COVID 19 disease independently predicted endothelial dysfunction measured by flow-mediated dilatation

The systemic effects of COVID-19 disease are still largely uncertain and needs to be scrutinized with further trials. Endothelial dysfunction (ED) is responsible for the majority of adverse cardiovascular events. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is easily obtainable method to assess ED accurately. It is aimed to evaluate ED by measuring FMD following COVID-19 disease. Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 disease were recruited to the hospital two month after the discharge. Sex and age-matched healthy subjects were determined as the control group. Blood samples and FMD measurements were obtained from each participant. All subjects were divided into two groups according to the presence of ED determined by FMD measurements. These two groups were compared in terms of demographic features and the presence of recovered COVID-19 disease. A total of 92 subjects consisting of 59 without ED and 33 with ED were included in the study. ED (+) group was older (p = 0.015) and more likely to have hypertension (p = 0.044) and COVID-19 rate was higher in ED (+) group (p = 0.009). While neutrophil count (p = 0.047) and CRP (p = 0.036) were higher, eGFR (p = 0.044) was lower in ED (+) group. In the backward multivariable regression analysis, COVID-19 disease [OR = 3.611, 95% CI 1.069-12.198, p = 0.039] and BMI [OR = 1.122, 95% CI 1.023-1.231, p = 0.015] were independent predictors of ED. COVID-19 disease may cause ED which is the major underlying factor of cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, COVID-19 disease may deteriorate the existing cardiovascular disease course. Detecting ED in the early phase or preventing by new treatment modalities may improve short and long-term outcome

Fabrication of CdS nanospheres-based hybrid solar cells having increased efficiency

The impact of surface modification through diverse dyes (Eosin-Y, D205, N719 and N3) on structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of CdS/P3HT hybrid solar cells is studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern shows that CdS nanospheres have a hexagonal structure with a preferential orientation of (002) with respect to indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass slide. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results indicate that compact and dense spherical morphologies of CdS occurred, and the P3HT layer also consisted of small spherical grains. The bandgap of CdS is found to be 2.52 eV according to Tauc's plot analysis. Absorption spectra demonstrate that interfacial modification via each dye leads to an increase in the absorption in the wavelength range of 300-1000 nm. Photoluminescence (PL) data prove that surface modification of CdS nanospheres with diverse dyes causes a decrease in the spectral intensity of PL curve, implying that efficient exciton separation is taking place upon dye loadings. Fabricated devices with and without modification show photovoltaic effects that can be seen from current density-voltage (J-V) curves obviously, and the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) is obtained as 0.881% for N719-modified (ITO/CdS/N719/P3HT/Ag) device (almost 70-fold of pristine one) with a short-circuit current density (J(sc)) of 2.878mA/cm(2) and open-circuit voltage (V-oc) of 0.92V, respectively. This enhancement can be attributed to a better surface area between CdS and P3HT after dye modification

Left atrial volume index and pulmonary arterial pressure predicted MACE among patients with STEMI during 8-year follow-up: experience from a tertiary center

Cetin, Mustafa/0000-0001-6342-436XWOS: 000545888200005PubMed: 32632548Background It is important to identify patients that are at high risk following primary percutaneous coronary intervention (P-PCI) for the treatment of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is the most important parameter obtained from transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) for risk stratification. the authors evaluated the value of pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and left atrial volume index (LAVI) for the prediction of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with STEMI that underwent P-PCI. Methods A total of 92 patients that underwent P-PCI for STEMI were included in the study. All patients underwent TTE examination before discharge. the composite primary outcome of the study was all-cause mortality and new onset heart failure (HF) during an 8-year follow-up period. Results the mean age of patients was 61.6 +/- 12.4 years and 15 were female (16.3%). Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) defined as all-cause mortality and new onset HF occurred in 30 (41%) patients during a mean of 6 +/- 2.7 years of follow-up. in the backward multivariate Cox regression analysis LVEF (odds ratio [OR] = 0.933, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.876-0.994,p = 0.031), LAVI (OR = 1.069, 95%CI: 1.017-1.124,p = 0.009), PAP (OR = 1.137, 95% CI: 1.057-1.223,p = 0.001) and creatinine level (OR = 1.730, 95% CI: 1.350-1.223,p = 0.029) were found to independently predict MACE during long-term follow-up. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed, revealing that sPAP >24.5 mm Hg had a sensitivity and specificity of 72 and 66%, respectively; LAVI >31 ml/m(2)had a sensitivity and specificity of 72.2 and 83.3%, respectively. Conclusion in patients that underwent P-PCI for the treatment for STEMI, LVEF, LAVI, PAP and creatinine level independently predicted all-cause mortality and new onset HF during long-term follow-up

Chondrocyte proliferation, viability and differentiation is declined following administration of methylphenidate utilized for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

