A Hospital-Based Assessment of Diagnostic Efficacy of Hematological Biomarkers, Coagulation Profile and CRP (C-Reactive Protein) in COVID-19 Patients

Aim: In this study, the roles of biomarkers from a peripheral blood sample were used in the diagnosis of COVID-19 patients who have history of fever and have been admitted to hospital are examined. Method(s): The present study was conducted Department of Pathology, AIIMS, Patna, Bihar, India where the patients having history of fever were admitted during the period of 6 months. A total of 100 patients were included who were suspected cases of corona. RTPCR was done for all the patients and were categorized into covid negative and covid positive patients. Result(s): Out of 100 patients included in the study that came with history of fever and was admitted in hospital, RTPCR was done and 65% patients were positive. Out of which 66.2% were male patients and 33.8% were female patients. Hematological parameters were recorded and presented in a tabular data as described in Table 1. Parameters included were total leukocyte count, neutrophils, hemoglobin, lymphocytes, NLR, PLR, SII, and Platelets. In patient with negative test results, it was found that total leukocyte count, neutrophils, platelet, NLR and SII values were higher. Whereas, haemoglobin, lymphocytes and PLR was found to be higher in patients with positive test results. Conclusion(s): In our study, low values of leukocytes, neutrophils, platelets and high values of hemoglobin, Lymphocytes were found with a CBC test which is easily available are found to be valuable in terms of the initial diagnosis of COVID-19. In addition, low values of NLR and SII and high value of PLR and CRP are also indicative of COVID-19.Copyright © 2023, Dr Yashwant Research Labs Pvt Ltd. All rights reserved.

Myocardial Injury and Altered Gene Expression Associated With SARS-CoV-2 Infection or mRNA Vaccination.

SARS CoV-2 enters host cells via its Spike protein moiety binding to the essential cardiac enzyme angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) 2, followed by internalization. COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are RNA sequences that are translated into Spike protein, which follows the same ACE2-binding route as the intact virion. In model systems, isolated Spike protein can produce cell damage and altered gene expression, and myocardial injury or myocarditis can occur during COVID-19 or after mRNA vaccination. We investigated 7 COVID-19 and 6 post-mRNA vaccination patients with myocardial injury and found nearly identical alterations in gene expression that would predispose to inflammation, coagulopathy, and myocardial dysfunction.

Preserved SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing IgG activity of in-house manufactured COVID-19 convalescent plasma.

PURPOSE: In the current study, we aimed to evaluate the neutralizing IgG activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as well as the coagulation factors of convalescent plasmas which we manufactured in-house without a fast-freezing technique. METHODS: We collected plasmas from eligible participants who had confirmed certain titers of neutralizing antibodies. The plasmas were frozen and stored in the ordinary biofreezer without a fast-freezing function. The purified-IgG neutralizing activity of 20 samples from 19 participants and the coagulation factors of 49 samples from 40 participants were evaluated before and after freezing. RESULTS: Purified-IgG maintained its neutralizing activities, with the median 50 % inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 10.11 mg/ml (IQR 6.53-18.19) before freezing and 8.90 m g/ml (IQR 6.92-28.27) after thawing (p = 0.956). On the contrary, fibrinogen and factor Ⅷ decreased significantly after freezing and thawing in our environment. No significant temperature deviation was observed during the storage period. CONCLUSION: Neutralizing IgG activity, which largely contributes to the antiviral activity of convalescent plasma, did not change through our in-house manufacturing, without fastfreezing and storage conditions for more than 200 days. Ordinary freezers without the fast-freezing function are suitable enough to manufacture and store convalescent plasmas. Hospitals or facilities without specified resources could easily collect and store convalescent plasmas in case of upcoming emerging or re-emerging infectious diseases on-demand with appropriate neutralizing antibody levels measurements.

