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Abstract On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a new coronavirus infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus as a pandemic, making it the 11th pandemic of the 20th and 21st centuries. This study investigated the clinical and laboratory results (D-dimer, conventional coagulation, and HbA1c biomarker concentrations) of 150 patients (75 male and 75 female) with confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia and 50 controls (25 male and 25 female). For disease diagnosis, all COVID-19 patients were given a Real-Time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay (RT-PCR). The findings revealed that D-dimer and HbA1c levels in COVID-19 patients were significantly higher (P 0.001) at the time of admission; In COVID-19 patients, there was also a strong correlation between D-dimer levels and HbA1c levels (P 0.001). In conclusion, COVID-19 patients are more likely to have a poor prognosis if their D-dimer and HbA1c levels remain uncontrolled over a lengthy period. To lower the likelihood of a bad prognosis in COVID-19, patients with higher levels of D-dimer and HbA1c should be continuously monitored. Resumo Em 11 de março de 2020, a Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) declarou uma nova infecção por coronavírus causada pelo vírus SARS-CoV-2 como uma pandemia, tornando-a a 11ª pandemia dos séculos XX e XXI. Este estudo investigou os resultados clínicos e laboratoriais (D-dímero, coagulação convencional e concentrações de biomarcadores HbA1c) de 150 pacientes (75 homens e 75 mulheres) com pneumonia por COVID-19 confirmada e 50 controles (25 homens e 25 mulheres). Para o diagnóstico da doença, todos os pacientes com COVID-19 receberam um Ensaio de Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase com Transcrição Reversa em Tempo Real (RT-PCR). Os achados revelaram que os níveis de D-dímero e HbA1c em pacientes com COVID-19 foram significativamente maiores (P 0,001) no momento da admissão. Em pacientes com COVID-19, também houve uma forte correlação entre os níveis de D-dímero e os níveis de HbA1c (P 0,001). Em conclusão, os pacientes com COVID-19 têm maior probabilidade de ter um prognóstico ruim se seus níveis de D-dímero e HbA1c permanecerem descontrolados por um longo período. Para diminuir a probabilidade de um mau prognóstico na COVID-19, os pacientes com níveis mais altos de D-dímero e HbA1c devem ser monitorados continuamente.

Background There are two influenza A subtypes (H1 and H3) and two influenza B lineages (Victoria and Yamagata) that currently co‐circulate in humans. In this study, we report the development of a six‐plex droplet digital RT‐PCR (ddRT‐PCR) assay that can detect HA and M segments of influenza A (H1, H3, and M) and influenza B (Yamagata HA, Victoria HA, and M) viruses in a single reaction mixture. It can simultaneously detect six different nucleic acid targets in a ddRT‐PCR platform. Methods The six‐plex ddRT‐PCR used in this study is an amplitude‐based multiplex assay. The analytical performance of the assay was evaluated. Correlation with standard qRT‐PCR methodology was assessed using 55 clinical samples. Results The assay has a wide dynamic range, and it has good reproducibility within and between runs. The limit of quantification of each target in this assay ranged from 15 copies/reaction for influenza B Victoria M gene to 45 copies/reaction for influenza B Yamagata M gene. In addition, this assay can accurately quantify each of these targets in samples containing viral RNAs from two different viruses that were mixed in a highly skewed ratio. Typing, subtyping, and lineage differentiation data of 55 tested clinical respiratory specimens were found to be identical to those deduced from standard monoplex qRT‐PCR assays. Conclusions The six‐plex ddRT‐PCR test was demonstrated to be highly suitable for detecting dual influenza infection cases. This assay is expected to be a useful diagnostic tool for clinical and research use.

Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV) was detected in several rose plants showing symptoms of rose mosaic disease (RMD) in Beqaa valley, Lebanon. PNRSV was found in 29 plants by molecular and serological analyses, while other viruses associated with RMD were absent. Although PNRSV is known to have a wide host range, the present paper reports the first occurrence of PNRSV on rose plants in Lebanon.

Arbovirus infections are frequent causes of acute febrile illness (AFI) in tropical countries. We conducted health facility-based AFI surveillance at four sites in Colombia (Cucuta, Cali, Villavicencio, Leticia) during 2019-2022. Demographic, clinical and risk factor data were collected from persons with AFI that consented to participate in the study (n = 2,967). Serologic specimens were obtained and tested for multiple pathogens by RT-PCR and rapid test (Antigen/IgM), with 20.7% identified as dengue positive from combined testing. Oropouche virus (OROV) was initially detected in serum by metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) and virus target capture in a patient from Cúcuta. Three additional infections from Leticia were confirmed by conventional PCR, sequenced, and isolated in tissue culture. Phylogenetic analysis determined there have been at least two independent OROV introductions into Colombia. To assess OROV spread, a RT-qPCR dual-target assay was developed which identified 87/791 (10.9%) viremic cases in AFI specimens from Cali (3/53), Cucuta (3/19), Villavicencio (38/566), and Leticia (43/153). In parallel, an automated anti-nucleocapsid antibody assay detected IgM in 27/503 (5.4%) and IgG in 92/568 (16.2%) patients screened, for which 24/68 (35.3%) of PCR positives had antibodies. Dengue was found primarily in people aged <18 years and linked to several clinical manifestations (weakness, skin rash and petechiae), whereas Oropouche cases were associated with the location, climate phase, and odynophagia symptom. Our results confirm OROV as an emerging pathogen and recommend increased surveillance to determine its burden as a cause of AFI in Colombia.

