Is the Urine Analysis, a Diagnostic Value in COVID-19 Patients?

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2), a novel coronavirus causing Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) in December 2019, is now a pandemic infectious disease, primarily affecting the respiratory tract. To date, many investigations are available for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2. A viral nucleic acid test has been used for the diagnosis of COVID-19, and some hematological indicators have been used in the auxiliary diagnosis and identification of the severity of COVID-19. There are very few studies available in routine urine biochemical parameters and their relation with Covid-19 patients. Aim: This study is aimed to study the changes in urine parameter values in COVID-19 disease and to predict the severity of the disease with the changes in urine parameters. Materials and Methods: A total of 150 patients with COVID-19 were admitted at Saveetha Medical College and Hospital during the study period. All cases tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR test done on nasopharyngeal swabs during the study period were included. Patients who tested negative by RT-PCR test were considered as controls. The relationship between the results of urine biochemical parameters and the severity of COVID-19 were analysed by Descriptive statistics, Chi-squared test. Results: The positive rates of proteinuria (PRO) and leucocytes were more significant in COVID-19 patients than in healthy controls. The urine specific gravity (SG) value was highly significant (p <0.001) while the blood, nitrites in urine, and potential of hydrogen (pH) value was insignificant. Conclusion: There were some considerable changes in few urine biochemical parameters between patients with the SARS-CoV-2 and healthy controls. So from this study we conclude, proteinuria is helpful for predicting COVID-19 severity and kidney function.

Effects of NP on some hematological and immunological indices in sarcoma TG180-bearing mice

Objective: Evaluate the effects of saponin-rich extracts from Panax notoginseng roots with steaming - NP (H) and without steaming - NP (O) on some hematological and immunological indices in sarcoma TG180-bearing mice. Methods: The mice were injected with Sarcoma TG180 cells in the thigh to cause tumors, then were oral administrated NP(O), NP(H), Letinan or normal saline from the 6th day to 22nd day since developed tumors. On the 22nd day, blood was taken for IL-2, TNF-α and hematological indicators, revealing and determining the relative weight of spleen and thymus. Results: NP(H) and NP(O) at both level of the doses of 300 mg/kg/day and 900 mg/kg/day increased red blood cell count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, adjusted white blood cell and platelet counts return to physiological level, increased blood IL-2 and TNF-α, increased relative weight of spleen and thymus. Conclusion: The saponin-rich extracts from Panax notoginseng roots had the effects of improving hematological index and enhancing immunity on sarcoma 180-bearing mice, in which the extract from steaming Panax notoginseng roots has a better effect compared with no-steaming Panax notoginseng roots ones.

ASSESSMENT OF ANTITOXIC AND ANTI-INFECTIOUS ACTIONS OF THE EXPERIMENTAL PREPARATION

In the course of the research, the antitoxic and anti-infectious effects of the developed drug were determined on white mice and white rats. To assess the antitoxic effect in the experiment on white rats, cadmium damage was modeled, followed by taking into account the antidote activity. An increase in the survival rate of animals receiving the drug was found – 60 % versus 40 % in the control, higher hematological indicators: the content of hemoglobin, erythrocytes and leukocytes in the blood of experimental animals was higher than similar control values, respectively, by 3.8, 15.3 and 16,4 %. The anti-infectious effect of the feed additive was determined during the experiment on infecting white mice with the causative agent of Escherichiosis – E. coli (strain "KB-1"). It was found that the introduction of the study drug into the diet of infected animals smoothed the clinical picture of the infectious process, had a hemoprotective effect: the content of erythrocytes, leukocytes, neutrophils, lymphocytes, neutrophils in the blood of experimental animals exceeded the control values, respectively, by 2.5, 13.6, 16, 7, 14.3, 28.6 %. The results of the investigated subject showed that the investigational drug has a well-pronounced antitoxic and anti-infectious effect.

