Search Results (6)

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has posed unprecedented challenges to global public health, highlighting the importance of prognostic biomarkers in critically ill patients. The oxidative stress developed in COVID-19 is associated with impairment in various human organs and systems, and it is related to erythrocyte injury, leading to an elevation in red cell distribution width (RDW) and systemic inflammation. This study aims to assess the prognostic value of erythrogram indicators and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in 91 intensive care unit-admitted COVID-19 patients, categorized into survivor patients (discharge group) and non-survivor patients (death group). The results were presented using descriptive statistics and the Mann–Whitney test. The most severe cases of respiratory failure in which the patients did not survive showed higher red cell distribution width (RDW) and lower values of red blood cell count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit. RDW may be an important indicator of mortality, as demonstrated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Furthermore, this increase in RDW is correlated with elevated CRP levels, another important clinical outcome for these patients. In conclusion, elevated RDW and CRP levels at admission may be reliable predictors of unfavorable outcomes, emphasizing the utility of these indicators in clinical assessments of COVID-19 patients. Full article

This study assessed the possible pharmacological effects of Chlorella vulgaris (Cg), Spirulina platensis (St), and silymarin (Sl) against thioacetamide (TA)-induced cardiotoxicity in rats, with a focus on their antioxidant, cardioprotective, and anti-inflammatory properties. The following is the random grouping of sixty male rats into six groups of ten animals each: the control (negative control), TA-intoxicated group (positive control; 300 mg/kg body weight (BW)), Sl + TA group (100 mg Sl/kg BW + TA), St + TA group (400 mg St/kg BW + TA), Cg + TA (400 mg Cg/kg BW + TA), and St + Cg + TA group (400 St + 400 Cg mg/kg BW + TA) were all administered for 30 days. At the start of the study, groups 2 through 6 were administered TA intraperitoneally at a dosage of 300 mg/kg BW for two consecutive days, with a 24 h gap between each dose, to induce cardiac damage. Blood samples were obtained to measure hematological parameters and perform biochemical assays, including lipid profiles and cardiac enzymes. For histopathology and immunohistochemistry determination, tissue samples were acquired. The current findings showed that TA injection caused hematological alterations and cardiac injury, as evidenced by greater serum levels of troponin I, creatine kinase-MB, and total creatine kinase (p < 0.05), as well as significantly elevated serum malondialdehyde and decreased serum total antioxidant capacity (p < 0.05) concentrations. Moreover, an increase in blood low-density lipoprotein and total cholesterol concentration (p < 0.05) was recorded in the TA group. There were alterations in the heart tissue’s histological structure of the TA group compared to the control ones. These alterations were characterized by vacuolar degeneration of myocytes, loss of cross striation, coagulative necrosis, and fibrosis of interstitial tissue, which was ameliorated by the supplementation of SI, St, and Cg. The TA-intoxicated group showed weak expression of B-cell lymphoma protein 2 (p < 0.05) and strong immunoreactivity of tumor necrosis factor-α and B-cell lymphoma protein 2-associated X (p < 0.05). However, the groups receiving Sl, St, and Cg experienced the opposite. The administration of Sl, St, Cg, and St + Cg along with TA significantly improved and restored (p < 0.05) erythrogram indices, including RBCs, hemoglobin, total leukocytic count, lymphocytes, and monocyte, to the normal control values. The administration of Sl, St, and Cg alleviated the cardiotoxicity caused by TA via reducing oxidative stress, inflammatory markers, and apoptosis in heart tissue. In summary, the current findings suggest that the treatment with Sl, St, and Cg was beneficial in ameliorating and reducing the cardiotoxicity induced by TA in rats. Full article

