scholarly journals Is the Course of COVID-19 Different during Pregnancy? A Retrospective Comparative Study

Author(s):  
Marcin Januszewski ◽  
Laura Ziuzia-Januszewska ◽  
Alicja A. Jakimiuk ◽  
Waldemar Wierzba ◽  
Anna Gluszko ◽  
...  

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged health systems around the world. Maternal-foetal medicine, which has been particularly affected, must consider scientific data on the physiological processes occurring in the pregnant woman’s body to develop relevant standards of care. Our study retrospectively compared the clinical and laboratory characteristics of 52 COVID-19 pregnant patients with 53 controls. Most of the pregnant patients required medical attention during the third trimester and therefore we propose that vaccination is needed prior to the 30th week of pregnancy. We found no differences between the 2 groups in the course of illness classification system, days of hospital stay, need for oxygen supplementation, need for mechanical ventilation, and ICU admission. Moreover, clinical manifestations and imaging findings were comparable. Pregnant patients needed a greater oxygen flow rate and required high flow oxygen therapy more frequently. Considering pregnancy-related physiological adaptations, we found that COVID-19 infection in pregnant patients is associated with higher levels of inflammatory markers, apart from serum ferritin, than in non-pregnant women, and concluded that biomarkers of cardiac and muscle injury, as well as kidney function, may not be good predictors of COVID-19 clinical course in pregnant patients at the time of admission, but more research needs to be conducted on this topic.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 973
Author(s):  
Maria Cristina Petralia ◽  
Rosella Ciurleo ◽  
Alessia Bramanti ◽  
Placido Bramanti ◽  
Andrea Saraceno ◽  
...  

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a severe psychiatric disorder with several clinical manifestations that include cognitive dysfunction, decline in motivation, and psychosis. Current standards of care treatment with antipsychotic agents are often ineffective in controlling the disease, as only one-third of SCZ patients respond to medications. The mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of SCZ remain elusive. It is believed that inflammatory processes may play a role as contributing factors to the etiology of SCZ. Galectins are a family of β-galactoside-binding lectins that contribute to the regulation of immune and inflammatory responses, and previous reports have shown their role in the maintenance of central nervous system (CNS) homeostasis and neuroinflammation. In the current study, we evaluated the expression levels of the galectin gene family in post-mortem samples of the hippocampus, associative striatum, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex from SCZ patients. We found a significant downregulation of LGALS8 (Galectin-8) in the hippocampus of SCZ patients as compared to otherwise healthy donors. Interestingly, the reduction of LGALS8 was disease-specific, as no modulation was observed in the hippocampus from bipolar nor major depressive disorder (MDD) patients. Prediction analysis identified TBL1XR1, BRF2, and TAF7 as potential transcription factors controlling LGALS8 expression. In addition, MIR3681HG and MIR4296 were negatively correlated with LGALS8 expression, suggesting a role for epigenetics in the regulation of LGALS8 levels. On the other hand, no differences in the methylation levels of LGALS8 were observed between SCZ and matched control hippocampus. Finally, ontology analysis of the genes negatively correlated with LGALS8 expression identified an enrichment of the NGF-stimulated transcription pathway and of the oligodendrocyte differentiation pathway. Our study identified LGALS8 as a disease-specific gene, characterizing SCZ patients, that may in the future be exploited as a potential therapeutic target.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-139
Author(s):  
Donaliazarti Donaliazarti

Leptospirosis is a disease caused by spirochaeta microorganism of the genus Leptospira, while the amoebic liver abscess is an extraintestinal complication by Entamoeba Histolytica. Both diseases occurred in a 45-year-old man with poor personal hygiene and environment sanitation. Amoebic liver abscess was found to be a coincidence that was thought to have existed before the patient developed leptospirosis so that the two diseases caused overlapping clinical manifestations in the patient, but the acute symptoms experienced by the patient at the time of admission were more likely to be caused by his leptospirosis. Patient complained of high fever, yellowing of the skin and eyes, urinating like concentrated tea, stiffness in both legs, nausea, vomiting and heartburn. On physical examination found febrile, tachycardia, icteric on skin and sclera, ciliary injection, and hepatomegaly. Laboratory tests showed mild anemia with normocytic normochromic features, leukocytosis with neutrophilia shift to the right, thrombocytosis, increased ESR, prolonged APTT, hyperbilirubinemia, elevated SGOT SGPT, ALP and GGT enzymes, hypoalbuminemia, hyperglobulinemia, and bilirubinuria. Microscopic examination with negative staining of urine samples found Leptospira. Abdominal ultrasound examination showed a solitary space occupying lesion (SOL) in the right lobe of the liver and on serological examination showed positive antiamoeba. Based on the above, this patient was diagnosed as having coincident leptospirosis with amoebic liver abscess.


