RBD-IgG levels correlate with protection in Residents Facing SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 Outbreaks

Background Limited information exists on nursing home (NH) residents regarding BNT162b2/Pfizer vaccine efficacy in preventing SARS-CoV-2 and severe Covid-19, and its association with post-vaccine humoral response. Methods 396 residents from seven NHs suffering a SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 (VOC-α) outbreak at least 14 days after a vaccine campaign were repeatedly tested using SARS-CoV-2 real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction on nasopharyngeal swab test (RT-PCR). SARS-CoV-2 Receptor-Binding Domain (RBD) of the S1 subunit (RBD-IgG) was measured in all residents. Nucleocapsid antigenemia (N-Ag) was measured in RT-PCR-positive residents, and serum neutralizing antibodies in vaccinated residents from one NH. Results The incidence of positive RT-PCR was lower in residents vaccinated by two doses (22.7%) vs one dose (32.3%) or non-vaccinated residents (43.7%)(p<0.01). Covid-19-induced deaths were observed in 10.4% of the non-vaccinated residents, in 6.4% of those who had received one dose, and in 0.9% with two doses (p=0.0007). Severe symptoms were more common in infected non-vaccinated (21.0%) vs vaccinated residents (47.6%, p=0.002). Higher levels of RBD-IgG (n=325) were associated with a lower SARS-CoV-2 incidence. No in vitro serum neutralization activity was found for RBD-IgG levels below 1,050 AU/mL. RBD-IgG levels were inversely associated with N-Ag levels, found as a risk factor of severe Covid-19. Conclusions Two BNT162b2/Pfizer doses are associated with a 48% reduction of SARS-CoV-2 incidence and a 91.3% reduction of death risk in residents from NHs facing a VOC-α outbreak. BNT162b2/Pfizer efficacy was partly predicted by post-vaccine RBD-IgG levels.

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Cytokine-Facilitated Transduction Leads to Low-Level Engraftment in Nonablated Hosts

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v90.2.865.865_865_872 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 90 (2) ◽

pp. 865-872 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ellen L.W. Kittler ◽

Stefan O. Peters ◽

Rowena B. Crittenden ◽

Michelle E. Debatis ◽

Hayley S. Ramshaw ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bone Marrow ◽

Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽

Bone Marrow Cells ◽

Mdr1 Gene ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Chain Reaction ◽

Donor Cells ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Marrow Cells

Using a murine bone marrow transplantation model, we evaluated the long-term engraftment of retrovirally transduced bone marrow cells in nonmyeloablated hosts. Male bone marrow was stimulated in a cocktail of interleukin-3 (IL-3), IL-6, IL-11, and stem cell factor (SCF ) for 48 hours, then cocultured on the retroviral producer line MDR18.1 for an additional 24 hours. Functional transduction of hematopoietic progenitors was detected in vitro by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification of multiple drug resistance 1 (MDR1) mRNA from high proliferative potential-colony forming cell (HPP-CFC) colonies. After retroviral transduction, male bone marrow cells were injected into nonablated female mice. Transplant recipients received three TAXOL (Bristol-Myers, Princeton, NJ) injections (10 mg/kg) over a 14-month period. Transplant recipient tissues were analyzed by Southern blot and fluorescence in situ hybridization for Y-chromosome–specific sequences and showed donor cell engraftment of approximately 9%. However, polymerase chain reaction amplification of DNAs from bone marrow, spleen, and peripheral blood showed no evidence of the transduced MDR1 gene. RT-PCR analysis of total bone marrow RNA showed that transcripts from the MDR1 gene were present in a fraction of the engrafted donor cells. These data show functional transfer of the MDR1 gene into nonmyeloablated murine hosts. However, the high rates of in vitro transduction into HPP-CFC, coupled with the low in vivo engraftment rate of donor cells containing the MDR1 gene, suggest that the majority of stem cells that incorporated the retroviral construct did not stably engraft in the host. Based on additional studies that indicate that ex vivo culture of bone marrow induces an engraftment defect concomitantly with progression of cells through S phase, we propose that the cell cycle transit required for proviral integration reduces or impairs the ability of transduced cells to stably engraft.

