m6A Regulator-Mediated Methylation Modification Patterns and Characteristics of Immunity in Blood Leukocytes of COVID-19 Patients

Both RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification of SARS-CoV-2 and immune characteristics of the human body have been reported to play an important role in COVID-19, but how the m6A methylation modification of leukocytes responds to the virus infection remains unknown. Based on the RNA-seq of 126 samples from the GEO database, we disclosed that there is a remarkably higher m6A modification level of blood leukocytes in patients with COVID-19 compared to patients without COVID-19, and this difference was related to CD4+ T cells. Two clusters were identified by unsupervised clustering, m6A cluster A characterized by T cell activation had a higher prognosis than m6A cluster B. Elevated metabolism level, blockage of the immune checkpoint, and lower level of m6A score were observed in m6A cluster B. A protective model was constructed based on nine selected genes and it exhibited an excellent predictive value in COVID-19. Further analysis revealed that the protective score was positively correlated to HFD45 and ventilator-free days, while negatively correlated to SOFA score, APACHE-II score, and crp. Our works systematically depicted a complicated correlation between m6A methylation modification and host lymphocytes in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and provided a well-performing model to predict the patients’ outcomes.

The Characteristics of Mortality Predictor Scoring for Sepsis Patients in Haji Adam Malik Hospital

Introduction: Sepsis is a leading cause of death in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in developed countries and its incidence is increasing. Many scoring systems are used to assess the severity of disease in patients admitted to the ICU. SOFA score to assess the degree of organ dysfunction in septic patients. The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scoring system is most often used for patients admitted to the ICU. CCI scoring system to assess the effect of comorbid disease in critically ill patients on mortality. The study aimed to describe the characteristics of the use of scoring to predict patients’ mortality admitted to Haji Adam Malik Hospital. Methods: This is an observational study with a cross-sectional design. A total of 299 study subjects met the inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria, three types of scoring, namely SOFA score, APACHE II score, and CCI score were used to assess the prognosis of septic patients. Data analysis was performed using SPSS. P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 252 people (84.3%) of sepsis patients died. The mean age of the septic patients who died was 54.25 years. The SOFA score ranged from 0-24, the median SOFA score in deceased sepsis patients was 5.0. The APACHE II score ranged from 0-71, the median APACHE II score in deceased sepsis patients was 23.0. The CCI score ranged from 0-37, the median CCI score in deceased sepsis patients was 5.0. Conclusion: Higher scores are associated with an increased probability of death in septic patients. Keywords: Sepsis; mortality predictor; SOFA score; APACHE II score, CCI score.

Soluble B7-H5 Is a Novel Diagnostic, Severity, and Prognosis Marker in Acute Pancreatitis

As an important ligand in T lymphocyte costimulatory pathways, B7-H5 is involved deeply in the immune response in various diseases. However, its clinical usefulness as an early indicator in acute pancreatitis (AP) remains unclear. In this study, the levels of sB7-H5 and cytokines in plasma samples of 75 AP patients, 20 abdominal pain patients without AP, and 20 healthy volunteers were determined. Then, the correlation of sB7-H5 and clinical features, cytokines, the Ranson score, APACHE II score, Marshall score, and BISAP score was analysed, and the value of sB7-H5 for diagnostic, severity, and prognosis of AP was evaluated. We found that the levels of sB7-H5 were specifically upregulated in AP patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed that sB7-H5 can identify AP patients from healthy or abdominal pain patients with 78.9% or 86.4% sensitivity and 93.3% or 90.0% specificity. Further analysis showed that the levels of sB7-H5 were significantly correlated with WBC ( p = 0.004 ), GLU ( p = 0.008 ), LDH ( p < 0.001 ), Ca2+ ( p = 0.006 ), AST ( p = 0.009 ), PLT ( p = 0.041 ), IL-6 ( p < 0.001 ), IL-10 ( p < 0.001 ), and TNF-α ( p < 0.001 ). And levels of sB7-H5 were gradually increased among patients with mildly acute pancreatitis (MAP), moderately severe acute pancreatitis (MSAP), and severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). It can distinguish the severity of AP with good sensitivity and specificity. Moreover, when dividing the patients into two groups according to the median level of sB7-H5, the local complication and length of stay of low levels of the sB7-H5 group were significantly less than those in high levels of the sB7-H5 group. And the levels of sB7-H5 in AP patients were significantly correlated with the Ranson score ( p < 0.001 ), APACHE II score ( p < 0.001 ), Marshall score ( p < 0.001 ), and BISAP score ( p < 0.001 ). The AUCs of assessing local complications of sB7-H5 at day 1 and day 3 were 0.704 ( p = 0.0024 ) and 0.727 ( p = 0.0373 ). These results showed the potential value of sB7-H5 as a diagnostic, severity, and prognosis marker of AP.

