Distinct profiles and kinetics of soluble infammatory markers in patients with acute and chronic HCV-infections and SARS-CoV-2-infections: Implications for the long-term consequences of viral infections?

Background and Aims Viral infections occur acutely but can also progress chronically, with the immune system having a central role in immunopathoge-nesis. The question arises whether all alterations in immune responses are reversible after viral elimination (spontaneously or by therapy). Therefore, the aim of this study is to compare soluble infammatory markers (SIM) during and after infection with SARS-CoV-2 and acute and chronic HCV-infections. Patients and Method Patients with acute HCV (n = 29), chronic HCV (n = 54), SARS-CoV-2 (n = 39) and 31 healthy-controls were included. Blood samples were tested at baseline, end of treatment/infection, and follow-up ( >= 9 months after baseline). IL-12p70, IL-1b, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, TNF, IFN-g, IL-10, IL-22, CXCL-10, MCP-1, MIP-1b, ITAC were quantified using the HD-SP-X Imaging and Analysis SystemTM. Results SIM profiles in patients with acute HCV were substantially elevated at baseline and the decrease during follow-up was considerably less compared to the SARS-CoV-2 cohort. In chronic HCV-patients, viral elimination by therapy resulted in a decrease in SIM, although not always to those of controls. Cirrhotic HCV patients had higher SIM levels after HCV elimination than non-cirrhotic chronic HCV-patients. In the SARS-CoV-2 cohort, most SIM returned to levels of controls 3 months after baseline. Conclusions SIM profiles and kinetics after viral elimination difer between blood-borne acute and chronic HCV- and respiratory SARS-CoV-2-infections. The immunologic imprint 9 months after cured HCV-infection (both acute and chronic) appears to be more pronounced than after SARS-CoV-2-infection. Further analysis is needed to correlate the SIM profle with the clinical pheno-type (long-HepC vs. long-COVID-19).

3DBionotes COVID-19 Edition.

SUMMARY: The web platform 3DBionotes-WS integrates multiple Web Services and an interactive Web Viewer to provide a unified environment in which biological annotations can be analyzed in their structural context. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, new structural data from many viral proteins have been provided at a very fast pace. This effort includes many cryogenic Electron Microscopy (cryo-EM) studies, together with more traditional ones (X-rays, NMR), using several modeling approaches and complemented with structural predictions. At the same time, a plethora of new genomics and interactomics information (including fragment screening and structure-based virtual screening efforts) have been made available from different servers. In this context we have developed 3DBionotes-COVID-19 as an answer to: (1) The need to explore multi-omics data in a unified context with a special focus on structural information and (2) the drive to incorporate quality measurements, especially in the form of advanced validation metrics for cryogenic Electron Microscopy. AVAILABILITY: https://3dbionotes.cnb.csic.es/ws/covid19. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Experiences of adolescents in the face of lockdown and the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had harmful effects on emotional health, especially in young people. In the present study, the questionnaire <<Experiences of adolescents in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic was designed and validated. Participants were 4,011 Mexican adolescents aged 14 to 25 years (M = 18.21);33 % men and 67 % women. The questionnaire was administered online and, afterwards, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyzes were performed and Cronbach's Alpha was calculated. Satisfactory levels of validity and reliability were obtained. The instrument consisted of eight factors: favorable family interaction, entertaining-creative activities, conflict experiences, unfavorable mood, longing for the previous life, fear of contagion, general sanitary measures and sanitary measures adopted when returning home. It is concluded that the questionnaire is valid and reliable and will be useful to find out how adolescents experience the changes caused by health crises. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) Abstract (Spanish) La pandemia de la COVID-19 ha generado efectos nocivos en la salud emocional especialmente en los jovenes. En el presente trabajo se diseno y valido el cuestionario <<Experiencias de adolescentes frente a la pandemia de la COVID-19. Partici- paron 4011 adolescentes mexicanos de entre 14 y 25 anos (M = 18.21), 33 % hombres y 67 % mujeres. El cuestionario se aplico en linea, y, posteriormente, se realizaron los analisis factoriales (exploratorio y confirmatorio) y se calculo el alfa de Cronbach. Se consiguieron niveles satisfactorios de validez y confiabilidad. El instrumento quedo conformado por ocho factores: interaccion familiar favorable, actividades de entretenimiento-creativas, vivencias de conflicto, animo desfavorable, anoranza por la vida anterior, miedo al contagio, medidas sanitarias generales y medidas sanitarias adoptadas al volver a casa. Se concluye que el instrumento es valido y confiable y sera util para conocer como los adolescentes viven los cambios ocasionados por las crisis sanitarias. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Distance education with university students quarantined by COVID-19