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Cytokine-Facilitated Transduction Leads to Low-Level Engraftment in Nonablated Hosts

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v90.2.865 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 90 (2) ◽

pp. 865-872 ◽

Cited By ~ 56

Author(s):

Ellen L.W. Kittler ◽

Stefan O. Peters ◽

Rowena B. Crittenden ◽

Michelle E. Debatis ◽

Hayley S. Ramshaw ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bone Marrow ◽

Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽

Bone Marrow Cells ◽

Mdr1 Gene ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Chain Reaction ◽

Donor Cells ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Marrow Cells

Abstract Using a murine bone marrow transplantation model, we evaluated the long-term engraftment of retrovirally transduced bone marrow cells in nonmyeloablated hosts. Male bone marrow was stimulated in a cocktail of interleukin-3 (IL-3), IL-6, IL-11, and stem cell factor (SCF ) for 48 hours, then cocultured on the retroviral producer line MDR18.1 for an additional 24 hours. Functional transduction of hematopoietic progenitors was detected in vitro by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification of multiple drug resistance 1 (MDR1) mRNA from high proliferative potential-colony forming cell (HPP-CFC) colonies. After retroviral transduction, male bone marrow cells were injected into nonablated female mice. Transplant recipients received three TAXOL (Bristol-Myers, Princeton, NJ) injections (10 mg/kg) over a 14-month period. Transplant recipient tissues were analyzed by Southern blot and fluorescence in situ hybridization for Y-chromosome–specific sequences and showed donor cell engraftment of approximately 9%. However, polymerase chain reaction amplification of DNAs from bone marrow, spleen, and peripheral blood showed no evidence of the transduced MDR1 gene. RT-PCR analysis of total bone marrow RNA showed that transcripts from the MDR1 gene were present in a fraction of the engrafted donor cells. These data show functional transfer of the MDR1 gene into nonmyeloablated murine hosts. However, the high rates of in vitro transduction into HPP-CFC, coupled with the low in vivo engraftment rate of donor cells containing the MDR1 gene, suggest that the majority of stem cells that incorporated the retroviral construct did not stably engraft in the host. Based on additional studies that indicate that ex vivo culture of bone marrow induces an engraftment defect concomitantly with progression of cells through S phase, we propose that the cell cycle transit required for proviral integration reduces or impairs the ability of transduced cells to stably engraft.

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Detection of SARS-CoV-2 by real time Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction assay in pleural effusion

International Journal of Case Reports ◽

10.28933/ijcr-2021-02-1605 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 201

Author(s):

Keyword(s):

Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽

Pleural Effusion ◽

Reverse Transcriptase ◽

Pleural Fluid ◽

Interstitial Pneumonia ◽

Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Chain Reaction ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Pleural Involvement

SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2) is a novel coronavirus identified for the first time in Wuhan (China) in 2019, responsible of the current pandemic infection known as Coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19). Wide range of clinical presentation of COVD -19 has been observed, from asymptomatic carriers to ARDS. The common signs and symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection include fever, fatigue, dry cough, and dyspnoea; the severity of the disease is due to the impairment of the respiratory function. The radiological findings include a large variety of lesions; bilateral interstitial pneumonia is the most concerning presentation of COVID-19. Pleural involvement has been described in a minority of cases: pleural thickening had been observed in 32% of cases whereas pleural effusion is uncommon being described in only 5%. Furthermore, pleural involvement has been significantly associated with a worse prognosis. Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), beyond the nasopharyngeal swab, has been detected in other samples; up to now, data about RT-PCR specific results in the pleural fluid of patients suffering from coronavirus disease 2019 5 (COVID-19) are very limited. The current gold standard for diagnosis is nucleic acid detection by real time Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) in nasopharyngeal swab. In this report, a case of a positive RT-PCR for Sars-Cov-2 in the pleura fluid and in the naso- pharyngeal swab of a patient affected by bilateral interstitial pneumonia and severe respiratory failure is described. As the presence of SARS-Cov-2 in the pleural fluid seems to be associated to a poor prognosis, physicians should carry out the specific RT-PCR assay both in the nasopharyngeal swab and in the pleural sample also when the fluid amount is very scarce and not recognizable in the chest X ray. Furthermore, the analysis of multiple samples allows to increase the test reliability.

