The Evaluation of Dietary Antioxidant Capacity, Dietary Inflammatory Index and Serum Biomarkers in Breast Cancer: A Prospective Study.

Dietary antioxidant capacity (dTAC) and dietary inflammatory index (DII) are commonly used to assess nutrition. This prospective study examined dTAC, DII, and serum biomarkers in women with breast cancer (BC). Patients were followed-up before surgery (T1), before chemotherapy (T2), at 6th (T3) and 12th months of chemotherapy (T4). Serum tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1ß, interleukin 6, protein carbonyl, malondialdehyde, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and total oxidant status levels were analyzed. Dietary antioxidant intake, dTAC, and DII were determined using a three-day dietary record. dTAC was calculated using vitamin C equivalent (VCE), oxygen radical absorption capacity (ORAC), trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), total radical-trapping antioxidant parameter (TRAP), and ferrous ion reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP). This study included 32 women with BC and 32 controls (CG). ORAC, TEAC, TRAP, and FRAP were significantly lower in BC than in CG. During follow-up, only ORAC increased significantly at T2 compared to T1. A weak positive correlation was found between dTAC (VCE) and serum TAC levels at T2 (rho = 0.371, p = 0.036). The relationship between diet and serum biomarkers was not significant. Multicenter prospective studies on different age groups are needed to understand the association between diet and serum biomarkers levels in patients with BC.

Reduced Monocyte Subsets, Their HLA-DR Expressions, and Relations to Acute Phase Reactants in Severe COVID-19 Cases.

Monocytes are one of the principal immune defense cells that encounter infectious agents. However, an essential role of monocytes has been shown in the spread of viruses throughout the human body. Considering this dilemma, this study aimed to evaluate monocyte subsets and Human Leukocyte Antigen-DR isotype (HLA-DR) expressions in clinical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases. This prospective, multicenter, case-control study was conducted with COVID-19 patients and healthy controls. The patient group was divided into two subgroups according to disease severity (severe and non-severe). Three monocyte subsets (classical, CL; intermediate, INT; non-classical, NC) were analyzed with flow cytometry upon the patients' hospital admission. A total of 42 patients with COVID-19 and 30 controls participated in this study. The patients' conditions were either severe (n = 23) or non-severe (n = 19). All patients' monocyte and HLA-DR expressions were decreased compared with the controls (p < 0.05). Per disease severity, all monocyte subsets were not significant with disease severity; however, the HLA-DR expressions of CL monocytes (p = 0.002) and INT monocytes (p = 0.025) were more decreased in the severe patient group. In patients with various clinical features, NC monocytes were more affected. Based on these results, NC monocytes were more decreased in acute COVID-19 cases, though related various clinics decreased all monocyte subsets in these patients. Decreased monocyte HLA expressions may be a sign of immune suppression in severe patients, even when the percentage of monocyte levels has not decreased yet.

Efficacy of convalescent plasma therapy in severe COVID-19 patients.

INTRODUCTION: The use of convalescent plasma (CP) transfusions is very valuable in the current COVID-19 outbreak, given that there are no specific preventive and therapeutic options. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 50 patients with severe COVID-19 disease treated with convalescent plasma transfusion were included in the study. The efficacy of CP and in which situations it was effective were investigated. CONCLUSION: 80 % of the patients recovered, and 20 % died in our study. The mean age of the patients who died was found to be higher than the patients who recovered. CRP, ferritin, D-dimer, neutrophil, MPV, and NLR counts were found to be higher, and lymphocyte and platelet counts were lower in the deceased group after CP. It was determined that patients who received CP within the first five days were hospitalized for a shorter period. DISCUSSION: Administration of CP transfusion within the first five days in severe COVID-19 patients has been shown to reduce hospital stay length.

Apoptosis-induced T-cell lymphopenia is related to COVID-19 severity.

Increased levels of acute-phase reactants and lymphopenia are predictors of disease severity in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aimed to investigate the role of apoptosis in the etiology of lymphopenia in patients with COVID-19. This multicentered, prospective, and case-control study was conducted with polymerase chain reaction (+) severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) patients, and an age-gender-matched control group. Samples were taken at the time of diagnosis and analyzed via flow cytometry within 24 h. The participants' demographic data and initial laboratory tests were also recorded. In total, 33 patients with COVID-19 (mean age = 45.4 ± 17.2) and 25 controls (mean age = 43.4 ± 17.4) participated in the study. All patients were identified as having mild (16), moderate (5), or severe (12) disease severity. Both early and late apoptotic cells in B and T lymphocytes were increased in all patients with COVID-19 (p < .05). Early apoptotic (EA) B and T lymphocytes were also higher in severe cases compared to mild cases (p = .026). There was no significant difference between lymphopenia and apoptosis in patients with COVID-19. However, patients with lymphopenia (n = 14) and severe COVID-19 (p = .013) had increased EA T lymphocytes. This study's results show that B and T lymphocytes' apoptosis increases in patients with COVID-19. In addition, enhanced T lymphocyte apoptosis is associated with disease severity in lymphopenic patients with COVID-19.