scholarly journals Prevalence and determinants of serum antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in the general population of the Gardena Valley

Author(s):  
Roberto Melotti ◽  
Federica Scaggiante ◽  
Michela Falciani ◽  
Christian X Weichenberger ◽  
Luisa Foco ◽  
...  

Background. Community-based studies are essential to quantify the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection and for unbiased characterization of its determinants and outcomes. We conducted a cross-sectional study in the Gardena valley, a major Alpine touristic destination which was struck in the expansion phase of the COVID-19 pandemic over the winter 2020. Methods. We surveyed 2244 representative study participants who underwent swab and serum antibody tests. We made multiple comparisons among the Abbott and Diasorin bioassays and serum neutralization titers. Seroprevalence accounted for the stratified design, non-response and test accuracy. Determinants and symptoms predictive of infection were analyzed by weighted multiple logistic regression. Results. SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence was 26.9% (95% confidence interval: 25.2%, 28.6%) by June 2020. The serum antibody bioassays had modest agreement with each other. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis on the serum neutralizing capacity showed better performance of the Abbott test at lower than the canonical threshold. Socio-demographic characteristics showed no clear evidence of association with seropositivity, which was instead associated with place of residence and economic activity. Loss of taste or smell, fever, difficulty in breathing, pain in the limbs, and weakness were the most predictive symptoms of positive antibody test results. Fever and weakness associations were age-dependent. Conclusion. The Gardena valley had one of the highest SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence in Europe. The age-dependent risk associated with COVID-19 related symptoms implies targeted strategies for screening and prophylaxis planning.

Author(s):  
Gopal Lama ◽  
Lilee Shrestha ◽  
Nabin Karmacharya ◽  
Rekha Manandhar ◽  
Runa Jha

Background: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (covid-19) is a highly contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). People who are infected with SARS-CoV-2 or are vaccinated with covid-19 vaccines are supposed to develop immunoglobulins and these immune responses in human body will determine the efficacy of the vaccines as well as help to discover new therapeutic options. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted between April to June, 2021, assessing serum antibody titer from participants who had taken the first dose of covishieldTM vaccine (naïve as well as prior covid-19 infected individuals). Antibody testing was carried out with Roche Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S electrochemiluminescence immunoassay on Roche Cobas e 601 module. Twenty-eight of these participants had follow up repeat antibody test after second dose of vaccine. Results: A total of 122 participants with the first dose of CovishieldTM vaccine were all tested seropositive, antibody titer ranging from minimum of 2.95 U/mL to maximum 2500 U/mL. Average antibody titer was 308.9 U/mL for naive cohort and 1604 U/mL for prior covid-19 infection. In twenty-eight participants who had antibody titer measured after 1 month of second dose, average titer was 1459.7 U/mL for naïve cohort and 1803.4 U/mL for prior covid-19 infected individuals, which was statistically significant compared to antibody response after the first dose. Conclusions: Antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 following immunization was 100%, with significant development after second dose in naïve population while robust immune response was present after first dose in prior SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals.


Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 949
Author(s):  
Cecil J. Weale ◽  
Don M. Matshazi ◽  
Saarah F. G. Davids ◽  
Shanel Raghubeer ◽  
Rajiv T. Erasmus ◽  
...  

