Article
Infectious Diseases
Fahad Faqihi, Abdulrahman Alharthy, Salman Abdulaziz, Abdullah Balhamar, Awad Alomari, Zohair AlAseri, Hani Tamim, Saleh A. Alqahtani, Demetrios J. Kutsogiannis, Peter G. Brindley, Dimitrios Karakitsos, Ziad A. Memish
Summary: The study concluded that adding TPE to standard ICU therapy for critically-ill COVID-19 patients led to faster clinical recovery without increasing 35-day mortality.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sultan Mehmood Kamran, Zill-e-Humayun Mirza, Arshad Naseem, Jahanzeb Liaqat, Imran Fazal, Wasim Alamgir, Farrukh Saeed, Salman Saleem, Shazia Nisar, Muhammad Ali Yousaf, Asad Zaman Khan, Mehmood Hussain, Rizwan Azam, Maryam Hussain, Kumail Abbas Khan, Yousaf Jamal, Raheel Iftikhar
Summary: This study found that COVID-19 patients with CRS who received TPE treatment had better 28-day survival rates, shorter hospitalization time, and quicker resolution of CRS compared to those receiving standard care. Early use of this therapy was associated with improved overall survival rates.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Ziad A. Memish, Fahad Faqihi, Abdulrahman Alharthy, Saleh A. Alqahtani, Dimitrios Karakitsos
Summary: Since the outbreak at the end of 2019, COVID-19 has caused millions of cases and hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide. Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) shows promise in managing life-threatening COVID-19, but its immunosuppressive effects and safety need further validation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS
(2021)
Article
Physiology
Faeq Husain-Syed, Istvan Vadasz, Jochen Wilhelm, Hans-Dieter Walmrath, Werner Seeger, Horst-Walter Birk, Birgit Jennert, Hartmut Dietrich, Susanne Herold, Janina Trauth, Khodr Tello, Michael Sander, Rory E. Morty, Heiko Slanina, Christian G. Schuttler, John Ziebuhr, Shadi Kassoumeh, Claudio Ronco, Fiorenza Ferrari, Klaus Warnatz, Klaus Stahl, Benjamin Seeliger, Marius M. Hoeper, Tobias Welte, Sascha David
Summary: This study found that IgG deficiency is common in critically ill patients with COVID-19, leading to increased disease severity, higher risk of complications, and worse prognosis. Therefore, IgG deficiency should be considered as a potential therapeutic target and marker of disease severity in the treatment of COVID-19.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LUNG CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Letter
Respiratory System
Sebastiaan Dhont, Eric Derom, Eva Van Braeckel, Pieter Depuydt, Bart N. Lambrecht
Summary: Tobin et al. debated the views on happy hypoxemia in COVID-19 presented by the authors, expressing gratitude for the comments and alternative viewpoints while seeking clarification on several important aspects.
RESPIRATORY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Hematology
Aarthi G. Shenoy, Aaron Z. Hettinger, Stephen J. Fernandez, Joseph Blumenthal, Valentina Baez
Summary: The study demonstrated that patients with COVID-19 who received CCP had a decreased risk of death at 7 and 14 days, but not 28 days after transfusion, compared to matched controls.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Virology
Omar Ahmed Abdelwahab, Rehab Adel Diab, Khaled Saad Elsaeidy, Khaled Albakri, Mohamed El-Samahy, Omar Ramadan, Ahmed Negida, Ali Mohamed Seif, Mohamed N. Al-Alfy
Summary: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the impact of therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) on severe COVID-19 patients. TPE was found to reduce LDH levels, D-dimer levels, and ferritin levels, while increasing the absolute lymphocyte count. It was also associated with lower mortality, IL-6 levels, and ferritin levels compared to the standard control. However, more well-designed RCTs are needed.
REVIEWS IN MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Elnaz Khani, Marzieh Shahrabi, Haleh Rezaei, Fariba Pourkarim, Hoda Afsharirad, Mohammad Solduzian
Summary: Despite limited data on effective immunomodulatory agents, remdesivir is currently the only approved drug for inhibiting viral replication in COVID-19. This study reviews the use of anakinra, a recombinant IL-1 receptor antagonist, for off-label use in COVID-19 treatment. The review highlights the importance of treatment duration, dosage, route of administration, and early initiation of therapy for achieving optimal therapeutic effects of anakinra in COVID-19 patients. Further research is needed to explore the role of anakinra in treating cytokine release syndrome and to identify ideal treatment approaches based on patients' clinical status.
