Indications of Persistent Glycocalyx Damage in Convalescent COVID-19 Patients: A Prospective Multicenter Study and Hypothesis

The COVID-19 pandemic is caused by the SARS CoV-2 virus and can lead to severe lung damage and hyperinflammation. In the context of COVID-19 infection, inflammation-induced degradation of the glycocalyx layer in endothelial cells has been demonstrated. Syndecan-1 (SDC-1) is an established parameter for measuring glycocalyx injury. This prospective, multicenter, observational, cross-sectional study analyzed SDC-1 levels in 24 convalescent patients that had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 with mild disease course without need of hospitalization. We included 13 age-matched healthy individuals and 10 age-matched hospitalized COVID-19 patients with acute mild disease course as controls. In convalescent COVID-19 patients, significantly elevated SDC-1 levels were detected after a median of 88 days after symptom onset compared to healthy controls, whereas no difference was found when compared to SDC-1 levels of hospitalized patients undergoing acute disease. This study is the first to demonstrate signs of endothelial damage in non-pre-diseased, convalescent COVID-19 patients after mild disease progression without hospitalization. The data are consistent with studies showing evidence of persistent endothelial damage after severe or critical disease progression. Further work to investigate endothelial damage in convalescent COVID-19 patients should follow.

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Neopterin and Biochemical Parameters as Indicators of Predicting HIV Disease Progression and Treatment Response: A Cross-sectional Study in Ghana

Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research ◽

10.9734/jammr/2019/v29i330075 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Louis Boafo Kwantwi ◽

Christian Obirikorang ◽

Margaret Agyei Frempong ◽

Dan Yedu Quansah

Keyword(s):

Disease Progression ◽

Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy ◽

Biochemical Parameters ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Hiv Disease ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Highly Active ◽

Hiv Seropositive ◽

Therapy Treatment

Background: Surrogate markers have been identified to play significant role in the pathogenesis and prognosis of HIV infection. However, there is limited data on the utility of neopterin estimation in HIV infection. Therefore, the study sought to measure and ascertains the trends of serum neopterin and other biochemical parameters as indicators of predicting HIV disease progression and treatment response among HIV seropositive individuals. Methods: A cross-sectional study with 298 HIV seropositive individuals consisting of 165 HIV on highly active antiretroviral treatment and 136 naïve highly active antiretroviral patients. Venous blood was drawn for the assay of neopterin and the other biochemical parameters. Results: Neopterin was significantly lower (P<0.0001) in patients in the highly active antiretroviral therapy than those in the naïve highly active antiretroviral therapy group. Serum neopterin increased as the disease progresses and decreased as the duration of the therapy treatment increased (p=0.0001). At a cut of point of 54.5 nmol/L, neopterin gave a sensitivity of 97.5%, specificity of 95.9% and an area under the curve of 0.99. Conclusion: Neopterin has shown to be to be good marker in predicting HIV disease progression especially in patients with CD4 counts less than 200mm-3 and a useful indicator of patient’s response to therapy treatment.

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ESTILO DE VIDA E SUAS RELAÇÕES COM HIPERTENSÃO ARTERIAL SISTÊMICA E DIABETES MELLITUS

Revista Interdisciplinar de Estudos em Saúde ◽

10.33362/ries.v7i1.1235 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 361-373

Author(s):

Elias Ferreira Porto ◽

Claudia Kumpel ◽

Anselmo Cordeiro de Souza ◽

Izabel Maria de Oliveira ◽

Karoline Mayara de Aquiles Bernardo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

General Health ◽

Healthy Lifestyle ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Health Perception ◽

