Correlation of pre-existing comorbidities with disease severity in individuals infected with SARS-COV-2 virus.

Shortly after the first publication on the new disease called Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19), studies on the causal consequences of this disease began to emerge, initially focusing only on transmission methods, and later on its consequences analyzed in terms of gender, age, and the presence of comorbidities. The aim of our research is to determine which comorbidities have the greatest negative impact on the worsening of the disease, namely which comorbidities indicate a predisposition to severe Covid-19, and to understand the gender and age representation of participants and comorbidities. The results of our study show that the dominant gender is male at 54.4% and the age of 65 and older. The most common comorbidities are arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular diseases. The dominant group is recovered participants aged 65 and older, with comorbidities most frequently present in this group. The highest correlation between patients with different severity of the disease was found with cardiovascular diseases, while the coefficient is slightly lower for the relationship between patients with different disease severity and urinary system diseases and hypertension. According to the regression analysis results, we showed that urinary system diseases have the greatest negative impact on the worsening of Covid-19, with the tested coefficient b being statistically significant as it is 0.030 < 0.05. An increase in cardiovascular diseases affects the worsening of Covid-19, with the tested coefficient b being statistically significant as it is 0.030 < 0.05. When it comes to arterial hypertension, it has a small impact on the worsening of Covid-19, but its tested coefficient b is not statistically significant as it is 0.169 > 0.05. The same applies to diabetes mellitus, which also has a small impact on the worsening of Covid-19, but its tested coefficient b is not statistically significant as it is 0.336 > 0.05. Our study has shown that comorbidities such as urinary system diseases and cardiovascular diseases tend to have a negative impact on Covid-19, leading to a poor outcome resulting in death, while diabetes mellitus and hypertension have an impact but without statistical significance.

Biochemical and Hematological Profile of Covid-19 Patients on Mechanical Ventilation.

Beakground: The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in COVID-19 patients, such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which are the most common comorbid conditions in COVID-19 patients, is considered a risk factor for premature mortality in the population. The aim of the study is to compare the standard biochemical and hematological markers of COVID-19 patients on mechanical ventilation and those who have recovered, and to identify differences by gender and comorbidities, as well as the dominant marker in comorbidities that frequently shows statistical significance, in order to investigate its prognostic value in further research. METHODS: The study is a retrospective study of patients with RT-PCR confirmed presence of the Sars-CoV-2 virus who were hospitalized at the Zenica Cantonal Hospital. The study lasted from February to April 2021. RESULTS: The results of the study, which included a sample of 302 participants, indicate that men were more represented in both the mechanical ventilation group and the recovered group, with 59.6% compared to women with 40.4%. Among the investigated biochemical and hematological parameters, there was a significantly higher number of leukocytes, urea, creatinine, LDH, and troponin in patients on mechanical ventilation, while the number of platelets was significantly higher in recovered patients. The most common comorbidity was hypertension in both groups of patients, with 24.5%. In patients on mechanical ventilation with cardiovascular disease, there was a significantly higher number of leukocytes, urea, creatinine, LDH, and troponin. In the same patients with three comorbidities, there was a significantly higher number of leukocytes, troponin, and LDH, while recovered patients without comorbidities had a significantly higher number of platelets. CONCLUSIONS: The male gender and comorbidities remain a vicious circle in COVID-19 infection, while biochemical and hematological markers can help in forecasting and improve the clinical treatment of these high-risk patients.

Correlation Between Inflammatory and Biochemical Parameters in Patients with Diabetes and Urinary Tract Infection.

