On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19), a disease caused by a pathogen called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a pandemic. This ongoing pandemic has now been reported in 215 countries with more than 23 million confirmed cases and more than 803 thousand deaths worldwide as of August 22, 2020. Although efforts are undergoing, there is no approved vaccine or any specific antiretroviral drug to treat COVID-19 so far. It is now known that SARS-CoV-2 can affect not only humans but also pets and other domestic and wild animals, making it a one health global problem. Several published scientific evidence has shown that bats are the initial reservoir hosts of SARS-CoV-2, and pangolins are suggested as an intermediate hosts. So far, little is known concerning the role of pets and other animals in the transmission of COVID-19. Therefore, updated knowledge about the potential role of pets in the current outbreak will be of paramount importance for effective prevention and control of the disease. This review summarized the current evidence about the role of pets and other animals in the transmission of COVID-19.

Background: Hematological reference intervals are used for medical decision tools for interpretation of numerical test results. Establishing of hematological interval among newborn babies is very important for the diagnosis of malignancy, anemia, bleeding disorders, and various infections. There are no locally established hematological reference intervals in Ethiopia. Thus, the aim of this study is to establish locally determined hematological reference interval among full-term newborns. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from May 15 to July 30 2019 among 151 apparently healthy fullterm newborns at Gondar University Hospital. About 3 ml of cord blood was obtained for analysis of Hematological parameters and determined by using Sysmex KX-21N (Sysmex Corporation Kobe, Japan) automated analyzer. Median, 2.5th and 97.5th percentile were computed. Result: Male to female ratio was almost equal. All hematological parameter had no statistically significant difference between males and females. The delivery types were not influenced its hematological values. The reference interval of white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets, hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean cell volume, and mean cell hemoglobin were (7.64-22.16) x10 9 /l, (3.69-5.47)x10 12 /l, (132.74-413.4) x10 9 /l, (13.32-19.64) g/dl and (39.42-58.06)%, (91.6-113.22)fl, and (30.48-38.02 pg), respectively. Conclusions: All hematological reference intervals were established from full-term newborns at University of Gondar hospital was different from other studies in Nigeria, Iraq, Pakistan, Nepal, Saudi Arabia and Iran. Therefore, own determined reference value is very important for the clinicians to correctly diagnosis the patients at health facility levels.

disease has led to an extraordinary inclusive health crisis globally. Elevation of D-dimer is the major remarkable abnormal coagulation test in seriously ill COVID-19 patients. In nearly 50% of COVID-19 patients, the value of D-dimer was significantly enhancing. Recent literature indicated that COVID-19 patients were at higher risk of developing disseminated intravascular coagulation. Pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines are some of the factors leading to these conditions. The majority of COVID-19 patients showed a higher profile of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in severe clinical conditions. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukins (ILs) elevated in COVID-19 infected patients. TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1 are major cytokines vital for the inhibition of intrinsic anticoagulant pathways. COVID-19 becomes a higher complication with a significant effect on blood cell production and hemostasis cascades. Deep vein thrombosis and arterial thrombosis are common complications. Changes in hematological parameters are also frequently observed in COVID-19 patients. Especially, thrombocytopenia is an indicator for poor prognosis of the disease and is highly expected and aggravates the likelihood of death of SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals. Thrombopoiesis reduction in COVID-19 patients might be due to viral abuse of the bone marrow/the viral load may affect thrombopoietin production and function. In other ways, immune-inflammationmediated destruction and increased consumption of platelets are also the possible proposed mechanisms for thrombocytopenia. Therefore, the counting of platelet cells is an easily accessible biomarker for disease monitoring. All SARS-CoV-2 infected patients should be admitted and identifying potential higher-risk patients. It is also obligatory to provide appropriate treatments with intensive care and strict follow-up. In addition, considerations of chronic diseases are essential for better prognosis and recovery. The current review discusses coagulopathy among SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals and its complication for the management of the disease.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has rapidly spread across the world since its first emergence in China in late 2019. It is a major public health concern with no effective treatct 3ments. The immunopathology of SARS-CoV-2 is associated with an excessive inflammatory response. Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) is also associated with the severity of the disease in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients. Neopterin is a macrophage activation marker produced by monocytes and macrophages upon activation by interferon-gamma (IFN-γ). Neopterin is a well-established marker in a variety of diseases, and recent evidence indicates that it could be helpful in early prediction of the severity of COVID-19 disease and serve as a prognostic marker. Here, we outline the role of macrophage activation syndrome in the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 and suggest that neopterin could be used as a biomarker for progression of COVID-19.