Control Group ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Individual

Avaliar o estilo de vida e percepção do estado geral de saúde em pacientes com Diabetes Mellitus tipo 2 - DM, Hipertensão Arterial Sistêmica - HAS e indivíduos saudáveis. Métodos: Estudo transversal, com grupo controle. Avaliado estilo de vida com Questionário Fantástico, e percepção geral de saúde via uma pergunta âncora de diabéticos do tipo 2 (n = 37), hipertensos (n = 60), e indivíduos saudáveis (n = 43). Análise estatística descritiva, analise de variância, e razão de chance (Odds Rattio – OR). Resultados: Verificou-se diferença significante (p0,0001) na pontuação do Questionário Fantástico entre os indivíduos saudáveis em relação DM e HAS. O pior desempenho no estilo de vida para os três grupos foi nos domínios de atividade física e alimentação. O risco do indivíduo com HAS afirmar que sua saúde é pior do que indivíduos da mesma faixa etária foi OR 1.8 (1.415 a 2.419) e para os indivíduos diabéticos OR de 2.8 (1.776 a 4.579) em relação a indivíduos saudáveis. Conclusão: Diabéticos e hipertensos têm um pior estilo de vida e percepção geral de saúde do que indivíduos saudáveis. Assim o estilo de vida saudável pode reduzir a prevalência e auxiliar no controle de doenças já estabelecidas.Palavras-chave: Estilo de vida. Hipertensão Arterial. Diabetes Mellitus. ABSTRACT: To evaluate the lifestyle and perception of general health status in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus - DM, systemic arterial hypertension - SAH and healthy individuals. Methods: Cross-sectional study with control group. (N = 37), hypertensive (n = 60), and healthy subjects (n = 43) were assessed using a Fantastic Questionnaire, and general health perception via an anchor question. Descriptive statistical analysis, analysis of variance, and odds ratio (Odds Rattio - OR). Results: There was a significant difference (p 0.0001) in the score of the Fantastic Questionnaire among healthy individuals in relation to DM and SAH. The worst lifestyle performance for the three groups was in the physical activity and feeding domains. The risk of the individual with SAH to state that their health is worse than individuals of the same age group was OR 1.8 (1.415 to 2.419) and for the diabetic individuals OR of 2.8 (1.776 to 4.579) in relation to healthy individuals. Conclusion: Diabetics and hypertensives have a worse lifestyle and overall health perception than healthy individuals. Thus the healthy lifestyle can reduce the prevalence and help in the control of already established diseases.Keywords: Lifestyle. Hypertension. Diabetes Mellitus.

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Identification of Novel Classes for Patients With Lupus Nephritis Using Two-step Cluster Model

10.21203/rs.3.rs-339745/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ting Huang ◽

Shasha Xie ◽

Liqing Ding ◽

Hui Luo

Keyword(s):

Cluster Analysis ◽

Evaluation System ◽

Demographic Data ◽

White Blood Cells ◽

Damage Index ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Laboratory Findings ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Mild Disease ◽

Cluster 2

Abstract Objectives: To identify and reclassify the patients in the LN cohort, and to further analyze the prominent clinical features and clinical significance of each cluster of patients.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of a cohort of 635 LN patients from the Rheumatology Department of Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. Demographic data, laboratory findings and clinical evaluation system include physician’s global assessment and the SLICC/ACR Damage Index were collected. Using two-step cluster analysis, patients with similar clinical property were identified and compared.Results: Among the 635 LN patients, 599 patients (94.3%) were female. The mean age of the patients were 33.8 ± 10.4 years. Three subgroups were identified by two-step cluster analysis. Cluster 1 included 130 (20.5%) patients, Cluster 2 included 132(20.8%) patients and Cluster 3 included 373 (58.7%) patients. Cluster 3 was the largest group of mild disease activity, patients in this cluster had lower white blood cells, neutrophils, lymphocytes and mean SDI scores compared to those in the other two clusters. Cluster 1 was the smallest group of severe damage, patients in this cluster had multiple positive auto-antibodies, higher SDI scores and lower complement level. Patients of cluster 2 had the highest levels of granulocytes, but the results of other laboratory tests were roughly between the cluster 1 and cluster 3.Conclusions: This study reclassified three groups of LN patients in a large cohort. Our research shows that the multiple positive ANA antibody may be related to the high SDI score of LN patients. Clinicians can identify patients at different stages through cluster analysis to better implement prognosis.

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Vertebrogenic back pain syndrome in children 9–17 years with spinal deformities

Pediatric Traumatology Orthopaedics and Reconstructive Surgery ◽

10.17816/ptors715-14 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 5-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Marchel S. Vetrile ◽

Aleksandr A. Kuleshov ◽

Nikolai A. Eskin ◽

Mikhail B. Tsykunov ◽

Alexey I. Kokorev ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Back Pain ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Pain Syndrome ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Spinal Deformities ◽

Age Group ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

X Ray

Aim. We defined the prevalence of back pain in children and adolescents aged 917 years with spinal deformities. Material and methods. The cross-sectional study included 230 students with different spinal deformities aged 917 years. The prevalence of back pain, intensity, location, and situations in which it occurred were assessed via questionnaire. Results. Among 230 respondents, 186 (80.9%) admitted that they had experienced back pain (mainly in the lumbar spine) at various frequencies within the year preceding the study. Mild pain was prevalent (71% of respondents). Girls experienced back pain significantly more frequently than boys. Conclusions. Back pain in children and adolescents requires clinical and instrumental examination, including X-ray. Back pain is a frequent phenomenon in children with different spinal deformities. Тhe incidence of pain in children and adolescents with spinal deformities in our study is statistically higher than that of healthy individuals of the same age group.

