Biomarker candidates for progression and clinical management of COVID-19 associated pneumonia at time of admission.

COVID-19 pathophysiology is currently not fully understood, reliable prognostic factors remain elusive, and few specific therapeutic strategies have been proposed. In this scenario, availability of biomarkers is a priority. MS-based Proteomics techniques were used to profile the proteome of 81 plasma samples extracted in four consecutive days from 23 hospitalized COVID-19 associated pneumonia patients.

Evolving mortality and clinical outcomes of hospitalized subjects during successive COVID-19 waves in Catalonia, Spain.

Background: The changes in shield strategies, treatments, emergence variants, and healthcare pathways might shift the profile and outcome of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in successive waves of the outbreak.

Methods: We retrospectively analysed the characteristics and in-hospital outcomes of all patients admitted with COVID-19 in eight university hospitals of Catalonia (North-East Spain) between Feb 28, 2020 and Feb 28, 2021. Using a 7-joinpoint regression analysis, we split admissions into four waves.

Remote Health Monitoring in the Workplace for Early Detection of COVID-19 Cases during the COVID-19 Pandemic Using a Mobile Health Application: .

COVIDApp is a platform created for management of COVID-19 in the workplace. COVIDApp was designed and implemented for the follow-up of 253 workers from seven companies in Catalonia. The assessment was based on two actions: first, the early detection and management of close contacts and potential cases of COVID-19, and second, the rapid remote activation of protocols.

Inappropriate sinus tachycardia in post-COVID-19 syndrome.

Inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST) is a common observation in patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) but has not yet been fully described to date. To investigate the prevalence and the mechanisms underlying IST in a prospective population of PCS patients. Consecutive patients admitted to the PCS Unit between June and December 2020 with a resting sinus rhythm rate ≥ 100 bpm were prospectively enrolled in this study and further examined by an orthostatic test, 2D echocardiography, 24-h ECG monitoring (heart rate variability was a surrogate for cardiac autonomic activity), quality-of-life and exercise capacity testing, and blood sampling.

Trial of Three Rounds of Mass Azithromycin Administration for Yaws Eradication.

Background: subspecies causes yaws. Strategies to better control, eliminate, and eradicate yaws are needed.

Methods: In an open-label, cluster-randomized, community-based trial conducted in a yaws-endemic area of Papua New Guinea, we randomly assigned 38 wards (i.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on HIV Services in Korea: Results from a Cross-Sectional Online Survey.

Background: Globally, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has compromised human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) services. The study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the access and delivery of HIV care in Korea.

Materials And Methods: People living with HIV (PLHIV), people at risk of HIV (PAR) and prescribers of HIV care were recruited through a patient advocacy group, online communities for men who have sex with men (MSM) and a HIV care center for a web-based survey between October 22 and November 26, 2020.

Ultrasound-Based Assessment of Preperitoneal Fat as a Surrogate Marker of Cardiovascular Risk: Comparative Study Between People Living with HIV and Controls.

Optimal management of cardiovascular disease should start with the identification of subjects at subclinical stages. However, available tools are not always accurate or affordable. We assess the usefulness of ultrasound-guided measurement of abdominal fat layers as a surrogate marker of cardiovascular risk.

JAK-STAT Pathway: A Novel Target to Tackle Viral Infections.

Modulation of the antiviral innate immune response has been proposed as a putative cellular target for the development of novel pan-viral therapeutic strategies. The Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) pathway is especially relevant due to its essential role in the regulation of local and systemic inflammation in response to viral infections, being, therefore, a putative therapeutic target. Here, we review the extraordinary diversity of strategies that viruses have evolved to interfere with JAK-STAT signaling, stressing the relevance of this pathway as a putative antiviral target.

Chronological brain lesions after SARS-CoV-2 infection in hACE2-transgenic mice.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes respiratory disease, but it can also affect other organs including the central nervous system. Several animal models have been developed to address different key questions related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Wild-type mice are minimally susceptible to certain SARS-CoV-2 lineages (beta and gamma variants), whereas hACE2-transgenic mice succumb to SARS-CoV-2 and develop a fatal neurological disease.

Early Remdesivir to Prevent Progression to Severe Covid-19 in Outpatients.

Background: Remdesivir improves clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized with moderate-to-severe coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Whether the use of remdesivir in symptomatic, nonhospitalized patients with Covid-19 who are at high risk for disease progression prevents hospitalization is uncertain.

Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving nonhospitalized patients with Covid-19 who had symptom onset within the previous 7 days and who had at least one risk factor for disease progression (age ≥60 years, obesity, or certain coexisting medical conditions).

Vegetation Size, Multiplicity, and Position in Patients With Infective Endocarditis.

Background: Infective endocarditis is a life-threatening condition and is associated with embolic events. We aimed to evaluate the association of vegetation size, multiplicity, and position with cerebral embolism and late mortality in patients with infective endocarditis.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with infective endocarditis who were admitted to a single institution between November 2005 and August 2017.

Responses to a Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibody for Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19 According to Baseline Antibody and Antigen Levels : A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: In a randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial, bamlanivimab, a SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing monoclonal antibody, given in combination with remdesivir, did not improve outcomes among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 based on an early futility assessment.

