Marlen Vitales-Noyola; Diana Lorena Alvarado-Hernández; Raquel Sánchez-Gutiérrez; Berenice Hernández-Castro; Larisa González-Baranda; Sofía Bernal-Siva; Andreu Comas-García; Carmen Sánchez-Torres; Roberto González-Amaro
Abstract
Background: Clinical manifestations SARS-CoV-2 infection are variable, ranging from asymptomatic to pneumonia, and different serious complications. It has been observed that some populations exhibit an enhanced risk for severe disease and death, compared to other ethnical groups.Objective: To evaluate ...
Read More
Background: Clinical manifestations SARS-CoV-2 infection are variable, ranging from asymptomatic to pneumonia, and different serious complications. It has been observed that some populations exhibit an enhanced risk for severe disease and death, compared to other ethnical groups.Objective: To evaluate two parameters of the innate immune system, which have a relevant role in viral immunity.Methods: In samples of peripheral blood from sixteen patients with severe COVID-19, ten with asymptomatic-mild disease, and fifteen healthy controls, the numbers of NK and NKT cells, the expression of different NK cell receptors and the serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were analyzed.Results: We found that patients with severe COVID-19 showed significant lower levels of both CD56dim and CD56bright NK cells compared to patients with mild disease or healthy subjects. Furthermore, an abnormal expression of the natural cytotoxicity receptors NKp30, NKp44 and NKp46 was observed in severe COVID-19 patients. Likewise, NK cells from these patients also showed significant differences in the expression of several killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR’s), in the two main cell subsets (CD56bright, CD56dim), compared to controls or patients with mild disease. Moreover, patients with severe COVID-19 showed lower levels of NKT cells (defined as CD3+CD56+) and increased serum concentrations of IL-6 and IL-8.Conclusion: We consider that the abnormalities in NK and NKT cells observed in patients with severe COVID-19 might have a relevant role in the outcome of this infection in some population groups.
Sengul Aksakal; Selim Gorgun
Abstract
Background: The development of a cytokine storm in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection can make the disease fatal. We hypothesize that this excessive cytokine production impairs mucosal healing. IL-17 and IL-22 are cytokines that play a key role in protecting and regenerating mucosal tissues. ...
Read More
Background: The development of a cytokine storm in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection can make the disease fatal. We hypothesize that this excessive cytokine production impairs mucosal healing. IL-17 and IL-22 are cytokines that play a key role in protecting and regenerating mucosal tissues. IL-17 and IL-22 support each other, and the imbalance between them plays a role in the pathogenesis of many rheumatologic diseases.Objective: To investigate whether COVID-19 severity is related to IL17, IL-22, and the IL-17/IL-22 ratio.Methods: The study was planned prospectively and included 69 patients with active COVID-19 infection. Three groups were created: patients with upper respiratory tract infection, pneumonia, and cytokine storm. Blood samples were taken from the patients upon their first admission and serum levels of IL-17 and IL-22 were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We assessed the relationship between IL17, IL22, IL17/ IL22 ratio, clinical and lung involvement by comparing them with the healthy group.Results: The levels of IL-17 were significantly higher in COVID-19 patients with upper respiratory tract infection compared to the control group (p=0.027). IL17/IL-22 ratio significantly increased in patients with cytokine storm compared to the healthy controls (p=0.027). Serum levels of IL-22 were negatively correlated with the CO-RADS score (r=-0.31, p=0.004), while IL-17/IL-22 ratio was positively correlated with the CO-RADS score (r=0.29, p=0.008). Conclusion: Levels of IL-17, IL-22, and IL-17/IL-22 may provide valuable insights into the progression of COVID-19.
Ali Saffaei; Jafar Amani; Jafar Salimian; Gholamhossein Alishiri; Hassan Abolghasemi
Hineptch Daungsupawong; Viroj Wiwanitkit
Abstract
Dear EditorWe are writing to discuss the article titled “Comparative Immunogenicity and Neutralization Potency of Four Approved COVID-19 Vaccines in BALB/c Mice” (1). The study examined the immunogenicity and neutralization efficacy of four COVID-19 vaccines licensed in Iran in BALB/c mice. ...
