Tag: nevin manimala

Clin Lab. 2022 Jan 1;68(1). doi: 10.7754/Clin.Lab.2021.210423.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The global COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has created great problems in healthcare systems throughout the world. Although, just like other respiratory tract viral infections, it is a disease with pathophysiological processes associated in general with cytokine production, inflammation, cell death, and redox imbalance or oxidative stress, very little is known about the pathology. Also, in recent studies, the effect of asprosin, which has an important and complex role on metabolism, on COVID-19 is unknown. The aim of this study is to determine the level of asprosin, a new hormone that has the potential to affect many metabolic pathways such as glucose metabolism, in COVID-19 patients. In addition, it is to determine whether asprosin is associated with oxidative stress in COVID-19 patients.

METHODS: Blood samples were taken from 30 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 confirmed with RT-PCR test and 30 healthy control subjects. The serum asprosin level was analyzed with ELISA, and total antioxidant status (TAS) and total oxidant status (TOS) levels with colorimetric analysis.

RESULTS: The asprosin and TAS levels were determined to be statistically significantly decreased in the COVID-19 patients, and the TOS and OSI levels were significantly increased.

CONCLUSIONS: It can be thought that a decrease in asprosin level in COVID-19 patients causes a decrease in metabolic activity, prevents sufficient energy production in patients, and therefore oxidative stress increases in patients.

PMID:35023691 | DOI:10.7754/Clin.Lab.2021.210423

Clin Lab. 2022 Jan 1;68(1). doi: 10.7754/Clin.Lab.2021.210520.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 affects millions of people worldwide so WHO declared the COVID-19 pandemic on 11 March 2020. Since the vaccine is in the early trial phase and until it proves its efficacy, the need of finding alternative methods, which can help to curb this pandemic is urgent, so its prevention depends on standard infection control measures. This study’s aim is to assess the knowledge, awareness, and practice level of Taif population towards Corona Virus disease – 2019 (COVID-19) sterilization.

METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted on 504 participants by administering a well-structured questionnaire comprising three sections including demographics, knowledge, attitude, and practice among the general population in Taif governorate KSA, over a duration of three months from July until September 2020. The descriptive analysis was carried out for demographics and dependent variables using the statistical program for social sciences. The t-test was used to detect any relationship between knowledge and practice score percentage of the general population response with respect to their gender and level of education. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: A total of 504 respondents willingly participated in the survey, there is a highly significant difference in the knowledge score percentage in respondents aged between 41 – 60 years old in comparison to the age group < 20 – 40 years old also between urban residence in comparison to rural residence, and a highly significant difference in the knowledge and practice score percentage in post graduate respondents in comparison to undergraduate. In addition, there was a significant difference in the practice score percentage in respondents aged between 41 – 60 years old in comparison to age group < 20 – 40, and a highly significant difference was seen in the practice score percentage in respondents living in urban areas in comparison to rural areas.

CONCLUSIONS: The suggestion of this study was that knowledge and practice gaps among population, especially in the young age group, had to be covered by holding training programs through workshops or to include courses in the curriculum of ministry of health.

PMID:35023673 | DOI:10.7754/Clin.Lab.2021.210520

Clin Lab. 2022 Jan 1;68(1). doi: 10.7754/Clin.Lab.2021.210517.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) poses a huge threat to public health. Therefore, clinical laboratories must have the ability to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA. With the enhanced detection in Chongqing, many laboratories rapidly implemented assays for the molecular detection of SARS-CoV-2 based on real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) assays. This study aimed to improve the detection capabilities of clinical laboratories by evaluating their performance for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection through the external quality assessment (EQA) programs of 2020 in Chongqing to contribute to the prevention of this epidemic.

METHODS: The EQA panels consist of eight positive samples with concentrations within 2.7 – 5.0 log10 copies/mL quantified by digital PCR and two negative samples with other human coronaviruses clinically validated by four commercial assays. All 21 samples from four rounds were distributed to the participating laboratories through cold-chain transportation. Depending on the results from each sample, laboratories were asked to use one or two assays to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Test results and raw data were also required. All data were evaluated, and the testing performance of commercial assays was compared. For the rounds, all laboratories used commercial assays.