BACKGROUND: Hyperglycemia, polyuria, and glycosuria are all risk factors for the frequency of urinary tract infections in patients with diabetes. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to establish correlation between inflammatory and biochemical parameters in patients with diabetes and urinary tract infection. METHODS: Total number 116 patients were monitored, at the ages between 18-95 years, with diabetes and urinary tract infection, of which 59.49% women and 40.51% men. Patients were with a duration of diabetes from 0 to over 20 years, with an average fasting glycemia of 9.54 mmol/l, and postprandial glycemia 13.94 mmol/l, HbA1C 9.92%, which have been poorly regulated in the last 3-4 months. Inflammatory parameters SE, CRP, leukocytes were correlated with inflammatory parameters of urine sediment and positive urine cultures. RESULTS: Average values of urea, creatinine, and proteinuria were positively correlated with the duration of diabetes. Escherichia coli, Enterococcus feecalis, and Candida albicans were the most common pathogens isolated in urine culture, 51 patients had reinfection once, 39 patients had two reinfections, and 26 patients had three reinfections during the 6-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: Duration of diabetes, long-term poor glycoregulation lead to microangiopathic changes in the kidneys in the form of diabetic nephropathy with retention of nitrogenous substances of urea, creatinine with proteinuria, and acute hyperglycemia, polyuria and glycosuria, further leading to frequent urinary tract infections.

Peritoneal Transport Characteristics at the Beginning and in Long Term Peritoneal Dialysis: a Single Center Experience.

INTRODUCTION: Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is an established treatment for patients with end-srage kidney disease. The method was developed as an alternative to hemodialysis (HD) presenting a patient survival rate equivalent to HD and better preservation of residual renal function. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients have different peritoneal membrane permeability (transport) characteristics. High peritoneal membrane permeability is associated with increased mortality risk in the patient population. AIM: The aim of this study was to analyze the importance of the peritoneal membrane transport status in patients treated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). METHODS: The study included 60 adult continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients, 29 male and 31 female, mean age 56.63±15.06 years. All patients treated with conventional glucose- based PD fluids. For the short term (within 3 month after start of PD) and long term (more than 12 months) peritoneal dialysis analysis of peritoneal transport characteristics has been used peritoneal functional test (PFT). With the test, categorisation of patients was possible into high (H), high-average (HA), low average (LA), and low (L) transporters. RESULTS: Dialysate-to plasma ratio (D/P) of creatinine showed significantly increased over time (0.654±0.141 vs... 0.705±0.13, p<0.001). In multivariate analysis age, gender, time on dialysis, comorbid diseases, diabetes mellitus (DM), serum albumin, were considered as independent factors influencing the PFT. The high transporter group had higher D/Pcreat (H 0.84±0.03 vs... LA 0.57±0.05, p<0.001), higher proportion of man (H 100% vs... LA 39.5%, p<0.05), higher proportion of patients with comorbid diseases (H 60% vs... LA 20.9%, p<0.05), lower serum albumin concentration (H 29±6.0 vs... LA 37±5.2, p<0.001), lower D4/D0 glucose ( H 0.23±0.07 vs... LA 0.42±0.14, p<0.001), and lower drained volume (H 600±173 vs... LA 1016±355, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The PFT was en easy, inexpensive, reliable test to assess peritoneal transport type and it also provided information about peritoneal clearance of solutes and ultrafiltration. Peritoneal transport type classification was recognized not only as aid for prescription, but also as a prognostic index.

Relations between some exogenous factors and anthropometric factors of growth and development of male children and youngsters in the Tuzla region, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Dynamics of growth of male children and youths from the Region of Tuzla influenced by some exogenous factors was researched by a corresponding analysis of the sample which included 751 tested individuals, aged from 11 to 17 years. The analysis performed is primarily based on the scientific elaboration of the registered state in two time-points (1996 and 1999) in the tested part of broader population. This research involved the period of four-year aggression on Bosnia and Herzegovina, taking into consideration the fact that the tested persons spent one period of their growth and development in extremely bad wartime living conditions. By quasicanonic correlative analysis it was established that the next factors participated in connection of variables of both sets (initial and final measurements): mother's standard, total mother's and father's standard of living, mother's age and sequence of births participated to some less extent in connection of both sets of variables. Anthropometric variables that had most significant impact of both sets of variables are: length parameters, body mass, width parameters, circumferences had somewhat less impact, while indexes of head and sitting height had the least impact on this connection.