COVID-19 unfolding filariasis: The first case of SARS-CoV-2 and Wuchereria bancrofti coinfection.

With the evolution of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the number of patients brought to medical attention has increased. This has led to the unmasking of many coexisting occult infections and comorbidities such as tuberculosis, dengue, human immunodeficiency viral infection, diabetes, and hypertension. We report the first case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, unveiling the diagnosis of asymptomatic filariasis. A 37-year-old gentleman presented with shortness of breath, fever, and cough. He was found to have COVID-19 pneumonia. During his stay, microfilaria of Wuchereria bancrofti was detected incidentally on a blood smear exam. Consequently, the patient received appropriate treatment for both conditions. In order not to miss relevant concomitant diagnoses, it is prudent to keep a broad differential diagnosis when faced with SARS-CoV-2-infected patients; this is especially true when atypical symptoms are present or in areas endemic with other infections.

Acute abdomen -like-presentation associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

As the cases of COVID-19 are flooding around the world, atypical presentations are being recognized, making the diagnosis challenging. Gastrointestinal symptoms and mild abdominal pain are common. However, severe abdominal pain associated with COVID-19 warranting surgical evaluation has been rarely described; recognizing such presentations and differentiating them from a surgical abdomen is critical to effectively and safely manage COVID-19 patients. Here we present a case of a middle-aged gentleman who developed features resembling secondary peritonitis. Eventually, he was found to have COVID-19 and was managed conservatively. In this report, we discuss his management course, and we explore pertinent relevant literature.

Prevalence of Venous Thromboembolism in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Recent studies revealed a high prevalence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) events in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, especially in those who are critically ill. Available studies report varying prevalence rates. Hence, the exact prevalence remains uncertain. Moreover, there is an ongoing debate regarding the appropriate dosage of thromboprophylaxis. Methods: We performed a systematic review and proportion meta-analysis following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We searched PubMed and EMBASE for studies exploring the prevalence of VTE in critically ill COVID-19 patients till 25/07/2020. We pooled the proportion of VTE. Additionally, in a subgroup analysis, we pooled VTE events detected by systematic screening. Finally, in an exploratory analysis, we compared the odds of VTE in patients on prophylactic compared with therapeutic anticoagulation. Results: The review comprised 24 studies and over 2,500 patients. The pooled proportion of VTE prevalence was 0.31 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.24, 0.39; I 2 94%], of VTE utilizing systematic screening was 0.48 (95% CI 0.33, 0.63; I 2 91%), of deep venous thrombosis was 0.23 (95% CI 0.14, 0.32; I 2 96%), and of pulmonary embolism was 0.14 (95% CI 0.09, 0.20; I 2 90%). Exploratory analysis of few studies, utilizing systematic screening, VTE risk increased significantly with prophylactic, compared with therapeutic anticoagulation [odds ratio (OR) 5.45; 95% CI 1.90, 15.57; I 2 0%]. Discussion: Our review revealed a high prevalence of VTE in critically ill COVID-19 patients. Almost 50% of patients had VTE detected by systematic screening. Higher thromboprophylaxis dosages may reduce VTE burden in this patient's cohort compared with standard prophylactic anticoagulation; however, this is to be ascertained by ongoing randomized controlled trials.

Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg cytokine imbalance in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients: Correlation with disease activity.

AIM: Imbalance of T-helper-cell (TH) subsets (TH1/TH2/TH17) and regulatory T-cells (Tregs) is suggested to contribute to the pathogenesis of Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Therefore, we evaluated their cytokine secretion profile in SLE patients and their possible association with disease activity. METHODS: Sixty SLE patients, 24 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and 24 healthy volunteers were included in this study. Demographic, clinical, disease activity and serological data were prospectively assessed. Plasma cytokines levels of TH1 (IL-12, IFN-γ), TH2 (IL-4, IL-6, IL-10), TH17 (IL-17, IL-23) and Treg (IL-10 and TGF-ß) were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). RESULTS: SLE patients were found to have significantly higher levels of IL-17 (p<0.001), IL-6 (p<0.01), IL-12 (p<0.001) and IL-10 (p<0.05) but comparable levels of IL-23 and IL-4 and slight reduction (but statistically insignificant) of TGF-ß levels compared to controls. IL-6, IL-10 and IL-17 were significantly increased (p<0.05) with disease activity. The RA group exhibited significantly higher levels of plasma IL-4 (p<0.01), IL-6 (p<0.05), IL-17 (p<0.001), IL-23 (p<0.01) and TGF-ß (p<0.5) and lower IFN-γ (p<0.001) and IL-10 (p<0.01) than those of healthy subjects. CONCLUSION: Our study showed a distinct profile of cytokine imbalance in SLE patients. Reduction in IFN-γ (TH1) and TGF-ß1 (Treg) with the elevation in IL-6 and IL-17 (TH17) could imply skewing of T-cells toward TH17 cells. Breaking TH17/Treg balance in peripheral blood may play an important role in the development of SLE and could be responsible for an increased pro-inflammatory response especially in the active form of the disease.