RESULTS: Four rounds of EQA programs were performed, and the percent agreements of participants were 97.5% (39/40), 97.5% (39/40), 98.9% (88/89), 100.0% (131/131). Only three false negative results and one false positive result were obtained. Statistical significance in the Ct values of the ORF region and N region of SARS-CoV-2-RNA was found by using one-step, one-step concentration, and magnetic bead methods (p < 0.05). The Ct values of the ORF region of SARS-CoV-2-RNA in P5 and P6 were significantly different in the different batches of reagent A (p < 0.05). The ORF region of SARS-CoV-2-RNA was not detected in a batch of reagent B.

CONCLUSIONS: The majority of laboratories in Chongqing have reliable diagnostic ability for SARS-CoV-2 detection. Our data emphasized the importance of EQA for monitoring the performance of clinical laboratories. However, clinical laboratories must first effectively evaluate the performance of reagents prior to their use.

PMID:35023672 | DOI:10.7754/Clin.Lab.2021.210517

Eur J Prosthodont Restor Dent. 2021 Dec 22. doi: 10.1922/EJPRD_2348Bashary07. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Porcelains and glass-ceramics have been used to produce CAD-milled veneers and crowns for zirconia copings and implant-abutments. This study evaluated the bondstrength of a polymer-infiltrated-ceramic-network to zirconia using two adhesive cement systems: Panavia 21 and Multilink Automix. Lithium disilicate and feldspathic porcelain were also tested as reference CAD-On materials. Long beams (3x6x40 mm³) of zirconia and short beams (3x6x15 mm³) of the CAD-On materials were prepared. Zirconia and each CAD-On material were bonded in a crossbeam arrangement and subjected to a modified tensile bond-strength test. Half of the samples in each group (n=10) were tested 5 days after bonding (baseline) and the remaining (n=10) underwent aging (50,000 thermocycles at 5°C and 55°C) prior to bond-strength testing. The effects of material, cement, and aging on the tensile bond-strength were tested using a three-way ANOVA. The reference lithium disilicate/Multilink system showed no significant differences in bond strength compared to polymer-infiltrated-ceramic-network and porcelain. The long-term retention of polymer-infiltrated-ceramic-network was not statistically different compared to the baseline values and the two reference materials. With comparable bond strength between all materials, polymer-infiltrated-ceramic-network is the favorable choice for CAD-On to zirconia copings and implant-abutments due to its superior resistance to fatigue fracture relative to porcelain.

PMID:35023665 | DOI:10.1922/EJPRD_2348Bashary07

Clin Lab. 2022 Jan 1;68(1). doi: 10.7754/Clin.Lab.2021.210422.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Identification of validated peripheral biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease, leading to an early diagnosis of the disease, would be valuable for predicting progression and targeted therapeutics. In this regard, serum levels of GADA, ZnT8A, Zn, vitamin D, and leukocyte expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene were investigated in Alzheimer’s patients and control group.

METHODS: Serum levels of GADA, ZnT8A, Zn, and vitamin D and leukocyte expression of the BDNF gene were evaluated in 40 AD patients and 40 control cases. The diagnostic value of investigated factors was examined with the receiver operating characteristic (ROC).

RESULTS: The results showed significant differences of p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, and p = 0.0006 between AD patients and control individuals in GADA, Zn, and ZnT8A serum levels, respectively. No significant difference was observed in the serum concentration of vitamin D between AD patients and control cases (p = 0.2993). The expression level of the BDNF gene in AD patients was different from control cases, but it was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Moreover, ROC curve analysis disclosed a diagnostic potency for serum levels of GADA, Zn, and ZnT8A for AD with an area under the ROC curve of > 0.7 (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, and p = 0.0007, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated the higher serum levels of GADA and ZnT8A and lower serum concentrations of Zn in the patient group. Therefore, these parameters can be discussed as possibly diagnostic in AD cases.

