The relationship between blood groups and risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 or development of severe outcomes: A review.

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is considered a global catastrophe that has overwhelmed health care systems. Since initiation of the pandemic, identification of characteristics that might influence risk of infection and poor disease outcomes have been of paramount interest. Blood group phenotypes are genetically inherited characteristics whose association with certain infectious diseases have long been debated. The aim of this review is to identify whether a certain type of blood group may influence an individual's susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection and developing severe outcomes. Our review shows that blood group O protects individuals against SARS-CoV-2, whereas blood group A predisposes them to being infected. Although the association between blood groups and outcomes of COVID-19 is not consistent, it is speculated that non-O blood group carriers with COVID-19 are at higher risk of developing severe outcomes in comparison to O blood group. The interaction between blood groups and SARS-CoV-2 infection is hypothesized to be as result of natural antibodies against blood group antigens that may act as a part of innate immune response to neutralize viral particles. Alternatively, blood group antigens could serve as additional receptors for the virus and individuals who are capable of expressing these antigens on epithelial cells, which are known as secretors, would then have a high propensity to be affected by SARS-CoV-2.

ABO blood groups and risk of human immunodeficiency virus infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The last few decades have seen a pandemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which continues to cause substantial morbidity and mortality. ABO blood groups are anthropological and genetic characteristics of a population whose associations with HIV infection are still controversial. This systematic review with meta-analysis was undertaken to investigate whether certain blood groups may have associations with HIV infection. PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases were systematically searched as of 6 September 2021. Grey literature was identified through screening Google Scholar, and reference lists of relevant studies. All observational studies providing data on ABO blood group distribution among HIV-infected and uninfected participants were included. Using a random effect model, risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled to quantify this relationship. Fifty eligible studies with a total of 3,068,244 participants and 6508 HIV-infected cases were included. The overall analysis found that blood group AB increased the risk of HIV infection by 19% as compared with non-AB blood groups (RR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.03-1.39, p = 0.02). Pooled estimates for other blood groups failed to reach statistical significance. Subgroup analyses identified a positive relationship between AB blood group and HIV infection within Asia, patient populations (as opposed to blood donors and general populations), studies with lower sample sizes, high-income countries and studies with a moderate quality score. The sequential omission and re-analysis of studies within sensitivity analyses produced no change in the overall pooled effect. In conclusion, this study identified that blood group AB carriers were more susceptible to HIV infection. Future investigations should be directed toward clarification of the exact role of ABO blood groups in HIV infection and the possible underlying mechanisms.

Efficacy of tocilizumab in the treatment of COVID-19: An umbrella review.

Tocilizumab is an interleukin (IL)-6 receptor inhibitor that has been proposed as a therapeutic agent for treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of this umbrella review was to determine the efficacy of tocilizumab in treating COVID-19, and to provide an overview of all systematic reviews on this topic. We systematically searched PubMed, Scopus, the Web of Science collection, the Cochrane library, Epistemonikos, and Google Scholar, as well as the medRxiv preprint server. These databases were searched up to 30 September 2021, using the following keywords: 'SARS-CoV-2', 'COVID-19', 'tocilizumab', 'RHPM-1', 'systematic review', and 'meta-analysis'. Studies were included if they were systematic reviews (with or without meta-analysis) investigating the efficacy or safety of tocilizumab in confirmed COVID-19 patients. The AMSTAR 2 checklist was used to assess quality of the included articles, while publication bias was examined using Egger's test. A total of 50 eligible systematic reviews were included. The pooled estimates showed significant reductions in clinical failure (risk ratio (RR) 0.75; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.61-0.93), deaths (RR 0.78; 95%CI, 0.71-0.85) and the need for mechanical ventilation (RR 0.77; 95%CI, 0.64-0.92) for those receiving tocilizumab compared with the control group. Also, an emerging survival benefit was demonstrated for those who received tocilizumab, over those in the control group (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 0.52; 95%CI, 0.43-0.63). In addition, tocilizumab substantially increased the number of ventilator-free days, compared with the control treatments (weighted mean difference (WMD) 3.38; 95%CI, 0.51-6.25). Furthermore, lymphocyte count (WMD 0.26 × 109 /L; 95%CI, 0.14-0.37), IL-6 (WMD 176.99 pg/mL; 95%CI, 76.34-277.64) and D-dimer (WMD 741.08 ng/mL; 95%CI, 109.42-1372.75) were all significantly elevated in those receiving tocilizumab. However, the level of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (WMD -30.88 U/L; 95%CI, -51.52, -10.24) and C-reactive protein (CRP) (WMD -104.83 mg/L; 95%CI, -133.21, -76.46) were both significantly lower after treatment with tocilizumab. Tocilizumab treatment reduced the risk of intubation, mortality and the length of hospital stay, without increasing the risk of superimposed infections in COVID-19 patients. Therefore, tocilizumab can be considered an effective therapeutic agent for treating patients with COVID-19.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of complications of artificial urinary sphincters in female patients with urinary incontinence due to internal sphincter insufficiency.

