Background Understanding the factors associated with disease severity and mortality in Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is imperative to effectively triage patients. We performed a systematic review to determine the demographic, clinical, laboratory and radiological factors associated with severity and mortality in COVID-19. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase and WHO database for English language articles from inception until May 8, 2020. We included Observational studies with direct comparison of clinical characteristics between a) patients who died and those who survived or b) patients with severe disease and those without severe disease. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed by two authors independently. Results Among 15680 articles from the literature search, 109 articles were included in the analysis. The risk of mortality was higher in patients with increasing age, male gender (RR 1.45, 95%CI 1.23–1.71), dyspnea (RR 2.55, 95%CI 1.88–2.46), diabetes (RR 1.59, 95%CI 1.41–1.78), hypertension (RR 1.90, 95%CI 1.69–2.15). Congestive heart failure (OR 4.76, 95%CI 1.34–16.97), hilar lymphadenopathy (OR 8.34, 95%CI 2.57–27.08), bilateral lung involvement (OR 4.86, 95%CI 3.19–7.39) and reticular pattern (OR 5.54, 95%CI 1.24–24.67) were associated with severe disease. Clinically relevant cut-offs for leukocytosis(>10.0 x109/L), lymphopenia(< 1.1 x109/L), elevated C-reactive protein(>100mg/L), LDH(>250U/L) and D-dimer(>1mg/L) had higher odds of severe disease and greater risk of mortality. Conclusion Knowledge of the factors associated of disease severity and mortality identified in our study may assist in clinical decision-making and critical-care resource allocation for patients with COVID-19.

Platelet-dependent mechanisms for excessive clotting and bleeding in CKD remain undefined. Moreover, platelets’ contribution to inflammation, and specifically to CKD, are equally elusive. To date, descriptions of changes in the functional properties of circulating platelets during CKD have provided confusing interpretations. Experimental approaches that can advance our understanding of platelet dysfunction in CKD are needed, and studies that provide mechanistic insights into the dynamic relationships between thrombosis, bleeding, and inflammation associated with CKD will be essential to improve clinical management and outcomes for this vulnerable population. This article summarizes existing literature characterizing platelets in CKD and identifies areas that need further investigation.

BackgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ranges from asymptomatic infection to severe illness. Cholesterol in the host cell plasma membrane plays an important role in the SARS-CoV-2 virus entry into cells. Serum lipids, especially low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), are in constant interaction with the lipid rafts in the host cell membranes and can modify the interaction of virus with host cells and the resultant disease severity. Recent studies on serum lipid levels and COVID-19 disease severity lack consistency.ObjectivesOur systematic review and meta-analysis compared the serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, HDL-C, and triglycerides (TG) between (1) COVID-19 patients vs. healthy controls; (2) severe vs. non-severe COVID-19 disease; (3) deceased vs. surviving COVID-19 patients.MethodsPRISMA guidelines were followed. We included peer-reviewed articles on observational (case-control and cohort) studies from PubMed and Embase published from the database inception until September 1, 2021. We used random-effects meta-analysis for pooled mean-differences (pMD) in lipid levels (mg/dL) for the above groups.ResultsAmong 441 articles identified, 29 articles (26 retrospective and 3 prospective cohorts), with an aggregate of 256,721 participants, were included. COVID-19 patients had lower TC (pMD-14.9, 95%CI-21.6 to −8.3) and HDL-C (pMD-6.9, 95%CI −10.2 to −3.7) levels (mg/dL). Severe COVID-19 patients had lower TC (pMD-10.4, 95%CI −18.7 to −2.2), LDL-C (pMD-4.4, 95%CI −8.4 to −0.42), and HDL-C (pMD-4.4, 95%CI −6.9 to −1.8) at admission compared to patients with non-severe disease. Deceased patients had lower TC (pMD-14.9, 95%CI −21.6 to −8.3), LDL-C (pMD-10.6, 95%CI −16.5 to −4.6) and HDL-C (pMD-2.5, 95%CI −3.9 to −1.0) at admission. TG levels did not differ based on COVID-19 severity or mortality. No publication bias was noted.ConclusionWe demonstrated lower lipid levels in patients with COVID-19 infection and an association with disease severity and mortality. Their potential role in COVID-19 pathogenesis and their utility as prognostic factors require further investigation.

Scurvy is a nutritional disorder caused by vitamin C deficiency. It was a notorious disease in the ancient world, especially among the sailors, and is of rare occurrence in contemporary, developed countries due to increased access and advancement in nutrition services. Scurvy primarily affects the skin and soft tissue, presenting with a myriad of clinical manifestations ranging from musculoskeletal to bleeding-related complaints and even sudden death in later stages. In this article, we present the case of an elderly female with scurvy-related weakness and gait instability leading to mechanical falls, easy bruising, fatigue, and petechial rash. She had improvement in her constitutional symptoms after the initiation of vitamin C supplements. This case reinforces the need to consider scurvy as one of the differentials for petechial rash and easy bruising apart from bleeding diathesis and vasculitis in the contemporary world, especially in atrisk populations.

