The Performance of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) Virus Using the Colorimetric Reverse-Transcription Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP) Method in Saliva Specimens of Suspected COVID-19 Patients.

Introduction: Corona Virus Disease-19 (COVID-19) is a disease caused by Severe-Acute-Respiratory-Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The most reliable and widely accepted method for diagnosing this infection, despite facing various challenges, is the Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) method, which utilizes nasopharyngeal swab sample. Reverse-transcription loop mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) is a simpler nucleic acid amplification method compared to the RT-PCR method. This method has several advantages, including: of amplification at constant temperature, faster results, and potentially greater examination capacity. Purpose: This study aimed to compare the validity of the RT-LAMP method using saliva specimens with that of the RT-PCR method using nasopharyngeal smears. Methods: This was an analytical observational study with a cross-sectional design. The participants were inpatients in the COVID-19 special isolation building of Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Indonesia with a probable (clinical symptoms of covid, but not confirm NAAT examination) or confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 from September 2021 to February 2022. The inclusion criteria are COVID-19 patients with symptoms, adult subjects, and composite mentions. Patients who were unable to secrete saliva were also excluded. Results: In total, 118 specimens were collected. The validity test results of the saliva specimens using the RT-LAMP method showed sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV), of 65.5%, 100%, 100%, and 75%, respectively. The results increased in subjects treated between 3 and 7 days after symptom onset ie 73.2%, 100%, 100%, and 82.3%, respectively. Conclusion: The very strong specificity accompanied by good sensitivity and NPV in the group of subjects treated 3-7 days after the onset of symptoms indicates that the RT-LAMP method using saliva specimens can be an efficient and reliable alternative tool in detecting the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Characteristics of COVID-19 comorbidities and severity profiles among pregnant women from a single-center cross-sectional study.

The study aimed to determine the characteristics of comorbidities, association between comorbidities and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), as well as characteristics of COVID-19 severity among pregnant women at a tertiary hospital in Bandung. We conducted a cross-sectional study by taking secondary data between January 2020 and December 2021 involving 278 pregnant women aged 16 to 45 years that confirmedly diagnosed with COVID-19 via RT-PCR. We collected information from the medical record on severity and comorbidities. The admission C-reactive protein (CRP) profiles were compared between the severe and nonsevere COVID-19 patients. This study employed bivariate analysis, t test, and multivariate analysis with logistic regression models. Of the 278 data included in this study, 120 cases had comorbidities. Most patients were asymptomatic (82%). Obesity was the most common comorbid proportion. Only hypertension as comorbid showed a significant association with symptomatic or asymptomatic COVID-19 (<0.05). Pregnant women with hypertension were 6 times more likely to show symptoms than those without hypertension (OR = 6.092; 95% CI 3.103-11.962). Pregnant women with comorbidities were at higher risk of cesarean sections and stillbirth. The CRP levels which were found to have statistically significant association with COVID-19 severity (<0.05). The domination of asymptomatic COVID-19 in pregnant women was found in this study. Hypertension comorbid has a significant association with COVID-19 symptoms. Maternal and neonatal outcomes appear to be influenced by maternal comorbidities. Moreover, the CRP levels were found to be significant risk factors for COVID-19 severity in pregnant women that might have association with comorbidities.

High Positivity Rate of Urinary Mycobacterium tuberculosis Antigens Cocktail (ESAT-6, CFP-10, and MPT-64) in Active Tuberculosis Patients With and Without Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a risk factor for the occurrence of a large of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) antigen load in the body. The antigens cocktail namely early secretory antigenic target protein 6-kDa (ESAT-6), Culture filtrate protein 10 kDa (CFP-10), and Mycobacterium tuberculosis protein 64 (MPT-64) are secreted by Mtb during replication, hence, their concentration increase in patients with active Tuberculosis (TB). This increased levels facilitates their entry into the systemic circulation, followed by secretion by the glomerulus into the urine. The aim of this study was to determine the positivity rate of the urinary Mtb antigens cocktail between TB patients with and without HIV infection. Methods: This is an observational descriptive comparative study conducted with a cross-sectional design. Random urine samples were collected from patients diagnosed with active TB in Dr. Hasan Sadikin Bandung Hospital in 2021. The subjects were divided into 2 groups, TB-HIV group and TB without HIV group. The samples were tested using the quantitative immunochromatography method. Result: Sixty active TB patients consisting of TB patients with HIV infection (n = 30) and TB patients without HIV infection (n = 30). The positivity in the urinary Mtb antigens cocktail was 93.3% for TB-HIV group and 100% for TB without HIV group (P = .492). The median concentration of urinary Mtb antigens cocktail in TB patients without HIV infection was higher than that of TB patients with HIV infection (137.73 ng/mL vs 96.69 ng/mL, respectively; P = .001). Conclusion: There was no significant difference in the positivity rate, meanwhile, there was a significant difference in concentration of the urinary Mtb antigens cocktail between active TB patients with and without HIV infection. Interestingly, this urinary Mtb antigens cocktail can be found in both groups without being affected by the patient's immune condition, thus becoming a test to assist diagnose active TB.