2021-12-06

Hedenstierna Laboratory, CIRRUS, Department of Surgical Sciences, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Intensive Care Medicine. Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe. Valencia, Spain.; Department of Surgical Sciences, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.; Department of Surgical Sciences, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Department of Medical Sciences, Section of Clinical Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Department of Medical Cell Biology, Integrative Physiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.; Department of Medical Sciences, Section of Clinical Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.; Hedenstierna Laboratory, CIRRUS, Department of Surgical Sciences, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.; Hedenstierna Laboratory, CIRRUS, Department of Surgical Sciences, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Department of Surgical Sciences, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: miklos.lipcsey@surgsci.uu.se.CN - Uppsala Intensive Care COVID-19 Research Group

BACKGROUND: Although pneumonia is the hallmark of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), multiple organ failure may develop in severe disease. TNFα receptors in their soluble form (sTNFR) are involved in the immune cascade in other systemic inflammatory processes such as septic shock, and could mediate the inflammatory activation of distant organs. The aim of this study is to analyse plasma levels of sTNFR 1 and 2 in association with organ failure and outcome in critically ill patients with COVID-19. METHODS: After informed consent, we included 122 adult patients with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 at ICU admission. Demographic data, illness severity scores, organ failure and survival at 30 days were collected. Plasma sTNFR 1 and 2 levels were quantified during the first days after ICU admission. Twenty-five healthy blood donors were used as control group. RESULTS: Levels of sTNFR were higher in severe COVID-19 patients compared to controls (p < 0.001). Plasma levels of sTNFR were associated to

2021-12-16

Centro di Riferimento per la Medicina di Genere, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy.; Centro di Riferimento per la Medicina di Genere, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy.; Centro di Riferimento per la Medicina di Genere, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy.; Centro di Riferimento per la Medicina di Genere, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy.; Centro di Riferimento per la Medicina di Genere, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy.; Istituto Nazionale per le Malattie Infettive Lazzaro Spallanzani (IRCCS), Via Portuense 292, Rome, Italy.; Istituto Nazionale per le Malattie Infettive Lazzaro Spallanzani (IRCCS), Via Portuense 292, Rome, Italy.; Istituto Nazionale per le Malattie Infettive Lazzaro Spallanzani (IRCCS), Via Portuense 292, Rome, Italy.; Istituto Nazionale per le Malattie Infettive Lazzaro Spallanzani (IRCCS), Via Portuense 292, Rome, Italy.; Istituto Nazionale per le Malattie Infettive Lazzaro Spallanzani (IRCCS), Via Portuense 292, Rome, Italy.; Istituto Nazionale per le Malattie Infettive Lazzaro Spallanzani (IRCCS), Via Portuense 292, Rome, Italy.; Istituto Nazionale per le Malattie Infettive Lazzaro Spallanzani (IRCCS), Via Portuense 292, Rome, Italy.; Istituto Nazionale per le Malattie Infettive Lazzaro Spallanzani (IRCCS), Via Portuense 292, Rome, Italy.; Istituto Nazionale per le Malattie Infettive Lazzaro Spallanzani (IRCCS), Via Portuense 292, Rome, Italy.; Istituto Nazionale per le Malattie Infettive Lazzaro Spallanzani (IRCCS), Via Portuense 292, Rome, Italy.; Istituto Nazionale per le Malattie Infettive Lazzaro Spallanzani (IRCCS), Via Portuense 292, Rome, Italy.; Centro di Riferimento per la Medicina di Genere, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy. mc.gagliardi@iss.it.; Istituto Nazionale per le Malattie Infettive Lazzaro Spallanzani (IRCCS), Via Portuense 292, Rome, Italy.; Centro di Riferimento per la Medicina di Genere, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy.CN - INMI-ISS COVID-19 team

BACKGROUND: Several biomarkers have been identified to predict the outcome of COVID-19 severity, but few data are available regarding sex differences in their predictive role. Aim of this study was to identify sex-specific biomarkers of severity and progression of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in COVID-19. METHODS: Plasma levels of sex hormones (testosterone and 17β-estradiol), sex-hormone dependent circulating molecules (ACE2 and Angiotensin1-7) and other known biomarkers for COVID-19 severity were measured in male and female COVID-19 patients at admission to hospital. The association of plasma biomarker levels with ARDS severity at admission and with the occurrence of respiratory deterioration during hospitalization was analysed in aggregated and sex disaggregated form. RESULTS: Our data show that some biomarkers could be predictive both for males and female patients and others only for one sex. Angiotensin1-7 plasma levels and neutrophil count predicted the outcome of

