Prognostic value of sTREM-1 in COVID-19 patients: a biomarker for disease severity and mortality

Background: The uncontrolled inflammatory response plays a critical role in the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (TREM-1) is thought to be intricate to inflammatory signal amplification. This study aims to investigate the association between soluble TREM-1 (sTREM-1) and COVID-19 as a prognostic biomarker to predict the disease severity, lethality and clinical management.Methods: We enrolled 91 patients with COVID-19 in domiciliary care (44 patients) or in hospital care (47 patients), who were classified after admission into mild, moderate, severe and critical groups according to their clinical scores. As non-COVID-19 control, 30 healthy volunteers were included. Data on demographic, comorbidities and baseline clinical characteristics were obtained from their medical and nurse records. Peripheral blood samples were collected at admission and after hospitalization outcome to assess cytokine profile and sTREM-1 level by specific immunoassays Results: Within COVID-19 patients, the highest severity was associated with the most significant elevated plasma levels sTREM-1. Using receiver operating curve analysis (ROC), sTREM-1 was found to be predictive of disease severity (AUC= 0.988) and the best cut-off value for predicting in-hospital severity was [≥] 116.5 pg/mL with the sensitivity for 93.3% and specificity for 95.8%. We also described the clinical characteristics of these patients and explored the correlation with markers of the disease aggravation. The levels of sTREM-1 were positively correlated with IL-6, IL-10, blood neutrophils counts, and critical disease scoring (r= 0.68, p<0.0001). On the other hand, sTREM-1 level was significantly negative correlated with lymphocytes counting, and mild disease (r= -0.42, p<0.0001). Higher levels of sTREM-1 were related to poor outcome and death, patients who received dexamethasone tended to have lower sTREM-1 levels. Conclusion: Our results indicated that sTREM-1 in COVID-19 is associated with severe disease development and a prognostic marker for mortality. The use of severity biomarkers such as sTREM-1 together with patients clinical scores could improve the early recognition and monitoring of COVID-19 cases with higher risk of disease worsening. Key words: COVID-19; sTREM-1; Inflammation; Biomarker; Severity; Mortality.

Sofosbuvir and daclatasvir combination therapy for current hepatitis C virus genotype 4 achieves SVR: a case report of HCV genotype 4 from the Amazon

Abstract Hepatitis C is a worldwide endemic disease. However, hepatitis C virus genotype 4 (HCV GT-4) has rarely been reported in Brazil. HCV GT-4 demonstrates high sustained virological response (SVR). Here, we report the case of a 62-year-old HCV GT-4 positive woman complaining of a headache, nausea, and arthralgia. The patient was treated according to the protocol for genotype 4 (12 weeks administration of 400mg sofosbuvir and 60mg daclatasvir daily) and achieved SVR. Although this is not an Amazonas autochthonous case, the presence of genotype 4 is rarely reported in the region.

Determinação do risco cardiovascular em adultos jovens universitários / Determination of cardiovascular risk in young adults university students

O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar o risco cardiovascular em uma população de adultos jovens universitários que frequentam os cursos de Educação Física e Fisioterapia na Universidade Federal do Amazonas utilizando o Escore de Framingham e o Escore de Risco Global. Trata-se de um estudo observacional transversal onde foram avaliados 63 indivíduos de ambos os sexos com 20-30 anos. Os métodos de avaliação incluíram questionário, análise antropométrica e coleta sanguínea para realização dos exames bioquímicos. Para determinação do risco cardiovascular foram utilizados os escores de Framingham (ERF) e Risco Global (ERG) para uma idade modificada de 65 anos. As análises estatísticas foram descritivas (média, desvio-padrão, frequência simples e percentagem). O Teste t de Student foi aplicado para comparação entre grupos (p<0,05). O ERF identificou, entre o sexo masculino 23,53% com baixo risco e 76,47% com risco intermediário para desenvolvimento de doença cardiovascular nos próximos 10 anos. Todas as mulheres apresentaram baixo risco. O ERG demonstrou que entre os homens, 94,12% apresentaram risco intermediário e 5,88% alto risco, e dentre as mulheres 63,04% estavam na faixa de baixo risco e 36,96% risco intermediário. Os resultados demonstram a ocorrência de níveis intermediários no desenvolvimento de DCV na população de adultos jovens nos próximos 10 anos figurando-os como alvo imediato de ações preventivas.

The objective of this study was to determine the cardiovascular risk in a population of young university students attending the courses of Physical Education and Physiotherapy at the Federal University of Amazonas using the Framingham Score and the Global Risk Score. It is a cross-sectional observational study in which 63 individuals of both sexes with 20-30 years were evaluated. Methods of evaluation included questionnaire, anthropometric analysis and blood collection for biochemical tests. The Framingham (FRE) and Global Risk (GRE) scores for a modified age of 65 years were used to determine cardiovascular risk. Statistical analyzes were descriptive (mean, standard deviation, simple frequency and percentage). Student's t-test was applied for comparison between groups (p <0.05). The FRE identified 23.53% of men with low risk and 76.47% with intermediate risk for cardiovascular disease in the next 10 years. All women were at low risk. The GRE showed that among the men, 94.12% presented intermediate risk and 5.88% high risk, and among the women 63.04% were in the low risk range and 36.96% intermediate risk. The results demonstrate the occurrence of intermediate levels in the development of CVD in the population of young adults in the next 10 years, as an immediate target for preventive actions.

Sofosbuvir and daclatasvir combination therapy for current hepatitis C virus genotype 4 achieves SVR: a case report of HCV genotype 4 from the Amazon.

Hepatitis C is a worldwide endemic disease. However, hepatitis C virus genotype 4 (HCV GT-4) has rarely been reported in Brazil. HCV GT-4 demonstrates high sustained virological response (SVR). Here, we report the case of a 62-year-old HCV GT-4 positive woman complaining of a headache, nausea, and arthralgia. The patient was treated according to the protocol for genotype 4 (12 weeks administration of 400mg sofosbuvir and 60mg daclatasvir daily) and achieved SVR. Although this is not an Amazonas autochthonous case, the presence of genotype 4 is rarely reported in the region.