This cross-sectional study investigated the association of miR-1299, -126-3p and -30e-3p with and their diagnostic capability for dysglycaemia in 1273 (men, n = 345) South Africans, aged >20 years. Glycaemic status was assessed by oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Whole blood microRNA (miRNA) expressions were assessed using TaqMan-based reverse transcription quantitative-PCR (RT-qPCR). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves assessed the ability of each miRNA to discriminate dysglycaemia, while multivariable logistic regression analyses linked expression with dysglycaemia. In all, 207 (16.2%) and 94 (7.4%) participants had prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), respectively. All three miRNAs were significantly highly expressed in individuals with prediabetes compared to normotolerant patients, p < 0.001. miR-30e-3p and miR-126-3p were also significantly more expressed in T2DM versus normotolerant patients, p < 0.001. In multivariable logistic regressions, the three miRNAs were consistently and continuously associated with prediabetes, while only miR-126-3p was associated with T2DM. The ROC analysis indicated all three miRNAs had a significant overall predictive ability to diagnose prediabetes, diabetes and the combination of both (dysglycaemia), with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) being significantly higher for miR-126-3p in prediabetes. For prediabetes diagnosis, miR-126-3p (AUC = 0.760) outperformed HbA1c (AUC = 0.695), p = 0.042. These results suggest that miR-1299, -126-3p and -30e-3p are associated with prediabetes, and measuring miR-126-3p could potentially contribute to diabetes risk screening strategies.


2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marissa L Becker ◽  
Laura H Thompson ◽  
Carla Pindera ◽  
Natalie Bridger ◽  
Carmen Lopez ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Approximately 26% of Canadians living with HIV are unaware of their status. Point-of-care (POC) HIV tests have been introduced to simplify and expand HIV testing.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of POC testing in an emergency department (ED) setting in Winnipeg, Manitoba.METHODS: A cross-sectional study of unselected adults presenting to the ED at the Health Sciences Centre Hospital (Winnipeg, Manitoba) was performed. Study procedures included pre- and post-test counselling, administration of the INSTI HIV-1/HIV-2 Antibody Test (bioLytical Laboratories, Canada) and a brief questionnaire. Venous blood samples were collected from participants for confirmatory testing on all reactive and indeterminate specimens.RESULTS: In total, 501 adults participated in the study. The majority of participants were younger than 40 years of age, approximately one-half (48.5%) were women and 53% self-identified as Aboriginal. Nearly one-half (49.1%) of the participants had undergone previous HIV testing, although 63% of these tests were performed more than a year earlier. A total of seven individuals tested reactive with the POC test, all of whom were confirmed positive using serological testing (1.4%) and were linked to an HIV specialist within 24 h. Nearly all of the participants (96%) reported satisfaction with the test and believed it belonged in the ED (93%).CONCLUSIONS: Of the participants tested, 1.4% tested reactive for HIV, which is significantly higher than the reported prevalence in Manitoba and in other similar studies conducted in North America. Furthermore, all individuals were linked to timely care. The present study demonstrated that this particular busy tertiary care ED is an important and feasible location for HIV POC testing.


2002 ◽  
pp. 505-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Rolf ◽  
S von Eckardstein ◽  
U Koken ◽  
E Nieschlag

