Lipoxin A4 promotes autophagy and inhibits overactivation of macrophage inflammasome activity induced by Pg LPS

Objective To explore the role of lipoxin A4 (LXA4) on inflammasome and inflammatory activity in macrophages activated by Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (PgLPS) one of the major causative agents of chronic periodontitis. Methods The mouse macrophage cell line RAW264.7 was used to produce an activated inflammation model. Markers of inflammasome and inflammatory activity and autophagy were assessed by ELISA, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and Western blot assay. Results Markers of inflammasome activity, inflammation and autophagy increased with Pg LPS concentration. They also increased with increasing exposure to Pg LPS up to 12h but decreased at 24h. However, markers of autophagy increased. Phosphorylated NF-κBp65 decreased with LXA4, which was similar to results obtained with the autophagy inducer, rapamycin. Conclusions LXA4 promoted autophagy and inhibited activation of inflammasomes and inflammation markers in macrophage inflammation induced by PgLPS and this action was linked to the phosphorylation of NF-κB.

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Spontaneous Retroperitoneal Hematoma in COVID-19 Severe Pneumonia–Dual-phase Multidetector Computed Tomography (MDCT) Angiogram and Role of Radiologist

Journal of Clinical Interventional Radiology ISVIR ◽

10.1055/s-0041-1728970 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Vikash Kumar Gupta ◽

Buthaina Mohammad Alkandari ◽

Wasif Mohammed ◽

Mohsen Ahmed Abdelmohsen ◽

Mohammad Gaber Abdullah Mohammad

Keyword(s):

Significant Risk ◽

Severe Pneumonia ◽

Retroperitoneal Hematoma ◽

Low Molecular Weight ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Prophylactic Dose ◽

Therapeutic Anticoagulation ◽

Coagulation Tests ◽

Polymerase Chain

AbstractStudies available in the literature have shown alterations in blood coagulation tests in severe cases of COVID-19 pneumonia, with a significant risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Since microvascular thrombosis is a well-known fact in COVID-19 disease, requiring therapeutic anticoagulation, low-molecular weight heparin (LMWH) in prophylactic dose is a part of the clinical management of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. In this scenario, we describe three cases of abdominal spontaneous retroperitoneal hematoma (SRH) in hospitalized reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-confirmed COVID-19 patients.

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Genomic Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Madrid, Spain, during the First Wave of the Pandemic: Fast Spread and Early Dominance by D614G Variants

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms9020454 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 454

Author(s):

Esther Viedma ◽

Elias Dahdouh ◽

José González-Alba ◽

Sara González-Bodi ◽

Laura Martínez-García ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Transportation ◽

European Population ◽

Viral Population ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Viral Genomes ◽

Genomic Epidemiology ◽

International Transport ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Phylodynamic Analysis

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first detected in Madrid, Spain, on 25 February 2020. It increased in frequency very fast and by the end of May more than 70,000 cases had been confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). To study the lineages and the diversity of the viral population during this first epidemic wave in Madrid we sequenced 224 SARS-CoV-2 viral genomes collected from three hospitals from February to May 2020. All the known major lineages were found in this set of samples, though B.1 and B.1.5 were the most frequent ones, accounting for more than 60% of the sequences. In parallel with the B lineages and sublineages, the D614G mutation in the Spike protein sequence was detected soon after the detection of the first coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) case in Madrid and in two weeks became dominant, being found in 80% of the samples and remaining at this level during all the study periods. The lineage composition of the viral population found in Madrid was more similar to the European population than to the publicly available Spanish data, underlining the role of Madrid as a national and international transport hub. In agreement with this, phylodynamic analysis suggested multiple independent entries before the national lockdown and air transportation restrictions.

