Inflammatory and vascular biomarkers in post-COVID-19 syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis of over 20 biomarkers

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 may inflict a post-viral condition known as post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) or long-COVID. Studies measuring levels of inflammatory and vascular biomarkers in blood, serum, or plasma of COVID-19 survivors with PCS versus non-PCS controls have produced mixed findings. Our review sought to meta-analyse those studies. A systematic literature search was performed across five databases until 25 June 2022, with an updated search on 1 November 2022. Data analyses were performed with Review Manager and R Studio statistical software. Twenty-four biomarkers from 23 studies were meta-analysed. Higher levels of C-reactive protein (Standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.20; 95% CI: 0.02–0.39), D-dimer (SMD = 0.27; 95% CI: 0.09–0.46), lactate dehydrogenase (SMD = 0.30; 95% CI: 0.05–0.54), and leukocytes (SMD = 0.34; 95% CI: 0.02–0.66) were found in COVID-19 survivors with PCS than in those without PCS. After sensitivity analyses, lymphocytes (SMD = 0.30; 95% CI: 0.12–0.48) and interleukin-6 (SMD = 0.30; 95% CI: 0.12–0.49) were also significantly higher in PCS than non-PCS cases. No significant differences were noted in the remaining biomarkers investigated (e.g., ferritin, platelets, troponin, and fibrinogen). Subgroup analyses suggested the biomarker changes were mainly driven by PCS cases diagnosed via manifestation of organ abnormalities rather than symptomatic persistence, as well as PCS cases with duration of <6 than ≥6 months. In conclusion, our review pinpointed certain inflammatory and vascular biomarkers associated with PCS, which may shed light on potential new approaches to understanding, diagnosing, and treating PCS.     

Soluble immune complexes in the sera of newly diagnosed insulin-dependent diabetics and in treated diabetics

Soluble immune complexes were detected by the Raji cell assay in seven out of thirteen newly diagnosed insulin-dependent diabetics, six of whom had islet cell antibodies (ICAb) in the serum. None of the others had ICAb. The titres for a wide range of viral antibodies were similar in these thirteen diabetics as in age- and sex-matched controls, except for antibodies to Coxsackie B4. Six had titres of Coxsackie B4 antibodies greater than or equal to 1:32, but only three of these had evidence of immune complexes in the serum, and these were not correlated with the titres of Coxsackie B4 antibodies. None of these diabetics had antibodies to insulin and none of their age- and sex-matched controls had evidence of immune complexes in the serum.

53% of thirty-two diabetics treated with insulin and 10% of fifty-two diabetics requiring oral hypoglycaemic agents (OHA) or diet had evidence of immune complexes in the serum, compared to 6% of control subjects. High titres of insulin antibodies correlated with evidence for immune complexes. There was a stronger tendency for immune complexes to occur in the presence of moderate titres of insulin antibodies when the age at onset of insulin-dependent diabetes was less than 30 years. Out of sixteen patients treated with heterologous insulin for 13 years or more, and who also had late diabetic complications, twelve had immune complexes in the serum.

     

Craniomaxillofacial injuries in the United Arab Emirates: a retrospective study.

PURPOSE: To analyze craniomaxillofacial injuries in selected hospitals in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study of craniomaxillofacial injuries treated in 3 major hospitals in the UAE. Patient files were retrieved, reviewed, and analyzed. The main analysis outcome measures were the patients' name, age, and gender and the injuries' time, site, type, treatment and outcome. RESULTS: A total of 288 patients sustained 475 craniomaxillofacial injuries; road traffic accidents caused the majority of injuries. The patients ranged in age from 2 to 82 years (mean, 27.3 years), and the male-to-female ratio was 7:1. The yearly distribution of fractures peaked during 2001, and the monthly distribution peaked in January. The greatest number (41%) of patients were UAE nationals. Most patients (70.5%) had mandibular fractures, and the most common site was the body. There were 139 patients (48.3%) with a total of 171 midface fractures (36%); the most common fracture site was the zygomatic complex (29.8%). The most common treatment for jaw fractures was plating plus intermaxillary fixation. Stable zygomatic complex fractures were closely reduced (elevated), and unstable ones were treated by internal fixation. About 25% of the cases had 1 or more postoperative complication. CONCLUSIONS: Craniomaxillofacial injuries in the UAE included in this study are somewhat similar to those reported in other countries. Differences from other countries are probably related to factors peculiar to the UAE, such as climate, social trends, and the cosmopolitan population.     

In vitro efficacy of some drugs on promastigotes of Leishmania donovani.

Sodium stibogluconate, metronidazole and dehydroemetine Roche were tested for their in vitro action on the mobility, morphology and survival of promastigotes of Leishmania donovani. At low concentrations, sodium stibogluconate, the drug of choice for kala azar treatment in Iraq proved to be poorly effective in the prevention of promastigotes growth in vitro. On the other hand, both metronidazole and dehydroemetine Roche at low concentrations were highly effective in the prevention of promastigotes of L. donovani growth in vitro. 3.51 X 10(2), 9.34 and 3.13 mmol of sodium stibogluconate, metronidazole and dehydroemetine, respectively, were required to show the same effect in vitro.     