The present study evaluated the impact of chronic herbicide (oxyfluorfen; OXY) exposure on catfish, Clarias gariepinus, in terms of growth, hematobiochemical parameters, immune response, antioxidant- and immune-related gene expression, and resistance to monogenean parasites, Quadriacanthus aegypticus. In addition, the protective role of Wormwood, Artemisia cina (AC) against OXY exposure through diet inclusion was also analyzed. The catfish fingerlings were exposed to OXY (1.16 mg/L) for 60 days and fed diets without AC supplementation (control) and with 5% AC supplementation. The results demonstrated that exposure to OXY stunted growth; decreased survival, erythrograms and leukograms, serum protein, and acetylcholinesterase; and negatively altered the antioxidant status. On the contrary, AC supplementation significantly reduced OXY’s negative impacts on growth and hematological, biochemical, and antioxidant balance. In addition, exposure to OXY markedly increased levels of biomarkers of hepatorenal damage, stress indicators, and DNA damage, which were alleviated with AC supplementation. OXY exposure induced immunosuppression manifested by a decrease in lysozyme activities, complement c3, nitric oxide levels, and phagocytic activity. Furthermore, exposure to OXY negatively regulated the expression of immune-antioxidant genes (CAT, GPX1, SOD1, GST, and TGF-Β1). However, it upregulated the expression of CYP1a, IL-1β, and TNF-α in the liver, anterior kidney, and intestine of C. gariepinus. Meanwhile, the addition of AC to the OXY-exposed fish diets notably restored immune components and remedied the altered immune-related gene expressions. Likewise, the AC supplementation significantly alleviated the OXY-induced reduction in the fish survival rate after Q. aegypticus challenge. Accordingly, AC dietary supplementation in catfish diets could alleviate the negative impact of exposure to OXY on growth performance, physiological status, and some immune-antioxidant-related gene expression. Full article

Long COVID affects many individuals following acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and hematological changes can persist after the acute COVID-19 phase. This study aimed to evaluate these hematological laboratory markers, linking them to clinical findings and long-term outcomes in patients with long COVID. This cross-sectional study selected participants from a ‘long COVID’ clinical care program in the Amazon region. Clinical data and baseline demographics were obtained, and blood samples were collected to quantify erythrogram-, leukogram-, and plateletgram-related markers. Long COVID was reported for up to 985 days. Patients hospitalized in the acute phase had higher mean red/white blood cell, platelet, and plateletcrit levels and red blood cell distribution width. Furthermore, hematimetric parameters were higher in shorter periods of long COVID than in longer periods. Patients with more than six concomitant long COVID symptoms had a higher white blood cell count, a shorter prothrombin time (PT), and increased PT activity. Our results indicate there may be a compensatory mechanism for erythrogram-related markers within 985 days of long COVID. Increased levels of leukogram-related markers and coagulation activity were observed in the worst long COVID groups, indicating an exacerbated response after the acute disturbance, which is uncertain and requires further investigation. Full article

Vaginitis in female dogs is a problem most veterinarians face in their practice. It manifests as localized inflammation, and its variable etiology and different severities often make diagnosis problematic. The study consisted of comparing blood smears taken from 16 animals: 8 healthy bitches and 8 bitches with confirmed vaginitis. We analyzed the percentage of different types of white blood cells (leukogram) and changes in the shape of red blood cells (erythrogram) in both groups. We observed changes in red blood cell morphology, i.e., a higher percentage of lacrimocytes and schistocytes in female dogs with vaginitis compared to their healthy counterparts. The observed hematological changes may illustrate the severity of inflammation. The analysis of erythrograms showed a significantly higher percentage of lacrimocytes and schistocytes in diseased bitches (1.58 ± 1.19% and 0.13 ± 0.12%) compared to healthy animals (0.58 ± 0.38 and 0.00 ± 0.00, respectively). The obtained results may indicate that the analysis of erythrograms throughout the course of vaginitis in bitches may constitute a diagnostic tool, as opposed to the analysis of leukograms, which is more sensitive when it comes to the systemic inflammatory response of the organism. It seems that simultaneous analysis of erythrograms and leukograms may facilitate the diagnostic process in clinical practice. Full article

During late gestation and early lactation, many proliferative processes and metabolic adaptions are involved in homeorhesis. An adjusted supply of oxygen is a precondition for an optimized cellular energy metabolism whereby erythrocytes play a central role. Endogenous L-carnitine modulates the mitochondrial fatty acid utilization for generating adenosine triphosphate (ATP). As it might be insufficient around calving due to increased need, L-carnitine supplementation is frequently recommended. Thus, the present study addressed the interplay between the red hemogram, platelets, oxidative stress indices, and L-carnitine supplementation of dairy cows around calving. German Holstein cows were assigned to a control (n = 30) and an L-carnitine group (n = 29, 25 g of rumen-protected L-carnitine per cow and per day), and blood samples were taken from day 42 ante partum (ap) until day 110 postpartum (pp), with a higher sampling frequency during the first three days pp. The time courses of the erythrogram parameters reflected the physiological adaptations to the oxygen need without being influenced by L-carnitine supplementation. Erythrocytic antioxidative enzymatic defence paralleled the relative development of polycythemia ap, while non-enzymatic total plasma antioxidative capacity continuously increased pp. In contrast to erythrocytes, the platelet counts of the L-carnitine supplemented cows varied at significantly higher levels. This can be interpreted as a result of a membrane-stabilizing effect of L-carnitine. Full article