Comparative analysis of the nutritional, biochemical and hematological parameters of pregnant women attending the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.

Background: Despite the efforts to encourage the intake of nutritional supplements during antenatal periods, there are still many cases of anemia and protein-energy malnutrition during pregnancy. Hence, this study determined the incidence of anemia, protein-energy malnutrition, and associated risk factors among pregnant women in Abuja, Nigeria. Materials and methods: This hospital-based, case-control study involved randomly selected 176 pregnant and non-pregnant women attending the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Gwagwalada, Nigeria. Hemoglobin and hematocrit measurements were used to determine anemia incidence, while plasma protein, zinc levels and body mass index (BMI) were used to determine energy index status. Complete blood counts were analyzed using 5 parts-automatic hemo-analyzer, while plasma protein and zinc were analyzed using calorimetric method. Anemia and protein-energy malnutrition were defined using the World Health Organization (WHO) cut-off values. Results: The mean age of participants was 28.75 ± 5.22 years. Out of 176 participants, 7 (4%) were malnourished while 25% of the participants were anemic. Anemia was significantly associated with participants' occupation (p = 0.002), parity (p<0.001) and gestational age (p<0.001). Most hematological indices, plasma globulin, albumin, protein, and zinc levels were significantly different (p<0.001) among non-pregnant and pregnant women of the first, second and third trimesters. Conclusion: The incidence of anemia and malnutrition was high among study participants. There is a need for improved nutritional intervention, increased awareness and strengthening of health systems in the area of maternal health in Nigeria.

Humoral immunological kinetics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection and diagnostic performance of serological assays for coronavirus disease 2019: an analysis of global reports.

As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to rise and second waves are reported in some countries, serological test kits and strips are being considered to scale up an adequate laboratory response. This study provides an update on the kinetics of humoral immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and performance characteristics of serological protocols (lateral flow assay [LFA], chemiluminescence immunoassay [CLIA] and ELISA) used for evaluations of recent and past SARS-CoV-2 infection. A thorough and comprehensive review of suitable and eligible full-text articles was performed on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Wordometer and medRxiv from 10 January to 16 July 2020. These articles were searched using the Medical Subject Headings terms 'COVID-19', 'Serological assay', 'Laboratory Diagnosis', 'Performance characteristics', 'POCT', 'LFA', 'CLIA', 'ELISA' and 'SARS-CoV-2'. Data from original research articles on SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection ≥second day postinfection were included in this study. In total, there were 7938 published articles on humoral immune response and laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19. Of these, 74 were included in this study. The detection, peak and decline period of blood anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM, IgG and total antibodies for point-of-care testing (POCT), ELISA and CLIA vary widely. The most promising of these assays for POCT detected anti-SARS-CoV-2 at day 3 postinfection and peaked on the 15th day; ELISA products detected anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG at days 2 and 6 then peaked on the eighth day; and the most promising CLIA product detected anti-SARS-CoV-2 at day 1 and peaked on the 30th day. The most promising LFA, ELISA and CLIA that had the best performance characteristics were those targeting total SARS-CoV-2 antibodies followed by those targeting anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG then IgM. Essentially, the CLIA-based SARS-CoV-2 tests had the best performance characteristics, followed by ELISA then POCT. Given the varied performance characteristics of all the serological assays, there is a need to continuously improve their detection thresholds, as well as to monitor and re-evaluate their performances to assure their significance and applicability for COVID-19 clinical and epidemiological purposes.

Understanding the implications of SARS-CoV-2 re-infections on immune response milieu, laboratory tests and control measures against COVID-19.

Several months after the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), cases of re-infection after recovery were reported. The extent and duration of protective immunity after SARS-CoV-2 infection is not fully understood. As such, the possibility of re-infection with SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, cases of re-infection were mainly due to different variants or mutant SARS-CoV-2. Following the fast and pandemic-scale spread of COVID-19, mutations in SARS-CoV-2 have raised new diagnostic challenges which include the redesign of the oligonucleotide sequences used in RT-PCR assays to avoid potential primer-sample mismatches, and decrease sensitivities. Since the initial wave of the pandemic, some regions had experienced fresh outbreaks, predisposing people to be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 re-infection. Hence, this article sought to offer detailed biology of SARS-CoV-2 re-infections and their implications on immune response milieu, diagnostic laboratory tests and control measures against COVID-19.