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Chest CT texture-based radiomics analysis in differentiating COVID-19 from other interstitial pneumonia

La radiologia medica ◽

10.1007/s11547-021-01402-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Damiano Caruso ◽

Francesco Pucciarelli ◽

Marta Zerunian ◽

Balaji Ganeshan ◽

Domenico De Santis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Interstitial Pneumonia ◽

Potential Role ◽

Texture Features ◽

Roc Curves ◽

Chest Ct ◽

Preliminary Evaluation ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Mean Intensity ◽

Polymerase Chain

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the potential role of texture-based radiomics analysis in differentiating Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pneumonia from pneumonia of other etiology on Chest CT. Materials and methods One hundred and twenty consecutive patients admitted to Emergency Department, from March 8, 2020, to April 25, 2020, with suspicious of COVID-19 that underwent Chest CT, were retrospectively analyzed. All patients presented CT findings indicative for interstitial pneumonia. Sixty patients with positive COVID-19 real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and 60 patients with negative COVID-19 RT-PCR were enrolled. CT texture analysis (CTTA) was manually performed using dedicated software by two radiologists in consensus and textural features on filtered and unfiltered images were extracted as follows: mean intensity, standard deviation (SD), entropy, mean of positive pixels (MPP), skewness, and kurtosis. Nonparametric Mann–Whitney test assessed CTTA ability to differentiate positive from negative COVID-19 patients. Diagnostic criteria were obtained from receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results Unfiltered CTTA showed lower values of mean intensity, MPP, and kurtosis in COVID-19 positive patients compared to negative patients (p = 0.041, 0.004, and 0.002, respectively). On filtered images, fine and medium texture scales were significant differentiators; fine texture scale being most significant where COVID-19 positive patients had lower SD (p = 0.004) and MPP (p = 0.004) compared to COVID-19 negative patients. A combination of the significant texture features could identify the patients with positive COVID-19 from negative COVID-19 with a sensitivity of 60% and specificity of 80% (p = 0.001). Conclusions Preliminary evaluation suggests potential role of CTTA in distinguishing COVID-19 pneumonia from other interstitial pneumonia on Chest CT.

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First Report of Hepatitis E Virus in Shellfish in Southeast Italy

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11010043 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 43

Author(s):

Gianfranco La Bella ◽

Maria Grazia Basanisi ◽

Gaia Nobili ◽

Valentina Terio ◽

Elisabetta Suffredini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Hepatitis E Virus ◽

Potential Role ◽

Hepatitis E ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Viral Pathogens ◽

Apulia Region ◽

Causative Agents

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) represents one of the principal causative agents of hepatitis globally. Among the five HEV genotypes affecting humans, genotypes 3 and 4 are zoonotic and are the main source of hepatitis E in developed countries. HEV has been detected in several foods. The present work investigated the presence of this virus in shellfish sold at retail in the Apulia region of Italy. The presence of HEV RNA was assessed by real-time RT-PCR in 225 shellfish samples collected during 2018. Overall, two (0.89%) of these samples tested positive for HEV RNA. To our knowledge, this is the first notification of the detection of HEV in mussels sold at retail in the Apulia region. These data highlight the potential role of shellfish as a vehicle for the transmission of viral pathogens.

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Chest CT as a Complement to RT-PCR to Confirm and Follow-up COVID-19 Patients

Medicinus ◽

10.19166/med.v8i1.3122 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 31

Author(s):

Aziza Ghanie Icksan ◽

Muhammad Hafiz ◽

Annisa Dian Harlivasari

Keyword(s):

Chest Ct ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

High Resolution Computed Tomography ◽

X Ray ◽

First Case ◽

Chest X Ray ◽

Polymerase Chain

Background : The first case of COVID-19 in Indonesia was recorded in March 2020. Limitation of reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has put chest CT as an essential complementary tool in the diagnosis and follow up treatment for COVID-19. Literatures strongly suggested that High-Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) is essential in diagnosing typical symptoms of COVID-19 at the early phase of disease due to its superior sensitivity (97%) compared to chest x-ray (CXR).The two cases presented in this case study showed the crucial role of chest CT with HRCT to establish the working diagnosis and follow up COVID-19 patients as a complement to RT-PCR, currently deemed a gold standard.