Development and validation of a novel diagnostic model for initially clinical diagnosed gastrointestinal stromal tumors using an extreme gradient-boosting machine

Introduction Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is the most common gastrointestinal soft tissue tumor. Clinical diagnosis mainly relies on enhanced CT, endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), but the misdiagnosis rate is still high without fine needle aspiration biopsy. We aim to develop a novel diagnostic model by analyzing the preoperative data of the patients. Methods We used the data of patients who were initially diagnosed as gastric GIST and underwent partial gastrectomy. The patients were randomly divided into training dataset and test dataset at a ratio of 3 to 1. After pre-experimental screening, max depth = 2, eta = 0.1, gamma = 0.5, and nrounds = 200 were defined as the best parameters, and in this way we developed the initial extreme gradient-boosting (XGBoost) model. Based on the importance of the features in the initial model, we improved the model by excluding the hematological features. In this way we obtained the final XGBoost model and underwent validation using the test dataset. Results In the initial XGBoost model, we found that the hematological indicators (including inflammation and nutritional indicators) examined before the surgery had little effect on the outcome, so we subsequently excluded the hematological indicators. Similarly, we also screened the features from enhanced CT and ultrasound gastroscopy, and finally determined the 6 most important predictors for GIST diagnosis, including the ratio of long and short diameter under CT, the CT value of the tumor, the enhancement of the tumor in arterial period and venous period, existence of liquid area and calcific area inside the tumor under EUS. Round or round-like tumors with a CT value of around 30 (25–37) and delayed enhancement, as well as liquid but not calcific area inside the tumor best indicate the diagnosis of GIST. Conclusions We developed a model to further differential diagnose GIST from other tumors in initially clinical diagnosed gastric GIST patients by analyzing the results of clinical examinations that most patients should have completed before surgical resection.

Effects of Rumex tianschanicus Losinsk extract on hematological indicators in experimental gastritis

Gastritis is the most common gastrointestinal disease, with peptic ulcer disease accounting for 30 % of all cases, affecting about 10 % of the global population. According to 2020 statistics, 50,8 % of the population in developing countries suffers from gastritis and this number increasing annually. This study examined the medical effects of Rumex tianschanicus root extract on aspirin induced gastritis in rats. Forty five rats, 250±50 g were grouped into two: control group rats received placebo and experimental groups received acetylsalicylic acid 160 mg/kg, orally once daily for 5 consecutive days to induce acute experimental gastritis. Following gastritis registration, rats were grouped into three groups and treated with Rumex tianschanicus L.extract. The first group was given 100 mg/kg orally once a day for ten days. The second group received 50 mg/kg orally once a day for ten days. The third group did not receive the medication. At the end of the study, all the animals were Killed to determine cytological, histological changes and hematological indices. The result showed statistically significant differences (p ≤ 0,001) of total number of leukocytes, total number of erythrocytes, hemoglobin level and content of platelets but they were all within the physiological norm. As a result of the study the Rumex tianschanicus extract pharmacological properties were evaluated and its potential effect on the hematological parameters of rats during the treatment of experimental gastritis accessed. It was discovered that the Rumex tianschanicus extract has no pathological effect on peripheral blood and hemopoiesis during the period of its use. In this regard, the extract of Rumex tianschanicus is recommended for further in-depth research in experimental conditions, followed by a transition to clinical trials.

Biological traits of sled dogs of different breeds

Relevance. Recently interest in Siberian and Alaskan huskies has led to a sharp increase in their population, which has led to the relevance of the work carried out.The purpose of the research was to study and evaluate the biological characteristics of sled dogs of different breeds.Methods. The biological traits of sled dogs of Siberian and Alaskan Husky breeds have been carried out with using modern hematological and statistical research methods.Results. The dynamics of hematological indicators in dogs of different breeds before and after exercise has been established. The exercise affected the content of red blood cells — in both groups their decrease occurred (by 7.3 and 11.7%), a similar dynamics has been observed in the level of hemoglobin. The content of white blood cells in both groups, on the contrary, has been increased after exercise. Exercises during the race led to a slight change in the concentration of platelets in the blood of dogs: in Siberian huskies their content has been decreased, while in the group of Alaskan huskies has been increased. The adaptation coefficient of Siberian husky dogs was 4.4 and was higher than in Alaskan huskies by 0.6 or 13.6% (P > 0.999). The heat tolerance index for Siberian huskies was 79.0 and was higher than for Alaskan huskiesb y 8.0 or 11.3% (P > 0.99).