Read More
Dear EditorWe are writing to discuss the article titled “Comparative Immunogenicity and Neutralization Potency of Four Approved COVID-19 Vaccines in BALB/c Mice” (1). The study examined the immunogenicity and neutralization efficacy of four COVID-19 vaccines licensed in Iran in BALB/c mice. The vaccines included PastoCovac Plus, Sinopharm, SpikoGen, and Noora. The results showed that all four vaccines induced seroconversion in immunized animals and generated significant levels of anti-vaccine antibodies. Notably, PastoCovac Plus and Sinopharm produced higher levels of anti-RBD antibody titer compared to Noora and SpikoGen. One limitation of the study is the lack of detailed explanation for the differences in antibody responses and neutralization effectiveness among the vaccines. Future research could focus on identifying specific components of the vaccines that contribute to their immunogenicity and neutralizing efficacy. Understanding these mechanisms may lead to the development of more effective vaccines or vaccine combinations. Another limitation of the study is its exclusive focus on antibody responses and neutralization efficacy in BALB/c mice. To validate the findings, future studies could include human clinical trials or other animal models. Additionally, testing the vaccines against various viral variants could provide valuable information on their effectiveness against emerging strains.In conclusion, our study revealed significant sociodemographic disparities in COVID-19 vaccination rates, particularly in relation to booster shots. Individuals identifying as Black or Latinx, as well as those facing poverty or food insecurity, were less likely to receive multiple vaccine doses compared to their White and Asian counterparts. Additionally, vaccine uptake was lower among individuals without health insurance or regular healthcare providers. These findings highlight the importance of addressing and reducing disparities in vaccine access and compliance to ensure equitable protection against COVID-19. References:Dashti N, Golsaz-Shirazi F, Jeddi-Tehrani M, Zarnani AH, Amiri MM, Shokri F. Comparative Immunogenicity and Neutralization Potency of Four Approved COVID-19 Vaccines in BALB/c Mice. Iran J Immunol. 2024 Mar 4;21(1). doi: 10.22034/iji.2024.101060.2728. Online ahead of print. Author’s responseDear EditorWe appreciate the comments raised on our paper accepted for publication in IJI (doi: 10.22034/iji.2024.101060.2728). The commenters pointed out some limitations of our study regarding the clarification of the processes responsible for the variations in antibody response and virus neutralization potency of the vaccines included in this study. They suggested investigating the constituents of the vaccines to gain further insight into the components responsible for enhancement of vaccine efficacy. In fact, we have discussed all these issues in detail in the discussion of our article, taking into account the structure of the immunizing antigens, their expression profile in either eukaryotic or prokaryotic systems, the nature of the adjuvants, and the possibility of degradation or denaturation of the antigens, etc. The commenters also proposed validating the results through clinical trials in human as well as investigating the neutralization potency on different viral variants. Conducting a comparative assessment on human samples has also been highlighted in our paper. However, we did not recommend performing experiments on other virus variants, such as Omicron or its subtypes, because two of the vaccines (SpikoGen and Noora) failed to induce an appreciable virus neutralization response to the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. Thus, we could not expect any neutralization effect against highly mutated variants, such as Omicron.Finally, the conclusion paragraph provided by the commenters, regarding their data on the influence of sociodemographic and nutrition parameters on the immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines is not relevant to our study and cannot be interpreted in light of the findings reported in our paper.
Navid Dashti; Forough Golsaz-Shirazi; Mahmood Jeddi-Tehrani; Amir-Hassan Zarnani; Mohammad Mehdi Amiri; Fazel Shokri
Abstract
Background: Since the outbreak of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), several vaccine candidates have been developed within a short period of time. Although the potency of these vaccines was evaluated individually, their comparative potency was not comprehensively ...
