The Regional Cooperation for Health, Science and Technology (RECOOP HST) Association, led by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center was formed in 2012 that includes 17 universities and academic organizations ...from eight countries in Central and Eastern Europe (Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine), and USA. The brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine changed the life of many families in Ukraine. The brave Ukrainian soldiers protecting their homeland, and now advancing into the occupied territories. During their heroic fight, many soldiers died, and many were wounded. RECOOP HST Association with Cedars Sinai Medical Center provided and provides continuous support for the wounded soldiers. RECOOP helped to purchase the electric gene¬rators at Lviv (LNMU), Ternopil (TNMU), and Kyiv (Palladin Institute), therefore, RECOOP donated 1,500 USD in humanitarian aid for each of our Ukrainian partners who have RECOOP Research Grants. RECOOP (350) and the author (200) purchased 550 one-handed Combat Application Tourniquet C-A-T® (30 USD/tourniquet) tested by U.S. Army’s Institute of Surgical Research and proved that C-A-T® completely occluded blood flow of an extremity in the event of a traumatic wound with significant hemorrhage. RECOOP already produced 2,400 Hemostatic Kits (9 USD/kit), and continuously producing the kits in Grant # 032: 2022–2023 Rostyslav Bilyy, Lviv, Ukraine, Improved Hemostatic Device with Chitosan Powder for Combat Injury Dressing. The Volunteer Centre of TNMU works around the clock to provide medical supplies and first aid kits for the Ukrainian soldiers and civilians distributing Hemostatic Kits and Combat Application Tourniquet C-A-T® to the frontline. RECOOP HST Association with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center will start a project to help Ukrainian wounded soldiers. We would like to assist in the development of a grassroots organization of wounded soldiers and organize a network of Ukrainian medical universities. Ternopil National Medical University will assist in organizing the network to manage the Ukrainian Wounded Soldiers’ health problems online and offline. The posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) assessment will begin using a self-screen on the web. We will use the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ), an 18-question self-report measure focusing on the core features of PTSD and Complex PTSD (CPTSD). It was developed to be consistent with the organizing principles of the ICD-11 (https://novopsych.com.au/assessments/diagnosis/international-trauma-questionnaire-itq/). RECOOP Grant# 38 Ukrainian Wounded Soldier Project (UWSP) will involve volunteering wounded soldiers with PTSD would complete the online PTSD questionnaire that has already been tested in three Ukrainian projects 1 3. We will train volunteer medical doctors to help the wounded soldiers online. Also, if the online consulting doctor realizes the severity of the health problems, soldiers should be referred to the nearby university hospital mental health unit. If you are interested in participating as a wounded soldier or medical professional, please contact Dr. Sandor G Vari, MD via Facebook Messenger or e-mail: vari@cshs.org.
Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and its potential impact on the severity of COVID-19 have gained significant attention during the pandemic. This review aimed to explore the genetic ...determinants associated with MAFLD, previously recognized as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and their potential influence on COVID-19 outcomes. Various genetic polymorphisms, including PNPLA3 (rs738409), GCKR (rs780094), TM6SF2 (rs58542926), and LYPLAL1 (rs12137855), have been investigated in relation to MAFLD susceptibility and progression. Genome-wide association studies and meta-analyses have revealed associations between these genetic variants and MAFLD risk, as well as their effects on lipid metabolism, glucose regulation, and liver function. Furthermore, emerging evidence suggests a possible connection between these MAFLD-associated polymorphisms and the severity of COVID-19. Studies exploring the association between indicated genetic variants and COVID-19 outcomes have shown conflicting results. Some studies observed a potential protective effect of certain variants against severe COVID-19, while others reported no significant associations. This review highlights the importance of understanding the genetic determinants of MAFLD and its potential implications for COVID-19 outcomes. Further research is needed to elucidate the precise mechanisms linking these genetic variants to disease severity and to develop gene profiling tools for the early prediction of COVID-19 outcomes. If confirmed as determinants of disease severity, these genetic polymorphisms could aid in the identification of high-risk individuals and in improving the management of COVID-19.
ACE2’s impact on the severity of COVID-19 is widely discussed but still controversial. To estimate its role in aspects of the main risk factors and comorbidities, we involved post-COVID-19 patients ...in Ternopil region (Ukraine). The recruitment period was from July 2020 to December 2021. Medical records, treatment modalities, and outcomes were recorded and analyzed. The serum human ACE2 protein was measured with Cusabio ELISA kits (Houston, TX, USA). Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS21.0 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). The level of the ACE2 serum protein was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in patients with mild symptoms compared to a more severe course of the disease, and inversely had changed from 1 to 90 days after recovery. In patients with mild COVID-19, ACE2 levels significantly decreased over time, while among critical patients, it increased by 34.1 percent. Such results could be explained by ACE2 shedding from tissues into circulation. Loss of the membrane-bound form of the enzyme decreases the virus’ entry into cells. Our studies did not identify a sex-related ACE2 serum level correlation. The most common comorbidities were hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, and diabetes mellitus. All abovementioned comorbidities except respiratory diseases contribute to the severity of the disease and correlate with ACE2 blood serum levels.