Objective: To evaluate the a priori hypothesis that bamlanivimab has greater benefit in patients without detectable levels of endogenous neutralizing antibody (nAb) at study entry than in those with antibodies, especially if viral levels are high.

Design: Randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Gut microbiome in hemodialysis patients treated with calcium acetate or treated with sucroferric oxyhydroxide: a pilot study.

Purpose: It has been proved that the gut microbiome is altered in patients with chronic kidney disease. This contributes to chronic inflammation and increases cardiovascular risk and mortality, especially in those undergoing hemodialysis. Phosphate binders may potentially induce changes in their microbiome.

The Evolution of Regulatory Elements in the Emerging Promoter-Variant Strains of HIV-1 Subtype C.

In a multicentric, observational, investigator-blinded, and longitudinal clinical study of 764 ART-naïve subjects, we identified nine different promoter variant strains of HIV-1 subtype C (HIV-1C) emerging in the Indian population, with some of these variants being reported for the first time. Unlike several previous studies, our work here focuses on the evolving viral regulatory elements, not the coding sequences. The emerging viral strains contain additional copies of the existing transcription factor binding sites (TFBS), including TCF-1α/LEF-1, RBEIII, AP-1, and NF-κB, created by sequence duplication.

Seroprevalence of IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 among the general population and healthcare workers in India, June-July 2021: A population-based cross-sectional study.

Background: India began COVID-19 vaccination in January 2021, initially targeting healthcare and frontline workers. The vaccination strategy was expanded in a phased manner and currently covers all individuals aged 18 years and above. India experienced a severe second wave of COVID-19 during March-June 2021.

APOBEC3, TRIM5α, and BST2 polymorphisms in healthy individuals of various populations with special references to its impact on HIV transmission.

AIDS restriction genes (ARGs) like APOBEC3, TRIM5α, and BST2 can act as immunological detectors of the innate protective mechanism of the body. ARGs influence the course of viral pathogenesis and progression of the disease. The infection caused by different viruses including HIV activates the innate immune receptors leading to production of proinflammatory cytokines, interferons and signals that recruit and activate cells involved in the process of inflammation following induction of adaptive immunity.

Randomized Trial of Metformin With Anti-Tuberculosis Drugs for Early Sputum Conversion in Adults With Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

Background: Metformin, by reducing intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth, can be considered an adjunctive therapy to anti-tuberculosis treatment (ATT). We determined whether metformin with standard ATT reduces time to sputum culture conversion and tissue inflammation in adults with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB).

Methods: In a randomized, 8-week, clinical trial, newly diagnosed, culture-positive PTB patients were randomized to standard ATT (HREZ = control arm) or standard ATT plus daily 1000 mg metformin (MET-HREZ = Metformin with Rifampicin [METRIF] arm) for 8 weeks during 2018-2020 at 5 sites in India.

Atlas of the HIV-1 Reservoir in Peripheral CD4 T Cells of Individuals on Successful Antiretroviral Therapy.

Knowing the mechanisms that govern the persistence of infected CD4 subpopulations could help us to design new therapies to cure HIV-1 infection. We evaluated the simultaneous distribution of the HIV-1 reservoir in 13 CD4 subpopulations from 14 HIV-1-infected individuals on antiretroviral therapy to analyze its relationship with HIV-1 transcription, immune activation, and cell proliferation. A unique large blood donation was used to isolate CD4, CD4 resting (CD4r), CD4 activated (CD4a), T naive (T), T stem cell memory (T), T central memory (T), T transitional memory (T), T effector memory (T), circulating T follicular helper (T), T, T, and resting memory T (T) cells.

Inhibition of miR-155 Promotes TGF-β Mediated Suppression of HIV Release in the Cervical Epithelial Cells.

TGF-β has been shown to play a differential role in either restricting or aiding HIV infection in different cell types, however its role in the cervical cells is hitherto undefined. Among females, more than 80% of infections occur through heterosexual contact where cervicovaginal mucosa plays a critical role, however the early events during the establishment of infection at female genital mucosa are poorly understood. We earlier showed that increased TGF-β level has been associated with cervical viral shedding in the HIV infected women, however a causal relationship could not be examined.

Intestinal viral infections of nSARS-CoV2 in the Indian community: Risk of virus spread in India.

In December 2019, novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (nSARS-CoV-2) virus outbreaks emerged from Wuhan, China, and spread all over the world, including India. Molecular diagnosis of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID) 19 for densely and highly populated countries like India is time-consuming. A few reports have described the successful diagnosis of nSARS-CoV-2 virus from sewage and wastewater samples contaminated with fecal matter, suggesting the diagnosis of COVID 19 from the same to raise an alarm about the community transmission of virus for implementation of evacuation and lockdown strategies.

Community-based point-of-care testing to identify new HIV infections: A cross-sectional study from Pune, India.

The World Health Organization recommends point-of-care testing (POCT) to detect human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected individuals in the community. This will help improve treatment coverage through detection of HIV infection among those who are unaware of their status.This study was planned with an objective to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of POCT for HIV in the community.