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High Resolution CHEST CT(HRCT) Evaluation in Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19 Infection

10.1101/2020.05.26.20114082 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Maulin Patel ◽

Junad Chowdhury ◽

Matthew Zheng ◽

Osheen Abramian ◽

Steven Verga ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽

High Resolution ◽

Diagnostic Accuracy ◽

Reverse Transcriptase ◽

Retrospective Analysis ◽

Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Chain Reaction ◽

Bottom Line ◽

Polymerase Chain

AbstractIntroductionCurrently the main diagnostic modality for COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease-2019) is reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) via nasopharyngeal swab which has high false negative rates. We evaluated the performance of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) imaging in the diagnosis of suspected COVID-19 infection compared to RT-PCR nasopharyngeal swab alone in patients hospitalized for suspected COVID-19 infection.MethodsThis was a retrospective analysis of 324 consecutive patients admitted to Temple University Hospital. All hospitalized patients who had RT-PCR testing and HRCT were included in the study. HRCTs were classified as Category 1, 2 or 3. Patients were then divided into four groups based on HRCT category and RT-PCR swab results for analysis.ResultsThe average age of patients was 59.4 (±15.2) years and 123 (38.9%) were female. Predominant ethnicity was African American 148 (46.11%). 161 patients tested positive by RT-PCR, while 41 tested positive by HRCT. 167 (52.02%) had category 1 scan, 63 (19.63%) had category 2 scan and 91 (28.35%) had category 3 HRCT scans. There was substantial agreement between our radiologists for HRCT classification (κ = 0.64). Sensitivity and specificity of HRCT classification system was 77.6 and 73.7 respectively. Ferritin, LDH, AST and ALT were higher in Group 1 and D-dimers levels was higher in Group 3; differences however were not statistically significant.ConclusionDue to its high infectivity and asymptomatic transmission, until a highly sensitive and specific COVID-19 test is developed, HRCT should be incorporated into the assessment of patients who are hospitalized with suspected COVID-19.Key PointsKey QuestionCan High Resolution CT chest (HRCT) improve diagnostic accuracy of current Nasopharyngeal swab in suspected COVID-19 patients?Bottom LineIn this retrospective analysis, our novel HRCT classification identified 20% of all COVID-19 patients who had negative nasopharyngeal reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests but had HRCT findings consistent with COVID-19 pneumonia. These patients were ruled out for other infections and laboratory markers were similar to other RT-PCR positive patientsWhy Read onOur new HRCT classification when combined with RT-PCR can improve diagnostic accuracy while promptly improving triaging in COVID-19 patients.

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Neutralizing antibodies for SARS-CoV-2 in stray animals from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0248578 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. e0248578

Author(s):

Helver Gonçalves Dias ◽

Maria Eduarda Barreto Resck ◽

Gabriela Cardoso Caldas ◽

Alessandro Fioretti Resck ◽

Natália Valente da Silva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rio De Janeiro ◽

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

Neutralization Test ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Chain Reaction ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Stray Dog ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Stray Cat ◽

