Background/aim
COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease of 2019) is an infectious disease outbreak later on declared as a pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2). It spreads very rapidly and can result in severe acute respiratory failure. The clinical studies have shown that advanced age and chronic diseases increase the risk of infection. However, influence of the blood groups on COVID-19 infection and its outcome remains to be confirmed. The aim of this study is to investigate whether there exists a relationship between the blood groups of the patients and risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients.
Material and method
186 patients with PCR confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 were included in this study. Age, sex, blood groups, comorbidities, need for intubation and intensive care unit follow up and mortalities of the patients were analyzed retrospectively. 1881 healthy individuals, who presented to the Hacettepe University Blood Bank served as the controls.
Results
The most frequently detected blood group was blood group A (57%) amongst the COVID-19 patients. This was followed by blood group O (24.8%). The blood group types did not affect the clinical outcomes. The blood group A was statistically significantly more frequent among those infected with COVID-19 compared to controls (57% vs. 38%, P < 0.001; OR: 2.1). On the other hand, the frequency of blood group O was significantly lower in the COVID-19 patients, compared to the control group (24.8% vs. 37.2%, P: 0.001; OR: 1.8).
Conclusions
The results of the present study suggest that while the blood group A might have a role in increased susceptibility to the COVID-19 infection, the blood group O might be somewhat protective. However, once infected, blood group type does not seem to influence clinical outcome.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to show the hemostatic effect of spray, solution and tampon forms of Ankaferd Blood Stopper® (ABS), a unique medicinal plant extract historically used as a hemostatic agent in Turkish folklore medicine, in a porcine bleeding model. Materials and Methods: Two 1-year-old pigs were used as bleeding models for superficial and deep skin lacerations, grade II liver and spleen injuries, grade II saphenous vein injury and grade IV saphenous artery injury. Spray, solution or tampon forms of ABS were applied after continuing bleeding was confirmed. The primary outcome was time to hemostasis. Volume of blood loss was not measured. The pigs were euthanized at the end of the experiment. Results: Spray or direct application of ABS solution resulted in instant control of bleeding in superficial and deep skin lacerations as well as puncture wounds of the liver. A 40-second application of ABS tampon was sufficient to stop bleeding of skin lacerations, while 1.5- and 3.5-min applications were used to control hemorrhage from the saphenous vein and artery, respectively. No rebleeding was observed once hemostasis was achieved. However, repeated applications of ABS solution and tampon were only temporarily effective in the hemostasis of spleen injury. Conclusions: The data showed that ABS was an effective hemostatic agent for superficial and deep skin lacerations and minor/moderate trauma injuries in a porcine bleeding model.
Acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) first identified in Wuhan, China; and spread all over the world. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for SARS-CoV-2 usually returns to negative in 20 days post-infection, but prolonged positivity has been reported up to 63 days. A case whose viral shedding lasted 60 days is reported from China. Herein we report a patient with a history of autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for lymphoma whose RT-PCR test remained positive for SARS-CoV-2 for 74 days. The prolonged RT-PCR positivity, despite convalescent plasma infusion, may suggest that the given antibodies may be ineffective in terms of viral clearance. In patients with hematological malignancies or immunosuppression, such as ASCT, may lead to prolonged viral shedding, and strict isolation is warranted for long-term SARS-CoV-2 infection control.
During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus of which evidence-based medical paradigms cannot be easily applied; difficult clinical decisions shall be required particularly in the 'difficult-to-treat' cases of high risk group with associated comorbidities. Convalescent immune plasma therapy is a promising option as a sort of 'rescue' treatment in COVID-19 immune syndrome, where miraculous antiviral drugs are not available yet. In this report, we aim to convey our experience of multi-task treatment approach with convalescent immune plasma and anti-cytokine drug combination in a COVID-19 patient with extremely challenging comorbidities including active myeloid malignancy, disseminated tuberculosis and kidney failure.
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