PMID:35023669 | DOI:10.7754/Clin.Lab.2021.210422

Turk J Pediatr. 2021;63(6):1020-1027. doi: 10.24953/turkjped.2021.06.010.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Pertussis caused by Bordetella pertussis, is a disease leading to significant morbidity and mortality in neonates and infants. Direct protection of the infant may be achieved by maternal and neonatal vaccination. Despite primary vaccination, infants under six months pose the greatest risk of infection with pertussis. Maternal immunization provides a high level of infant protection from birth until immunity is achieved by active vaccination. There is no routine Tdap vaccination recommendation for pregnant women in Turkey. This study was carried out to determine pertussis antibody levels in pregnant women and provide data for improving vaccine planning.

METHODS: The study was carried out with 133 pregnant women in Turkey. Antibody titers to pertussis toxin (anti-PT) and filamentous hemagglutinin (anti-FHA) were measured by the commercially available ELISA.

RESULTS: Among 133 participants, 93 (69.9%) were found to be immune according to anti-PT IgG antibody levels. According to anti-FHA IgG antibody levels, 123 (92.5%) participants were considered to be immune. A positive correlation was observed between PT and FHA and the findings were statistically significant (P < 0.001, r = 0.343). In the study group, the ages of the participants varied between 17 and 44 years. The mean age of those who were immune was 27.3±5.6, the mean age of non-immune patients was 29.1±6.2 and the difference was not statistically significant (P= 0.14).

CONCLUSIONS: Our results reveal that approximately one-third of pregnant women were not immune to pertussis, reflecting many young infants to be vulnerable to pertussis infection until the onset of primary vaccinations, although childhood pertussis vaccination coverage has been high for a long time. We conclude that Tdap vaccine recommendation for pregnant women regardless of previous immunization history may be beneficial for the protection of infants in their first six months.

PMID:35023652 | DOI:10.24953/turkjped.2021.06.010

Turk J Pediatr. 2021;63(6):1056-1063. doi: 10.24953/turkjped.2021.06.014.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Acute bronchiolitis is one of the most common reasons for hospitalization in infants. Although patients with acute bronchiolitis generally have a good prognosis, death can also occur. In this study, we evaluate the immature platelet fraction (IPF) as an indicator of the severity of acute bronchiolitis.

METHODS: In our study, 179 patients diagnosed with acute bronchiolitis were divided into three groups as mild (n: 48; 26.8%), moderate (n: 104; 58.10%) and severe (n: 27; 15.1%) bronchiolitis. There were 80 healthy children in the control group. The diagnostic capacity of IPF and hematological parameters (platelet distribution width (PDW), mean platelet volume (MPV), white blood cell count (WBC), and platelet count (PLT)) values to predict severity of acute bronchiolitis was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and their respective areas under the curves (AUCs) calculated with 95% confidence intervals.

RESULTS: The IPF value of patients with acute bronchiolitis was significantly higher than the healthy group (p < 0.001). In addition, a positive correlation was observed between clinical severity of bronchiolitis and IPF. The ROC curve analysis indicated that the IPF cut-off point for predicting severity of acute bronchiolitis was > 3.2% (Sensitivity of 84%, specificity of 97%). We found that the AUCs for IPF, MPV, PDW, WBC and PLT were statistically significant for bronchiolitis relative to the healthy control group. The parameter with the greatest AUC value was IPF.

CONCLUSION: The IPF may present for diagnosing and evaluating the clinical severity of acute bronchiolitis in children.

PMID:35023656 | DOI:10.24953/turkjped.2021.06.014

Turk J Pediatr. 2021;63(6):978-985. doi: 10.24953/turkjped.2021.06.005.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The widespread use of biological treatments has increased the frequency of opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis (TB). The primary objective of our study was to determine the rate of tuberculin skin test (TST) conversion during biological therapy. The secondary objective was to monitor the side effects related to isoniazid (INH) prophylaxis, in the selected subgroup.