Read More
Background: Since the outbreak of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), several vaccine candidates have been developed within a short period of time. Although the potency of these vaccines was evaluated individually, their comparative potency was not comprehensively evaluated.Objective: To compare the immunogenicity and neutralization efficacy of four approved COVID-19 vaccines in Iran, including: PastoCovac Plus, Sinopharm, SpikoGen, and Noora in BALB/c mice.Methods: Different groups of female BALB/c mice were vaccinated with three doses of each vaccine. The serum levels of antibodies against the viral receptor binding domain (anti-RBD) and spike (anti-spike) protein as well as the vaccine formulation (anti-vaccine) were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The neutralization efficacy of these four vaccines was assessed through four neutralization assays: conventional virus neutralization test (cVNT), pseudotype virus neutralization test (pVNT), surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT), and inhibition flow cytometry.Results: All four vaccines induced seroconversion in vaccinated animals. All vaccines successfully induced high levels of anti-vaccine antibody; however, PastoCovac Plus and Sinopharm vaccines induced significantly higher levels of anti-RBD antibody titer compared to Noora and SpikoGen. Moreover, the results of the antibody response were corroborated by the virus neutralization tests, which revealed very weak neutralization potency by Noora and SpikoGen in all tests.Conclusion: Our results indicate significant immunogenicity and neutralization efficacy induced by PastoCovac Plus and Sinopharm, but not by Noora and SpikoGen. This suggests the need for additional comparative assessment of the potency and efficacy of these four vaccines in vaccinated subjects.
Ali Shams; Sahar Khosravi; Aysan Zareiye; Yeganeh Lalehzari; Reyhane Nematollahi; Solmaz Basti
Abstract
Cell-mediated immunity (CMI) is crucial in controlling the highly aggressive and progressive SARS-CoV-2 infection. Despite extensive researches on severe COVID-19 infection, the etiology and/or mechanisms of lymphopenia, decreased T cell-mediated responses in patients, cytokine release storms (CRS), ...
Read More
Cell-mediated immunity (CMI) is crucial in controlling the highly aggressive and progressive SARS-CoV-2 infection. Despite extensive researches on severe COVID-19 infection, the etiology and/or mechanisms of lymphopenia, decreased T cell-mediated responses in patients, cytokine release storms (CRS), and enhanced pro-inflammatory mediators are not fully understood. Several T cell subpopulations, including innate-like lymphocytes (ILLs) and conventional T cells, are involved in COVID-19 infection; however, their contribution to immunity and complications remains to be more elucidated. CD16+ T cells are among the effective players in the development of T helper1 (Th1) responses in COVID-19 infection, while their robust cytolytic properties contribute to lung tissue damage. While CD56-CD16bright NK cells play a protective role, natural killer T (NKT) cells, mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells, and γδ T cells and their roles in COVID-19 require further investigation. The involvement of the other T cell subsets, such as Th17, along with neutrophils, adds to the complexity of the situation. In this review, we presented and discussed the findings of recent studies on T cell responses and the contribution of each type of immune cells to COVID-19.
Zivar Zangeneh; Gholamreza Khamisipour
Abstract
Background: Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are involved in innate and adaptive immune responses, especially inflammatory responses due to immune cell activation. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was one of the most important causes of death in the recent pandemic. Increased cellular ...
Read More
Background: Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are involved in innate and adaptive immune responses, especially inflammatory responses due to immune cell activation. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was one of the most important causes of death in the recent pandemic. Increased cellular stress and excessive inflammation are common in coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), although the underlying mechanisms are still poorlyunderstood.Objective: To evaluate the relationship between HSP and the pathological effects of COVID-19.Methods: A group of 107 patients was categorized to two populations (mild and severe) based on their chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) results. The HSP70, HSP90 alpha, and serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and creatine phosphokinase (CPK) were measured by the automated analyzer.Results: Our data showed increased levels of HSP70 and HSP90 in patients with COVID-19. The HSPs levels were elevated in the severe group compared to the mild group. This study demonstrated a positive correlation between both elevated levels of HSP70, HSP90, and HRCT grade and also a positive correlation with CRP and CPK in the severe group.Conclusion: HSP90 and HSP70 contribute to excessive immune responses and cytokine storms. They may serve as prognostic serum markers for COVID-19 lung injury. Additionally, they arecandidates for anti-inflammatory therapy.
Alireza Fereidouni; Hamidreza Safari; Hadis Rezapoor; Sara Mahmoudzadeh; Mohammad Fereidouni
Abstract
Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first reported in December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. As long as the 27th of December 2021, approximately 280 million people have been infected with coronavirus, resulting in more than 5,418,421 deaths worldwide. Since the beginning ...