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Width and thickness of the gingiva in periodontally healthy individuals in a central Indian population: a cross-sectional study

Clinical Oral Investigations ◽

10.1007/s00784-021-04053-w ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Pradeep S. Anand ◽

Abhinav Bansal ◽

Balaji R. Shenoi ◽

Kavitha P. Kamath ◽

Namitha P. Kamath ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Indian Population ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional

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No QTc Prolongation in Girls and Women with Turner Syndrome

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism ◽

10.1210/clinem/dgaa552 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 105 (11) ◽

Author(s):

Iris D Noordman ◽

Anthonie L Duijnhouwer ◽

Misty Coert ◽

Melanie Bos ◽

Marlies Kempers ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Turner Syndrome ◽

Age Groups ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Qtc Interval ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Qtc Prolongation ◽

Genetic Condition ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Qt Intervals

Abstract Context Turner syndrome (TS) is a genetic condition that is reported to be associated with a prolonged rate-corrected QT (QTc) interval. Objectives To evaluate the prevalence of QTc prolongation in patients with TS, to compare their QTc intervals with healthy controls, and to investigate whether QTc prolongation is associated with a monosomy 45,X karyotype. Method Girls (n = 101) and women (n = 251) with TS visiting our center from 2004–2018 were included in this cross-sectional study. QT intervals of 12-leaded electrocardiograms were measured manually, using Bazett’s and Hodges formulas to correct for heart rate. A QTc interval of >450 ms for girls and >460 ms for women was considered prolonged. Corrected QT (QTc) intervals of patients with TS were compared to the QTc intervals of healthy girls and women from the same age groups derived from the literature. Results In total, 5% of the population with TS had a prolonged QTc interval using Bazett’s formula and 0% using Hodges formula. Mean QTc intervals of these patients were not prolonged compared with the QTc interval of healthy individuals from the literature. Girls showed shorter mean QTc intervals compared with women. We found no association between monosomy 45,X and prolongation of the QTc interval. Conclusions This study shows that the QTc interval in girls and women with TS is not prolonged compared with the general population derived from the literature, using both Bazett’s and Hodges formulas. Furthermore, girls show shorter QTc intervals compared with women, and a monosomy 45,X karyotype is not associated with QTc prolongation.

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P070 TRENDS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF CLINICAL TRIALS PARTICIPATION IN THE IBD PARTNERS COHORT

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ◽

10.1093/ibd/zaa010.027 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S11-S12

Author(s):

Cole Johnson ◽

Edward Barnes ◽

Xian Zhang ◽

Millie Long

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trials ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Severe Disease ◽

Drug Approval ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Participation Rates ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Mild Disease ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Study Results

Abstract Background and Aims There are currently several recruitment challenges in randomized controlled trials (RCT) for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) which prolong the drug approval process and affect the generalizability of study results. The purpose of this study is to characterize individuals who participate in IBD RCTs and identify factors which could influence future recruitment strategies. Methods We performed a cross-sectional study within the IBD Partners cohort comparing patients with current or prior participation in an interventional randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a medical therapy for IBD to those without any RCT participation. Bivariate statistics were used to compare RCT participation by IBD subtype and by other demographic and disease characteristics, and predictive modeling was used to identify factors predictive of RCT participation. We calculated the percent of the cohort that participated an in RCT during each calendar year from 2011–2018 and Clinicaltrials.gov was accessed to determine the number of active RCTs for IBD therapies per year during that same period. Results A total of 14,747 patients with IBD were included in the analysis and 1,116 (7.6%) reported RCT participation at any time. Demographic factors predictive of RCT participation (Table 1) included following at an academic institution (OR=1.8; 95%CI: 1.51–2.04) and age 36–75 (OR=1.6; 95%CI: 1.43–1.87). Patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) were more likely to participate than those with ulcerative colitis (UC) (OR=1.5; 95%CI: 1.35–1.77). Patients with more severe disease were more likely to participate, including those with prior IBD-related hospitalization (OR=2.6; 95%CI: 2.19–2.99), IBD-related surgery (OR=2.5; 95%CI: 2.24–2.87), biologic exposure (OR=3.2; 95%CI: 2.76–3.65), and “Poor” or worse quality of life (OR=1.7; 95%CI: 1.45–1.93). Steroid-free remission was associated with lower likelihood of RCT participation (OR=0.6; 95%CI: 0.53–0.70). While the number of active RCTs for IBD more than doubled between 2011 and 2018, RCT participation rates during that same time period decreased from 1.1% to 0.7% of the cohort (Figure 1). Conclusions RCT participation rates declined within this cohort between 2011–2018. Groups underrepresented in RCTs for IBD included younger patients, patients followed in community settings, and patients with more mild disease. The non-RCT group had mean sCDAI and SCCAI scores that did not meet remission thresholds, demonstrating populations in need of alternate therapies for whom clinical trials could be an option. Given anti-TNF exposure rates in this national cohort, studies should focus on anti-TNF failure populations. Investigators should make every effort to offer RCTs to all patients and network with community providers to increase awareness of RCTs.

