The Clinical Significance of Vitamin D and Zinc Levels with Respect to Immune Response in COVID-19 Positive Children.

AIM: In this study, we aimed to evaluate serum vitamin D and zinc levels in children diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 88 children with COVID-19 disease and 88 healthy children aged 1-18 years were enrolled between 01 July 2021 and 30 October 2021 in the Pediatrics Clinic of Tekirdag Çorlu State Hospital. Serum vitamin D and zinc levels have been measured and NCSS (Number Cruncher Statistical System) program has been utilized for statistical analysis. RESULTS: We included 88 COVID-19 positive pediatric patients [50% (n = 44) female] and 88 healthy children [48.86% (n = 43) female] in this study. The mean serum vitamin D levels of COVID-19 positive patients were statistically significantly lower than the control group (p = 0.0001). The zinc mean values of the study group were found to be statistically significantly lower than the control group (p = 0.0001). There was a statistically significant correlation between serum vitamin D and zinc values in all patient groups (r = 0.245, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: As a result, zinc and vitamin D levels were observed lower in COVID-19 patients than in healthy individuals. Since there is no defined treatment protocol for COVID-19 infection on children yet, zinc and vitamin D supplementation can be used as a supportive treatment in COVID-19 infection.

Impact of non-surgical periodontal therapy on saliva and serum levels of markers of oxidative stress.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of non-surgical periodontal treatment on markers of oxidative stress in saliva and serum in patients with chronic periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 25 patients, who were diagnosed with generalized chronic periodontitis (11 females and 14 males), and 26 systemically and periodontally healthy individuals (15 females and 11 males) were included. The plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), probing pocket depth (PPD), attachment loss (AL), gingival recession (GR), and bleeding on probing (BOP) were recorded at baseline and 6 weeks later. Malondialdehyde (MDA), 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE) were assessed in saliva and serum samples before and after the non-surgical treatment by enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: In the group with chronic periodontitis, all clinical parameters were significantly higher compared to the control group at baseline (p < 0.001). Periodontal treatment reduced plaque, gingival inflammation, and pocket depth significantly (p < 0.001). At baseline, salivary 8-OHdG was significantly higher in chronic periodontitis (p < 0.001) and reduced significantly subsequent to the periodontal treatment (p < 0.001). Salivary MDA and serum 4-HNE were significantly higher in the patients with periodontitis compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Periodontal treatment did not significantly change the levels of 4-HNE and salivary MDA (p = 0.503, p = 0.093). CONCLUSIONS: Salivary 8-OHdG and MDA may be associated with local impact of periodontal disease, while 4-HNE may be associated with systemic impact of chronic periodontitis. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Clinical intervention in periodontitis may be beneficial for periodontitis patients' systemic oxidative stress control, and using lipidic agents for the use of anti-inflammatory/pro-resolving processes for blocking the actions of arachidonic acid cascade can enable some late therapeutic strategies in order to lead oxidative stress-induced inflammation.

Comparison of blood gas, electrolyte and metabolite results measured with two different blood gas analyzers and a core laboratory analyzer.

BACKGROUND: Blood gas analyzers (BGAs) are important in assessing and monitoring critically ill patients. However, the random use of BGAs to measure blood gases, electrolytes and metabolites increases the variability in test results. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the correlation of blood gas, electrolyte and metabolite results measured with two BGAs and a core laboratory analyzer. METHODS: A total of 40 arterial blood gas samples were analyzed with two BGAs [(Nova Stat Profile Critical Care Xpress (Nova Biomedical, Waltham, MA, USA) and Siemens Rapidlab 1265 (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc., Tarrytown, NY, USA)) and a core laboratory analyzer [Olympus AU 2700 autoanalyzer (Beckman-Coulter, Inc., Fullerton, CA, USA)]. The results of pH, pCO2, pO2, SO2, sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺), calcium (Ca⁺²), chloride (Cl⁻), glucose, and lactate were compared by Passing-Bablok regression analysis and Bland-Altman plots. RESULTS: The present study showed that there was negligible variability of blood gases (pCO2, pO2, SO2), K⁺ and lactate values between the blood gas and core laboratory analyzers. However, the differences in pH were modest, while Na⁺, Cl⁻, Ca²âº and glucose showed poor correlation according to the concordance correlation coefficient. CONCLUSIONS: BGAs and core laboratory autoanalyzer demonstrated variable performances and not all tests met minimum performance goals. It is important that clinicians and laboratories are aware of the limitations of their assays.

Short-chain fatty acid levels in stools of patients with inflammatory bowel disease are lower than those in healthy subjects.

OBJECTIVE: Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are produced when the microbiota in the large intestine cause fermentation of dietary carbohydrates and fibers. These fatty acids constitute the primary energy source of colon mucosa cells and have a protective effect in patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This study aimed to compare the SCFA levels in the stools of patients with IBD and healthy controls. METHOD: Healthy controls and patients with IBD aged 18 and over were included in the study. Stool samples from all patients and healthy controls were collected, and stool acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid levels were measured using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry measurement method. RESULTS: In this study, 64 participants were divided into two groups: 34 were in IBD (Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis) and 30 were in healthy control group. When fecal SCFA concentrations of IBD and healthy control groups were compared, a statistically significant difference was observed between them. When the fecal SCFA concentrations of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis patients in the IBD group were compared, however, no statistically significant difference was observed between them. Furthermore, when the participants' diet type (carbohydrate-based, vegetable-protein-based and mixed diet) and the number of meals were compared with fecal SCFA concentrations, no statistically significant difference was observed between them. CONCLUSION: In general, fecal SCFA levels in patients with IBD were lower than those in healthy controls. Moreover, diet type and the number of meals had no effect on stool SCFA levels in patients with IBD and healthy individuals.

Salivary and serum oxidative stress biomarkers and advanced glycation end products in periodontitis patients with or without diabetes: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Non-invasive methods for periodontitis diagnosis would be a clinically important tool. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the association between oxidative stress, glycation, and inflammation markers and periodontal clinical parameters in periodontitis and periodontally healthy patients with type 2 diabetes and corresponding systemically healthy controls. METHODS: Sixty-seven periodontally healthy (DM-H, n = 32) and periodontitis (DM-P, n = 35) patients with type 2 diabetes, and 54 systemically healthy periodontitis (H-P, n = 26) and periodontally healthy (H-H, n = 28) controls were included. Clinical periodontal parameters, body mass index, fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), along with saliva and serum 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), malondialdehyde (MDA), 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE), advanced glycation end products (AGE), AGE receptor (RAGE) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: Salivary 8-OHdG levels were significantly higher in periodontitis compared to periodontally healthy patients, regardless of systemic status (P < 0.001). Salivary MDA levels were significantly higher in all disease groups compared to H-H group (P ≤ 0.004). Serum AGE levels were significantly higher in diabetic groups than systemically healthy groups (P < 0.001) and in H-P compared to H-H (P < 0.001). Bleeding on probing (BOP) and clinical attachment level (CAL) strongly correlated with salivary 8-OHdG and serum hsCRP (P < 0.001). In systemically healthy patients, salivary 8-OHdG was the most accurate marker to differentiate periodontitis from controls (AUC = 0.84). In diabetics salivary 4-HNE and RAGE were the most accurate (AUC = 0.85 for both). CONCLUSION: Salivary 8-OHdG alone or in combination with 4-HNE, AGE and RAGE for diabetics, and salivary 8-OHdG alone or in combination with MDA and hsCRP for systemically healthy persons, could potentially serve as non-invasive screening marker(s) of periodontitis.