Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio as a Predictor of the Risk of Death in Severe Cases of COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Identifying clinical characteristics and risk factors, comorbid conditions, and complications arising from SARS-CoV-2 infection is important to predict the progression to more severe forms of the disease among hospitalized individuals to enable timely intervention and to prevent fatal outcomes. The aim of the study is to assess the possible role of the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as a biomarker of the risk of death in patients with comorbidities hospitalized with COVID-19 in a tertiary hospital in southern Brazil. METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study on patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted to a hospital in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre from September 2020 to March 2022. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 185 patients with associated comorbidities, namely, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, cardiovascular, pulmonary, and renal diseases, hospitalized with COVID-19. Of these, 78 died and 107 were discharged alive. The mean age was 66.5 years for the group that died and 60.1 years for the group discharged. Statistical analysis revealed that a difference greater than or equal to 1.55 in the NLR, from hospitalization to the 5th day, was associated with a relative risk of death greater than 2. CONCLUSIONS: Measuring a simple inflammatory marker such as NLR may improve the risk stratification of comorbid patients with COVID-19 and can be considered a useful biomarker.

Complex interaction of deferasirox and Pythium insidiosum: iron-dependent attenuation of growth in vitro and immunotherapy-like enhancement of immune responses in vivo.

Pythium insidiosum iron acquisition mechanisms are unknown. We previously showed that the iron chelator deferasirox had weak activity in vitro and in rabbits with experimental pythiosis. Here we show that deferasirox causes damage to P. insidiosum hyphae in vitro, but that activity is diminished in the presence of exogenous iron. The tissue activity of the proinflammatory enzyme adenosine deaminase and the histological pattern observed in pythiosis lesions of rabbits treated with deferasirox were similar to the ones in animals treated with immunotherapy.

Syzygium cumini is more effective in preventing the increase of erythrocytic ADA activity than phenolic compounds under hyperglycemic conditions in vitro

Syzygium cumini (S. cumini) is a plant known for its antidiabetic properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Sc aqueous leaf extract (ASc) on adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity in erythrocytes (RBCs) exposed to high glucose concentrations (30 mM) in vitro. We also investigated the effects of the main phenolic compounds found in ASc (gallic acid, rutin, and chlorogenic acid) and the effects of insulin, caffeine, and dipyridamole, which are substances involved in the adenosine metabolism, on ADA activity in vitro. Blood samples were obtained from healthy volunteers and a suspension of RBCs was used for the determination of ADA activity. The results showed that: (1) the effect of ASc on ADA activity was more significant than the combination of phenolic compounds; (2) insulin, caffeine, or dipyridamole prevented high glucose increase of ADA activity at doses as low as 50 μU/mL, 25 μM, and 1 μM, respectively; (3) the inhibitory effect caused by ASc on erythrocyte ADA activity remained practically the same after the combination of the extract with insulin or caffeine; (4) when RBCs were exposed to ASc plus dipyridamole, this chemical attenuated the effect of ASc on ADA activity, suggesting an antagonism or a competition with ASc by the same site of action. Therefore, ASc was more effective in preventing the increase in ADA activity than phenolic compounds, suggesting that ASc may collaborate to improve endothelial dysfunction, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antithrombotic properties of adenosine by affecting its metabolism. The results of this study help to provide evidence of the empirically supported benefits of the use of S. cumini in diabetes

Syzygium cumini is more effective in preventing the increase of erythrocytic ADA activity than phenolic compounds under hyperglycemic conditions in vitro.

Syzygium cumini (S. cumini) is a plant known for its antidiabetic properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Sc aqueous leaf extract (ASc) on adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity in erythrocytes (RBCs) exposed to high glucose concentrations (30 mM) in vitro. We also investigated the effects of the main phenolic compounds found in ASc (gallic acid, rutin, and chlorogenic acid) and the effects of insulin, caffeine, and dipyridamole, which are substances involved in the adenosine metabolism, on ADA activity in vitro. Blood samples were obtained from healthy volunteers and a suspension of RBCs was used for the determination of ADA activity. The results showed that: (1) the effect of ASc on ADA activity was more significant than the combination of phenolic compounds; (2) insulin, caffeine, or dipyridamole prevented high glucose increase of ADA activity at doses as low as 50 µU/mL, 25 µM, and 1 µM, respectively; (3) the inhibitory effect caused by ASc on erythrocyte ADA activity remained practically the same after the combination of the extract with insulin or caffeine; (4) when RBCs were exposed to ASc plus dipyridamole, this chemical attenuated the effect of ASc on ADA activity, suggesting an antagonism or a competition with ASc by the same site of action. Therefore, ASc was more effective in preventing the increase in ADA activity than phenolic compounds, suggesting that ASc may collaborate to improve endothelial dysfunction, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antithrombotic properties of adenosine by affecting its metabolism. The results of this study help to provide evidence of the empirically supported benefits of the use of S. cumini in diabetes.