Background Though the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is increased in patients with cancer, the effectiveness of catheter ablation (CA) for AF in patients with cancer is not well studied. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent CA for AF. Patients with a history of cancer within 5-years prior to, or those with an exposure to anthracyclines and/or thoracic radiation at any time prior to the index ablation were compared to patients without a history of cancer who underwent AF ablation. The primary outcome was freedom from AF [with or without anti-arrhythmic drugs (AADs), or need for repeat CA at 12-months post-ablation]. Secondary endpoints included freedom from AF at 12 months post-ablation with AADs and without AADs. Safety endpoints included bleeding, pulmonary vein stenosis, stroke, and cardiac tamponade. Multivariable regression analysis was performed to identify independent risk predictors of the primary outcome. Results Among 502 patients included in the study, 251 (50%) had a history of cancer. Freedom from AF at 12 months did not differ between patients with and without cancer (83.3% vs 72.5%, p 0.28). The need for repeat ablation was also similar between groups (20.7% vs 27.5%, p 0.29). Multivariable regression analysis did not identify a history of cancer or cancer-related therapy as independent predictors of recurrent AF after ablation. There was no difference in safety endpoints between groups. Conclusion CA is a safe and effective treatment for AF in patients with a history of cancer and those with exposure to potentially cardiotoxic therapy.

Background Although the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) is higher in males compared to females, the relationship of sex with TB treatment outcomes has not been adequately studied. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study and a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies during the last 10 years to assess sex differences in clinical and microbiological outcomes in tuberculosis. Results In our cohort of 2,894 patients with drug-susceptible pulmonary TB (1,975 males and 919 females), males had higher adjusted hazards of 9-month mortality due to all causes (HR 1·43,95%CI 1.03-1.98) and infections (HR 1.70, 95%CI 1.09-2.64) and higher adjusted odds ratio for 2-month sputum culture positivity (OR 1.56,95%CI 1.05-2.33) compared to females. Smear positivity at 2 months was not significantly different (OR 1.27, 0.71-2.27) between the sexes. Among 7,896 articles retrieved, 398 articles were included in our systematic review describing a total of 3,957,216 patients. The odds of all-cause mortality were higher in males compared to females in the pooled unadjusted (OR 1.26, 95%CI 1.19-1.34) and adjusted (OR 1.31, 95%CI 1.18-1.45) analyses. Males had higher pooled odds of sputum culture (OR 1.44,95% CI 1.14-1.81) and sputum smear (OR 1.58,95%CI 1.41-1.77) positivity, both at the end of the intensive phase and upon treatment completion. Conclusions Our retrospective cohort showed that male TB patients have higher 9-month all-cause and infection-related mortality, with higher 2-month sputum culture positivity after adjusting for confounding factors. In our meta-analysis, males showed higher all-cause and TB-related mortality and higher sputum culture and smear positivity rates during and after TB treatment.

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Tuberculosis (TB) and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) have a close epidemiological and pathogenetic overlap. Thus, it becomes essential to understand the relationship between ASCVD and TB outcomes. From our retrospective cohort on drug-susceptible TB patients at the National Taiwan University Hospital, we assessed the association of pre-existing ASCVD (coronary artery disease (CAD) and atherothrombotic stroke (ATS)) with 9-month all-cause and infection-related mortality and the extent of mediation by systemic inflammatory markers. We determined the effect of pre-existing ASCVD on 2-month sputum microbiological status. Among ASCVD patients, we assessed the association of statin use on mortality. Nine-month all-cause mortality was higher in CAD patients with prior acute myocardial infarction (CAD+AMI+) (adjusted HR 2.01, 95%CI 1.38–3.00) and ATS patients (aHR 2.79, 95%CI 1.92–4.07) and similarly, for infection-related mortality was higher in CAD+AMI+ (aHR 1.95, 95%CI 1.17–3.24) and ATS (aHR 2.04, 95%CI 1.19–3.46) after adjusting for confounding factors. Pre-existing CAD (AMI- or AMI+) or ATS did not change sputum culture conversion or sputum smear AFB positivity at 2 months. The CAD+AMI+ group had significantly higher levels of CRP at TB diagnosis in the multivariable linear regression analysis (Adjusted B(SE) 1.24(0.62)). CRP mediated 66% (P = 0.048) and 25% (P = 0.033) of the association all-cause mortality with CAD+AMI− and CAD+AMI+, respectively. In summary, patients with ASCVD have higher hazards of 9-month all-cause and infection-related mortality, with elevated serum inflammation mediating one to three-quarters of this association when adjusted for confounders. Statin use was associated with lower all-cause mortality among patients with ASCVD.