Determination of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody levels in hematology-oncology patients after COVID-19 vaccination.

OBJECTIVE: Cancer patients are among the high-risk groups where COVID-19 infection tends to be severe and can lead to increased mortality. Therefore, they are included in the priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination. This study aimed to compare the levels of SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies following two different COVID-19 vaccinations between hematology-oncology patients and healthcare personnel and to identify factors associated with these antibody levels. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective study was conducted with 91 hematology-oncology patients (cancer group) and 75 healthcare personnel (control group) from January 2020 to June 2023. The cancer and control groups comprised adults who had received a booster dose, with either a single dose of BNT162b2 or two doses of CoronaVac™ spaced one month apart, following their primary vaccination with two doses of either CoronaVac™ or BNT162b2. Four weeks after the administration of the booster dose, levels of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies were assessed using an ELISA kit. Antibody levels above 50 AU/mL were accepted as signifying seropositivity. RESULTS: The median SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody level was lower in the cancer group compared to the control group (4,509 vs. 7,268, p = 0.004), while the rate of seroconversion was similar between the groups (97.8% vs. 100%, p = 0.564). In the cancer group, no association was found between SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody levels and age, sex, comorbidity, type of malignancy, stage and duration, or type of vaccine. CONCLUSIONS: In cancer patients, the seroconversion positivity rate was about 98%. However, antibody responses were still lower compared to the control group. No difference was detected in antibody levels among cancer patients based on the type of vaccine.

A new inflammatory marker in overweight patients: triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1.

BACKGROUND: Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (TREM-1) is secreted by phagocytes in adipose tissue and it also upregulates the expression of genes involved in the inflammatory response and atherosclerotic conditions. This study was aimed to investigate the serum TREM-1 levels in overweight patients. METHODS: Twenty-eight subjects in the overweight group (OG) and 20 age-matched healthy subjects in the control group (CG) (BMI 27.6±1.2 vs 23.1±2.17 kg/m2, respectively, p<0.001) were included in the study. The serum sTREM-1 level was measured by ELISA. The homeostasis model assessment score (HOMA-IR) was also calculated. RESULTS: The mean TREM-1 levels were significantly higher in OG than in CG (407.3±323.7 vs 150.3±152.7 pg/mL, respectively, p<0.001). The HOMA-IR score was also significantly higher in OG than in CG (3.42±3.63 vs 2.77±1.61, respectively). A positive correlation was detected between TREM-1 and BMI (r=0.318, p=0.028). CONCLUSIONS: This study mainly demonstrated that a high serum TREM-1 level might be an early inflammatory marker in overweight patients. We found that TREM-1 might be associated with BMI in overweight patients regardless of insulin resistance (Tab. 1, Ref. 21). Text in PDF www.elis.sk.

The activities of serum paraoxonase and arylesterase and lipid profile in acute myeloid leukemia: preliminary results.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the activities of serum paraoxonase-1 (PON1) and arylesterase (ARE), and the lipid profile in newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-two persons (16 of AML and 16 of healthy control) were included to the study. PON1 and ARE activities were measured as spectrophotometrically in serum samples. High density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) were analyzed in autoanalyzer. RESULTS: PON1 activities were respectively 16.04 U/L and 18.6 U/L in AML and healthy controls. There was no statistical significance between groups (p > 0.05). The mean ARE activities were respectively 0.21 U/L and 0.36 U/L in AML and healthy controls. Serum ARE activity significantly decreased in AML group (p < 0.001). Serum HDL values were significantly decreased (181.8 ± 76.2 mg/dl; p = 0.002) in AML. There was no difference in total cholesterol, LDL and triglyceride values (respectively; 181.8 ± 76.2 mg/dl, 120.6 ± 64.6 mg/dl, 157.3 ± 87.2 mg/dl; p > 0.05) between AML and controls. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first documented study about serum PON1 activity in AML patients. Although serum PON1 activities were not changed in both groups, our data suggest that the decreased serum ARE activity and HDL levels may be related the pathogenesis of AML.