Read More
Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first reported in December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. As long as the 27th of December 2021, approximately 280 million people have been infected with coronavirus, resulting in more than 5,418,421 deaths worldwide. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, different methods were introduced for diagnosing coronavirus-infected patients and evaluating the immune response, following the vaccination.Objective: The current study aimed to compare the level of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) specific IgG in a group of patients who recovered from COVID-19, measured by three different enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on sera from patients who recovered from a real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-confirmed COVID-19 in Birjand, South Khorasan, Iran. SARS-CoV-2 anti-nucleocapsid (N) and spike (S) protein IgG levels were measured using commercial ELISA kits. Comparison between groups was made using one-way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc tests.Results: The mean titer of anti-N IgG was significantly higher for the PishtazTeb Diagnostics kit than the Ideal Tashkhis Atieh kit (p<0.05). There was no correlation between the titer of anti-N IgG (PishtazTeb Diagnostics and Ideal Tashkhis Atieh) and anti-S IgG (Chemobind Company) antibodies.Conclusion: This study indicates that the domestic ELISA kits have variable but acceptable sensitivity for detecting SARS-CoV-2 specific IgG antibodies.
Atieh Yaghoubi; Samira Asli; Maryam Parhizkar; Maryam Mohammadpour; Ali Khorsand; Mehdi Yousefi; Taravat Bamdad; Saeid Amel Jamehdar
Abstract
Background: Measuring the level of antibodies produced post-vaccination in response to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is considered a strategy for estimating the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines.Objective: To examine the antibody levels among the healthcare workers in different hospitals in Mashhad, ...
Read More
Background: Measuring the level of antibodies produced post-vaccination in response to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is considered a strategy for estimating the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines.Objective: To examine the antibody levels among the healthcare workers in different hospitals in Mashhad, Iran after receiving the second dose of Sputnik V.Methods: In this study, we enrolled 230 healthcare workers for evaluating the Gam-COVID-Vac or Sputnik V after the second administration in different hospitals in Mashhad. Antibody levels of spike protein were quantitatively evaluated in a sample of 230 negative RT-PCR tests for the COVID-19 individuals. The analysis has been done based on an immunological assay using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The infection history of the subjects and their families was examined through their medical records.Results: Our results demonstrated a significant association between a higher titer of IgG and a previous history of the COVID-19 infection (P<0.001). Moreover, the chance of detecting antibodies titer more than 50 AU/ml was 16.99 in these people which was significantly higher than in people without a history of infection pre-vaccination [%95CI: (7.38,39.12), P<0.001].Conclusion: This result demonstrates that the efficacy of antibody production is related to the previous history of the SARS-CoV-2 infections. Ongoing monitoring of the level of antibody among vaccinated populations will help evaluating the effect of vaccines on humoral immunity status.
Rujittika Mungmunpuntipantip; Viroj Wiwanitkit
Luis Antonio Ochoa-Ramirez; Rosalio Ramos-Payan; German Reynaldo Jimenez-Gastelum; Jose Rodriguez-Millan; Maribel Aguilar-Medina; Juan Jose Rios-Tostado; Alfredo Ayala-Ham; Mercedez Bermudez; Juan Fidel Osuna-Ramos; Vicente Olimon-Andalon; Jesús Salvador Velarde-Félix
Abstract
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emergent viral disease in which the host inflammatory response modulates the clinical outcome. Severe outcomes are associated with an exacerbation of inflammation in which chemokines play an important role as the attractants of immune cells to the ...
