2 research outputs found
The kidnapping of mitochondrial function associated with the SARS-CoV-2 infection
Infection by the Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) leads to multiorgan failure associated with a cytokine storm and septic
shock. The virus evades the mitochondrial production of
interferons through its N protein and, from that moment
on, it hijacks the functions of these organelles. The aim
of this study was to show how the virus kidnaps the
mitochondrial machinery for its benefit and survival,
leading to alterations of serum parameters and to
nitrosative stress (NSS). In a prospective cohort of 15
postmortem patients who died from COVID-19, six
markers of mitochondrial function (COX II, COX IV,
MnSOD, nitrotyrosine, Bcl-2 and caspase-9) were
analyzed by the immune colloidal gold technique in
samples from the lung, heart, and liver. Biometric
laboratory results from these patients showed alterations
in hemoglobin, platelets, creatinine, urea nitrogen,
glucose, C-reactive protein, albumin, D-dimer, ferritin,
fibrinogen, Ca2+, K+, lactate and troponin. These
changes were associated with alterations in the
mitochondrial structure and function. The multi-organ
dysfunction present in COVID-19 patients may be
caused, in part, by damage to the mitochondria that
results in an inflammatory state that contributes to NSS,
which activates the sepsis cascade and results in
increased mortality in COVID-19 patients
Tomography and Prognostic Indices in the State of the Art of Evaluation in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia
Evaluation in medical emergencies of COVID-19 patients represents a challenge to regulate preventive and timely management. There are key imaging and laboratory tools to classify the severity. The aim of the study was to evaluate the chest CT score performance and prognostic indices in COVID-19 patients to predict the progression to critical illness. This was a retrospective study between run between April and December 2020, in which 109 patients were included. Patients of any age and gender and who required hospitalization due to a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis by RT-PCR and chest CT and laboratory were analyzed. In 75% of them, there was at least one comorbidity, and 30% developed critical illness, and the average mortality was 10%. In 49.5%, there was a CORADS-5 on admission, and in 50%, there was a peripheral distribution of the interstitial infiltrate in the left lower lobe. The risk factors were FiO2, CT score > 18, and the NRL index. The combination of the high-risk Quick COVID-19 Severity Index (qCSI) plus CT score > 18 indices was the best prediction index for the development of a critical condition. The combined use of indices in infected COVID-19 patients showed diagnostic accuracy and predicted severity. Imaging and the laboratory tests are key tools independent of the wave of recurrence