Ear, nose, and throat manifestations of COVID-19 and its vaccines

Omicron, a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 variant, has spread around the globe, causing dramatic increases in infection rates. Viral mutant antigens were responsible for the strong infectivity, fast replication, and high reinfection rates reported from all ages. Omicron causes clinical symptoms mostly related to the upper respiratory tract with minimal symptoms from the lower respiratory tract besides an urgent presentation of cases that resembled a fatal illness, epiglottitis. Not to mention the long coronavirus disease 2019, which rises exponentially in the Omicrons era. Apparently, the disease has a less aggressive course than earlier variants with lower death rates; however, the infection is not trivial. Severe infection was raised among pediatrics, unvaccinated, and the elderly. Complete vaccine protection is urgently needed to protect the most vulnerable community members. Additionally, self-protective strategies such as wearing a mask and safe social distancing cannot be omitted.

Section: To the Editormentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: To the Editormentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: To the Editormentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Omicron targets upper airways in pediatrics, elderly and unvaccinated population

Nori¹,

Zghair²

2022

“…PE is a syndrome that is affected by race, a parameter we did not address. We hoped to recruit more patients; however COVID-19 pandemic affected many work aspects[ 34 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elabela is a reliable biomarker for predicting early onset preeclampsia: A comparative study

Ali¹,

Nori²,

Salman³

et al. 2023

BACKGROUND Preeclampsia (PE) is a multisystemic metabolic disease with an undetermined etiology. PE is a worldwide cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity, subdivided into early (EoPE) and late-onset (LoPE) according to 34 wk of gestation as a divider. Many researchers investigated biomarkers for predicting PE to halt its consequences on the feto-maternal outcome. Elabela (Ela) is a newly discovered peptide hormone that was implicated in PE pathogenesis. Earlier rodent studies discussed Ela’s role in controlling blood pressure. Moreover, Ela deficiency was associated with PE development. AIM To test whether plasma Ela could serve as a reliable marker for predicting PE based on the time of onset (EoPE vs LoPE) compared to age and body mass matched healthy controls since no definitive treatment exists for PE but to terminate a pregnancy. METHODS This case-control study recruited ( n = 90) pregnant who fulfilled inclusion criteria; they were allocated into three groups: EoPE (30/90) (< 34 wk of gestation); LoPE (30/90) (≥ 34 wk of gestation); and healthy pregnant (30/90). Demographic criteria; biochemical, hematological, and maternal plasma Ela levels were recorded for comparison. RESULTS Serum Ela was significantly reduced in EoPE compared to LoPE and healthy controls ( P = 0.0023). The correlation confirmed a strong inverse relationship with mean atrial blood pressure ( r = -0.7, P < 0.001), while gestational age and platelets count showed a moderate correlation with ( r = 0.4 with P < 0.0001). No correlation was confirmed between the body mass index (BMI) and urine albumin. The predictive ability of 25 centile serum Ela had an Odds ratio of 5.21, 95% confidence interval (1.28, 21.24), P = 0.02 for predicting EoPE. The receiver operator characteristic curve defined the Ela cutoff value at > 9.156 with 96.7% and 93.3% sensitivity and specificity, P < 0.0001 in predicting EoPE. CONCLUSION A strong correlation of serum Ela with PE parameters with excellent sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing EoPE independent of the BMI, age, and blood pressure which makes Ela a recommendable marker in screening. Further research is warranted to explore prognostic and therapeutic applications for Ela in PE.

“…CRP is a rapid, low-cost, reproducible inflammatory biomarker that has been proven valuable in other vulnerable groups[ 8 , 9 , 13 ], including pregnant women and newborns, with good diagnostic potential in categorizing patients' risk added to its prognostic value[ 14 , 15 ].…”

Section: To the Editormentioning

confidence: 99%

C-Reactive protein role in assessing COVID-19 deceased geriatrics and survivors of severe and critical illness

Nori¹

2022

Numerous risk variables, including age, medical co-morbidities, and deranged inflammatory response, lead to higher mortality in a senior population with coronavirus disease 2019. C-reactive protein (CRP), an acute phase inflammatory protein secreted by the liver, was tested in the elderly, showing a diagnostic and prognostic role. However, recent research has shed light on new applications for CRP in geriatrics. It was used as a follow-up marker and as a therapeutic target. Early and accurate identification of patients' risks may mitigate the devastation of the invading virus in older cases and permit the implementation of a quick treatment plan for those most likely to deteriorate.