2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 235-241
Author(s):  
Mirjana Strbac ◽  
Mioljub Ristic

Introduction. Norovirus is one of the most common causes of acute gastroenteritis in the world. The aim of this study was to describe characteristics of an outbreak of norovirus infection and present all the steps of an outbreak investigation. Material and Methods. A retrospective cohort study was conducted among all individuals who ate food from the same restaurant. All the exposed persons filled out an adapted questionnaire that is routinely used in patients with food poisoning. Results. This paper presents a norovirus outbreak among film crew members and measures taken to control the epidemic. Gastroenteritis was diagnosed in 20 exposed persons. In most patients, symptoms lasted 1 - 3 days, and every third patient sought medical attention. The predominant clinical manifestations were vomiting and diarrhea. The food that probably caused the infection were sandwiches with ham, cheese and lettuce and microbiological analysis confirmed that the outbreak was caused by norovirus. Conclusion. Although the source of this outbreak remains unclear, the results of environmental investigation of the restaurant showed several irregularities in the kitchen that may have caused norovirus transmission.


2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (7) ◽  
pp. 1363-1375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayano Nakayama ◽  
David J. Tunnicliffe ◽  
Vivek Thakkar ◽  
Davinder Singh-Grewal ◽  
Sean O’Neill ◽  
...  

Objective.Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic, progressive autoimmune disease with major end-organ involvement. Much attention has been focused on the management of physical and clinical manifestations; however, the effect of the disease and treatment on the patient’s identity, relationships, functioning, and mental well-being are less known. We aimed to describe the patients’ perspectives and experiences of living with SSc.Methods.Electronic databases were searched to October 2014. Thematic synthesis was used to analyze the findings.Results.We included 26 studies involving 463 patients. Six key themes were identified: distressing appearance transformation (disturbing facial changes, stigmatizing sickness, unrecognizable self), palpable physical limitations (bodily restrictions, frustrating mind-body disconnect, pervasive fatigue, disabling pain), social impairment (breaking intimacy, struggling to fulfill family responsibilities, maintaining work, losing independence), navigating uncertainty (diagnostic ambiguity, medically fending for oneself, unpredictable course of illness), alone and misunderstood (fearful avoidance of fellow patients, invisible suffering), and gradual acceptance and relative optimism (adapting to change and accepting limitations, taking a positive spin, cautious hoping, empowering relationships, valuing medical support).Conclusion.SSc is a rare and unpredictable illness that undermines patients’ sense of certainty and control and impairs their self-image, identity, and daily functioning. Patient-centered care that encompasses strategies to promote self-esteem, resilience, and self-efficacy may help to improve treatment satisfaction and health and quality of life outcomes for patients with SSc.


2020 ◽  
pp. 27-35
Author(s):  
N. V. Kamut ◽  
M. M. Kiselova

The article is devoted to the study of features of clinical course of atopic dermatitis and vitamin D exchange in young children conducted by us by estimation of severity of atopic dermatitis depending on the value of SCORAD index, determination of 25(OH)D concentration in serum of children by immunochemical method with chemocentric analysis according to the classification approved by experts of the international endocrinological society. In the examination of 188 young children, two groups were formed on the basis of the Lviv City Children's Clinical Hospital. Children from 1 month to 1 year of age with manifestations of atopic dermatitis (n = 120), who were born full-term and had no birth defects, metabolic disorders, severe perinatal CNS lesions formed the main group. The comparison group consisted of 68 healthy young children without chronic diseases. All children had atopic dermatitis in the main group and were classified by severity (depending on the SCORAD index): children with mild severity – 31 (26 %), moderate 47 (39 %), and severe 42 (35 %). As a result of the study, we found a association between the severity of clinical manifestations of atopic dermatitis and the level of vitamin D in the serum. Comparative analysis of the severity of atopic dermatitis, depending on the level of vitamin D in the serum, showed that with severe atopic dermatitis in children of the main group, the level of 25(OH)D was significantly lower compared to its indicators in children with moderate to severe (P < 0.05). Serum vitamin D levels are significantly lower in all forms of atopic dermatitis severity and correlate significantly with the overall SCORAD severity score, erythema intensity, excoriation, itching, and sleep disturbances. The scientific data on the presence of feedback correlation (r = –0,48; P < 0,05) between the development of atopic dermatitis in children and their level of 25(OH)D in serum were added. Our findings suggest that there is a need for a differentiated approach to treating early-stage atopic dermatitis of varying severity, a personalized therapeutic approach to choosing a vitamin D supplementation, given the level of 25(OH)D in the serum.