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The role of DNA amplification and cultural growth in complicated acute appendicitis

Pediatric Reports ◽

10.4081/pr.2016.6487 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Francesca Tocchioni ◽

Chiara Tani ◽

Laura Bartolini ◽

Maria Moriondo ◽

Francesco Nieddu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acute Appendicitis ◽

Bacterial Growth ◽

Peritoneal Fluid ◽

Dna Amplification ◽

Fusobacterium Necrophorum ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Reactive Protein ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Surgical Setting

Bacterial growth of peritoneal fluid specimens obtained during surgical procedures for acute appendicitis may be useful to optimize further antibiotic therapy in complicated cases. DNA amplification represents a fast technique to detect microbial sequences. We aimed to compare the potential of DNA amplification versus traditional bacterial growth culture highlighting advantages and drawbacks in a surgical setting. Peritoneal fluid specimens were collected during surgery from 36 children who underwent appendectomy between May and December 2012. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and cultures were performed on each sample. RT-PCR showed an amplification of 16S in 18/36 samples, Escherichia coli (in 7 cases), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3), Fusobacterium necrophorum (3), Adenovirus (2), E.coli (1), Klebsiella pneumoniae (1), Serratia marcescens/Enterobacter cloacae (1). Bacterial growth was instead observed only in four patients (3 E.coli and 1 P.aeruginosa and Bacteroides ovatus). Preoperative C-reactive protein and inflammation degree, the most reliable indicators of bacterial translocation, were elevated as expected. DNA amplification was a quick and useful method to detect pathogens and it was even more valuable in detecting aggressive pathogens such as anaerobes, difficult to preserve in biological cultures; its drawbacks were the lack of biological growths and of antibiograms. In our pilot study RT-PCR and cultures did not influence the way patients were treated.

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A study of genes involved in adipocyte differentiation

Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism ◽

10.1515/jpem-2014-0002 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 28 (1-2) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Shunming Zhu ◽

Gong Cheng ◽

Huolan Zhu ◽

Gongchang Guan

Keyword(s):

Potential Role ◽

Adipocyte Differentiation ◽

Late Phase ◽

Redox Status ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Chain Reaction ◽

Lipid Droplet Formation ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Microarray Technique

AbstractWith the use of the microarray technique, genes expressed in the late phase of adipocyte differentiation were investigated. These genes play an important role in stimulating adipocyte growth and lipid droplet formation. Therefore, they contribute a great deal to the onset of obesity.With the use of SW872 adipocytes and the microarray technique, genes related to adipocyte differentiation were tested and compared with undifferentiated preadipocytes 14 days after induction. Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used for confirmation.More than 21,329 transcriptors were expressed and determined, of which 1326 increased and 687 decreased undifferentiated adipocytes. Among them, 21 were highly expressed by more than 10-fold. With RT-PCR, 12 were confirmed, including apelin, CIDEC, PID1, LYRM1, ADD1, PPARγ2, ANGPTL4, ADIPOQ, ACOX1, FIP1L1, MAP3K2 and PEX14. Furthermore, genes involved in lipid metabolism, signal transduction, DNA replication, redox status and transcription factors were determined as well. Novel genes involved in adipogenesis (e.g., apelin) were detected.A variety of genes were discovered and validated with RT-PCR at the late phase of adipocyte differentiation. This may help us better understand the onset of obesity and the potential role of adipocytes in other organs.

