%)), hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia;Control - 25 healthy volunteers (50.0 (35;65) years, men - 13 (52.0%)). General tests, PAI-1 (ELISA Kit, Elabscience) before anticoagulants, autopsy data, statistic. Result(s): At admission the level of PAI-1 in Main group was in 60 times higher than in Control group (6.1 [0.15;18] ng/ml versus 0.1 [0.09;0.11] ng/ml, p=0,000). Despite the adequate treatment 12 patients died from COOVID-19 pneumonia. Maximal levels of PAI-1 were in died patients. ROC analysis shows the powerful reliable connection between increased level of PAI-1 higher than 20,6 ng/ml at admission and COVID-19 mortality (OR=219;CI=95% (7,7056 to 6224,1404);p=0,0016). Conclusion(s): 1) problem in fibrinolysis plays the crucial role in thrombogenesis in COVID-19;2) increased PAI-1 more than 20 ng/l is associated with 200-times higher risk of mortality. (Figure Presented).
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Aim: to estimate the diagnostic and prognostic role of PAI-1 on admission in hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia, comparing with bacterial pneumonia. Material(s) and Method(s): We observed 3 groups: Main (1) - 85 patients (59 (52;65) years, men - 45 (52.9%)), hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia (40 patients with moderate, 25 patients with severe, 20 patients with critical);Comparative (2) - 55 patients (48.9 (34;62) years, men - 30 (54.5%)), hospitalized with communityacquired pneumonia of bacterial etiology (CABP) without COVID-19;Control (3) - 25 healthy volunteers (50.0 (35;65) years, men - 13 (52.0%)). General tests, plasma level of PAI-1 (ELISA Kit, Elabscience) before starting of anticoagulants, statistic. Result(s): The highest level of PAI-1 (6.1 [0.15;18] ng/ml) was in Main group and exceeds the Control group (0.1 [0.09;0.11] ng/ml), p1-3=0,000) in more than 60 times. PAI-1 in CABP didn't differ from Control group (Fig.1) The highest levels of PAI-1 at admission had patients with severe and critical course of COVID-19. Conclusion(s): 1) significantly increase of PAI-1 in COVID-19 pneumonia demonstrates the cornerstone in thrombogenesis of this disease - problems in fibrinolysis system, which is the main difference between CABP;2) PAI-1 is associated with COVID-19 severity and could be the crucial marker for patients' distribution. (Figure Presented).
ABSTRACT
Background. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chad has had 7,417 confirmed cases and 193 deaths, one of the lowest in Africa. Objective. This study assessed SARS-CoV-2 immunity in N'Djamena. Methods. In August-October 2021, eleven N'Djamena hospitals col-lected outpatient data and samples. IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein were identified using ELISA. "Bambino Gesu" Laboratory, Rome, Italy, performed external quality control with chemiluminescence assay. Results. 25-34-year-old (35.2%) made up the largest age group at 31.9+/-12.6 years. 56.4% were women, 1.3 women/men. The 7th district had 22.5% and the 1st 22.3%. Housewives and students dominated. Overall seroprevalence was 69.5% (95% CI: 67.7-71.3), females 68.2% (65.8-70.5) and males 71.2% (68.6-73.8). >44-year-old had 73.9% seroprevalence. Under-15s were 57.4% positive. Housewives (70.9%), civil servants (71.5%), and health workers (9.7%) had the highest antibody positivity. N'Djamena's 9th district had 73.1% optimism and the 3rd district had 52.5%. Seroprevalences were highest at Good Samaritan Hospital (75.4%) and National General Referral Hospital (74.7%). Conclusion. Our findings indicate a high circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in N'Djamena, despite low mortality and morbidity after the first two COVID-19 pandemic waves. This high seroprevalence must be considered in Chad's vaccine policy.Copyright © 2022 The Authors and PAGEPRESS PUBLICATIONS.