Clinical and diagnostic value of the combination of lymphocyte count and creatine kinase in the detection of coronavirus 2019.

The present study aimed to investigate the diagnostic efficiency of the absolute number of lymphocytes (LYM) and creatine kinase (CK) levels in the diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). For this, the clinical data from 84 patients with COVID-19 admitted to Tianjin Haihe Hospital (Tianjin, China) between January and February 2020 were collected. The patients were divided into the following groups: The common COVID-19 group (n=61) and severe COVID-19 group (n=23). In addition, 30 healthy subjects were included as a control group. The results demonstrated that the percentage of neutrophils (NEU%) was significantly increased, while the absolute number of white blood cells, LYM and the percentage of lymphocytes (LYM%) were significantly decreased in patients with COVID-19. Furthermore, in the severe group, the absolute number of red blood cells in female patients, the NEU%, the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the serum levels of interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP) were markedly elevated, while those of LYM and LYM% were significantly decreased (all P<0.05). In addition, in the receiver operating characteristics curve analysis for the combination of LYM + CK, the area under the curve values were 0.96 and 1.00, with a sensitivity of 95.08 and 100%, specificity of 86.67 and 100% and cut-off values of 0.42 and 0.50 for the common and severe COVID-19 group, respectively. The results indicated that the diagnostic efficiency of LYM + CK was higher than that of each single factor. Finally, a moderate correlation of lactate dehydrogenase with CRP and NLR (r=0.492 and 0.433, respectively; both P<0.05) was obtained. Overall, the results of the present study indicated that the values of LYM and CK were associated with the progression of COVID-19, suggesting that the combination of both factors may be of clinical diagnostic value for COVID-19.

A Chiral Metal-Organic 1D-Coordination Polymer Upon Complexation of Phenylene-Bridged Bipyrrole and Palladium (II) Ion.

Metal-organic 1D-coordination polymers, having unique electronic and optical properties, are expected to be a novel advanced functional material capable of fabricating smart plastics, films, and fibers. In this study, we have synthesized a novel metal-organic 1D-coordination polymer composed of a phenylene-bridged bipyrrole bearing N-alkylimino groups (BPI) and palladium(II) ion. The BPI and Pd(II) form square planar bis(bidentate) complex to form a metal coordinated π-conjugation polymer (Poly-BPI/Pd). It is stable in solutions at room temperature, and allowed measurement of its average molecular weight in SEC (M w = 106,000 and M n = 18,000, M w/M n = 5.88). It also provided a reversible multi redox profile in cyclic voltammetry, most likely originating from strong π-electronic interactions between the BPI components via Pd ion. A variety of substituent groups can be attached to the imino-nitrogens of BPI. A coordination polymer composed of a BPI derivative bearing chiral alkyl chains and Pd(II) showed strong circular dichroism (CD) in the solution due to the unidirectional chiral conformation of the BPI components in the polymer backbone.

Preliminary Analysis of B- and T-Cell Responses to SARS-CoV-2.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Without a specific antiviral treatment or vaccine, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic, affecting over 200 countries worldwide. A better understanding of B- and T-cell immunity is critical to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: A cohort of 129 patients with COVID-19 and 20 suspected cases were enrolled in this study, and a lateral flow immunochromatographic assay (LFIA) and a magnetic chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay (MCLIA) were evaluated for SARS-CoV-2 IgM/IgG detection. Additionally, 127 patients with COVID-19 were selected for the detection of IgM and IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 to evaluate B-cell immunity, and peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets were quantified in 95 patients with COVID-19 to evaluate T-cell immunity. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of LFIA-IgM/IgG and MCLIA-IgM/IgG assays for detecting SARS-CoV infection were > 90%, comparable with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction detection. IgM antibody levels peaked on day 13 and began to fall on day 21, while IgG antibody levels peaked on day 17 and were maintained until tracking ended. Lymphocyte and subset enumeration suggested that lymphocytopenia occurred in patients with COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: LFIA-IgM/IgG and MCLIA-IgM/IgG assays can indicate SARS-CoV-2 infection, which elicits an antibody response. Lymphocytopenia occurs in patients with COVID-19, which possibly weakens the T-cell response.