INTRODUCTION: In healthy men, body weight and total fat content increase with advancing age, while serum testosterone levels decrease. In order to elucidate whether a causal relationship between these phenomena exists, we investigated the influence of testosterone or human chorionic gonadotrophin substitution on body mass index (BMI), total fat mass and serum leptin in testosterone-treated and untreated hypogonadal patients in comparison with ageing eugonadal men. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, the inter-relationships of body weight, total fat mass, serum sex hormones and leptin were analysed in untreated hypogonadal men (n=24; age 19-65 years), treated hypogonadal men (n=61; age 20-67 years) and healthy eugonadal men (n=60; age 24-78 years). Total fat mass was assessed by bioimpedance measurement. Univariate and multiple linear regression analysis was used to detect possible differences. RESULTS: In eugonadal men, serum testosterone levels decreased with advancing age (correlation coefficients: r=-0.71; P<0.0001), while BMI (r=0.39; P=0.002), total fat content (r=0.51; P<0.0001) and leptin (r=0.48; P<0.0001) increased significantly. In untreated hypogonadal patients, an increase in BMI (r=0.50; P=0.013) and total fat mass (r=0.41; P=0.044) was also observed with advancing age. However, in substituted hypogonadal patients, no age-dependent change in BMI (r=0.067; P=0.606), body fat content (r=-0.083; P=0.522), serum testosterone (r=-0,071; P=0.59) or serum leptin (r=-0.23; P=0.176) was found. CONCLUSION: Since testosterone-substituted older hypogonadal men show BMI and fat mass similar to those of younger eugonadal men and since non-treated hypogonadal men are similar to normal ageing men, testosterone appears to be an important factor contributing to these changes. Thus ageing men should benefit from testosterone substitution as far as body composition is concerned.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomoko Yamada ◽  
Hidenori Fukuoka ◽  
Yusei Hosokawa ◽  
Yukiko Odake ◽  
Kenichi Yoshida ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Plasma renin activity (PRA) is generally increased in patients with pheochromocytoma (PCC) due to low circulating plasma volume and activation of β-1 adrenergic receptor signaling. However, there has been no study on the aldosterone renin ratio (ARR) in patients with PCC. To elucidate the issue, this study aimed to determine the PRA, plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC), and ARR in patients with PCC and compare them with those in patients with subclinical Cushing’s syndrome (SCS) and non-functioning adrenal adenoma (NFA). Methods In this retrospective single-center, cross-sectional study, 67 consecutive patients with adrenal tumors (PCC (n =18), SCS (n =18), and NFA (n =31)) diagnosed at Kobe University Hospital between 2008 and 2014 were enrolled. Results PRA was significantly higher in patients with PCC than in those with SCS and NFA (2.1 (1.3~2.8) vs. 0.7 (0.5~1.8) and 0.9 (0.6~1.4) ng/mL/h; p =0.018 and p =0.025). Although PACs were comparable among the three groups, ARR was significantly lower in patients with PCC than in those with SCS and NFA (70.5 (45.5~79.5) vs. 156.0 (92.9~194.5) and 114.9 (90.1~153.4); p =0.001 and p <0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that, in differentiating PCC from NFA, PRA >1.55 ng/mL/h showed a sensitivity of 70.0% and specificity of 80.6%. Interestingly, ARR <95.4 showed a sensitivity of 83.3% and specificity of 86.7%, which were higher than those in PRA. Conclusions ARR decreased in patients with PCC, which was a more sensitive marker than PRA. Further study is necessary to understand the usefulness of this convenient marker in the detection of PCC.


Med Phoenix ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-39
Author(s):  
Manisha Maskey ◽  
KK Dutta Gupta ◽  
Meraj Ahmed

Background: Calculating BMI in an individual is a standard anthropometric procedure to estimate overweight/obesity. But it has been observed to be a bad predictor of central obesity. On the other hand, waist circumference, in many studies, has been found to be a good predictor of central obesity but not so frequently used because of tendency to vary throughout the day. In the recent years, NC has been found to have a good correlation with both BMI and WC. The aim of this study was to find out whether neck circumference is a good predictor of Overweight/Obesity or not. Methods: This was a cross sectional study carried out among the school children, aged 12 to 15 years, in Pokhara city, Nepal. In total, 408 students, 238 males and 170 females were screened. Anthropometric markers of obesity measured: included body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and compared with neck circumference (NC) of the same subjects. Pearson’s correlation test was used to see the correlation between NC with BMI and WC, and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to determine the best cut off value of neck circumference in predicting high BMI. Results: Among 408 students, 238 (58.3%) were male and 170 (41.7%) were female. Among them 37 (9.1%) were overweight and 32 (7.8%) were obese. All the anthropometric parameters were significantly higher in cases, except height in male, than in controls. NC was significantly correlated with age, BMI, and waist circumference in both boys and girls. The best cut-off value of neck circumference by ROC to identify boys with a high BMI was 29.5 with sensitivity of (76%), specificity (54%), and for girls was 28.5 with sensitivity of (97%), specificity (48%). Conclusion: Statistically significant positive correlation was found between NC with BMI and WC. The value of NC as a screening tool has been found comparably lower in compare to WC.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Willy Brodus Uwan ◽  
Ari Fahrial Syam ◽  
C Rinaldi A. Lesmana ◽  
Cleopas Martin Rumende