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 41-48
Author(s):  
D V Duplyakov ◽  
I V Kondratyeva ◽  
S V Garkina

The review discusses accumulated to date scientific data on dilated cardiomyopathy: causative factors, clinical manifestations, sudden cardiac death in patients with the disease and its risk-stratification in the light of National guidelines on the definition of risk and prevention of sudden cardiac death (2012). A case of a patient with dilated cardiomyopathy and high-risk of sudden cardiac death is presented.


Author(s):  
Cristiane Pinheiro Lázaro ◽  
Milena Pereira Pondé ◽  
Luiz Erlon A. Rodrigues

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects 0.6 to 1% of the population worldwide. It is characterized by a deficit in communication and social interaction, and is associated with restricted and repetitive behavior patterns. Stereotypes include inflexible adhesion to specific non-functional routines and rituals and a persistent concern with parts of objects rather than the object as a whole. Up to the present time, there are no specific tests that permit a laboratory diagnosis of the disorder to be carried out, and the syndrome is confirmed by clinical observation in the first 36 months of the patient’s life. Clinical manifestations such as epilepsy, mental retardation, sleep disorders, hyperactivity, irritability and auto- and heteroaggressiveness may alter the patient’s prognosis. Around 50% of children with ASD fulfill the criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) associated with autism appear to indicate a distinct phenotype requiring specific therapeutic measures. ASD is not a discrete nosological entity but, rather, a multifactorial syndrome associated with different phenotypic and biological presentations. Various disorders such as pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract have been linked to ASD, not only insofar as causality is concerned but also with respect to their role in aggravating the disease. Other associated disorders include lesions in physiological processes such as the redox metabolism, mitochondrial dysfunction and enzymatic regulation of essential metabolites. Currently, studies on direct and indirect markers of mitochondrial metabolism associated with anomalies found in the brain of these patients point to the possibility of these markers being used as tools with which to reach a diagnosis that would be laboratory based rather than merely clinical.


2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1(97)) ◽  
pp. 121-126
Author(s):  
L. Zub ◽  
A. Shkarutyak

Today, the term "malabsorption syndrome" is widely used in medical practice as a general term to describe the symptoms of indigestion, absorption, and transport by the intestinal mucosa of adequately digested foods, including vitamins and trace elements, resulting in a variety of metabolic disorders.The purpose of this review is to analyze scientific data that highlight information on modern views on the etiology, mechanisms of development and clinical manifestations of malabsorption syndrome.Conclusion. Today, data on the mechanisms of development and progression of the malabsorption syndrome have been significantly expanded. This makes it possible to develop methods of prevention of the trigger factors, timely correct treatment and prevention of complications of this syndrome.


Author(s):  
Laura Ansone ◽  
Monta Briviba ◽  
Ivars Silamikelis ◽  
Anna Terentjeva ◽  
Ingus Perkons ◽  
...  

Although the host defense mechanisms against SARS-CoV-2 infection are still poorly described, they are of central importance in shaping the course of the disease and the possible outcome. Metabolomic profiling may complement the lacking knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying clinical manifestations and pathogenesis of COVID-19.


2021 ◽  
pp. 263183182110495
Author(s):  
Adarsh Tripathi ◽  
Deblina Roy ◽  
Sujita Kumar Kar

Female Dhat syndrome (FDS) is not yet an established clinical entity, but nonpathological vaginal discharge has been discussed in the scientific literature for quite a long time. Various studies have reported the existence of the phenomenon of nonpathological vaginal discharge. All the existing literature on Dhat syndrome was reviewed. Studies have reported that nonpathological vaginal discharge has a high prevalence among the rural and urban populations of Indian women (around 30%). The symptom of vaginal discharge has been an area of concern for a sizable proportion of women in the community, and anxiety related to this has been a frequent reason to seek medical attention. The ideas associated with vaginal discharge are similar to Dhat syndrome in males. The variations of associated symptomatology, course of illness, and somatization of the complaint make it challenging to diagnose and treat. The diagnostic criterion needs careful evaluation; management needs an appropriate multidisciplinary approach by various health team members, including psychological interventions and adjunct pharmacotherapy in effectively managing the FDS. Dhat syndrome in females has similar phenomenology to that in males. Unfortunately, this is under-researched and hence, underdiagnosed.


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