A Hospital Based Observational Study to Assess the Role of Hematological Biomarkers, Coagulation Profile and CRP (C-Reactive Protein) in Covid-19 Patients

Aim: In this study, the roles of biomarkers from a peripheral blood sample were used in the diagnosis of COVID-19 patients who have history of fever and have been admitted to hospital are examined. Method(s): The present study was conducted Department of Pathology, SKMCH, Muzaffarpur, Bihar, India where the patients having history of fever were admitted during the period of 3 months. A total of 100 patients were included who were suspected cases of corona. RTPCR was done for all the patients and were categorized into covid negative and covid positive patients. Result(s): Out of 100 patients included in the study that came with history of fever and was admitted in hospital, RTPCR was done and 65% patients were positive. Out of which 66.2% were male patients and 33.8% were female patients. Hematological parameters were recorded and presented in a tabular data as described in Table 1. Parameters included were total leukocyte count, neutrophils, hemoglobin, lymphocytes, NLR, PLR, SII, and Platelets. In patient with negative test results, it was found that total leukocyte count, neutrophils, platelet, NLR and SII values were higher. Whereas, haemoglobin, lymphocytes and PLR was found to be higher in patients with positive test results. Conclusion(s): In our study, low values of leukocytes, neutrophils, platelets and high values of hemoglobin, Lymphocytes were found with a CBC test which is easily available are found to be valuable in terms of the initial diagnosis of COVID 19. In addition, low values of NLR and SII and high value of PLR and CRP are also indicative of COVID-19. Copyright © 2022, Dr Yashwant Research Labs Pvt Ltd. All rights reserved.

Coagulation Disorder's in SARS-CoV-2 Patients

Context: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19). Pulmonary manifestations have been identified as the common symptom, and patients present a wide range of hematologic changes depending on the flow of the diseases. The interpretation and treatment of hematological complications in COVID-19 patients are very challenging. There are limited guidelines thus far due to the novelty of the disease. Evidence Acquisition: This review summarizes the hematological findings (platelet and coagulation/fibrinolytic) in COVID-19 patients and discusses possible mechanisms for their changes. Results: The results showed that the common findings were thrombocytopenia, elevated D-dimer levels, and prolonged prothrombin time (PT) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT) in severe patients. Conclusions: Attention to hematological changes may be helpful biomarkers in diagnosing and determining patients needing intensive care, as well as monitoring the treatment process and treatment effects on COVID-19 patients. [ FROM AUTHOR]

Coagulation factors XI and XII as possible targets for anticoagulant therapy.

In this review, we give an overview over observational and experimental studies supporting factors XI and XII as targets for anticoagulant therapy. The majority of observational studies on FXI report low concentrations of FXI to be protective against ischemic stroke and venous thrombosis. There is also extensive evidence from experimental and animal studies supporting FXI inhibition as a target for anticoagulant therapy, alone or in combination with other antithrombotic treatments. Four Phase 2 clinical trials on patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty showed non-inferiority or superiority of FXI inhibition compared to enoxaparin for the primary outcome, which was incidence of venous thromboembolism. One Phase 2 trial reported that FXI inhibition is associated with fewer bleeding events than apixaban. The results from observational studies on FXII are more conflicting. Some show that low FXII concentrations confer protection against thrombosis, while others have found it to be deleterious. Results from experimental studies are inconclusive, but suggest that FXII inhibition might be useful in preventing thrombosis caused by foreign objects like catheters or mechanical heart valves. One Phase 2 study not conducted on thrombosis has reported FXII inhibition as safe. In conclusion, FXI seems to be a promising target for antithrombotic therapy, both alone and in combination with existing therapies, while the potential of targeting FXII is still unclear.

Thrombin generation capacity is enhanced by low antithrombin activity and depends on the activity of the related coagulation factors.

BACKGROUND: Supplementation with antithrombin (AT) concentrates is now common in the treatment of congenital and acquired AT deficiency. However, there is no established consensus on the target and timing of supplementation. We aimed to elucidate the effects of AT deficiency on the balance between coagulation activation and inhibition using a thrombin generation assay as in vitro global assay. METHODS: Samples were prepared by admixing commercially acquired AT-deficient plasma with < 1% AT activity with pooled normal plasma. The AT activity in each sample was adjusted to 100, 90, 70, 50, 40, 30, 10, 5, and < 1%. A thrombin generation assay was performed in each sample. AT concentrate-spiked samples were also prepared by adjusting the AT activities in four types of the concentrates: one recombinant and three plasma-derived AT concentrates. The final targeted AT activities in the samples were adjusted to 100, 50, 30, and 5% by spiking each concentrate into the AT-deficient plasma. We also prepared samples with five levels of prothrombin time (PT) % in coagulation factors with the AT activity fixed at 30% by dilution by mixing AT-deficient plasma and normal plasma with Owren's veronal buffer to adjust the coagulation factor activities in several proportions. The theoretical target PT% values were 100, 66, 50, 40, and 30%. A thrombin generation assay was performed on all samples. RESULTS: The ability to generate thrombin depended on the AT activity, and the amount of thrombin generation was increased as AT was decreased. Additionally, the amount of thrombin generation was changed significantly when AT activity was ≤ 50%, indicating that AT suppressed thrombin generation. In particular, thrombin generation was remarkable when AT activity was < 30%, and it can be assumed that the prognosis is poor due to organ failure from thrombotic tendency. CONCLUSIONS: The results presented in this basic research were found to be consistent with the clinical findings to date. The mechanism by which 30-50% of AT activity is set as the clinical boundary was elucidated by the thrombin generation assay.