Integrated Analysis of Microbiome and Transcriptome Data Reveals the Interplay Between Commensal Bacteria and Fibrin Degradation in Endometrial Cancer

The gut-uterus axis plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of endometrial cancer (EC). However, the correlations between the endometrial microbiome and endometrial tumor transcriptome in patients with EC and the impact of the endometrial microbiota on hematological indicators have not been thoroughly clarified. In this prospective study, endometrial tissue samples collected from EC patients (n = 30) and healthy volunteers (n = 10) were subjected to 16S rRNA sequencing of the microbiome. The 30 paired tumor and adjacent nontumor endometrial tissues from the EC group were subjected to RNAseq. We found that Pelomonas and Prevotella were enriched in the EC group with a high tumor burden. By integrating the microbiome and hematological indicators, a correlation was observed between Prevotella and elevated serum D-dimer (DD) and fibrin degradation products (FDPs). Further transcriptome analysis identified 8 robust associations between Prevotella and fibrin degradation-related genes expressed within ECs. Finally, the microbial marker of Prevotella along with DD and FDPs showed a high potential to predict the onset of EC (AUC = 0.86). Our results suggest that the increasing abundance of Prevotella in endometrial tissue combined with high serum DD and FDP contents may be important factors associated with tumor burden. The microbe-associated transcripts of host tumors can partly explain how Prevotella promotes DD and FDPs.

Development and Validation of a Novel Diagnostic Model for Initially Clinical Diagnosed Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors Using An Extreme Gradient-Boosting Machine

INTRODUCTION Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is the most common gastrointestinal soft tissue tumor. Clinical diagnosis mainly relies on enhanced CT, endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), but the misdiagnosis rate is still high without fine needle aspiration biopsy. We aim to develop a novel diagnostic model by analyzing the preoperative data of the patients. METHODS We used the data of patients who were initially diagnosed as gastric GIST and underwent partial gastrectomy. The patients were randomly divided into training dataset and test dataset at a ratio of 3 to 1. After pre-experimental screening, max depth = 2, eta = 0.1, gamma = 0.5, and nrounds = 200 were defined as the best parameters, and in this way we developed the initial extreme gradient-boosting (XGBoost) model. Based on the importance of the features in the initial model, we improved the model by excluding the hematological features. In this way we obtained the final XGBoost model and underwent validation using the test dataset. RESULTS In the initial XGBoost model, we found that the hematological indicators (including inflammation and nutritional indicators) examined before the surgery had little effect on the outcome, so we subsequently excluded the hematological indicators. Similarly, we also screened the features from enhanced CT and ultrasound gastroscopy, and finally determined the 6 most important predictors for GIST diagnosis, including the ratio of long and short diameter under CT, the CT value of the tumor, the enhancement of the tumor in arterial period and venous period, existence of liquid area and calcific area inside the tumor under EUS. Round or round-like tumors with a CT value of around 30 (25–37) and delayed enhancement, as well as liquid but not calcific area inside the tumor best indicate the diagnosis of GIST. CONCLUSIONS We developed a model to further differential diagnose GIST from other tumors in initially clinical diagnosed gastric GIST patients by analyzing the results of clinical examinations that most patients should have completed before surgical resection.

EFFECT OF DRY EARTHWORM HOMOGENATE ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL STATUS OF LABORATORY ANIMALS

The article presents the results of the use of dry earthworm homogenate as a feed additive to the diet of white Wistar rats (Wistar). The obtained experimental material suggests that the introduction of dry earthworm homogenate in the diet of males in an amount of 0.3 % to the diet significantly increases the weight of the animals during the experiment with their 100 % safety. The live weight of the experimental animals by the end of the experiment decreased on average in the group from 257 to 210 g, in the experimental group it increased from 236 to 310 g. The absolute increase in live weight from the use of homogenate for 30 days at the rate of 100 mg/100 g of body weight in the experimental group of males was significantly higher than in the control rats and amounted to 48.8±0.15 g, and in the control group of males only 34.6±0.01 g. Hematological indicators indicate an increase in the level of hemoglobin in the blood of laboratory rats of the experimental group by 7.87 % compared to animals of the control group; an increase in the number of red blood cells by 13.2 %; a decrease in the number of platelets by 3.65 %. A tendency to reduce the number of platelets in the blood of laboratory rats of the experimental group was established. Biochemical parameters of blood serum indicate an increase in the concentration of total protein by 7.4 % relative to the values in the group of control animals. The albumin level increased by 5.65 %.