Inflammation: Page 2

Biomarkers to determine COVID-19 odds: GW researchers

By LabPulse.com staff writers

A research team led by Dr. Shant Ayanian, an assistant professor of medicine at the GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences, evaluated 299 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and admitted to GW Hospital between March 12 and May 9 (Future Medicine, July 17, 2020). More than two-thirds (200) of the patients had all five biomarkers evaluated: interleukin-6 (IL-6), D-dimer, C-reactive protein (CRP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and ferritin. Elevated levels of the biomarkers were associated with inflammation and bleeding disorder, showing an independent increased risk for intensive care unit admission, invasive ventilatory support, and death.

August 6, 2020

COVID-19 patients at risk for heart complications

By Kate Madden Yee

The study findings suggest yet another facet of the illness that must be tracked, wrote a team led by Dr. Valentina Puntmann, PhD, of University Hospital Frankfurt in Germany.

July 27, 2020

CRP test guides steroid Rx for coronavirus, could help save lives

By Emily Hayes

As an indicator of inflammation, CRP has been used in many different clinical scenarios, though its nonspecific nature is a downside. In this observational study, which was conducted at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York, researchers analyzed efficacy and safety of systemic treatment with glucocorticoids -- an emerging and promising treatment option for coronavirus -- and how outcomes were associated with levels of CRP. Steroids are widely available as is the CRP lab test, they noted.

July 21, 2020

Procalcitonin test signals infection in heart attack patients

By Emily Hayes

As an important marker for inflammation in the body, a blood test for PCT is useful for systemic bacterial infections and sepsis. But its value for detecting infection in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) -- an area of unmet need -- has been unclear. One key question is whether it is specific enough for infection, or whether levels would increase due to cardiac injury -- a limitation of other inflammatory biomarkers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and white blood cell counts.

June 15, 2020

Interleukin-6 testing grows rapidly, with limited evidence of utility

By David Grenache, PhD

Cytokines are small proteins released by many different types of cells, including the white blood cells of the immune system. Cytokines help regulate the immune system's response to an infection and cause inflammation. The storm happens when the release of cytokines goes into an uncontrolled overdrive causing hyperinflammation which damages the body's organs. In the lungs, this inflammation causes fluid to accumulate in the airspaces which then leads to ARDS.

June 8, 2020

AI-driven app uses blood biomarkers to flag high-risk COVID-19 patients

By LabPulse.com staff writers

The app's development was led by researchers at the NYU College of Dentistry, who used data from 160 patients in Wuhan, China to identify four biomarkers in blood tests that were significantly elevated in patients who died from the novel coronavirus:

June 2, 2020

Pathologists document placenta damage in moms with SARS-CoV-2

By LabPulse.com staff writers

The study examined placentas from 16 pregnant patients. Results were published by Dr. Jeffrey Goldstein, assistant professor of pathology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and colleagues. Placentas from 15 patients who delivered in the third trimester were compared to controls and found that decidual arteriopathy, a feature of maternal vascular malperfusion (MVM), was more prevalent, the authors reported.

May 26, 2020

FDA issues EUA for remdesivir to treat severe COVID-19 cases

By LabPulse.com staff writers

The emergency authorization allows for remdesivir to be distributed in the U.S. and administered intravenously by healthcare providers to treat suspected or confirmed severe COVID-19 cases, according to the agency. Severe cases are defined as patients with low blood oxygen levels or needing oxygen therapy or more intensive breathing support.

May 3, 2020

Pathologists advance understanding of deadly female genital tract infections

By Emily Hayes

Group A strep is typically found in the mouth, but it can also infect other mucosal areas of the body, with deadly results. The researchers noted that GAS surface proteins cause an estimated 700 million human infections annually around the world, including 15 million in the U.S. GAS is at the root of puerperal sepsis (also known as childbed fever), which is the leading cause of maternal deaths, and it causes necrotizing myometritis (inflammation of the uterine myometrium) as well as severe infections in newborns.

March 18, 2020

Study identifies risk factors for death from coronavirus

By Abraham Kim

In the observational study, Dr. Bin Cao of Capital Medical University and colleagues from China examined the data of 191 patients with confirmed COVID-19 at two different hospitals. The median age of the patients was 56 and nearly 30% died in the hospitals. They also had various comorbidities, the most common being hypertension (30% of patients), diabetes (19%), and coronary artery disease (8%).

March 10, 2020

Sphingotec's POC penKid blood test flags kidney injury

By LabPulse.com staff writers

The study evaluated the diagnostic in combination with serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), an established marker of kidney function. Elevated results on penKid considered with eGFR results correlated with outcomes, according to the Hennigsdorf, Germany-based company. High penKid plasma levels identified all ED patients with hidden acute injury and acute kidney injury at the time of admission and reflected worsening of kidney function, the company explained.

December 22, 2019

Blood tests chart heart damage from booze

By LabPulse.com staff writers

Researchers evaluated blood sample test results for 2,479 adults in the city of Arkhangelsk, Russia, who were enrolled in the Know Your Heart general population study. They also examined samples from 278 patients who were being treated for alcoholism at the Arkhangelsk Regional Psychiatric Hospital.

December 18, 2019

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