Serological Data

The epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a novel Betacoronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) became a public health emergency worldwide. Few reports indicate that owned pets from households with at least one human resident that was diagnosed with COVID-19 can be infected by SARS-CoV-2. However, the exposure to SARS-CoV-2 of pets from households with no COVID-19 cases or stray animals remains less assessed. Using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT90), we investigated the infection and previous exposure of dogs and cats to SARS-CoV-2 during the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. From June to August 2020, 96 animals were sampled, including 49 cats (40 owned and 9 stray) and 47 dogs (42 owned and 5 stray). Regarding owned pets, 75.6% (62/82) belonged to households with no COVID-19 cases. Samples included serum, and rectal and oropharyngeal swabs. All swabs were negative for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, but serum samples of a stray cat and a stray dog presented neutralizing antibodies for SARS-CoV-2, with PRNT90 titer of 80 and 40, respectively. Serological data presented here suggest that not only owned pets from households with COVID19 cases, but also stray animals are being exposed to SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Symptoms COVID 19 Positive Vapers Compared to COVID 19 Positive Non-vapers

Journal of Primary Care & Community Health ◽

10.1177/21501319211062672 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 13 ◽

pp. 215013192110626

Author(s):

David D. McFadden ◽

Shari L. Bornstein ◽

Robert Vassallo ◽

Bradley R. Salonen ◽

Mohammed Nadir Bhuiyan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽

Symptom Experience ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Chain Reaction ◽

Age And Gender ◽

Robust Variance ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

And Gender ◽

Variance Estimates ◽

The Impact

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to assess and describe the severity of symptoms reported by Covid-19 positive patients who vaped (smoked e-cigarettes) when compared to those who did not vape or smoke at the time of the diagnosis of Covid-19. Methods: Patients from this study are from a well-characterized patient cohort collected at Mayo Clinic between March 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021; with confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis defined as a positive result on reverse-transcriptase–polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) assays from nasopharyngeal swab specimens. Among the 1734 eligible patients, 289 patients reported current vaping. The cohort of vapers (N = 289) was age and gender matched to 1445 covid-19 positive patients who did not vape. The data analyzed included: date of birth, gender, ethnicity, race, marital status, as well as lifestyle history such as vaping and smoking and reported covid-19 symptoms experienced. Results: A logistic regression analysis was performed separately for each symptom using generalized estimating equations (GEE) with robust variance estimates in order to account for the 1:5 age, sex, and race matched set study design. Patients who vaped and developed Covid-19 infection were more likely to have chest pain or tightness (16% vs 10%, vapers vs non vapers, P = .005), chills (25% vs 19%, vapers vs non vapers, P = .0016), myalgia (39% vs 32%, vapers vs non vapers, P = .004), headaches (49% vs 41% vapers vs non vapers, P = .026), anosmia/dysgeusia (37% vs 30%, vapers vs non vapers, P = .009), nausea/vomiting/abdominal pain (16% vs 10%, vapers vs non vapers, P = .003), diarrhea (16% vs 10%, vapers vs non vapers, P = .004), and non-severe light-headedness (16% vs 9%, vapers vs non vapers, P < .001). Conclusion: Vapers experience higher frequency of covid-19 related symptoms when compared with age and gender matched non-vapers. Further work should examine the impact vaping has on post-covid symptom experience.

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The PI3KCA and AKT Inhibitory Activities of Litsea Cubeba Lour. Fruits and Heartwoods Towards Hela Cells

Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.3889/oamjms.2019.317 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (9) ◽

pp. 1422-1424

Author(s):

Aminah Dalimunthe ◽

Poppy Anjelisa Zaitun Hasibuan ◽

Denny Satria

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Cervical Cancer ◽

Cell Culture ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Chain Reaction ◽

Litsea Cubeba ◽

Pcr Method ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Inhibitory Activities

AIM: To investigated the activities of chloroform fractions at pH 7 of Litsea cubeba Lour. Fruits and heartwoods (CF-7F and CF-7H) in decrease expression of PI3KCA, Akt-1 and Akt-2 genes towards cervical cancer cell culture (HeLa) experiments in vitro. MATERIAL AND METHODS: CF-7F and CF-7H (12.5 and 25 µg/mL) were tested for its potential inhibition on gene expression of PI3KCA, Akt-1 and Akt-2 genes by Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) method. RESULT: CF-7F and CF-7H were showed the activity to reduce the expression of PI3KCA, Akt-1 and Akt-2 genes. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that CF-7F and CF-7H significantly inhibit the expression of PI3KCA, Akt-1 and Akt-2 genes.

