Assessment of the levels of antispike SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies and their association with clinical characteristics in cohort of patients in Saudi Arabia.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a global public health crisis. The disease is known to be caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, but the detailed characteristics of the immune response to this novel virus have not been fully elucidated yet. In this study, we aimed to determine the level of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies and their correlation with clinical features at three time points postinfection in a group of patients in Saudi Arabia. Method: In this prospective observational study, we collected the demographic and clinical data from 43 polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed patients and measured the COVID-19 antispike IgG levels at three different visits. Result: The seroconversion rate after COVID-19 infection was 88.4% in the study participants, with no significant changes in the IgG levels through the three visits. The duration of shortness of breath had a significant positive correlation with the IgG level of the patients. Using the logistic regression model, participants having coughs were found to be 12.48 times more likely to develop positive IgG. The IgG levels were less in smokers than nonsmokers [Odds ratio = 6.42 (95% CI 2.11-19.48); P = 0.001]. Conclusion: Positive IgG levels have been developed in most COVID-19 patients and did not significantly change over 3 months following the diagnosis. The level of IgG antibodies was found to be significantly associated with the presence of cough, duration of shortness of breath, and the smoking habit of the patients. These findings have clinical and public health significance and need to be validated in larger studies in different populations.

Does COVID-19 antibody serology testing correlate with disease severity? An analytical descriptive retrospective study.

AIM: To find out if there is any correlation between COVID-19 antibody serological testing and symptom severity. METHODS: This study is a case series of 44 consecutive patients confirmed with COVID-19 who are divided into a group of 23 patients with mild disease and a group of 21 patients with severe disease. All 44 samples were confirmed positive SARS-CoV-2. Subsequent recombinant SARS-CoV-2 S1/S2 IgG test was performed for all patients and all patients developed neutralizing antibodies with altered range. MAIN OUTCOMES: IgG level and its correlation with disease severity, demographic data, underlying comorbidities, clinical presentation, and treatment comparison between mild and severe disease groups. RESULTS: Quantitative SARS COV-2 IgG was significantly higher in moderate and severe disease groups compared with those in the mild disease group. COVID-19 infection was more prevalent in male, Saudi nationals and smokers with comorbidities and higher inflammatory markers are more in the severe group than in the mild group which necessitates more management options to be taken for severe group patients. CONCLUSION: IgG antibody level was higher in the severe disease group. Also, the study showed significant differences between the mild and severe disease groups in terms of demographic, clinical, and management variables.

A survey on traditional plants used in Al Khobah village.

The use of traditional medicine for treatment of various diseases is a common practise in most of the developing countries including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia especially in rural areas. In this survey, Al Khobah village was selected to study the status of Traditional Medicine. Al Khobah village is located on the Southern boarders of the kingdom and characterized by diverse topography and moderate weather. The plants with medicinal uses were collected, identified and their methods of preparation and uses were recorded. After gathering all these information from the local people, literature survey was conducted on each plant to get information about pharmacological activities and weather they support the traditional use or not. The survey revealed that the uses of some plants are consistent with the experimental data in the literature. Some other plants were studied; however, they still need pharmacological investigation to prove the claimed uses. Other plant did not subject to any scientific investigation.