The Regional Cooperation for Health, Science and Technology (RECOOP HST) Consortium, led by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center was formed in 2006, was transformed into an Association in 2012 and includes 17 ...universities and academic organizations from eight countries: seven in Central and Eastern Europe (Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine) and the United States. RECOOP builds multinational, multidisciplinary collaborations, and assists as well as coordinates the research activities of the sixteen research groups that are the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center – RECOOP Research Centers (CRRCs). https://www.cedars-sinai.org/research/administration/recoop.html. Implementations of RECOOP’s strategic goals enable diverse talents geared towards integration of new knowledge derived from multiple specialties to investigate Common Mechanism of Diseases (CMD). While some may consider RECOOP’s CMD research strategy unorthodox, recent and timely scientific evidence shows that inflammation is the triggering event in the change of vascularization and it is the common mechanism of these two diseases: COVID-19 Disease during pregnancy and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and its outcomes remain one of the most challenging problems today. COVID-19 in children could be asymptomatic, but can result in a fatal outcome; therefore, ...predictions of the disease severity are important. The goal was to investigate the human genetic factors that could be associated with COVID-19 severity in children. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms of the following genes were studied: ACE2 (rs2074192), IFNAR2 (rs2236757), TYK2 (rs2304256), OAS1 (rs10774671), OAS3 (rs10735079), CD40 (rs4813003), FCGR2A (rs1801274) and CASP3 (rs113420705). In the case–control study were 30 children with mild or moderate course of the disease; 30 with severe COVID-19 symptoms and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and 15 who were healthy, and who did not have SARS-CoV-2 (PCR negative, Ig G negative). The study revealed that ACE2 rs2074192 (allele T), IFNAR2 rs2236757 (allele A), OAS1 rs10774671 (allele A), CD40 rs4813003 (allele C), CASP3 rs113420705 (allele C) and male sex contribute to severe COVID-19 course and MIS-C in 85.6% of cases. The World Health Organization reported that new SARS-CoV-2 variants may cause previously unseen symptoms in children. Although the study has limitations due to cohort size, the findings can help provide a better understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infection and proactive pediatric patient management.
Breast milk (BM) plays a crucial role in providing essential fatty acids (FA) and energy for the growing infant. When the mother’s own BM is not available, nutritional recommendations suggest donor ...milk (DM) in clinical and home practices. BM was collected from a variety of donor mothers in different lactation stages. Holder pasteurization (HoP) eliminates potential contaminants to ensure safety. FA content of BM samples from the Breast Milk Collection Center of Pécs, Hungary, were analyzed before and after HoP. HoP decreases the level of C6:0, C8:0, C14:1n-5c, C18:1n-9c, C18:3n-6c, C18:3n-3c, and C20:4n-6c in BM, while C14:0, C16:0, C18:1n-9t, C22:0, C22:1n-9c, C24:0, C24:1n-9c, and C22:6n-3c were found in elevated concentration after HoP. We did not detect time-dependent concentration changes in FAs in the first year of lactation. BM produced for girl infants contains higher C20:2n-6c levels. In the BM of mothers who delivered via cesarean section, C12:0, C15:0, C16:0, C17:0, C18:0, C18:1n-9t, C22:1n-9c levels were higher, while C18:2n-6c, C22:0, C24:0, and C22:6n-3c concentrations were lower compared to mothers who gave birth spontaneously. FAs in BM are constant during the first year of lactation. Although HoP modifies the concentration of different FAs, pasteurized DM provides essential FAs to the developing infant. Current data providing information about the FA profile of BM gives origination to supplementation guidelines.
To evaluate the effects of maturation and sex on glucose metabolism during glucose tolerance (GTT) and insulin tolerance tests (ITT) in young and adult male and female rats by using two different ...approaches - the conventional, which uses area under the curve and glucose curve, and mathematical modeling that identifies parameters necessary for determining the function that models glucose metabolism.
Male and female rats at 3.5 and 12 months of age underwent standard GTT and ITT after overnight fasting. The parameters were identified by using Mathematica-module NonlinearModelFit for experimentally obtained data.
When data were statistically analyzed, both sexes and age groups had similar glucose and insulin tolerance. In the mathematical model of GTT, parameters describing the rate of glucose concentration increase G'(0) and decrease G'I multiplied with maturation, with a concomitant decrease in the time point (tmax, tI) of reaching maximum and minimum glucose concentration (Gmax, G0). The mathematical model of ITT for males was independent of age, unlike of that for females, which had increased G'(0) and G'I, and more quickly recovered from hypoglycemia after maturation.
The mathematical model revealed female susceptibility to large glucose excursions, which are better reflected by ITT in young animals and by GTT in adults.
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