AbstractIntroductionAs of 24 October 2021, 128,868 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and 3550 deaths were reported from Namibia. The national COVID-19 vaccination campaign that started in March 2021 included health workers (HWs) as a priority group. The vaccines most administered were Sinopharm, AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNtech, and Janssen. We aimed to measure the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines (VE) amongst HWs against laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in Namibia. MethodsWe conducted a test negative design (TND) amongst HWs from the two main hospitals treating COVID-19 patients. HWs were defined as all hospital staff over 18 years in direct or indirect contact with patients, eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. We interviewed actively recruited HWs with standardized questionnaires in-person from 25/10/2021 to 25/4/2022. The participants had to state their vaccination status, which was verified through vaccination card, vaccine registry and/or District Health Information System 2. RT-PCR testing of respiratory specimens and serological testing (Wantai and Platelia-ELISA) were conducted. We measured VE by comparing the vaccination status between RT-PCR positive and negative HWs using a multivariable logistic regression model, which was adjusted for confounders. We calculated VE = (1-odds ratio of vaccination)*100 %. ResultsWe included 1201 HWs of which 322 (26.8 %) participants were fully vaccinated with a primary series against COVID-19, 62 (5.2 %) were partially vaccinated and 735 (61.2 %) were not vaccinated. In total, 1119 (93 %) participants had antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 including 637 (90 %) of the unvaccinated participants. Fifty-eight (4.8 %) participants tested RT-PCR positive for SARS-CoV-2. The Omicron variant was detected in all 13 sequenced genomes (11 BA.1.18, 2 BA.1). The estimated overall VE for full vaccination was 61.8 % (95 %-confidence interval, 9.3–83.9 %). ConclusionsThe VE results suggest that COVID-19 vaccines used in Namibia provided good protection from infections with the Omicron variant even if many participants had a SARS-CoV-2 infection before the study. Therefore, COVID-19 vaccines should be administered to risk groups such as HWs independent from previous infections.

INTRODUCTION: In December of 2019, the infection which caused the pandemic started in the Hubei territory of Wuhan, China. They were identified as SARS-CoV-2, a highly infectious, easily transmissible virus that has caused an increasing number of deaths worldwide. Covid can be perceived with a testing strategy known as RT-PCR. As of now, this technique is broadly utilized for identifying the infection. OBJECTIVES: The imaging modalities are utilized for various degrees of seriousness from asymptomatic to basic cases. Side effects of an individual contaminated with COVID-19 incorporate gentle hack, fever, chest torment, weakness, and so forth An individual with an extremefundamental ailment requires basic consideration. Imaging has assumed a larger part during the flare-up, with CT being a better option than invert transcriptase-polymerase chain response testing. METHODS: With artificial intelligence and robotics, a variety of devices and solutions have been introduced to improve contactless service forhumans. The presentation of AI technology may be a distinct advantage for the contactless treatment of patients. Information technology and AI could solve the testing and tracking system without any human interaction. RESULTS: CT imaging methods permit radiologists and doctors to distinguish inner structures and see their shape, size, thickness, and surface,which could help in the early discovery of asymptomatic cases. CONCLUSION: This detailed information data can be utilized to decide whether there's a clinical issue, provide the extent and accurate area of the matter, and uncover other significant details which will assist the doctor with deciding the best treatment.

We report an asymptomatic child who was positive for a coronavirus by reverse transcription PCR in a stool specimen 17 days after the last virus exposure. The child was virus positive in stool specimens for at least an additional 9 days. Respiratory tract specimens were negative by reverse transcription PCR.

Polyploidy, or whole genome duplication, is a major evolutionary process that has shaped eukaryotic genomes, notably those of flowering plants. The mechanisms underlying the regulation of, and sharing of functions between, the duplicated genes originating from polyploidy events, which lead to novel phenotypes, remain to be elucidated. A previous comparative proteomic study identified 360 proteins that were differentially regulated between the diploid Brassica progenitors and their synthetic allotetraploid derivatives. For 102 of these proteins, using the same resynthesized Brassica napus allotetraploids, we assayed the accumulation of the transcripts of the corresponding genes. We compared transcript levels quantified in the synthetic allotetraploids with the mid-parent expression values. Although all of the genes surveyed encoded nonadditive proteins, we found that two-thirds of them had additive transcript levels, indicating that most of the differential protein regulation is not explained by transcriptional changes. Our data suggest that differential protein regulation is mainly governed by post-transcriptional modifications. Summarizing available data from transcriptomic studies of other synthetic allopolyploid models, we describe the general trends of transcript regulation in an allopolyploid genome and discuss putative underlying molecular mechanisms, with particular emphasis on the small RNA pathway for the post-transcriptional control of gene expression.

In a preliminary clinical study, we observed that the combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin was effective against SARS-CoV-2 by shortening the duration of viral load in Covid-19 patients. It is of paramount importance to define when a treated patient can be considered as no longer contagious. Correlation between successful isolation of virus in cell culture and Ct value of quantitative RT-PCR targeting E gene suggests that patients with Ct above 33–34 using our RT-PCR system are not contagious and thus can be discharged from hospital care or strict confinement for non-hospitalized patients.