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Health consequences of thick forest fire smoke to healthy residents in Riau, Indonesia: a cross-sectional study

Medical Journal of Indonesia ◽

10.13181/mji.oa.204321 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 58-63 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jamal Zaini ◽

Agus Dwi Susanto ◽

Erlang Samoedro ◽

Vonni Christiana Bionika ◽

Budhi Antariksa

Keyword(s):

Lung Function ◽

Forest Fire ◽

Respiratory Symptoms ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Fire Disaster ◽

Fire Smoke ◽

Forest Fire Disaster

BACKGROUND Indonesia forest fire in 2015 emitted a huge amount of pollutants into the air. This study was aimed to assess the health consequences of forest fire smoke in healthy residents in Riau during forest fire disaster in 2015. METHODS This cross-sectional study was performed in healthy residents who lived in Pekanbaru, Riau Province, Sumatera, for at least 6 months during forest fire disaster in 2015, and data were taken in October 2015. Questionnaires consisting of respiratory and non-respiratory symptoms were collected. Lung function was assessed by spirometry (MIR II Spirolab™ spirometer, Medical International Research, Italy) and exhaled carbon monoxide (CO) was assessed using piCO+ Smokerlyzer®. Heart rate at rest and oxygen saturation in the room air were measured using Onyx 9591 Pulse Oximeter®. RESULTS A total of 89 subjects were mostly female (75.3%), housewife (37.7%), nonsmoker (86.5%) with mean age of 38.9 years old. The non-respiratory and respiratory symptoms were reported in 84.7% and 71.4% subjects, respectively. Lung function was impaired in 72.6% subjects, mostly with mild obstruction and mild restriction. Exhaled CO was highly detected over normal values (mean [standard deviation] = 32.6 [9.97] ppm) with predicted carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) of 5.74 (1.56). CONCLUSIONS Forest fire smoke exposure increased the respiratory and nonrespiratory symptoms among healthy individuals, which showed impairment in lung function, exhaled CO, and predicted COHb. Long term health effects on healthy individuals exposed to forest fire smoke warrant further evaluation.

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Conjunctival bacterial flora in diabetic patients

Ibrahim Medical College Journal ◽

10.3329/imcj.v7i1.17698 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 5-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Najmun Nahar ◽

Shaheda Anwar ◽

Md Ruhul Amin Miah

Keyword(s):

Staphylococcus Epidermidis ◽

Bacterial Flora ◽

Positive Culture ◽

Study Groups ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Diabetic Patients ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Conjunctival Flora

Conjunctival flora refers to population of microorganisms that dwell within the eyes of healthy individuals and is important in maintaining a healthy ocular surface and normal conjunctival function. Conjunctival flora may be altered by a variety of factors that include age, immunosuppression and geography. Immune function is compromised in diabetes mellitus. The aim of the present study was to see the pattern of conjunctival bacterial flora in diabetic and non-diabetic patients. This cross sectional study was carried out in BSMMU during the period of January 2011 to December 2011. Total 500 conjunctival swabs were collected from both eyes of 50 diabetic patients attending OPD of Endocrinology Department of BSMMU and 200 non-diabetic individuals. Significant number of culture was positive in diabetic patients (64.0%) compared to that of non-diabetic individuals (38.0%). Staphylococcus epidermidis was predominant in both study groups (diabetic vs non-diabetic: 41.3% vs 65.26%). Staphylococcus aureus (15.22%), Escherichia coli (6.52%) and Enterobacter (8.33%) were isolated in diabetic patients. Rate of positive culture in both and single eyes were higher in diabetic (28%, 36.0%) than that of non-diabetic individuals (9.5%, 28.5%). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/imcj.v7i1.17698 Ibrahim Med. Coll. J. 2013; 7(1): 5-8

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