2021-08-29

Department of Surgical Sciences, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: anna.gradin@surgsci.uu.se.; Department of Surgical Sciences, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.; Department of Surgical Sciences, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.; Department of Surgical Sciences, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.; Department of Surgical Sciences, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.; Department of Surgical Sciences, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Hedenstierna laboratory, CIRRUS, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.; Department of Medical Sciences, Clinical Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.; Department of Medical Sciences, Clinical Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.; Department of Surgical Sciences, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.; Department of Surgical Sciences, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Department of Medical Cell Biology, Integrative Physiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury is common in COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU. Urinary biomarkers are a non-invasive way of assaying renal damage, and so far, urinary cytokines are not fully investigated. The current study aimed to assess urinary cytokine levels in COVID-19 patients. METHODS: Urine was collected from COVID-19 patients (n = 29) in intensive care and compared to a preoperative group of patients (n = 9) with no critical illness. 92 urinary cytokines were analyzed in multiplex using the Olink Target 96 inflammation panel and compared to clinical characteristics, and urinary markers of kidney injury. RESULTS: There were strong correlations between proinflammatory cytokines and between urinary cytokines and urinary kidney injury markers in 29 COVID-19 patients. Several cytokines were correlated to kidney injury, 31 cytokines to AKI stage and 19 cytokines correlated to maximal creatinine. CONCLUSIONS: Urinary inflammatory cytokines from a wide range of immune cell

2021-05-12

Department of Life Sciences, National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 84105, Israel.; Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, University of Ilorin, PMB 1515, Ilorin, Nigeria; Department of Agricultural Civil Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea.; DICEA - Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 9, 35131, Padova, Italy.; Department of Chemical Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, 462 003, Madhya Pradesh, India.; Discipline of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, 453552, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India.; Discipline of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, 453552, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India.; Discipline of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, 453552, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India.; Centre for Environmental Studies, University of Allahabad, Prayagraj, 211002, Uttar Pradesh, India.; Department of Molecular and Cellular Engineering, Jacob Institute of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj, 211007, Uttar Pradesh, India. Electronic address: francesco.dimaria@unipg.it.; LAR(5) Laboratory - Dipartimento di Ingegneria - University of Perugia, via G. Duranti 93, 06125, Perugia, Italy. Electronic address: francesco.dimaria@unipg.it.

According to the WHO, on October 16, 2020, the spreading of the SARS-CoV-2, responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, reached 235 countries and territories, and resulting in more than 39 million confirmed cases and 1.09 million deaths globally. Monitoring of the virus outbreak is one of the main activities pursued to limiting the number of infected people and decreasing the number of deaths that have caused high pressure on the health care, social, and economic systems of different countries. Wastewater based epidemiology (WBE), already adopted for the surveillance of life style and health conditions of communities, shows interesting features for the monitoring of the COVID-19 diffusion. Together with wastewater, the analysis of airborne particles has been recently suggested as another useful tool for detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in given areas. The present review reports the status of research currently performed concerning the monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 spreading by WBE and

2021-01-31

Department of Surgical Sciences, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: sara.bulow@surgsci.uu.se.; Department of Surgical Sciences, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.; Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.; Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.; Department of Surgical Sciences, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.; Department of Surgical Sciences, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Hedenstierna Laboratory, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.; Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.; Department of Surgical Sciences, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.; Department of Surgical Sciences, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Department of Medical Cell Biology, Integrative Physiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.

BACKGROUND: The infection caused by SARS CoV-2 has been postulated to induce a cytokine storm syndrome that results in organ failure and even death in a considerable number of patients. However, the inflammatory response in Corona virus disease-19 (Covid-19) and its potential to cause collateral organ damage has not been fully elucidated to date. This study aims to characterize the acute cytokine response in a cohort of critically ill Covid-19 patients. METHOD: 24 adults with PCR-confirmed Covid-19 were included at time of admission to intensive care a median of eleven days after initial symptoms. Eleven adult patients admitted for elective abdominal surgery with preoperative plasma samples served as controls. All patients were included after informed consent was obtained. 27 cytokines were quantified in plasma. The expression of inflammatory mediators was then related to routine inflammatory markers, SAPS3, SOFA score, organ failure and 30-day mortality. RESULTS: A general increase

2021-01-18

The GOG Foundation, Edgewater, MD.; Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus.; Cancer Diagnosis Program, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD.