Pendahuluan. Risiko infeksi Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) dikaitkan dengan banyak faktor yang terkait dengan pejamuagen-lingkungan. Etnis adalah salah satu faktor dari pejamu yang banyak diteliti di luar negeri. Prevalensi infeksi H. pylori didapatkan lebih tinggi pada etnis tertentu seperti misalnya di Cina. Berdasarkan teori migrasi dan teori transmisi, diduga infeksi H. pylori akan dibawa oleh penduduk yang bermigrasi dari daerah dengan prevalensi tinggi ke tempat tujuan migrasi. Etnis Tionghoa di Kalimantan Barat berasal dari daerah Cina Selatan dengan prevalensi infeksi H.pylori tinggi. Diperkirakan ada perbedaan angka prevalensi infeksi H. pylori pada etnis Tionghoa dibandingkan pada etnis asli Kalimantan Barat, yaitu etnis Dayak. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui perbedaan angka prevalensi, karakteristik epidemiologis dan gambaran hasil pemeriksaan endoskopi pada subjek etnis Tionghoa dan Dayak dengan sindrom dispepsia.Metode. Penelitian ini menggunakan studi potong lintang untuk mengetahui perbedaan angka prevalensi infeksi H.pylori. Penelitian dilakukan di RSU Santo Antonius Pontianak dari bulan Desember 2014 sampai Juni 2015 dengan metode pengambilan sampel secara consecutive sampling. Angka prevalensi infeksi H. pylori disajikan dalam angka persentase, sedangkan perbedaan karakteristik epidemiologis dan perbedaan gambaran hasil pemeriksaan endoskopi pada etnis Tionghoa dan Dayak dianalisis dengan analisis bivariat menggunakan chi-square dengan tingkat kemaknaan (p)=0,05.Hasil. Dari 203 subjek yang diteliti, terdiri dari 102 subjek etnis Tionghoa dan 101 subjek etnis Dayak, didapatkan angkaprevalensi H. pylori sebesar 40,8%. Prevalensi pada etnis Tionghoa didapatkan lebih tinggi dibanding etnis Dayak,berturut-turut sebesar 48,0% dan 33,7%. Tidak ditemukan adanya perbedaan karakteristik epidemiologis dan temuan hasil pemeriksaan endoskopi yang bermakna pada kedua kelompok etnis.Simpulan. Terdapat perbedaan angka prevalensi infeksi H. pylori pada etnis Tionghoa (48,0%) dibanding etnis Dayak (33,7%). Namun, tidak ada perbedaan karakteristik epidemiologis dan gambaran hasil pemeriksaan endoskopi pada kedua kelompok etnis tersebut.Kata kunci: Dayak, etnis, Helicobacter pylori, sindrom dispepsia, Tionghoa The Difference in Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori Infection between Chinese and Dayak Ethnics with Dyspepsia SyndromeIntroduction. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection risk is associated with many factors related to host-agent-environment. Ethnicity is one of the host factors which was the most studied factor overseas. The prevalence of H. pylori infection was found higher in certain ethnic such among Chinese. Based on migration and transmission theory, it was suspected that H. pylori infection was transmitted by people migrating from areas with a high prevalence of infection to the destination area. Chinese in West Borneo are originated from South China region where the prevalence of H. pylori infection is high. It is estimated that there are differences in the prevalence of H. pylori infection among Chinese compared to the native people of West Borneo, the Dayaknese. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study to determine the differences in the prevalence of H. pylori infection. The study was conducted at St. Antonius General Hospital Pontianak from December 2014 to June 2015 with consecutive samplingmethod. H. pylori infection prevalence is presented in percentage numbers, while the epidemiological characteristics and endoscopic finding differences among Chinese and Dayaknese were analyzed by bivariate analysis using the chi-square with significance value (p) = 0.05.Results. From a total of 203 subjects in this study, consisted of 102 Chinese subjects and 101 Dayaknese subjects, the prevalence of H. pylori infection was 40.8%. The prevalence among Chinese is higher than Dayaknese, which is 48.0% and 33.7%, respectively. There is no difference in the epidemiological characteristics and endoscopic findings in both ethnic groups.Conclusions. The prevalence of H. pylori infection among the Chinese (48.0%) is higher than among Dayaknese (33.7%). There is no difference in the epidemiological characteristics and endoscopic findings among both ethnic groups.Keywords: Chinese, Dayak, Dyspeptic syndrome, Ethnic, Helicobacter pylori