Hydroxychalcone dyes that serve as color indicators for pH and fluoride ions.

A chalcone, which is composed of two aromatic rings bridged by an α,ß-unsaturated carbonyl group, exhibits a variety of biological activities. With an objective to develop a novel chalcone-based functional dye, we have synthesized a chalcone diol CLN1, bearing two OH groups at the 2-positions on both phenyl rings, as well as reference compounds CLN2-6, and found that it serves as color indicators for pH and fluoride ions. CLN1 showed a vivid color change from colorless to yellow (halochromism) in water at pH ≥ 10. Furthermore, it presented a selective color change from colorless to red upon the addition of TBAF in an organic solvent such as CH3CN. CLN1 provided a strong red-shifted absorption band in the visible region under alkaline conditions in water and upon the addition of TBAF in CH3CN. The absorption spectral study together with TD-DFT calculations and X-ray crystallographic analysis revealed that the characteristic π-resonant structures of CLN1 caused by the ionization or OH-F- interactions and the planar conformation due to its intramolecular hydrogen bonding may provide a strong charge transfer (CT) absorption in the visible region.

An Acid-Responsive Single Trichromatic Luminescent Dye That Provides Pure White-Light Emission.

A novel acid-responsive single trichromatic luminescent dye capable of emitting pure white light (WL) is reported. A newly designed p-phenylene-bridged bipyrrole bearing N-alkylimino groups (1 a) specifically provides WL emission upon mixing with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in a CH2Cl2 solution. The emission originates from the trichromatic luminescent behavior of 1 a upon protonation of the imino groups. The blue-light-emitting 1 a exhibits dramatic color changes in fluorescence to orange and green upon mono- and diprotonation, respectively, providing a wide emission band in the range of λ=400-800 nm that provide WL when the compound is in a dynamic equilibrium between the three states. The sample also exhibits low self-absorption of the emitted light and a high fluorescence quantum yield upon excitation with UV light.

Analysis of serum metabolic profile by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for biomarkers discovery: application in a pilot study to discriminate patients with tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic wasting inflammatory disease characterized by multisystem involvement, which can cause metabolic derangements in afflicted patients. Metabolic signatures have been exploited in the study of several diseases. However, the serum that is successfully used in TB diagnosis on the basis of metabolic profiling is not by much. METHODS: Orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis was capable of distinguishing TB patients from both healthy subjects and patients with conditions other than TB. Therefore, TB-specific metabolic profiling was established. Clusters of potential biomarkers for differentiating TB active from non-TB diseases were identified using Mann-Whitney U-test. Multiple logistic regression analysis of metabolites was calculated to determine the suitable biomarker group that allows the efficient differentiation of patients with TB active from the control subjects. RESULTS: From among 271 participants, 12 metabolites were found to contribute to the distinction between the TB active group and the control groups. These metabolites were mainly involved in the metabolic pathways of the following three biomolecules: Fatty acids, amino acids, and lipids. The receiver operating characteristic curves of 3D, 7D, and 11D-phytanic acid, behenic acid, and threoninyl-γ-glutamate exhibited excellent efficiency with area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.904 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0863-0.944), 0.93 (95% CI: 0.893-0.966), and 0.964 (95% CI: 00.941-0.988), respectively. The largest and smallest resulting AUCs were 0.964 and 0.720, indicating that these biomarkers may be involved in the disease mechanisms. The combination of lysophosphatidylcholine (18:0), behenic acid, threoninyl-γ-glutamate, and presqualene diphosphate was used to represent the most suitable biomarker group for the differentiation of patients with TB active from the control subjects, with an AUC value of 0.991. CONCLUSION: The metabolic analysis results identified new serum biomarkers that can distinguish TB from non-TB diseases. The metabolomics-based analysis provides specific insights into the biology of TB and may offer new avenues for TB diagnosis.