During the confinement period resulting from the COVID-19 virus, distance, isolation, and uncertainty were inevitable among the general population. Young university students had to face emotions such as guilt, for not attending online classes;distrust, related to the quality of classes;fear, as a result of thinking that they were not learning and could fail their subjects;as well as death, in the face of the loss and illness of family members and friends. These are the results obtained in an exploratory quantitative study on the actions and decisions of individuals in emotional contexts carried out in 5 academic programs and based on 455 student surveys, which were administered during the last week of school activities at the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juarez in Nuevo Casas Grandes. Consequently, we affirm that the extreme situations experienced within the university community reach the resilience process as long as the problems are recognised and the difficulties faced. This should help to ensure the implementation of better-articulated learning strategies among teachers, academic authorities, and students to further friendlier educational processes with less tension between subjects that are more beneficial for everyone.

Experiences of adolescents in the face of lockdown and the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had harmful effects on emotional health, especially in young people. In the present study, the questionnaire «Experiences of adolescents in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic» was designed and validated. Participants were 4,011 Mexican adolescents aged 14 to 25 years (M = 18.21);33 % men and 67 % women. The questionnaire was administered online and, afterwards, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyzes were performed and Cronbach's Alpha was calculated. Satisfactory levels of validity and reliability were obtained. The instrument consisted of eight factors: favorable family interaction, entertaining-creative activities, conflict experiences, unfavorable mood, longing for the previous life, fear of contagion, general sanitary measures and sanitary measures adopted when returning home. It is concluded that the questionnaire is valid and reliable and will be useful to find out how adolescents experience the changes caused by health crises. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR]

Factors Associated with Anxiety, Depression, and Stress in Peruvian University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, university students have adopted measures that completely transformed their educational environment, and this has generated an increase in psychological stress. The present study aimed to identify the factors associated with anxiety, depression, and stress in students at a university in Peru during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. We conducted a cross-sectional analytical study in students in Lima, Peru. The DASS-21 scale was used to measure levels of depression, anxiety, and stress and associate it with socio-educational and COVID-19-related variables using generalized linear models with Poisson distribution, log link, and robust variance. Of 400 students surveyed, 19.2%, 23.2% and 17.2% of students presented depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. The frequency of depression (PR = 0.91, 95%CI: 0.84-0.99), anxiety (PR = 0.90, 95%CI: 0.83-0.99) and stress (PR = 0.92, 95%CI: 0.86-0.99) was lower in women. The students of the engineering and business faculty presented a higher frequency of anxiety (PR = 1.11, 95%CI: 1.00-1.22). There was a greater frequency of presenting anxiety, depression and stress in students who worked in a different area of health or did not work. Our results suggest the importance of promoting mental health awareness campaigns in university students due to the constant academic load they have.

Surgical initial experience in patients with COVID-19.

