Lung ultrasound: an additional tool in COVID-19.

Lung ultrasound is a well-defined diagnostic modality in the point of care emergency medicine concept. In the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the lung ultrasound assumed an essential role in this disease, with a valid correlation of the imaging results with computed tomography. Recognize how the diagnostic possibilities of ultrasound in the approach of COVID-19 and its differential diagnoses are fundamental.

A ultrassonografia pulmonar é uma modalidade diagnóstica bem estabelecida no conceito point of care da medicina de emergência. No contexto da pandemia pela doença do coronavírus 2019 (COVID-19), a ultrassonografia assumiu um papel importante, apresentando boa correlação dos seus achados com a tomografia computadorizada. Conhecer as possibilidades diagnósticas da ultrassonografia é fundamental na abordagem da COVID-19 e seus diagnósticos diferenciais.

Imaging findings in COVID-19 pneumonia.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in Wuhan city and was declared a pandemic in March 2020. Although the virus is not restricted to the lung parenchyma, the use of chest imaging in COVID-19 can be especially useful for patients with moderate to severe symptoms or comorbidities. This article aimed to demonstrate the chest imaging findings of COVID-19 on different modalities: chest radiography, computed tomography, and ultrasonography. In addition, it intended to review recommendations on imaging assessment of COVID-19 and to discuss the use of a structured chest computed tomography report. Chest radiography, despite being a low-cost and easily available method, has low sensitivity for screening patients. It can be useful in monitoring hospitalized patients, especially for the evaluation of complications such as pneumothorax and pleural effusion. Chest computed tomography, despite being highly sensitive, has a low specificity, and hence cannot replace the reference diagnostic test (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction). To facilitate the confection and reduce the variability of radiological reports, some standardizations with structured reports have been proposed. Among the available classifications, it is possible to divide the radiological findings into typical, indeterminate, atypical, and negative findings. The structured report can also contain an estimate of the extent of lung involvement (e.g., more or less than 50% of the lung parenchyma). Pulmonary ultrasonography can also be an auxiliary method, especially for monitoring hospitalized patients in intensive care units, where transfer to a tomography scanner is difficult.

Imaging findings in COVID-19 pneumonia

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in Wuhan city and was declared a pandemic in March 2020. Although the virus is not restricted to the lung parenchyma, the use of chest imaging in COVID-19 can be especially useful for patients with moderate to severe symptoms or comorbidities. This article aimed to demonstrate the chest imaging findings of COVID-19 on different modalities: chest radiography, computed tomography, and ultrasonography. In addition, it intended to review recommendations on imaging assessment of COVID-19 and to discuss the use of a structured chest computed tomography report. Chest radiography, despite being a low-cost and easily available method, has low sensitivity for screening patients. It can be useful in monitoring hospitalized patients, especially for the evaluation of complications such as pneumothorax and pleural effusion. Chest computed tomography, despite being highly sensitive, has a low specificity, and hence cannot replace the reference diagnostic test (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction). To facilitate the confection and reduce the variability of radiological reports, some standardizations with structured reports have been proposed. Among the available classifications, it is possible to divide the radiological findings into typical, indeterminate, atypical, and negative findings. The structured report can also contain an estimate of the extent of lung involvement (e.g., more or less than 50% of the lung parenchyma). Pulmonary ultrasonography can also be an auxiliary method, especially for monitoring hospitalized patients in intensive care units, where transfer to a tomography scanner is difficult.

Association of APOE, GCPII and MMP9 polymorphisms with common diseases and lipid levels in an older adult/elderly cohort.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The characterization of candidate gene polymorphisms in elderly populations is an important tool for the identification of risk factors for age-related diseases and conditions. We aimed to genotype the APOE polymorphisms (rs429358 and rs7412), rs61886492 (1561C>T) and rs202720 of GCPII gene and rs3918242 (-1562C>T) of MMP9 gene in an older-adult/elderly cohort from Cuiabá city, Mato Grosso Brazil as well as to characterize risk factors for morbidities and conditions affecting this cohort. METHODS: The studied population consisted of 570 subjects from Cuiabá city, Brazil, who were subjected to clinical interviews and blood collection for laboratory examinations and DNA extraction. Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Polymerase Chain Reaction (RFLP-PCR), sequence-specific primer PCR (SSP-PCR) and TaqMan® allelic discrimination assay were used for genotyping. RESULTS: The frequencies of APOE ε2 and ε4 were 6.6% and 14.8%, respectively, and the frequencies of GCPII rs61886492 T allele, GCPII rs202720 C allele and MMP9 rs3918242 T allele were, respectively, 3.0%, 26.6% and 10.1%. Significant associations between APOE ε2 allele with lower total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were found. In addition, MMP9 rs3918242 T allele was associated with higher LDL-cholesterol levels, suggesting a link between lipid metabolism alteration and cardiovascular disease. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings contributed to characterize risk factors specific for the studied population and to better understand the molecular physiopathology of common morbidities and conditions affecting older-adult/elderly people.

PPARα polymorphisms as risk factors for dyslipidemia in a Brazilian population.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α is a nuclear receptor involved in the regulation of several biochemical pathways. Polymorphisms within its gene have been associated with several metabolic traits. We aimed to investigate the association of L162V and Intron 7G>C polymorphisms with serum level markers and common morbidities affecting an older adult/elderly cohort from Cuiaba City, Mato Grosso State, Brazil, as well as to compare the results with a previously studied population from São Paulo City, Brazil. METHODS AND RESULTS: The studied population consisted of 570 subjects from Cuiaba City, Brazil, who were subjected to clinical interviews and blood collection for laboratory examinations and DNA extraction. Dyslipidemia was defined when participants were taking oral hypolipemiants or those with total cholesterol above 200mg/dL, HDL-c below 40 mg/dL, LDL-c above 130 mg/dL and TG above 150 mg/dL. Restriction fragment length polymorphism polymerase chain reaction (RFLP-PCR) was used for polymorphism genotyping. Individual polymorphism and haplotype data were available for analyses. In the studied sample, allele frequencies were 0.052 and 0.292 for 162V and Intron 7C, respectively. In brief, 162V allele was associated with dyslipidemia (p=0.025), and after correction for alcohol consumption and waist-to-rip ratio, a tendency of association could still be observed (p=0.050). In addition, Intron 7C allele was associated with dyslipidemia even after correction for the same variables (p=0.029). When compared to our previous study from São Paulo, we found some divergences regarding these results, which may be explained by differences between the two populations. Haplotype association analyses revealed an association between L/C haplotype and dyslipidemia (p=0.021) and between V/C haplotype and lower LDL-c levels when compared to L/G haplotype (p=0.044). CONCLUSION: These results may help to clarify the role of PPARα gene in lipid and lipoprotein metabolism and the evaluation of its polymorphisms and haplotypes as being characterized as genetic risk factors for metabolic disturbances.