Read More
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emergent viral disease in which the host inflammatory response modulates the clinical outcome. Severe outcomes are associated with an exacerbation of inflammation in which chemokines play an important role as the attractants of immune cells to the tissues.Objective: To evaluate the relationship of the chemokines IL-8, RANTES, MIG, MCP-1, and IP-10 with COVID-19 severity and outcomes in Mexican patients.Methods: We analyzed the serum levels of IL-8, RANTES, MIG, MCP-1 and IP-10 in 148 COVID-19 hospitalized patients classified as mild (n=20), severe (n=61), and critical (n=67), as well as in healthy individuals (n=10), by flow cytometry bead array assay.Results: Chemokine levels were higher in patients than in the healthy individuals, but only MIG, MCP-1, and IP-10 increased according to the disease severity, showing the highest levels in the critical group. MIG, MCP-1, and IP-10 levels were also higher in COVID-19 patients with comorbidities such as renal disease, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. Moreover, elevated MIG levels seem to be related to organic failure/shock, and an increased risk of death.Conclusions: Our results suggest that the increased levels of MCP-1, IP-10, and especially MIG might be useful in predicting severe COVID-19 outcomes and could be promising therapeutic targets.
Enayat Anvari; Atefe Ghamar Talepoor; Mahsa Eshkevar Vakili; Narges Karimi; MohammadReza Ataollahi; Gelareh Najafi; Dieter Kabelitz; Iraj Ahmadi; Kurosh Kalantar
Abstract
Background: Vaccines are the most effective way to prevent Coronavirus 2 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2).Objectives: To compare the antibody response of healthy individuals vaccinated with either the AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) or the Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV) vaccine, in those ...
Read More
Background: Vaccines are the most effective way to prevent Coronavirus 2 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2).Objectives: To compare the antibody response of healthy individuals vaccinated with either the AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) or the Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV) vaccine, in those who had no prior infection with SARS-CoV-2.Methods: Thirty seven participants were included, of which 17 were administered the AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) vaccine, while 20 were given the Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV) vaccine. SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody and anti-receptor-binding domain (RBD) IgG levels were checked 4 weeks after giving the first and the second dose of either vaccine using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique.Results: The AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) vaccine exhibited a higher levels of anti-(RBD) IgG compared with the Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV) in both the first (14.51 μg/ml vs. 1.160 μg/ml) and the second (46.68 μg/ml vs. 11.43 μg/ml) doses. About neutralizing Abs, the titer of the antibody was higher in the AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) recipients than in the Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV) subjects after the first (7.77 μg/ml vs. 1.79 μg/ml, p < 0.0001) and the second dose (10. 36 μg/ml vs. 4.88 μg/ml, p < 0.0001).Conclusions: Recipients vaccinated with two doses of the AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) had superior quantitative antibody levels than Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV)-vaccinated subjects. These data suggest that a booster dose may be needed for the Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV) recipients, to control the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amir Hossein Norooznezhad; Alireza A Shamshirsaz; Sedigheh Hantoushzadeh
Abstract
Pregnant women with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have a higher risk of morbidity and mortality compared with the general population. Possible pathways are: I) in patients with COVID-19, cytokine storm defined as the excess release of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin 1β (IL-1β), ...
Read More
Pregnant women with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have a higher risk of morbidity and mortality compared with the general population. Possible pathways are: I) in patients with COVID-19, cytokine storm defined as the excess release of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin 1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) has been associated with morbidities and an even higher rate of mortality. II) Labor, despite being a term/preterm, has an inflammatory nature, although, inflammation is more prominent in preterm delivery. During labor, different pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α are involved which as mentioned, all are crucial role players in the cytokine storm. III) Tissue injury, and during labor, (especially cesarean section) is shown to cause inflammation via pro-inflammatory cytokines release including those involved in the cytokine storm through the activation of nuclear factor κB (NFκB). IV) post-partum hemorrhage with a notable amount of blood loss which can cause significant hypoxemia. In this condition, hypoxia-inducible factor 1α which has a cross-talk with NFκB, leads to the expression of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α as both angiogenic and pro-inflammatory factors. Considering all the mentioned issues and pathways, we suggest that clinicians be careful about the escalation of the inflammatory status in their pregnant COVID-19 patients during/following labor.
Haibai Sun; Hongjie Li; Shuping Huang; Lixia Shi; Zhiyan Xing; Jun Shen
Abstract
COVID-19 is a new acute respiratory infectious disease caused by a novel Coronavirus (2019-COV-2) infection. On November 26, 2021, the World Health Organization announced a new 2019-COV-2 variant strain Omicron (B.1.1.529). Omicron's emergence added further uncertainty to the outbreak. Here we report ...