Early Changes in Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) Can Predict Mortality in Acute Pancreatitis: Comparative Study between BISAP Score, APACHE-II, and Other Laboratory Markers—A Prospective Observational Study

Background. Changes in BUN have been proposed as a risk factor for complications in acute pancreatitis (AP). Our study aimed to compare changes in BUN versus the Bedside Index for Severity in Acute Pancreatitis (BISAP) score and the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation-II score (APACHE-II), as well as other laboratory tests such as haematocrit and its variations over 24 h and C-reactive protein, in order to determine the most accurate test for predicting mortality and severity outcomes in AP. Methods. Clinical data of 410 AP patients, prospectively enrolled for study at our institution, were analyzed. We define AP according to Atlanta classification (AC) 2012. The laboratory test’s predictive accuracy was measured using area-under-the-curve receiver-operating characteristics (AUC) analysis and sensitivity and specificity tests. Results. Rise in BUN was the only score related to mortality on the multivariate analysis ( p = 0.000 , OR: 12.7; CI 95%: 4.2−16.6). On the comparative analysis of AUC, the rise in BUN was an accurate test in predicting mortality (AUC: 0.842) and persisting multiorgan failure (AUC: 0.828), similar to the BISAP score (AUC: 0.836 and 0.850) and APACHE-II (AUC: 0.756 and 0.741). The BISAP score outperformed both APACHE-II and rise in BUN at 24 hours in predicting severe AP (AUC: 0.873 vs. 0.761 and 0.756, respectively). Conclusion. Rise in BUN at 24 hours is a quick and reliable test in predicting mortality and persisting multiorgan failure in AP patients.

Awake prone positioning does not reduce the risk of intubation in COVID-19 treated with high-flow nasal oxygen therapy: a multicenter, adjusted cohort study

Background Awake prone positioning (awake-PP) in non-intubated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients could avoid endotracheal intubation, reduce the use of critical care resources, and improve survival. We aimed to examine whether the combination of high-flow nasal oxygen therapy (HFNO) with awake-PP prevents the need for intubation when compared to HFNO alone. Methods Prospective, multicenter, adjusted observational cohort study in consecutive COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) receiving respiratory support with HFNO from 12 March to 9 June 2020. Patients were classified as HFNO with or without awake-PP. Logistic models were fitted to predict treatment at baseline using the following variables: age, sex, obesity, non-respiratory Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, APACHE-II, C-reactive protein, days from symptoms onset to HFNO initiation, respiratory rate, and peripheral oxyhemoglobin saturation. We compared data on demographics, vital signs, laboratory markers, need for invasive mechanical ventilation, days to intubation, ICU length of stay, and ICU mortality between HFNO patients with and without awake-PP. Results A total of 1076 patients with COVID-19 ARF were admitted, of which 199 patients received HFNO and were analyzed. Fifty-five (27.6%) were pronated during HFNO; 60 (41%) and 22 (40%) patients from the HFNO and HFNO + awake-PP groups were intubated. The use of awake-PP as an adjunctive therapy to HFNO did not reduce the risk of intubation [RR 0.87 (95% CI 0.53–1.43), p = 0.60]. Patients treated with HFNO + awake-PP showed a trend for delay in intubation compared to HFNO alone [median 1 (interquartile range, IQR 1.0–2.5) vs 2 IQR 1.0–3.0] days (p = 0.055), but awake-PP did not affect 28-day mortality [RR 1.04 (95% CI 0.40–2.72), p = 0.92]. Conclusion In patients with COVID-19 ARF treated with HFNO, the use of awake-PP did not reduce the need for intubation or affect mortality.