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Hematology
Gopal K. Patidar, Kevin J. Land, Hans Vrielink, Naomi Rahimi-Levene, Eldad J. Dann, Hind Al-Humaidan, Steven L. Spitalnik, Yashaswi Dhiman, Cynthia So-Osman, Salwa I. Hindawi
Summary: Cytokine release syndrome in COVID-19 is caused by an inflammatory response of raised cytokines. Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) may help improve clinical outcomes by removing toxic cytokines and viral particles or correcting coagulopathy. Early initiation of TPE treatment can increase the chances of recovery for COVID-19 patients.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Luca Cegolon, Behzad Einollahi, Yunes Panahi, Sina Imanizadeh, Mohammad Rezapour, Mohammad Javanbakht, Mohammad Nikpouraghdam, Hassan Abolghasemi, Giuseppe Mastrangelo
Summary: This study shows that the lower mortality observed among patients receiving TPE is due to a lower severity of COVID-19 rather than the effects of TPE.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2022)
Review
Virology
Lukasz J. Krzych, Zbigniew Putowski, Marcelina Czok, Mariusz Hofman
Summary: The study investigated the potential role of therapeutic plasma exchange in severe COVID-19 cases. Results showed that TPE could improve inflammation biomarkers, enhance respiratory function, and had limited adverse effects.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Clarissa S. Santoso, Zhaorong Li, Jaice T. Rottenberg, Xing Liu, Vivian X. Shen, Juan I. Fuxman Bass
Summary: This study systematically explored the transcriptional regulators of inflammatory cytokines in COVID-19 patients and identified potential therapeutic targets. By analyzing inflammatory cytokine production and drug treatments, it revealed FDA approved drugs that may have a positive impact on treating CRS in COVID-19 patients.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Hematology
Victor Altmayer, Samir Saheb, Benjamin Rohaut, Clemence Marois, Albert Cao, Antonio Gallo, Loic Le Guennec, Nicolas Weiss, Sophie Demeret
Summary: The study discusses the use of therapeutic plasma exchange with 5% albumin as the sole replacement solution for managing Covid-19, highlighting a case study of a 74-year-old male patient whose condition significantly improved with this treatment. The findings suggest that this approach could be a safe and effective alternative for critically ill Covid-19 patients and warrant further evaluation for its risk-benefit balance.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL APHERESIS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Christopher J. Joyce, Andrew Udy, Aidan Burrell, Alastair Brown
Summary: Therapeutic hypothermia can improve hypoxia in patients with respiratory failure treated with VV-ECMO, particularly in scenarios with high cardiac output and low extracorporeal blood flow. However, the improvement is less significant in cases with recirculation.
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Stephen Whebell, Joe Zhang, Rebecca Lewis, Michael Berry, Stephane Ledot, Andrew Retter, Luigi Camporota
Summary: This study explores the impact of receiving ECMO at specialist centers on hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients. The findings suggest that ECMO treatment provided at specialist centers can significantly reduce mortality rate. The study recommends widespread use of ECMO where resources and expertise allow.
INTENSIVE CARE MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Larissa Nogueira Almeida, Ann-Katrin Clauder, Lingzhang Meng, Marc Ehlers, Sergio Arce, Rudolf Armin Manz
Summary: MHC haplotypes play a crucial role in the development of autoimmune diseases, modulating autoreactive B cell responses and facilitating the production of pathogenic IgG autoantibodies with reduced pathogenicity.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anna V. Blenda, Nourine A. Kamili, Shang-Chuen Wu, William F. Abel, Diyoly Ayona, Christian Gerner-Smidt, Alex D. Ho, Guy M. Benian, Richard D. Cummings, Connie M. Arthur, Sean R. Stowell
Summary: Galectin-9 has been found to bind various blood group antigens and microbial glycans, exhibiting antimicrobial activity against different strains of microbes and the ability to counteract molecular mimicry.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Katrina A. Harmon, Sara Roman, Harrison D. Lancaster, Saeeda Chowhury, Elizabeth Cull, Richard L. Goodwin, Sergio Arce, Suzanne Fanning
Summary: Research has shown that in multiple myeloma patients, there is evidence of PC endoplasmic reticulum stress and autophagy in the bone marrow, while in monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance patients, only endoplasmic reticulum stress was found. MM PC can survive in vitro cultures and produce higher levels of paraprotein, showing signs of autophagy.