OBJECTIVES: Millions of biospecimens will be collected during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. As learned from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), proper biospecimen handling is necessary to prevent laboratory-related infections. METHODS: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) interim biosafety guidelines continue to be updated. Presented here are additional considerations intended to complement the interim guidance. These considerations draw on prior SARS recommendations and recent COVID-19 reports. RESULTS: SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA has been detected in various biospecimen types; however, studies are needed to determine whether viral load indicates viable virus. Throughout the pandemic, biospecimens will be collected for various purposes from COVID-19 known and suspected cases, as well as presymptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. Current data suggest the pandemic start

Cardiothoracovascular Department, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano Isontina (ASUGI) and Department of Medical Surgical and Health Science, University of Trieste, Via Valdoni 7, Trieste, 34149, Italy.; Cardiothoracovascular Department, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano Isontina (ASUGI) and Department of Medical Surgical and Health Science, University of Trieste, Via Valdoni 7, Trieste, 34149, Italy.; Clinical Pathology Department, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Friuli Centrale (ASUFC) and Department of Medicine (DAME), University of Udine, Udine, 33100, Italy.; Cardiothoracovascular Department, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano Isontina (ASUGI) and Department of Medical Surgical and Health Science, University of Trieste, Via Valdoni 7, Trieste, 34149, Italy.; Cardiothoracovascular Department, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano Isontina (ASUGI) and Department of Medical Surgical and Health Science, University of Trieste, Via Valdoni 7, Trieste, 34149, Italy.; Cardiothoracovascular Department, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano Isontina (ASUGI) and Department of Medical Surgical and Health Science, University of Trieste, Via Valdoni 7, Trieste, 34149, Italy.

Acute heart failure (AHF) affects millions of people worldwide, and it is a potentially life-threatening condition for which the cardiologist is more often brought into play. It is crucial to rapidly identify, among patients presenting with dyspnoea, those with AHF and to accurately stratify their risk, in order to define the appropriate setting of care, especially nowadays due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Furthermore, with physical examination being limited by personal protective equipment, the use of new alternative diagnostic and prognostic tools could be of extreme importance. In this regard, usage of biomarkers, especially when combined (a multimarker approach) is beneficial for establishment of an accurate diagnosis, risk stratification and post-discharge monitoring. This review highlights the use of both traditional biomarkers such as natriuretic peptides (NP) and troponin, and emerging biomarkers such as soluble suppression of tumourigenicity (sST2) and

2021-03-09

Department of Internal Medicine, Yuma Regional Medicine, Yuma, AZ, USA.; Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.; Department of Internal Medicine, Abrazo Central Campus, Phoenix, AZ, USA.; American University of Antigua, Jabberwock Road, Osbourn, Antigua & Barbuda, USA.; Department of Neurosciences and Internal Medicine, University of California School of Medicine, San Diego, CA, USA.; Department of Internal Medicine, Larkin Community Hospital, FL, USA.; Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA.; Department of Internal Medicine, Loyola University, Chicago, IL, USA.; Department of Internal Medicine, Swedish Covenant Hospital, Chicago, IL, USA.; Department of Internal Medicine, Jackson Park Hospital, Chicago, IL, USA.; Department of Internal Medicine, Hackensack Ocean Medical Center, Brick Township, NJ, USA.; Clinical Research Program, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, USA.; Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.; Department of Internal Medicine, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Scranton, PA, USA.; Department of Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, USA.; Department of Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, USA. Electronic address: pmalik.ma@gmail.com.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been a challenge globally. In severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic 60% of patients had hepatic injury, due to phylogenetic similarities of the viruses it is assumed that COVID-19 is associated with acute liver injury. In this meta-analysis, we aim to study the occurrence and association of liver injury, comorbid liver disease and elevated liver enzymes in COVID-19 confirmed hospitalizations with outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from observational studies describing comorbid chronic liver disease, acute liver injury, elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and outcomes of COVID-19 hospitalized patients from December 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020 was extracted following PRISMA guidelines. Adverse outcomes were defined as admission to intensive care unit (ICU), oxygen saturation <90%, invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), severe disease and in-hospital