METHODS: Children with rheumatologic diseases receiving treatment with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) inhibitors, and tocilizumab and canakinumab were included in the study. If baseline screening was negative, TST was performed annually after initiation of biologic therapy. TST conversion was accepted as an increase of at least 6 mm and becoming positive or an increase of 10 mm or more, even in the absence of positivity.

RESULTS: 121 patients (female n: 63, 52%) were included in the study. The mean follow-up period was 26.10±14.8 months. 85 of the patients were using TNF-α inhibitors and 18 tocilizumab, and 18 canakinumab. Forty patients had positive TST before biological agents and received chemoprophylaxis with INH. The rate of TST conversion among the 3 biological agents was not statistically significant (20.4% of TNF-α inhibitors, 25% of canakinumab and 33.3% of tocilizumab users). All patients with LTBI received INH prophylaxis, and none of them had active TB.

CONCLUSIONS: There was no statistically significant difference among the three biological agents, regarding the seroconversion rates. Patients receiving tocilizumab and canakinumab should also be screened for TB during follow-up. INH related side effects are rare.

PMID:35023647 | DOI:10.24953/turkjped.2021.06.005

Nicotine Tob Res. 2022 Jan 12:ntac012. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntac012. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Clinical practice guidelines(CPGs) are important tools for medical decision making. Given the high prevalence and financial burden associated with tobacco use disorder(TUD), it is critical that recommendations within CPGs are based on robust evidence. Systematic reviews(SRs) are considered the highest level of evidence, thus, we evaluated the quality of SRs underpinning CPG recommendations for TUD.

METHODS: We used PubMed to search for CPGs relating to TUD published between January 1, 2010 and May 21, 2021. SRs were extracted from CPG references and evaluated using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses(PRISMA) and A MeaSurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews(AMSTAR-2) tools. We then compared SRs conducted by the Cochrane Collaboration with non-Cochrane SRs using a Mann-Whitney U test and determined associations between PRISMA and AMSTAR-2 extracted characteristics using multiple regression.

RESULTS: Our search generated 10 CPGs with 98 SRs extracted. Mean PRISMA completion was 74.7%(SD=16.7) and mean AMSTAR-2 completion was 53.8%(SD=22.0) across all guidelines. Cochrane SRs were more complete than non-Cochrane studies in the PRISMA and AMSTAR-2 assessments. The regression model showed a statistically significant association between PRISMA completion and AMSTAR-2 rating, with those classified as “low” or “moderate” quality having higher PRISMA completion than those with “critically low” ratings.

CONCLUSION: We found substandard adherence to PRISMA and AMSTAR-2 checklists across SRs cited in TUD CPGs. A lack of recent SRs in CPGs could lead to outdated recommendations. Therefore, frequent guideline updates with recently published evidence may ensure more accurate clinical recommendations and improve patient care.

IMPLICATIONS: Systematic reviews used to underpin clinical practice guideline recommendations influence treatment decisions and, ultimately, patient outcomes. We found that many systematic reviews underpinning tobacco use disorder guideline recommendations were out of date and unsatisfactory in reporting and quality. Thus, including newer systematic reviews containing more recently conducted trials and better reporting could alter recommendations and improve the rate of successful tobacco cessation attempts.

PMID:35023556 | DOI:10.1093/ntr/ntac012

Perspect Psychiatr Care. 2022 Jan 13. doi: 10.1111/ppc.13025. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of the psychoeducational programme “Living together with dementia” applied to a group of family caregivers of people with dementia.

DESIGN AND METHODS: A quasi-experimental study with pretest and posttest and a 4-month follow-up. Fifteen family caregivers of people with dementia were recruited in a community care unit in northern Portugal.

RESULTS: A positive and statistically significant impact on these caregivers’ burden was found.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The programme could be an important mechanism to train family caregivers of home-dwelling people with dementia.

PMID:35023574 | DOI:10.1111/ppc.13025