2. Kreienbuehl L, Charbonney E, Eggimann P. Communityacquired necrotizing pneumonia due to methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus secreting Panton-Valentine leukocidin: a review of case reports.

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Worldwide COVID-19 infection poses an enormous risk to public health and an alarming global socioeconomic burden. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals with underlying health conditions as well as on the elderly population is extensive and effective strategies are needed to understand the mechanism behind it. Cellular senescence defines as an irreversible cell cycle arrest due to DNA damage leading to accumulation of senescent cells in the elderly population and may result in worsening of COVID-19 mediated increased mortality. However, whether this variation in senescence levels, in different aged populations, translation to COVID-19 infection is unknown. The spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 has been recently identified to be responsible for inducing pathogenic signals, although a clear understanding of how the host receptor interacts with SARS-CoV-2 protein and mediates the immune responses is not clear. In this review, we address the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 and the cellular senescence responding immune response to pathogenic SARS-CoV-2. We provide a prospective summary of what to expect and how to brace the possible immunological strategy to protect against COVID-19 infection. The review majorly explores an underline mechanism of how senescent cells trigger a hyperimmune inflammatory response and cause high mortality in aging people could serve as a potential aid to alleviate the treatment for elderly battling COVID-19 infection.

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The D-dimer fragment of fibrin degradation has been a useful adjunct in the diagnosis of venous thromboembolism (VTE). In conjunction with predictive algorithms, the high negative predictive value (NPV) of D-dimer measurements has provided this analyte with a prominent position in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE). The purpose of this study was to determine if D-dimer levels correlate with ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) derangements as assessed by the alveolar-arterial oxygen tension gradient (DeltaA-a) and to ascertain if quantitative measurements of D-dimer on admission have prognostic value in terms of during-admission mortality and recurrence over a 60-week period. The study utilized a retrospective cohort of 108 subjects admitted to a single institution and studied longitudinally. The cohort was divided into 4 groups representing degree of severity assessed by computed tomographic (CT) angiography: mild, moderate, severe, and very severe. Differences in D-dimer levels among these groups were strongly significant (P < .0001). A strong correlation was observed between D-dimer concentration and DeltaA-a (P < .0001). Logistic methods were used to calculate a "cut-off" level that would distinguish mild-moderate from severe-very severe PE. At a concentration of 12.35 mug/mL, this level yielded an odds ratio (OR) of 12.64 (P = .006) for during-admission mortality and a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.13 (P < .0001) for 60-week recurrence. These data suggest that D-dimer levels have utility beyond their NPV and should be considered as potential prognostic markers in subjects presenting with acute PE.