MICROSCOPY AND MICROANALYSIS
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Avery Funkhouser, Basil Chaballout, Jane Goodwin, Julie Martin, W. Jeffery Edenfield, Connie M. Arthur, Anna V. Blenda
Meeting Abstract
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Avery Funkhouser, Bailey Blair, Jane Goodwin, Alec Strigenz, Julie Martin, Christopher R. Funk, W. Jeffery Edenfield, Anna V. Blenda
Review
Immunology
Kamron R. Hamedi, Katrina A. Harmon, Richard L. Goodwin, Sergio Arce
Summary: The role of the unfolded protein response (UPR) and autophagy in plasma cells and multiple myeloma has been studied extensively, and their interplay is crucial in understanding the high levels of immunoglobulin protein synthesis in this disease. The interactions between MM cells and the bone marrow microenvironment, as well as the involvement of UPR/autophagy pathway in MM cell survival and drug resistance, are discussed. The resistance pathway involving caspase 10 is highlighted as a potential target for effective treatment.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Avery T. Funkhouser, Alexander M. Strigenz, Bailey B. Blair, Andrew P. Miller, Jonah C. Shealy, Joseph A. Ewing, Julie C. Martin, Christopher R. Funk, William J. Edenfield, Anna Blenda
Summary: This study provides an analytical comparison of the mutation status of 50 frequently mutated genes and the serum levels of galectin proteins in two common cancers. Mutations in the KIT gene are associated with increased levels of galectins. Brain tissue samples have a higher likelihood of having a mutation in the KIT gene. Understanding the relationship between cancer-critical gene mutations and serum galectin levels could provide a non-invasive approach to better understand the tumor's unique genetic profile.
Review
Immunology
Kamron Reza Hamedi, Gannett Loftus, Lawson Traylor, Richard Goodwin, Sergio Arce
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated the accelerated development and use of mRNA vaccines to prevent the disease. While these vaccines have been deemed safe and effective, there have been increasing reports of myocarditis, particularly following COVID-19 mRNA vaccine administration. The mechanism behind vaccine-associated myocarditis is believed to involve uncontrolled cytokine-mediated inflammation and potential autoimmune responses. Despite this risk, the benefits of vaccination and the greater risk posed by COVID-19 infection justify widespread vaccination, including for individuals with congenital heart defects.
Article
Education, Scientific Disciplines
Rhea E. Mathew, Molly Riehs, Anna Blenda, Renee J. Chosed, William S. Wright
Summary: This study aimed to identify predictors of poor performance in the USMLE Step 1 exam and provide targeted interventions for struggling students. The results showed that students' performance in the FDNS course correlated positively with their pre-matriculation metrics such as science undergraduate GPA, total GPA, and MCAT scores. The FDNS course grade and specific course objectives could serve as predictors for USMLE Step 1 performance.
ADVANCES IN MEDICAL EDUCATION AND PRACTICE
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Avery Funkhouser, Hayden Shuster, Julie C. Martin, W. Jeffery Edenfield, Anna V. Blenda
Summary: This study investigates the role of galectins in different breast cancer subtypes and their response to treatment. Galectins, proteins involved in cancer growth and metastasis, were measured in breast cancer patients. The study found that galectin-9 levels were increased in HER2-enriched tumors but reduced in hormone-receptor-positive tumors, while galectin-1 levels were higher in patients who underwent systemic cancer therapy. These findings provide valuable insights into galectin changes during cancer progression, treatment response, and tumor biology.
Review
Biology
Brittany K. Austin, Ali Firooz, Homayoun Valafar, Anna V. Blenda
Summary: Our investigation of cancer databases aimed to evaluate the current state and identify key requirements. We analyzed 71 databases, focusing on genomics, proteomics, lipidomics, and glycomics. Our findings revealed a lack of cancer-related lipidomic and glycomic databases, indicating a need for further development in these areas. The availability of proteomic databases dedicated to cancer research was also limited. In addition, we assessed non-cancer databases in the fields of proteomics, lipidomics, and glycomics to gauge progress over the past eight years. Our analysis included various types of cancer databases, such as clinical trial databases and web servers. By evaluating user-friendliness through the FAIRness principle, we ensured that the databases were easily accessible and usable. Our search summary highlights significant growth in cancer databases while pinpointing gaps and requirements. These insights are invaluable to researchers, clinicians, and database developers, as they guide efforts to enhance accessibility, integration, and usability. Fulfilling these needs will promote advancements in cancer research and benefit the broader cancer community.
Editorial Material
Oncology
Matthew F. Hudson, Alicia M. Oostdyk, Virginia M. Simmons, Julie C. Martin
JNCI CANCER SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Matthew F. Hudson, Julie C. Martin
Summary: Nurses play a crucial role in patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) projects by providing information and leadership. However, time constraints and disagreements between PCOR partners can hinder the progress of these projects. This article aims to engage oncology nurses in PCOR projects and presents three fundamental steps for their preparation and participation.
CLINICAL JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY NURSING
(2023)