Awake prone positioning does not reduce the risk of intubation in COVID-19 treated with High-Flow Nasal Oxygen therapy. A multicenter, adjusted cohort study

Background Awake prone positioning (awake-PP) in non-intubated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients could avoid endotracheal intubation, reduce the use of critical care resources, and improve survival. We aimed to examine whether the combination of high-flow nasal oxygen therapy (HFNO) with awake-PP prevents the need for intubation when compared to HFNO alone. Methods Prospective, multicentre, adjusted observational cohort study in consecutive COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) receiving respiratory support with HFNO from 12 March to 9 June, 2020. Patients were classified as HFNO with or without awake-PP. Logistic models were fitted to predict treatment at baseline using the following variables: age, sex, obesity, non-respiratory sequential organ failure assessment score, APACHE-II, C-reactive protein, days from symptoms onset to HFNO initiation, respiratory rate and peripheral oxyhemoglobin saturation. We compared data on demographics, vital signs, laboratory markers, need for invasive mechanical ventilation, days to intubation, ICU length of stay, and ICU mortality between HFNO patients with and without awake-PP. Results A total of 1076 patients with COVID-19 ARF were admitted, of which 199 patients received HFNO and were analyzed. Fifty-five (27.6%) were pronated during HFNO; 60 (41%) and 22 (40%) patients from the HFNO and HFNO+awake-PP groups were intubated. The use of awake-PP as an adjunctive therapy to HFNO did not reduce the risk of intubation [RR 0.87 (95%CI: 0.53–1.43), p=0.60]. Patients treated with HFNO+awake-PP showed a trend for delay in intubation compared to HFNO alone [median 1 (interquartile range, IQR 1.0-2.5) vs 2 IQR 1.0-3.0] days, (p=0.055), but awake-PP did not affect 28-day mortality [RR 1.04 (95%CI: 0.40–2.72), p=0.92]. Conclusion In patients with COVID-19 ARF treated with HFNO, the use of awake-PP did not reduce the need for intubation or affect mortality.

Role of PANC-3 score to predict severe acute pancreatitis

Background: Acute pancreatitis is the most terrible of all the calamities that occur in connection with the abdominal viscera. Prediction of severity is an essential step in the management of acute pancreatitis. 50% of mortality can be reduced to 8% by its early recognition. PANC-3 score is widely available test that can be performed quickly, easy to measure with high accuracy in predicting acute pancreatitis.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the department of general surgery, VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital over 50 patients admitted with acute pancreatitis. After making the clinical diagnosis, PANC -3 score, modified ATLANTA score, APACHE II were done. CRP and CTSI (computed tomography sensitivity index) were calculated and correlated.Results: Mean age was 44.74 years and most common cause was biliary tract pathology. Mortality observed in 5 patients, 11 patients had severe disease. Sensitivity of PANC- 3 was 81.82%, specificity -92.31% with 75% PPV and 94.7% NPV.Conclusions: PANC-3 can be used to predict the severity of pancreatitis as efficiently as Modified ATLANTA classification/APACHE II. It uses only three criteria which are easily done, and available in the basic health care setup. Its interpretation does not need expertise and can be applied at the time of admission which is an advantage when compared to classical scoring systems.

Determination of severity of acute pancreatitis

Background: Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory process with a highly variable clinical course. The present study was conducted to assess severity of acute pancreatitis.Methods: The present study was conducted on 53 patients of acute pancreatitis of both genders. A thorough clinical examination was performed. Ranson’s score (RS), Glasgow score (GS), acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE-II) score, APACHE-O score and Balthazar’s computed tomography severity index (CTSI) score was recorded.Results: Out of 53 patients, males were 47 and females were 6. Patients were divided into acute pancreatitis (32) and severe pancreatitis (21). Results of the bivariate analysis of Ranson scoring system in mild periodontitis was 0.84 in severe was 2.95, Glasgow score was 0.66 in mild and 2.48 in severe, APACHE-II had 6.94 in mild and 10.33 in severe, APACHE-O had 7.34 in mild and 11 in severe and CTSI had 1.9 in mild and 6.15 in severe.Conclusions: Authors found that all the scoring systems are useful in assessing the severity of acute pancreatitis.