Prevalence of Anti-Phospholipid Autoantibodies and Their Association with Respiratory SOFA Component in Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia: A Prospective Cohort Analysis in Tunisia

Purpose: The aim of our study was to evaluate the prevalence of aPLAs among Tunisian critically-ill covid19 and non-covid19 patients and to investigate the clinical significance of aPLAs by determining the SOFA score and their respiratory failure during their ICU stay. Methods: We conducted a prospective observational cohort study including critically ill COVID-19 patients and non-COVID-19 patients with pulmonary origin sepsis, admitted to the intensive care unit. Blood samples were collected on days 1, 3, 5, 8 and 10 of hospitalization in order to measure titers of anti-cardiolipin (aCL), anti-phosphatidylserine (aPS) by chemiluminescence immunoassay. Results: We enrolled 43 COVID-19 patients and 31 non COVID-19 with pulmonary origin sepsis. In-hospital mortality rate was significantly higher (p=0.026) in COVID-19 patients (79%). 58.8% of COVID-19 patients were aPLA positive; however, only 22.5% of the non-COVID-19 were positive for aPLA (p=0.002). A significant positive correlation existed between respiratory SOFA component at days 3, 5, 8 and 10 and anti-phospholipid antibodies concentrations. Conclusion: Based on our results, for the first time, anti-phospholipid antibodies may be used as an independent indicator of respiratory organ failure in critically ill patients, to stratify and assess the prognosis of pulmonary origin sepsis and COVID-19.

Karasor-3 Site in the Upper Tobol

The paper introduces a collection of prehistoric artifacts from Karasor-3 archeological site (1999). The Karasor cluster is located in the Upper Tobol region near the town of Lisakovsk, in the northern part of the Turgai depression, which connects the West Siberian and Turan plains. The Turgai depression borders on the Trans-Ural Plateau on the west and on the Kazakh hummocks and the Ulutau Mountains on the east. This environment does not contribute to the preservation of the cultural layer. As a result, the pottery and stone fragments found at the Karasor 3 site were collected from the surface. The article contains a detailed description of the pottery. The stone tools underwent a technical and typological analysis based on the products of primary splitting, morphological parameters and size of plates, the ratio of blanks and tools made of plates and flakes, methods of secondary processing, and typological composition of the tool kit. The nature of the raw materials was considered as an independent indicator. The stone industry of the Late Eneolithic era proved similar to the Tersek culture. The pottery ranged from the Late Eneolithic to the Early Iron Age.

Prognostic Utility of Prechemoradiotherapy Albumin-to-Alkaline Phosphatase Ratio in Unresectable Locally Advanced Pancreatic Carcinoma Patients

Background. We investigated the prognostic usefulness of prechemoradiotherapy (CRT) albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio (AAPR) in unresectable locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma (LAPAC) patients managed with definitive concurrent CRT (CCRT). Methods. A sum of 136 LAPAC patients who consecutively underwent definitive CCRT was retrospectively analyzed. The AAPR (serum albumin (g/dL)/serum alkaline phosphatase (IU/L)) was calculated by using the parameters obtained from the routine biochemistry tests on the first day of the CCRT. Ideal AAPR cutoff was sought by utilizing receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The primary and secondary endpoints were the impact of the AAPR on the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) results, respectively. Results. At a median follow-up of 14.8 months (range: 3.2-85.7), the median PFS and OS times were 7.5 (95% confidence interval (CI): 6.0-9.0) and 14.9 months (95% CI: 11.9-17.9), respectively. The ideal common AAPR cutoff was identified at the rounded 0.46 (area under the curve: 72.3%; sensitivity: 71.2%; specificity: 70.3%) point that dichotomized the patients into two groups: low AAPR (L-AAPR; N = 71 ) and high AAPR (H-AAPR; N = 65 ) groups, respectively. Comparative survival analyses showed that the L-AAPR cohort had significantly shorter median PFS (6.8 (95% CI: 5.7-7.9) versus 11.3 (95% CI: 9.9-12.7) months; P = 0.005 ) and OS (12.8 (95% CI: 10.6-15.0) versus 19.2 (95% CI: 16.9-21.5) months; P = 0.001 ) durations than their H-AAPR counterparts, separately. Albeit the N1-2 ( P = 0.004 ) and CA 19 ‐ 9 > 90 U / mL ( P = 0.008 ) were also found to be associated with inferior outcomes, yet the results of the multivariate analyses ascertained the L-AAPR as an independent indicator of diminished PFS ( P = 0.003 ) and OS ( P = 0.002 ) results. Conclusion. The present results proposed that the pretreatment AAPR < 0.46 was a novel independent indicator of adverse PFS and OS in unresectable LAPAC patients undergoing definitive CCRT.

Abnormal ST segment in electrocardiograph predicts poor outcome in patients with acute subarachnoid hemorrhage

Background and purpose: There are high occurrences of abnormal electrocardio-graphic (ECG) in patients with acute subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Thus, we want to determine whether any specific characteristics in ECG are associated with poor clinical outcomes in patients with SAH inhospital. Methods: A total of 145 patient who selected from 270 cases with non-traumatic SAH was included in this study. A standard surface ECG was assessed for all patients within 72 hours of SAH onset. All patients were stratified into Good or Poor outcome groups according to the in-hospital mortality or neurological worsening (World Federation of Neurological Surgeons, WFNS class) when they discharge from our hospital. Results: These patients in Poor outcome (n = 29) had significantly high heart rate (93.52± 22.23 bpm vs 78.42 ± 18 bpm, P < 0.01), prolonged QTc (458.17 ± 44.88 ms vs 436.89 ± 43.46 ms, P = 0.027) and corrected Tpeak–Tend interval (cTp-e, 106.19 ± 22.22 ms vs 93.14 ± 21.04 ms, P = 0.007) and high occurrence of ECG abnormalities including ST segment (90% vs 44%, P < 0.01) and left ventricular high voltage (28%vs 10%, P = 0.03). Multivariable logistic regression identified independent variables indicating poor outcome in-hospital including abnormal ST (OR = 2.507, 95% CI, 1.051-5.941, P = 0.037) and WFNS class (OR = 2.280, 95% CI, 1.605-3.240, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Abnormal ST segment of ECG is an independent indicator for poor inhospital outcomes regardless the severity of patients with SAH and warrant to further study their mechanism in the future.

Residual resistivity as an independent indicator of resonant levels in semiconductors

A novel method which allows to distinguish between resonant and non-resonant impurities in thermoelectric semiconductors is presented.