Synthesis,anticancer, apoptosis-inducing activities and EGFR and VEGFR2 assay mechanistic studies of 5,5-diphenylimidazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives: Molecular docking studies

A new series of 5,5-diphenylhydantoin derivatives containing benzylidene or isatin (4–19) was synthesized. Their anticancer activity against HeLa, a cervical cancer cell line, A549, a lung cancer cell line, and MDA-MB-231, a breast cancer cell line, was evaluated. Compounds 13, 16, 17 and 18 exhibited potent anticancer activity with average IC₅₀ values against the tested cell lines of 109, 59, 81 and 113 μM, respectively. Compound 16 showed potent EGFR and VEGFR2 inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ values of 6.17 and 0.09 μM, respectively. In addition, compound 16 induced caspase-dependent apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production at 5 and 10 μM. Moreover, a molecular docking simulation was performed for compound 16 and sunitinib to predict the protein-ligand interactions with the active site of VEGFR2.     

Genetic variation at − 1878 (rs2596542) in MICA gene region is associated with chronic hepatitis B virus infection in Saudi Arabian patients

MHC class I polypeptide-related chain A (MICA), mapping to 6p21.33, belongs to the non-classical class I family and its expression is induced by several stress factors including viral infection. A recent genome-wide association study has identified a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of MICA, rs2596542 to be significantly associated with hepatitis C-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a Japanese population. Therefore, this study aims to investigate whether the SNP rs2596542 plays any role in hepatitis B virus (HBV) sero-clearance or in the development of complications associated with chronic HBV such as cirrhosis and/or HCC. TaqMan genotyping assay was used to identify the association of the SNP among 584 normal healthy controls and 777 HBV-infected patients. The patient group was further categorized into inactive carriers (Group I), active carriers (Group II), cirrhosis (Group III) and cirrhosis-HCC (Group IV). Variation at this SNP was found to be significantly more frequent in control subjects than in patients (OR = 0.852; 95% C.I. = 0.730–0.994; p = 0.0415). Also, the SNP was found to have a highly significant association when the inactive carriers were compared to the rest of the patients (OR = 1.308; 95% C.I. = 1.058–1.617; p = 0.0130). The TT genotype was found to occur more frequently among active HBV carriers (groups II, III and IV) when compared to inactive HBV carriers, thus suggesting that the rs2596542-T may be recessively associated with an active HBV infection. However, no significant association was observed in the case of HBV-related cirrhosis or HCC. These findings indicate that the MICA rs2596542 has a significant role in HBV infection.     

Correlation between diabetes mellitus and number of restored,carious lesions and missing teeth: A retrospective radiographic evaluation

AimThis study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of carious, restored, and missing teeth among diabetic and non-diabetic patients who visited dental clinics in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.MethodThis retrospective study was conducted between April and November 2018. The data collection procedure was conducted in two steps: (1) review of patient records for the demographic variables and (2) screening of digital panoramic radiographs (OPGs). The patients who visited the restorative and prosthetic clinics in the period of 2016–2017 were included in the study.ResultsA total of 1186 patient records and OPGs were reviewed to extract the data. The average age of the patients in the study sample was 40.96 (±16.29). The sample included 751 (63.3%) female and 435 (36.7%) male patients. Among the patients, 192 (16.2%) had diabetes mellitus and 994 (83.8%) were non-diabetic. The average numbers of fixed partial dentures and missing teeth were significantly high among diabetic patients (P < 0.001). Conversely, the average numbers of carious lesions and restored teeth were higher among the non-diabetic patients. Only the number of restored teeth was found to be significant (P < 0.001).ConclusionThe diabetic patients were found to be at high risk of losing teeth compared with the non-diabetic patients. The prevalence of fixed partial dentures was also higher among diabetic patients. The oral health status of dental patients with diabetes needs urgent attention to prevent these patients from having teeth loss, and it can be done by improving their oral health.     

Dental arch parameters of the displacement and nondisplacement sides in subjects with unilateral palatal canine ectopia

Objective:To compare arch perimeter and teeth size, number, and shape between the two sides of the dental arch—the canine displacement side (DS) and the nondisplacement side (NDS)—in subjects with unilateral palatally displaced canine (PDC).Materials and Methods:Orthopantomograms (OPTs) of 240 subjects with unilateral PDC and 240 OPT matching controls were used. Additionally, study casts of 100 study subjects and 100 controls were used. The age of subjects ranged between 14 and 25 years. Dental casts were digitized and several parameters were recorded.Results:The transverse width from midpalatal line to the buccal segment and the palatal area on the DS was larger than that in the NDS (P < .05 to .001), with no difference in tooth size between both sides. Maxillary second premolars, canines, and lateral incisors in the PDC group were smaller than those in control group. Peg-shaped lateral incisors were significantly more frequent in the study group (P < .001).Conclusions:The transverse width of the DS was larger than that of the NDS. Both sides were generally smaller than those of the control group. Tooth size in the DS was comparable to that in the NDS but smaller than those of the control group. A missing or peg-shaped lateral incisor was the most common reported anomaly.