The global threat of COVID-19 is continued with no commercially available vaccine or drug yet. While the application of convalescent therapy is usually beneficial, for critically ill patients, the detrimental effect associated with some antibodies is also reported. The immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody in response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is described, albeit the lack of defining whether the difference in subclasses has a beneficial or detrimental role. IgG2 has limited ability to activate innate immune cells and complement-mediated inflammation, which have been inversely described in SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. The expansion of IgG2 is promoted by interferon γ (IFN-γ); however, there is a low level of IFN-γ in COVID-19 patients. Therefore, this review describes the importance of targeting IgG2, with IFN-γ in minimizing the SARS-CoV-2 associated inflammation, and may provide insight into the design of vaccine or antibody-based therapies to COVID-19 disease.

Background: Petrol is the non-specific term for petroleum which is used for inside combustion of engines. Petrol filling workers are highly vulnerable to occupational exposure to these harmful substances which lead to hematotoxicity and blood disorders such as leukemia, aplastic anemia, and dysplastic bone marrow. Thus, this study was aimed to assess hematological parameters of petrol filling workers in Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted from January to March 2019 in Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia. A total of 110 study participants comprising 55 study groups and 55 controls group were recruited by a convenient sampling technique. Socio-demographic data were collected using a structured questionnaire, and 3 ml of venous blood was collected for the determination of hematological parameters. The data were entered into Epi info 7.2.0.1 and analyzed by SPSS version of 20. Mean, standard deviation, median, and interquartile ranges were used to present the data. Independent t test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare the mean or median difference between parametric and non-parametric hematological parameters, respectively. Moreover, Pearson product-moment and Spearman's rank-order bivariable correlations analyses were used to describe the correlation between hematological parameters and duration of exposure to petrol. A P value of ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The study revealed that mean red blood cell count and hemoglobin level as well as the median hematocrit, mean cell hemoglobin concentration, platelet count, absolute lymphocytes count, and red cell distribution width values of petrol filling workers showed a significant increment compared with the control group. On the other hand, the mean cell hemoglobin value of petrol filling workers showed a significant decrement compared with healthy controls. Moreover, the duration of exposure to petrol showed a significant positive correlation with red blood cell count and mean cell hemoglobin concentration; however, a significant negative correlation was observed with mean cell volume.

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Background The poor socio-economic status, underdeveloped health care system, and the high HIV/AIDS burden have potentially increased the incidence of cervical cancer in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) including Ethiopia. Studies on the magnitude of pre-cancerous cervical lesion and human papillomavirus (HPV) among HIV-infected women are still limited, particularly in the current study setting. Thus, we determined the prevalence of pre-cancerous cervical lesion and HPV among HIV-infected women in comparison with HIV-uninfected women at Debre Tabor Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (DTCSH), North-West Ethiopia. Methods Hospital-based comparative retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted among 546 women from July 2018 to January 2020 at DTCSH. All records during the study period were collected using a structured checklist. Epi data version 4.02 and SPSS version 25.0 were used for data entry and analysis, respectively. Results The overall prevalence of pre-cancerous cervical lesion among 546 women was 8.8%. The prevalence of pre-cancerous cervical lesion was comparable between HIV-infected (9.3%) and HIV-uninfected women (8.6%) (p = 0.859). Age >45 years old, widowed marital status, multiparous (women ≥ 5 childbirths), and educational status were independent contributing factors of a pre-cancerous cervical lesion. Regarding HPV prevalence, among 109 screened women, 7 (6.4%) were positive for both HPV 16 and 18 strains. Conclusion HIV infection was not statistically correlated with the magnitude of pre-cancerous cervical lesion (p = 0.859). Women in the study setting developed pre-cancerous cervical lesions irrespective of their HIV status. Hence, we recommend routine screening of women for pre-cancerous cervical lesion and HPV infection regardless of their HIV status for early management and prevention of associated morbidity and/or mortality.