Read More
COVID-19 is a new acute respiratory infectious disease caused by a novel Coronavirus (2019-COV-2) infection. On November 26, 2021, the World Health Organization announced a new 2019-COV-2 variant strain Omicron (B.1.1.529). Omicron's emergence added further uncertainty to the outbreak. Here we report the first case infected with Omicron in China, a 17-year-old female student. In this paper, the clinical symptoms, laboratory and imaging examinations and treatment of the first Omicron-infected patient in China were analyzed. This report might provide a reference for the diagnosis and treatment of patients infected with Omicron strain across the world. The novel Coronavirus antibody tests were performed on the day of admission: IgM level was normal, novel Coronavirus antibody IgG was 132.666s /CO and IgG was 148.47s /CO on the 7th day of admission. IgG showed an increasing trend, which is consistent with the results of multiple novel Coronavirus non-Omicron strain infections.
German Reynaldo Jiménez-Gastélum; Arely Monserrant Espinoza-Ortega; Rosalío Ramos-Payán; Maribel Aguilar-Medina; Jorge López-Gutiérrez; Carlos Villegas-Mercado; Luis Antonio Ochoa-Ramirez; Horacio Rendón-Aguilar; Juan Fidel Osuna-Ramos; Juan José Ríos-Tostado; Jesús Salvador Velarde-Félix
Abstract
Background: According to the World Health Organization, Mexico presents one of the highest mortality rates due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The "cytokine storm" phenomenon has been proposed as a pathological hallmark of severe COVID-19. Objective: To determine the association of serum cytokine ...
Read More
Background: According to the World Health Organization, Mexico presents one of the highest mortality rates due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The "cytokine storm" phenomenon has been proposed as a pathological hallmark of severe COVID-19. Objective: To determine the association of serum cytokine levels with COVID-19 severity. Methods: We studied the cytokines IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, and the IFN-γ serum levels through flow cytometry in 56 COVID-19 patients (24 critical and 32 non-critical) from Northwest Mexico. Results: We observed a significant increase in the IL-6 and the IL-10 levels in the sera of critical patients. These cytokines were also associated with mechanical ventilation necessity and death, IL-6 showing AUC values above 0.7 for both variables; and correlated with Na+, creatinine, and platelet levels. On the other hand, no association was found between IL-2, IL-4, TNF-α, and IFN-γ with tested variables. Conclusion: Our results corroborate previous observations regarding IL-6 and IL-10 involvement in the severity of COVID-19.
Ashish Kumar Vyas; Vishwanath Varma; Garima Garg; Priyal Gupta; Nirupma Trehanpati
Abstract
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) associated with SARS-CoV-2, causes a severe form of the respiratory illness known as Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19). COVID-19 has emerged as a worldwide pandemic with a high number of fatalities. Approximately 112,654,202 people have been infected so far with ...
Read More
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) associated with SARS-CoV-2, causes a severe form of the respiratory illness known as Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19). COVID-19 has emerged as a worldwide pandemic with a high number of fatalities. Approximately 112,654,202 people have been infected so far with this disease which has led to the death of more than one point seven million (2,496,749) till 24th Feb, 2021. Measures to counter this disease have led to a global economic slowdown. Multiple drug trials are ongoing and several putative candidates for vaccination against the virus have been approved and are in the pipeline. Many studies have also characterized the immunological profile of patients infected with COVID-19. Some studies suggest that the severity of the COVID-19 infection is directly associated with the cytokine storm. In this review, we aim to compile the available knowledge and describe the nature of immune responses in patients infected with COVID-19 in different age groups, comorbidity, and immune-compromised state and their association with disease severity.
Amir Hossein Mansourabadi; Mona Sadeghalvad; Hamid-Reza Mohammadimotlagh; Aliakbar Amirzargar
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic is probably the most devastating worldwide challenge in recent century. COVID-19 leads to a mild to severe respiratory disease and affects different organs and has become a global concern since December 2019. Meanwhile, molecular biology and diagnostic laboratories played an essential ...