Platelet Phenotype Analysis of COVID-19 Patients Reveals Progressive Changes in the Activation of Integrin αIIbß3, F13A1, the SARS-CoV-2 Target EIF4A1 and Annexin A5.

Background: The fatal consequences of an infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 are not only caused by severe pneumonia, but also by thrombosis. Platelets are important regulators of thrombosis, but their involvement in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to determine their functional and biochemical profile in patients with COVID-19 in dependence of mortality within 5-days after hospitalization. Methods: The COVID-19-related platelet phenotype was examined by analyzing their basal activation state via integrin αIIbß3 activation using flow cytometry and the proteome by unbiased two-dimensional differential in-gel fluorescence electrophoresis. In total we monitored 98 surviving and 12 non-surviving COVID-19 patients over 5 days of hospital stay and compared them to healthy controls (n = 12). Results: Over the observation period the level of basal αIIbß3 activation on platelets from non-surviving COVID-19 patients decreased compared to survivors. In line with this finding, proteomic analysis revealed a decrease in the total amount of integrin αIIb (ITGA2B), a subunit of αIIbß3, in COVID-19 patients compared to healthy controls; the decline was even more pronounced for the non-survivors. Consumption of the fibrin-stabilizing factor coagulation factor XIIIA (F13A1) was higher in platelets from COVID-19 patients and tended to be higher in non-survivors; plasma concentrations of the latter also differed significantly. Depending on COVID-19 disease status and mortality, increased amounts of annexin A5 (ANXA5), eukaryotic initiation factor 4A-I (EIF4A1), and transaldolase (TALDO1) were found in the platelet proteome and also correlated with the nasopharyngeal viral load. Dysregulation of these proteins may play a role for virus replication. ANXA5 has also been identified as an autoantigen of the antiphospholipid syndrome, which is common in COVID-19 patients. Finally, the levels of two different protein disulfide isomerases, P4HB and PDIA6, which support thrombosis, were increased in the platelets of COVID-19 patients. Conclusion: Platelets from COVID-19 patients showed significant changes in the activation phenotype, in the processing of the final coagulation factor F13A1 and the phospholipid-binding protein ANXA5 compared to healthy subjects. Additionally, these results demonstrate specific alterations in platelets during COVID-19, which are significantly linked to fatal outcome.

Coagulation factor inhibitors in COVID-19: From SARS-CoV-2 vaccination to infection.

Background: Recent reports have highlighted patients with COVID-19 and vaccine recipients diagnosed with coagulation factor inhibitors. This is challenging. as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has been identified as a prothrombotic risk factor, with heparin treatment decreasing mortality. However, both infection and vaccination have been associated with immune-mediated hematologic abnormalities, including thrombocytopenia, further rendering these groups at risk for both hemorrhagic and thrombotic events. Objectives: We sought to characterize the incidence and clinical findings of coagulation factor inhibitors in patients with COVID-19 and vaccine recipients. Methods: We queried the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), a publicly accessible database, for reports of potential bleeding episodes or coagulation disturbances associated with SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. We performed an additional comprehensive literature review to identify reports of SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination-associated coagulation factor inhibitors. Results: VAERS data showed 58 cases of coagulation factor inhibitors, suggesting a rate of 1.2 cases per 10 million doses. A total of 775 articles were screened and 15 were suitable for inclusion, with six reports of inhibitors after vaccination and nine reports of inhibitors after infection. Inhibitor specificity for factor VIII was most common. Among reported cases, two patients expired due to hemorrhage, one following infection and one following vaccination. Conclusion: The incidence of coagulation factor inhibitors in patients with SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and infection appears similar to the general population. Nonetheless, given the importance of heparin therapy in treating hospital patients, recognition of inhibitors is important.