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CO-RADS versus CT-SS scores in predicting severe COVID-19 patients: retrospective comparative study

Egyptian Journal of Bronchology ◽

10.1186/s43168-021-00060-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Niveen E. Zayed ◽

Manar A. Bessar ◽

Samah Lutfy

Keyword(s):

Comparative Study ◽

Severe Disease ◽

Scoring Systems ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

C Reactive Protein ◽

Reactive Protein ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Retrospective Comparative Study ◽

Rule Out

Abstract Background The role of CT in assessing and plotting viral pulmonary affection land marking is its potential among other investigation tools, and the aim of the study was to compare the ability of two different CT-based scoring systems in discriminating severe COVID-19 disease. Results Retrospective comparative study included 142 confirmed COVID-19 patients by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, with different degrees of disease (mild to severe), the data of patients collected from medical records, and patients with their first CT chest read for calculating CO-RADS and severity scoring system (CT-SS) score. The patients with severe COVID-19 disease were significantly older and had different comorbidities. The level of C-reactive protein, ESR, ferritin, and LDH were significantly higher in severe disease, P < 0.001. The ability of CT chest and its score bases (CT-SS and CO-RADS) were accurate in differentiation between mild/moderate and severe disease; AUC were 89% and 97%, respectively. The cutoff value of less than 7.5 and 4.5 for CT-SS and CO-RADS, respectively, can rule out severe COVID-19 by 90% and 97%, respectively. Conclusions CT chest play a segregate role in COVID-19 disease, add on an advantage in clinical data in triage, and highlight the decision of hospital admission.

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False-Negative Nasopharyngeal Swab RT-PCR Assays in Typical COVID-19: Role of Ultra-low-dose Chest CT and Bronchoscopy in Diagnosis

European Journal of Case Reports in Internal Medicine ◽

10.12890/2020_001680 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Marco Marando ◽

Adriana Tamburello ◽

Pietro Gianella

Keyword(s):

Low Dose ◽

False Negative ◽

Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Oral Swab ◽

Negative Results ◽

False Negative Results ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Pcr Assays

On 11 March 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic and global health emergency. We describe the clinical features and role of ultra-low-dose chest computed tomography (CT) and bronchoscopy in the diagnosis of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In our patient, who was highly suggestive clinically and radiologically for COVID-19, we had two false-negative results for nasopharyngeal and oral swab reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Eventually, we confirmed the diagnosis using bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL).

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Efficacy of normal saline nasal spray and gargle on SARS-CoV-2 for prevention of COVID-19 pneumonia

10.21203/rs.3.rs-153598/v2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Uday Chatterjee ◽

Ajay Chakraborty ◽

Sishir Naskar ◽

Bibhuti Saha ◽

Bhaswati Bandyapadhyay ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nasal Spray ◽

Normal Saline ◽

Control Group ◽

Study Group ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Group 14 ◽

Reaction Report ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Different Strains

Abstract Background: Role of microaspiration of mucus mixed with SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2) causing pneumonia is lacking in searched literature. Recently some authors have emphasized on microaspiration. SARS-CoV-2 primarily replicates in nasal mucosa and sheds in nasal mucus which travels down as microaspiration and causes pneumonia. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of normal saline nasal spray and gargle (NSNSG) to wash off SARS-CoV-2 from nasal and pharyngeal mucosa to prevent microaspiration and pneumonia. Methods: From RT-PCR (reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction) report, we selected 62 patients for study group and 63 patients for control, having higher virion load i.e. cycle threshold (Ct) value 25 or less. Patients in study group were trained with NSNSG. We reviewed HRCT (high resolution computed tomogram) of lung in 56 patients of both groups for severity score (SS) in lung and was compared with initial HRCTResults: Thirty out of 62 (48%) of study group significantly (p=0·01) became RT-PCR negative following NSNSG compared to 16 out of 63 patients (25%) of control. Thirty one out of 34 patients (91%) of study group either improved or inhibited progression of SS in lung HRCT. In control group, 14 out of 22 patients (63%) also showed favourable findings. Nevertheless, study group significantly improved (p=0·028) in SS.Conclusions: NSNSG is significantly efficacious to wash off SARS-CoV-2 from nasal cavity and pharynx, and to break supply chain of SARS-CoV-2 from source to prevent microaspiration in lung alveoli and pneumonia. From that phenomenon we infer that SARS-CoV-2 as a ‘surface virus’ and it seems that vaccine resistant SARS-CoV-2 and different strains of SARS-CoV-2 would be washed off with NSNSG.

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