Read More
The COVID-19 pandemic is probably the most devastating worldwide challenge in recent century. COVID-19 leads to a mild to severe respiratory disease and affects different organs and has become a global concern since December 2019. Meanwhile, molecular biology and diagnostic laboratories played an essential role in diagnosis of the disease by introducing serological and molecular tests. Molecular-based techniques are reliable detection tools for SARS-CoV-2 and used for diagnosis of patients especially in the early stage of the disease. While, serological assays are considered as additional tools to verify the asymptomatic infections, tracing previous contacts of individuals, vaccine efficacy, and study the seroprevalance. The average time of the appearance of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the patient's serum is 3-6 days after the onset of symptoms for both IgM and IgA and 10-18 days for IgG. Following the outbreak of COVID-19, FDA has approved and authorized a series of serological laboratory tests for early diagnosis. Serological assays have low-cost and provide fast results but have poor sensitivity in the early stage of the viral infection. Although the serological tests may not play an important role in the active case of COVID-19, it could be effective to determine the immunity of health care workers, and confirm late COVID-19 cases during the outbreak. In this review, we compared various laboratory diagnostic assays for COVID-19.
Saeid Taghiloo; Mohsen Soltanshahi; Masoud Aliyali; Siavash Abedi; Hossein Mehravaran; Abolghasem Ajami; Hossein Asgarian-Omran
Abstract
Background: SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is recognized for the first time in Wuhan, China. The cytokine storm is a known factor causing major clinical symptoms leading to death in COVID-19 patients. Objective: To investigate and compare the serum levels of ...
Read More
Background: SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is recognized for the first time in Wuhan, China. The cytokine storm is a known factor causing major clinical symptoms leading to death in COVID-19 patients. Objective: To investigate and compare the serum levels of different cytokines in COVID-19 patients with different clinical severity. Methods: Concentrations of serum cytokines, including IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and GM-CSF, were measured in 61 COVID-19 patients and 31 normal controls with ELISA. We investigated the correlation between the levels of these cytokines and clinical severity, CRP level, neutrophil and lymphocyte count in patients with COVID-19. Results: Our data indicated that the levels of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and GM-CSF, but not IL-10 were significantly increased in COVID-19 patients compared to normal controls. Statistical analysis showed that the level of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and GM-CSF were higher in severe COVID-19 than those of mild cases. The concentrations of all mentioned cytokines were negatively associated with the absolute count of lymphocytes, and positively correlated with the CRP level and the absolute count of neutrophils. Conclusion: The current study suggests that high levels of various cytokines correlate with the disease severity and immunopathogenesis of COVID-19.
Sahar Mortezagholi; Davood Rostamzadeh; Maedeh Alinejad; Vahid Younesi; Payam Tabarsi; Mahdi Shabani
Abstract
Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) rapidly transmits in general population, mainly between health-care workers (HCWs) who are in close contact with patients. Objective: To study the seropositivity of HCWs as a high-risk group compared to general population. Methods: ...
Read More
Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) rapidly transmits in general population, mainly between health-care workers (HCWs) who are in close contact with patients. Objective: To study the seropositivity of HCWs as a high-risk group compared to general population. Methods: 72 samples were obtained from HCWs working in Masih Daneshvari hospital as one of the main COVID-19 admission centers in Tehran, during April 4 to 6, 2020. Also we collected 2021 blood samples from general population. The SARS-CoV-2 specific IgM, and IgG antibodies in the collected serum specimens were measured by commercial ELISA kits. Results: Based on the clinical manifestations, 25.0%, 47.2%, and 27.8% of HCWs were categorized as symptomatic with typical symptoms, symptomatic with atypical symptoms, and asymptomatic, respectively. Symptomatic individuals with typical and atypical symptoms were 63.2% and 36.8% positive in RT-PCR test, respectively. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies were detected in 15.3% and 27.8% of HCWs samples, respectively. Antibody testing in the general population indicated that SARS-CoV-2 specific IgM and IgG were found in (162/2021) 8%, and (290/2021) 14.4%, respectively. The frequency of positive cases of IgM and IgG were significantly increased in HCWs compared to general population (p= 0.028 for IgM and p= 0.002 for IgG). Conclusion: The frequency of SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies in HCWs was higher than general population indicating a higher viral transmission via close exposure with COVID-19 patients.
Mehrdad Alikhani; Amir Javadi; Mahdi Aalikhani
