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Mohammad Zobair Wardak,1 Ahmad Farid Daanish,2 Ershad Ahmad Mushkani,2 Mohammad Asif Atiq2 1Internal Medicine Specialist, Darussalam Hospital, Kabul, Afghanistan; 2Department of Pharmacology, Kabul University of Medical Sciences, Kabul, AfghanistanCorrespondence: Mohammad Asif Atiq, Department of Pharmacology, Kabul University of Medical Sciences, Kabul, Afghanistan, Tel +93777378141, Email masifatiq@gmail.comIntroduction: Previous studies have reported an association between certain medical conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes, and severe COVID-19.Objective: To determine the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes among severe COVID-19 patients who were admitted to the only specialized center for COVID-19 in Kabul, Afghan-Japan Hospital Kabul, Afghanistan.Methods: A cross-sectional design was utilized, including 202 patients, admitted to Afghan-Japan Hospital during the first six months of 2022. Medical records of patients tested positive for COVID-19 via Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with oxygen saturation levels below 90% at the time of admission were included in the study. Age, sex, and the presence of hypertension and diabetes were the studied variables. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis.Results: The median age of the patients were 63 (IQR=54.75– 75) years. Males and females each accounting for 50% of the total, and the majority of the patients (50.5%) were in the age group 60– 79. Of 202 patients, 143 (70.8%) had hypertension, 42 (20.8%) had diabetes, 147 patients (72.77%) had at least one of these comorbidities. Fifty-five patients (27.22%) were without diabetes and without hypertension. The prevalence of hypertension and diabetes was higher among female, ie, 57.1% and 54.5% respectively. Patients in the 40– 59 year old group had the highest rate of hypertension (75.6%). The highest prevalence of diabetes was seen in the 60– 79 year old group.Conclusion: The study found a higher prevalence of hypertension in severe COVID-19 cases compared to global reports and the general adult population in Afghanistan. The relationship between hypertension and COVID-19 risk needs further investigation. The prevalence of diabetes was also higher, consistent with findings from other countries.Keywords: severe COVID-19, comorbidity, hypertension, diabetes

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the occurrence of synchronous or metachronous hematologic and gynecologic malignancies. The medical database of the pathology department at a tertiary center was searched from 2016 to 2024 for cases involving both hematologic and gynecologic tumors. A literature search using Google Scholar and PubMed was also conducted between May and June 2024. Articles reporting surgical pathology data were included, while radiologic studies and those lacking pathology data were excluded. Cases involving one gynecologic cancer and one hematologic malignancy were analyzed. Three cases from our center and 25 cases from 15 English-language articles were identified. The mean age of the cases at diagnosis was 61.4 ± 9.4 years. A total of 19 patients (68%) were diagnosed with synchronous cancers, while the rest had metachronous diagnoses. Endometrial cancer was seen in 20 cases (71.4%): 14 synchronous and five metachronous endometrioid adenocarcinomas, and one unspecified metachronous endometrial cancer. This was followed by five cases of ovarian cancer (17.9%): three synchronous serous ovarian carcinomas, one metachronous serous ovarian carcinoma, and one synchronous ovarian adenocarcinoma. Additionally, there were two cases of cervical cancer (7.1%): one synchronous adenosquamous carcinoma and one metachronous invasive squamous carcinoma, and one case of carcinosarcoma (3.6%). Involvement of more than one site is possible for hematolymphoid cancer, commonly affecting the pelvic or para-aortic lymph nodes in 16 patients (57.1%), with other sites including the cervix (4 cases, 14.3%), ovary (4 cases, 14.3%), uterus (2 cases, 7.1%), iliac/inguinal lymph nodes (2 cases, 7.1%), fallopian tube (1 case, 3.6%), vagina (1 case, 3.6%), liver (1 case, 3.6%), abdomen (1 case, 3.6%), and appendix (1 case, 3.6%). Two cases were unspecified. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), primarily of B cell lineage, was the most common hematologic malignancy (25 cases, 89.3%, with 22 cases being B cell lineage). In contrast, Hodgkin lymphoma was observed in two cases (7.1%), and acute leukemia in one case (3.6%). Among 21 patients with available follow-up data, eight died during the follow-up period. The co-occurrence of NHL, Hodgkin lymphoma, and acute leukemia with gynecologic cancers is rare. However, during surgery for gynecologic cancers, the potential of synchronous lymphoma should be considered, particularly in cases with unusual retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy., (© 2024 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

Rationale : Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and progressive disease characterized by dyspnea and loss of lung function. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) activation mediated by α v integrins is central to the pathogenesis of IPF. Bexotegrast (PLN 74809) is an oral, once-daily, dual-selective inhibitor of α v β 6 and α v β 1 integrins under investigation for the treatment of IPF. Positron emission tomography (PET) using an α v β 6 -specific PET tracer could confirm target engagement of bexotegrast in the lungs of participants with IPF. Objectives : This Phase 2 study (NCT04072315) evaluated α v β 6 receptor occupancy in the lung, as assessed by changes from baseline in α v β 6 PET tracer uptake, following single dose administration of bexotegrast to participants with IPF. Methods : In this open-label, single-center, single-arm study, adults with IPF received up to 2 single doses of bexotegrast, ranging from 60 to 320 mg with or without background IPF therapy (pirfenidone or nintedanib). At baseline and approximately 4 hours after each orally administered bexotegrast dose, a 60-minute dynamic PET/CT scan was conducted following administration of an α v β 6 -specific PET probe ([ 18 F]FP-R 0 1-MG-F2). α v β 6 receptor occupancy by bexotegrast was estimated from the changes in PET tracer uptake following bexotegrast. Pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of bexotegrast were also assessed. Results : Eight participants completed the study. Total and unbound plasma bexotegrast concentrations increased in a dose-dependent manner, and regional PET volume of distribution (V T ) values decreased in a dose- and concentration-dependent manner. The V T data fit a simple saturation model, producing an unbound bexotegrast EC 50 estimate of 3.32 ng/mL. Estimated maximum receptor occupancy was 35%, 53%, 71%, 88%, and 92% following single 60, 80, 120, 240, and 320-mg doses of bexotegrast, respectively. No treatment-emergent adverse events related to bexotegrast were reported. Conclusions : Dose- and concentration-dependent α v β 6 receptor occupancy by bexotegrast was observed by PET imaging, supporting once-daily 160 to 320 mg dosing to evaluate efficacy in clinical trials of IPF. Trial registration number: NCT04072315 Primary source of funding: Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

This work describes a new electrochemical biosensor for the simultaneous determination of catechol and hydroquinone. A laccase biorecognition layer was deposited using an innovative soft plasma polymerization technique onto a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) to sufficiently separate catechol (CT) and hydroquinone (HQ) oxidation peaks. The electrochemical analysis carried out for MWCNTs with various morphologies was supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations showing differences in the electronic structures of both dihydroxybenzene isomers and the MWCNTs forming the biosensor interlayer. The best biosensor peak separation and biosensor analytical parameters were observed for the device containing 75 μg of MWCNTs with a higher internal diameter. For this laccase-based biosensor, a linearity range from 0.1 to 57 μM for catechol and 0.5 to 57 μM for hydroquinone as well as a sensitivity of 0.56 and 0.54 μA/μM for catechol and hydroquinone was observed, respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) values were 0.028 and 0.15 μM for CT and HQ, respectively. This biosensor was also characterized by good selectivity, stability, and reproducibility. It was successfully applied for the quantification of contaminants in the analysis of natural water samples.