Age-dependent possible role of contact-activated blood coagulation factor XII as a potential contributor to the "bradykinin storm" in COVID-19 patients / A felületaktivált XII-es véralvadási faktor életkortól függo lehetséges szerepe a "bradikininvihar" kialakításában COVID-19-betegekben.

Összefoglaló. Bevezetés: Egy új, számítógép által segített betegminta-asszociációs analízis eredménye szerint a COVID-19 tüneteinek kialakításában kiemelt tényezoként jelenik meg a bradikinin. Eszerint a bradikinin lebontása lelassul az angiotenzinkonvertáló enzim aktivitásának csökkenése miatt, ami jelentosen megemelkedo bradikininszinthez vezet a tüdoben. Nem merült fel azonban a véralvadási faktorok lehetséges szerepe a "bradikininviharban", annak ellenére, hogy az idosebb cardiovascularis betegekben aktiválódó XII-es faktor és a C1-észteráz-inhibitor (C1INH) alacsony szintje nagy mennyiségu bradikinin képzodéséhez vezethet. Módszer: Átfogó irodalmi áttekintés. Eredmények: 1) A vírus által fertozött, sérült endotheliumsejtek felülete az a hely, amellyel érintkezve elindulhat a XII-es véralvadási faktor aktivációja - ez serkenti a prekallikrein/kallikrein/kinin rendszert, és bradikininképzodést okoz. Ez a folyamat megtörténik a súlyos vese- és tüdokárosodást okozó hantavírus-fertozésekben. 2) Idos betegekben az atherosclerosis miatt többszörösen sérült, merev, "stiff" erek endotheliumfelszínein jóval magasabb lehet a XII-es faktor kontakt úton történo aktivációja, mint a fiatal egyének ereiben. Ez a tény egyik oka lehet az idos, cardiovascularis betegek körében tapasztalt magasabb halálozásnak. Következtetés: Az aktivált XII-es véralvadási faktor célzott gátlása újabb gyógyítási lehetoség lehet a SARS-CoV-2-fertozött idos betegekben. Jelenleg már hatásosnak bizonyult a bradikininképzést gátló C1INH-nak, továbbá a bradikininreceptor-gátlóknak az adása is. Orv Hetil. 2020; 161(50): 2099-2103. INTRODUCTION: Bradykinin was implicated in a new complex model of pathomechanism leading to the symptoms of COVID-19 created by a computer-assisted association analysis. According to this model, the decrease in angiotensin-converting enzyme expression leads to impaired bradykinin elimination and subsequent enrichment in the lungs. However, there is no mentioning of the importance of blood coagulation factor XII in increased bradykinin production, in spite of its age-dependent activation and the lower level of C1-esterase inhibitor (C1INH). Activated factor XII may be an important contributor to the "bradykinin storm" in elder cardiovascular patients. METHOD: Literature review. RESULTS: 1) Activation of the coagulation factor XII on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 infected endothelial cells may trigger the prekallikrein/kallikrein/kinin system producing bradykinin. Such process is taking place in hantavirus infections causing severe lung and kidney damages. 2) The endothelial system is dysregulated in elderly patients, resulting in potentially higher factor XII activities on the surface of damaged endothelial cells in the stiffened arteries. This can contribute to the higher mortality rates in the elderly. CONCLUSION: The targeted inhibition of activated blood coagulation factor XII may represent a new therapeutic target for COVID-19, especially for elder patients. Recently, beneficial results have already been observed by the clinical applications of recombinant C1INH and bradykinin receptor antagonists. Orv Hetil. 2020; 161(50): 2099-2103.

Adenovirus-Extracellular Protein Interactions and Their Impact on Innate Immune Responses by Human Mononuclear Phagocytes.

The aim of this review is to highlight how, in a syngeneic system, human mononuclear phagocytes respond to environments containing human adenovirus (HAdV) and soluble extracellular proteins that influence their innate immune response. Soluble extracellular proteins, including immunoglobulins, blood clotting factors, proteins of the complement system, and/or antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) can exert direct effects by binding to a virus capsid that modifies interactions with pattern recognition receptors and downstream signaling. In addition, the presence, generation, or secretion of extracellular proteins can indirectly influence the response to HAdVs via the activation and recruitment of cells at the site of infection.