ANTECEDENTES: La pandemia de COVID-19 ha ocasionado que los servicios de cirugía y de salud en todo el mundo tengan que reorganizarse y planear para poder brindar la mejor atención a los pacientes, con la protección necesaria para el personal de salud. Algunos de estos pacientes requerirán tratamiento quirúrgico, ya sea electivo o de urgencia. OBJETIVO: Reportar la experiencia inicial en el manejo de pacientes con COVID-19 que ameritaron tratamiento quirúrgico por los servicios de cirugía de un hospital de referencia. MÉTODO: Revisión de los protocolos quirúrgicos, equipo de protección personal usado por los equipos quirúrgicos y resultados del tratamiento de 42 pacientes sometidos a cirugía en un periodo de 4 meses. RESULTADOS: Fueron intervenidos 42 pacientes con COVID-19. Treinta pacientes tenían diagnóstico de infección por SARS-CoV-2 y en 12 casos el diagnóstico fue clínico y por imagen. Las cirugías más frecuentes fueron traqueostomía en 16 pacientes (38%) y laparotomías exploradoras en 8 pacientes (19%). La mediana de estancia posoperatoria fue de 17 días y la mortalidad durante los primeros 30 días fue del 26%. CONCLUSIONES: Es necesaria la reorganización de los departamentos quirúrgicos y del hospital para poder atender adecuadamente a los pacientes con COVID-19 y proteger al personal de salud. Los pacientes pueden presentan patologías que requieran tratamiento quirúrgico. Relacionado con la infección y la mayor frecuencia de comorbilidad, la mortalidad de estos pacientes es elevada. INTRODUCTION: the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a reorganization of hospital and general surgery departments worldwide to assure the best medical and surgical treatment of patients with this disease and protection of the health-related personnel. Some of them will require surgical treatment either elective or urgent. OBJECTIVE: report the initial experience in the management of patients with COVID-19 in a third level hospital. MATERIAL AND METHODS: a review of the surgical protocols, personal protection equipment used by the surgical teams, and results of the treatment of forty-two patients submitted to surgery. RESULTS: During four months (April-July 2020) forty-two patients with suspicion or confirmed infection of SARS-CoV2 underwent surgical treatment. The most common surgery was tracheostomy in 16 patients (38%) followed by exploratory laparotomy in 8 patients (19%). The median postoperative stay was 17 days and the thirty-day postoperative mortality rate was 26%. CONCLUSIONS: reorganization of the general surgery department and the hospital, favors adequate management and treatment of patients with COVID-19 and protection to the health-related personnel. Due to the usual co-existence of comorbidities and pulmonary complications the postoperative mortality of these patients is high.

Dietary Fish, Fish Nutrients, and Immune Function: A Review.

Dietary habits have a major impact on the development and function of the immune system. This impact is mediated both by the intrinsic nutritional and biochemical qualities of the diet, and by its influence on the intestinal microbiota. Fish as a food is rich in compounds with immunoregulatory properties, among them omega-3 fatty acids, melatonin, tryptophan, taurine and polyamines. In addition, regular fish consumption favors the proliferation of beneficial members of the intestinal microbiota, like short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria. By substituting arachidonic acid in the eicosanoid biosynthesis pathway, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids from fish change the type of prostaglandins, leukotrienes and thromboxanes being produced, resulting in anti-inflammatory properties. Further, they also are substrates for the production of specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) (resolvins, protectins, and maresins), lipid compounds that constitute the physiological feedback signal to stop inflammation and give way to tissue reparation. Evidence from human observational and interventional studies shows that regular fish consumption is associated with reduced incidence of chronic inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, and that continuous infusion of fish oil to tube-fed, critically ill patients may improve important outcomes in the ICU. There is also evidence from animal models showing that larger systemic concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids may counter the pathophysiological cascade that leads to psoriasis. The knowledge gained over the last few decades merits future exploration of the potential role of fish and its components in other conditions characterized by deregulated activation of immune cells and a cytokine storm like viral sepsis or COVID-19.

Early Impact of COVID-19 on Solid Organ Transplantation in the United States.

BACKGROUND: The regional impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on solid organ transplantation in the United States has not been fully evaluated. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of month-to-month trends on waitlist additions, waitlist deaths, and transplant surgeries between all United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) regions was performed. A linear regression model trained on historical data was used to estimate anticipated transplantation volume. RESULTS: All UNOS regions reported a decrease in total waitlist additions and transplant surgeries. The largest decreases in total transplants were identified in regions 1, 2, 6, and 9, with regions 2, 7, 8, and 9 noting the largest decrease in waitlist additions. Six of the 11 regions noted increases in waitlist deaths, with UNOS regions 9, 1, and 2, all located within the Northeast, noting the highest percent increase in waitlist deaths at 170%, 89%, and 54%, respectively. The largest reductions in solid organ transplantation and waitlist deaths were seen in kidney and lung transplantation. Current transplantation volume is significantly lower than the low range of the 95% confidence interval derived from the linear regression model (2182 versus 3110; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Significant decreases in total waitlist additions and transplant surgeries with increases in waitlist deaths were noted in the majority of US transplant domains. The impact was especially prevalent in areas with high burden of coronavirus disease 2019 infection. National and regional strategies aimed at minimizing disruptions in transplantation are needed.