Journal of medical virology
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This retrospective study aimed to analysis clinical characteristics and outcomes of cancer patients with novel coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). Medical records, laboratory results and radiologic findings of 52 cancer patients with COVID-19 were collected, clinical characteristics and outcomes were summarized. A total of 52 cancer patients with COVID-19 were included. ⋯ Complications were observed in 29 (55.8%) patients, such as liver injury (19, 36.5%), acute respiratory distress syndrome (9, 17.3%), sepsis (8, 15.4%), myocardial injury (8, 15.4%), renal insufficiency (4, 7.7%), and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (3, 5.8%). Eleven (21.2%) patients with cancer died. The infection rate of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in patients with cancer was higher than the general population, cancer patients with COVID-19 showed deteriorating conditions and poor outcomes.
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To study the relationship between clinical indexes and the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and to explore its role in predicting the severity of COVID-19. Clinical data of 443 patients with COVID-19 admitted to our hospital were retrospectively analyzed, which were divided into nonsevere group (n = 304) and severe group (n = 139) according to their condition. Clinical indicators were compared between different groups. ⋯ Platelets were independent protective factors for severe COVID-19. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis demonstrated area under the curve of NLR, platelet, CRP, and combination was 0.737, 0.634, 0.734, and 0.774, respectively. NLR, CRP, and platelets can effectively assess the severity of COVID-19, among which NLR is the best predictor of severe COVID-19, and the combination of three clinical indicators can further predict severe COVID-19.
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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-induced direct cytopathic effects against type I and II pneumocytes mediate lung damage. Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) is mainly produced by damaged or regenerating alveolar type II pneumocytes. This preliminary study analyzed serum concentrations of KL-6 in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to verify its potential as a prognostic biomarker of severity. ⋯ Receiver operating characteristic analysis distinguished severe and nonsevere patients according to KL-6 serum levels and the best cut-off value was 406.5 U/mL. NK cell analysis and assay of KL-6 in serum can help identify severe COVID-19 patients. Increased KL-6 serum concentrations were observed in patients with severe pulmonary involvement, revealing a prognostic value and supporting the potential usefulness of KL-6 measurement to evaluate COVID-19 patients' prognosis.
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In the age of a pandemic, such as the ongoing one caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the world faces a limited supply of tests, personal protective equipment, and factories and supply chains are struggling to meet the growing demands. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of specimen pooling for testing of SARS-CoV-2 virus, to determine whether costs and resource savings could be achieved without impacting the sensitivity of the testing. Ten previously tested nasopharyngeal and throat swab specimens by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), were pooled for testing, containing either one or two known positive specimens of varying viral concentrations. ⋯ In specimens with low viral load (Ct > 35), 2 of 15 pools (13.3%) were false negative. Pooling specimens to test for Coronavirus Disease 2019 infection in low prevalence (≤1%) areas or in low risk populations can dramatically decrease the resource burden on laboratory operations by up to 80%. This paves the way for large-scale population screening, allowing for assured policy decisions by governmental bodies to ease lockdown restrictions in areas with a low incidence of infection, or with lower-risk populations.
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Comparative Study
Clinical performance of different SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody tests.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) serological assays are urgently needed for rapid diagnosis, contact tracing, and for epidemiological studies. So far, there is limited data on how commercially available tests perform with real patient samples, and if positive tested samples show neutralizing abilities. ⋯ Most of the SARS-CoV-2 samples were from individuals with moderate to the severe clinical course, who required an in-patient hospital stay. For all examined assays, the sensitivity ranged from 58.8 to 76.5% for the early phase of infection (days 5-9) and from 93.8% to 100% for the later period (days 10-18).