BACKGROUND: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common worldwide rising health issue among women with a prevalence of 5 to 70%. Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is the most common subtype of UI. There are different treatments for UI, including AUS (artificial urinary sphincter) implantation, as one of the surgical options for treating SUI. The aim of this study was to determine the complication rate of AUS, exclusively in female patients with SUI, which resulted from ISD (intrinsic sphincter deficiency). We also compared the complication rate between minimally invasive (laparoscopic or robotic surgery) and open approaches. METHODS: Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Google Scholar were searched for studies regarding complications in AUS implantation surgery, from the beginning of the project to March 2022. After screening and reviewing of full text, the general characteristics of the study and study population including follow-up time, type of surgery, and the number of complications that occurred such as necrosis, atrophy, erosion, infection, mechanical failure, revision, and leak, were extracted. RESULTS: We found that atrophy occurred in 1 of 188 (0.53%) patients treated with minimally invasive surgery and in 1 of 669 (0.15%) patients treated with open surgery. None of the 17 included studies reported the occurrence of necrosis in the patients under study. Erosion occurred in 9 of 188 (4.78%) patients treated with minimally invasive surgery and in 41 of 669 (6.12%) patients treated with open surgery. Infection occurred in 12 of 188 (6.38%) patients treated with minimally invasive surgery and in 22 of 669 (3.2%) patients treated with open surgery. The mechanical failure occurred in 1 of 188 (0.53%) patients treated with minimally invasive surgery and in 55 of 669 (8.22%) patients treated with open surgery. Reconstructive surgery occurred in 7 of 188 (3.72%) patients treated with minimally invasive surgery and in 95 of 669 (14.2%) patients treated with open surgery. Leaks occurred in 4 of 188 (2.12%) patients treated with minimally invasive surgery and in 6 of 669 (0.89%) patients treated with open surgery. The type of surgery was associated with a statistically significant increase in mechanical failure (p-value = 0.067) and infection (p-value = 0.021), and reconstructive surgery (p-value = 0.049). Out of the 857 participats in the study,469 were studied for less than five years and 388 were studied for more than five years.21 of 469 (4.4%) (p-value = 0.08) patients and 81 of 388 (20.8%) (p-value = 0.001) patients required reconstructive surgery. Erosion occurred in 23 of 469 (4.9%) (p-value = 0.01)patients with following time less than five years and in 27 of 388 (6.9%) (p-value = 0.001) patients with following time more than five years. CONCLUSION: The use of artificial urinary sphincters in the treatment of UI causes complications such as atrophy, erosion, and infection; the amount of which is influenced by the surgical method and the duration of using the artificial urinary sphincter. It seems that the use of new surgical methods, such as laparoscopic surgery, is useful in reducing the incidence of complications.

Role of T follicular helper cells in autoimmune rheumatic Diseases: A systematic review on immunopathogenesis and response to treatment.

BACKGROUND: T follicular helper (Tfh) cells are a subdivision of T helper cells involved in antigen-specific B cell immunity. Tfh cells play an essential role in the interaction of T cells/B cells in the germinal centers (GC), and dysregulation of Tfh actions can offer pathogenic autoantibody formation and lead to the development of autoimmune diseases. This study seeks to evaluate changes in Tfh frequency and its related cytokines in autoimmune disease, its association with disease phase, severity, prognosis, and the effect of immunosuppressive treatment on the Tfh population. METHOD: The study adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 Statement. Electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase, were systematically searched for potentially eligible studies up to January 1, 2024. RESULTS: We identified 4998 articles in the initial search, from which 1686 similar titles were removed. A total of 3312 articles were initially screened, and 3051 articles were excluded by title/abstract screening. A total of 261 studies were considered for full-text assessment, and 205 articles were excluded by reason. Finally, a total of 56 studies were included in our review. CONCLUSION: The population of Tfh cells is generally higher in autoimmune diseases versus Health control. Moreover, the number of Tfh cells is associated with the disease severity and can be considered for determining the prognosis of studies. Also, peripheral blood circulating Tfh (cTfh) cells are an available sample that can be used as an indicator for diagnosing diseases.

Non-spinal low back pain: Global epidemiology, trends, and risk factors.

Background and Aims: Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most debilitating and prevalent disorders. The prevalence of LBP ranges from 30% to 80%, depending on the population, and increases with age. Causes of LBP are typically classified as spinal and non-spinal. The main goal of this study was to investigate the non-spinal causes of LBP, since neglecting these factors leads to increases in the financial, psychological, and physical burden of LBP on individuals as well as on society. Methods: The data were extracted after searching the PubMed database and Google Scholar search engine up to October 27, 2021. We included all studies that were conducted on a human population and assessed the effects of epidemiological, biological, psychological, and sociodemographic factors on the incidence or progression of LBP. Results: The most common causes of non-spinal LBP were diseases such as nephrolithiasis, endometriosis, tumors, fibromyalgia, and conditions like psychological disorders and pregnancy. Nevertheless, the perceived intensity of the pain can be affected by factors such as socioeconomic level, genetics, age, habits, diet, and psychological status. Conclusion: The epidemiology, etiologies, and risk factors associated with LBP should be more clearly recognized to better prevent, diagnose, and treat the underlying disease and to reduce the burden of LBP.