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Long-term effects of coronavirus disease 2019 on the cardiovascular system, CV COVID registry: A structured summary of a study protocol

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0255263 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (7) ◽

pp. e0255263

Author(s):

Victor Arévalos ◽

Luis Ortega-Paz ◽

Diego Fernandez-Rodríguez ◽

Víctor Alfonso Jiménez-Díaz ◽

Jordi Bañeras Rius ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Outcome ◽

Cardiovascular Outcomes ◽

Clinical Event ◽

Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Heart Failure Hospitalization ◽

Chain Reaction ◽

Polymerase Chain

Background Patients presenting with the coronavirus-2019 disease (COVID-19) may have a high risk of cardiovascular adverse events, including death from cardiovascular causes. The long-term cardiovascular outcomes of these patients are entirely unknown. We aim to perform a registry of patients who have undergone a diagnostic nasopharyngeal swab for SARS-CoV-2 and to determine their long-term cardiovascular outcomes. Study and design This is a multicenter, observational, retrospective registry to be conducted at 17 centers in Spain and Italy (ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT04359927). Consecutive patients older than 18 years, who underwent a real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for SARS-CoV2 in the participating institutions, will be included since March 2020, to August 2020. Patients will be classified into two groups, according to the results of the RT-PCR: COVID-19 positive or negative. The primary outcome will be cardiovascular mortality at 1 year. The secondary outcomes will be acute myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure hospitalization, pulmonary embolism, and serious cardiac arrhythmias, at 1 year. Outcomes will be compared between the two groups. Events will be adjudicated by an independent clinical event committee. Conclusion The results of this registry will contribute to a better understanding of the long-term cardiovascular implications of the COVID19.

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Expression of IGF2 and IGF receptor mRNA in bovine nuclear transferred embryos

Zygote ◽

10.1017/s0967199403002296 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 245-252 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

Dong-Wook Han ◽

Sang-Jin Song ◽

Sang Jun Uhum ◽

Jeong-Tae Do ◽

Nam-Hyung Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nuclear Transfer ◽

Donor Cell ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Chain Reaction ◽

Pcr Method ◽

Igf Receptor ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Low Efficiency ◽

Insight Into

Incomplete reprogramming of the donor cell nucleus after nuclear transfer (NT) probably leads to the abnormal expression of developmentally important genes. This may be responsible for the low efficiency of cloned animal production. Insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) and IGF2 receptor (IGF2R) are imprinted genes that play important roles in preimplantation development. To obtain an insight into abnormal gene expression after nuclear transfer, we assessed the transcription patterns of IGF2-IGF2R in single in vitro fertilised and cloned embryos by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). IGF2R expression did not differ significantly but IGF2 was more highly expressed in cloned embryos than in IVF embryos (p < 0.05). This was confirmed by a quantitative RT-PCR method. Thus, incomplete reprogramming may induce abnormal transcription of IGF2 in cloned embryos.

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Performance of Oropharyngeal Swab Testing Compared With Nasopharyngeal Swab Testing for Diagnosis of Coronavirus Disease 2019—United States, January 2020–February 2020

Clinical Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/cid/ciaa759 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Monita R Patel ◽

Darin Carroll ◽

Emily Ussery ◽

Hilary Whitham ◽

Christopher A Elkins ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽

Threshold Values ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Chain Reaction ◽

Illness Onset ◽

Oropharyngeal Swab ◽

Polymerase Chain

Abstract Among 146 nasopharyngeal (NP) and oropharyngeal (OP) swab pairs collected ≤7 days after illness onset, Real-Time Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction assay for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR) diagnostic results were 95.2% concordant. However, NP swab cycle threshold values were lower (indicating more virus) in 66.7% of concordant-positive pairs, suggesting NP swabs may more accurately detect the amount of SARS-CoV-2.

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