Butyrylcholinesterase and γ-glutamyltransferase activities and oxidative stress markers are altered in metabolic syndrome, but are not affected by body mass index.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) leads to changes in enzymatic activities, oxidative and inflammatory parameters. Adenosine deaminase (ADA), dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV), butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) and γ-glutamyltransferase (γ-GT) activities, C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and nitric oxide levels (NOx), as well as oxidative stress markers were analyzed in 39 subjects with MetS and 48 controls. Also, the influence of body mass index (BMI) and anthropometric measurements were evaluated. Disturbances in antioxidant defenses and higher γ-GT and BuChE activities, NOx and hsCRP levels were observed in subjects with MetS. These findings remained associated with MetS after adjustment for BMI, except for hsCRP. ADA was correlated with age, insulin levels and HOMA-IR index in MetS. DPP-IV and total cholesterol (TC), BuChE activity and TC, and VIT C and hsCRP levels also were correlated. The analyzed parameters may reflect the inflammatory state of the MetS, and could contribute to prevention and control of various aspects of this syndrome.

Lymphocytic enzymes and lipid peroxidation in patients with metabolic syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is considered a state of chronic inflammation. This study aimed to ascertain selected parameters of purinergic and cholinergic systems related to glucose metabolism and inflammation, as well as (γ)-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and N-acetyl-b-glucosaminidase (NAG) activities and lipoperoxidation in lymphocytes of patients with MetS. DESIGN AND METHODS: The adenosine deaminase (ADA), dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), GGT and NAG activities, as well as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels were investigated in lymphocytes of patients with MetS (n=38) and healthy volunteers (n=41). We also evaluated the insulin levels, anthropometric measurements and routine biochemical analyses. RESULTS: ADA (p<0.05), DPP-IV and AChE (p<0.0001) activities were higher in patients with MetS when compared to the control group. Furthermore, we observed correlations between ADA and DPP-IV activities (p=0.0002; r=0.5945), TBARS levels and ADA (p=0.0021; r=0.5172) and DPP-IV activities (p=0.0022; r=0.5010). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings showed that MetS might cause tissue distress that disturbed lymphocytic ADA, DPP-IV and AChE activities in response to inflammatory stimuli. These alterations evidence clinical abnormalities, since these enzymatic systems are able to regulate several aspects of adipose tissue function and inflammatory state of MetS and could be used successfully both for preventing and for halting the progression of MetS.

Tuning surface basic properties of nanocrystalline MgO by controlling the preparation conditions.

Different nanocrystalline magnesias were synthesized by precipitation and hydrothermal treatments of aqueous salt solutions in an attempt to tune their surface basicity. CO(2) was chosen as an acidic molecule to probe the basic sites by both temperature-programmed desorption and infrared spectroscopy. All samples were shown to be crystalline, and except that obtained by nitrate decomposition, they all possessed high surface areas. The oxides presented different basic site distributions, evidencing the significant role of the preparation conditions on tuning the surface basicity: while medium-strength basic centers are dominant in the samples prepared by precipitation aging or hydrothermal treatment, the one obtained by precipitation features a roughly equal concentration of medium-strength and strong centers. Infrared spectra revealed that hydrogen carbonate and monodentate and bidentate carbonates were formed in distinct proportion on all oxides. However, the bidentate complexes were shown to have different thermal stabilities; the more stable species are thought to be formed on acid-base pair centers associated with an anionic vacancy. Distinct morphological and structural characteristics were also observed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. It was consistently found that the high-surface area samples are formed by aggregates of nanoparticles (2-5 nm) randomly oriented and with a high concentration of structural defects. These findings allowed us to conclude that the surface heterogeneity promoted during synthesis increases the concentration of basic sites and plays an important role in tuning the basicity of the solids.