WOS: 000408391700009PubMed ID: 27837176Purpose: Methylphenidate (MPH) derivative drugs are used because of psychostimulants effects on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adults. As far as we know, toxic or anti-proliferative effects of MPH against cartilage tissue were not studied in the literature. The present study was carried out to investigate the possible effects of MPH on the proliferation, viability and differentiation of primary human chondrocytes, in vitro. Methods: Monolayer primary chondrocyte cultures were prepared using osteochondral tissue obtained from patients who underwent a total knee prosthesis operation. Stock solution of MPH was prepared and aliquots having 1-1000 mu M concentrations of the drug was composed. These solutions were applied to the wells containing cultured chondrocyte samples within the well plates. Control groups were composed of pure chondrocyte culture and no solution was added into them. All groups were evaluated at 24, 48 and 72 h in order to determine the possible negative effects of the drug on the chondrocytes. The data were evaluated by Tukey's honestly significantly different test following analysis of variance. Results: In the group where MPH was applied, it was found that viability, proliferation and stage-specific embryonic antigen-1 protein expression were decreased in comparison to the control group. Conclusions: It was emphasized that clinicians should not disregard the fact that this drug might suppress chondrocyte cell proliferation and chondrogenic differentiation

The role of CO-RADS scoring system in the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection and its correlation with clinical signs

Background: Computed tomography (CT) evaluation systematics has become necessary to eliminate the difference of opinion among radiologists in evaluating COVID-19 CT findings. Introduction: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the efficiency of CO-RADS scoring system in our patients with COVID-19 as well as to examine its correlation with clinical and laboratory findings. Methods: The CO-RADS category of all patients included in the study was determined by a radiologist who did not know the rtRT-PCR test result of the patients, according to the Covid-19 reporting and data system of Mathias Prokop et al. Results: A total of 1338 patients were included. CT findings were positive in 66.3%, with a mean CO-RADS score of 3,4 +/- 1,7. 444 (33.1%) of the patients were in the CO-RADS 1-2, 894 (66.9%) were in the CO-RADS 3-5 group. There were positive correlations between CO-RADS score and age, CMI, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic pulmonary diseases presence of symptoms, symptom duration, presence of cough, shortness of breath, malaise, CRP, and LDH, while CO-RADS score was negatively correlated with lymphocyte count. The results of the ROC analysis suggested that those with age >= 40 years, symptom duration >2 days, CMI score >1 and/or comorbid conditions were more likely to have a CO-RADS score of 3-5. Conclusion: The CO-RADS classification system is a CT findings assessment system that can be used to diagnose COVID-19 in patients with symptoms of cough, shortness of breath, myalgia and fatigue for more than two days

Atezolizumab in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma who have progressed after first-line chemotherapy: Results of real-life experiences

Background: Atezolizumab (ATZ) has demonstrated antitumor activity and manageable safety in previous studies in patients with locally advanced or metastatic platinum resistant urothelial carcinoma. Objective: To compare the real-life experience and data of clinical trials on ATZ treatment in metastatic urothelial carcinoma. Design, setting, and participants: Patients with urothelial cancer treated with ATZ after progression on first-line chemotherapy from an expanded access program were retrospectively studied. Data of patients were obtained from their files and hospital records. Safety was evaluated for patients treated with at least one cycle of ATZ. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR). The secondary endpoints are overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), duration of response, and safety profile of patients. Kaplan-Meier methods were used to calculate median follow-up and estimate PFS and OS. Results and limitations: Data of 115 enrolled patients were analyzed. Most of the patients (92.3%, n = 106) had received chemotherapy regimen only once prior to ATZ. The median follow-up duration was 23.5 mo. The complete response rate, partial response rate, and ORR were 8.7% (n = 10), 20.0% (n = 23), and 28.7% (n = 33), respectively. The median duration of response was 20.4 mo (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.47-28.8). Of the 33 patients who responded to treatment, 60% (n = 20) had an ongoing response at the time of the analysis. PFS and OS with ATZ were 3.8 mo (95% CI, 2.25-5.49) and 9.8 mo (95% CI, 6.7-12.9), respectively. All-cause and any-grade adverse events were observed in 113 (98%) patients. Of the patients, 64% experienced a treatment-related adverse event of any grade and 24 (21.2%) had a grade 3-4 treatment-related adverse event. Limitations of the study included its retrospective design, and determination of treat-ment response based on clinical notes and local radiographic studies. Conclusions: In these real-life data, ATZ was effective and well tolerated in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma who have progressed with platinum-based first-line chemotherapy. ATZ is an effective and tolerable treatment for patients with locally advanced or metastatic platinum-resistant urothelial carcinoma in our study, similar to previously reported trials. Patient summary: Atezolizumab is effective and well-tolerated in patients with meta-static urothelial cancer who progressed with first-line chemotherapy, consistent with the outcomes of the previous clinical trials in this setting