TREC/KREC Levels and T and B Lymphocyte Subpopulations in COVID-19 Patients at Different Stages of the Disease

Background: T and B cell-mediated immunity can be assessed using T cell receptor excision circle (TREC) and Kappa-deleting recombination excision circle (KREC) analysis, respectively, and successful implementation of this method requires evaluation of the correlation between the TREC frequencies and T cell subsets as well as KREC levels and B lymphocyte subsets. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the correlation between the TREC/KREC concentrations and T/B lymphocyte subsets at different stages of COVID-19. Methods: We examined 33 patients in the acute stage of COVID-19 (including 8 patients with poor outcomes) and 33 COVID-19 survivors. TREC/KREC concentrations were measured using quantitative real-time PCR. T/B lymphocyte subsets were determined using flow cytometry. Results: Blood TREC and KREC levels were found to be significantly lower in the acute stage of COVID-19 compared to control values. Moreover, a zero blood TREC level was a predictor of a poor disease outcome. Reductions in CD3⁺CD4⁺CD45RO⁻CD62L⁻ and CD3⁺CD8⁺CD45RO⁻CD62L⁻ T cell counts (as well as in the main fractions of B1 and B2 B cells) indicated a favorable outcome in COVID-19 patients in the acute stage of the disease. Decreased CD3⁺CD4⁺CD45RO⁻CD62L⁺ and CD3⁺CD8⁺CD45RO⁻CD62L⁺ T cell frequencies and increased CD3⁺CD8⁺CD45RO⁻CD62L⁻ cell counts were found to indicate a poor outcome in patients with acute COVID-19. These patients were also found to have increased B1 cell counts while demonstrating no changes in B2 cell counts. The levels of effector T cell subsets an naïve B cells were normal in COVID-19 survivors. The most pronounced correlations between TREC/KREC levels and T/B cell subsets counts were observed in COVID-19 survivors: there were positive correlations with naïve T and B lymphocytes and negative correlations with central and effector memory T cell subsets. Conclusions: The assessment of correlations between TREC and T cell subsets as well as KREC levels and B cell subset counts in patients with acute COVID-19 and COVID-19 survivors has shown that blood concentrations of TREC and KREC are sensitive indicators of the stage of antigen-independent differentiation of adaptive immunity cells. The results of the TREC and KREC analysis correlated with the stages of COVID-19 and differed depending on the outcome of COVID-19.     

Immunostimulating activity of eubiotic bioflor in intestinal dysbacteriosis of various origin

The data are reported on novel eubiotic biofor's effects on immune status of 213 patients with intestinal dysbacteriosis (39 surgical gastroenterological patients, 43 patients with diarrheal infections, 50 AIDS patients, 81 cancer patients exposed to radiation and chemotherapy). It was found that bioflor acts as an antidysbacteriosis drug and as an immunostimulator. It stimulates T-cell immunity, phagocytosis, B-cell immunity. Immunostimulating effect of bioflor depends on dysbacteriosis degree and is maximal at its first stages.     

Surgical treatment of hemorrhoids

Since 1994 in addition to standard operations for chronic and acute hemorrhoids in Krasnodar military hospital the device for suturing in removal of internal hemorrhoids has been applied. From 1994 to 2000 examination and treatment of 240 patients with hemorrhoids were carried out. In the study group (128 patients) hemorrhoidectomy was performed by the developed method, in control (112 patients)--by standard techniques. In early postoperative period significantly smaller quantity of complications were seen in the study group (8.4%) compared with control group (29.8%). Decrease of hospital stay and out-patient treatment was also seen. Relapses of the disease were not revealed in terms from one to six years after surgery. The device may be employed in simultaneous operations when concomitant anorectal diseases are present. The above results justify one-stage operations in combination of chronic hemorrhoids with anorectal diseases. The proposed device makes this surgery easier.     

The characteristics of the clinical course of lymphosarcomas when using combined therapy including splenectomy]

The authors relate the results of a clinico-morpho-instrumental analysis of the clinical course of lymphosarcomas in 38 patients with different morphological patterns of the disease with primary injury to the spleen. The patients received multimodality therapy including splenectomy. It has been established that later the short-term effect of splenectomy permits the implementation of different polychemotherapy programs, favouring a better lymphosarcoma prediction.