Author(s):  
Soe Min Oo ◽  
Aung Tun ◽  
Thi Thi Htoon ◽  
Phyo Phyo Kyaw ◽  
Win Lae Htut ◽  
...  

Background: Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections were the most common infections among school-aged children (SAC) in Myanmar. The routine school-based mass drug administration (MDA) with twice a year frequency has started in 2005.Methods: This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence and intensity of STH infection among SAC as the follow-up study after 14 years of MDA. In August 2019, 1000 school-aged children attending Grades 4 and 5 from four geographical regions across the country were enrolled using a multi-stage sample random sampling. The anthropometry and hemoglobin concentration was measured, and stool specimens were detected parasite eggs using the Kato Katz technique.Results: The intensity of infection was classified according to WHO criteria. Infection prevalence was 17% for any STH infections, 10.4% for A. lumbricoides, 17% for T. trichiura, and 2% for the hookworm. All STH infections were virtually not detected in the hilly region. The highest prevalence of A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura infection were seen in the coastal region. The hookworm was seen only in the plain region. The underweight prevalence was 9% and anemia prevalence was 38% while there were huge differences across regions. The finding showed that STH infections continued to be endemic among SAC throughout the country except for the hilly region after 14 years of MDA.Conclusions: The regular deworming program should be reduced to once a year frequency in Myanmar. Triple-dose regimens should be considered to eliminate the whipworms. The burden of anemia among SAC should also be addressed in cooperation with MDA.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (01) ◽  
pp. 016-022
Author(s):  
Melissa T. Chu Lam ◽  
Emily Schmidt-Beuchat ◽  
Emma Geduldig ◽  
Lois E. Brustman ◽  
Katie Hyewon Choi ◽  
...  

Objective This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of measles immunity in a cohort of pregnant women in New York City and determine if there is a positive correlation of measles immunity with patient demographics, rubella immunity, number of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) doses received, and age at last vaccination. Study Design This is a cross-sectional study of pregnant patients seen at a single institution from January 2019 to May 2019. Patients were classified as measles and rubella immune or nonimmune using commercial immunoglobulin G (IgG) tests. Patient characteristics were compared using t-tests, Chi-square tests, or Fisher's exact tests as appropriate. The association of age at last vaccination with immunity status was assessed using multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age at presentation. The utility of rubella IgG for distinguishing measles immunity was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results Serologic immunity for measles and rubella was obtained for 1,366 patients. Of these, 1,047 (77%) were measles immune and 1,291 (95%) were rubella immune. Patients born after 1989 were less likely to be immune to measles, while multiparity and private insurance were associated with increased measles immunity. Documentation of MMR vaccination was available for 140 (10%) patients. Of these, 44 (31%) were serologically nonimmune to measles and 9 (6.4%) were nonimmune to rubella. In patients known to have received one dose of MMR, 62% (24/39) were immune to measles with an improvement to 72% (69/96) among those who received two or more doses. Age at last vaccination was not associated with measles immunity. Rubella IgG level was a poor predictor of positive measles titer (area under the curve = 0.59). Conclusion Approximately one of every four pregnant patients is serologically measles nonimmune, even among women with documented MMR vaccination or documented rubella immunity. These findings raise concerns that relying on vaccination history or rubella immune status may not be sufficient to assure protection from infection with measles. If further suggests that measles serology should be added to routine prenatal laboratory testing to identify nonimmune patients that may benefit from postpartum vaccination. Key Points


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