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The unanticipated outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has shocked the world in terms of both lives and livelihood. SARS-CoV-2 virus primarily affects the respiratory system, although other organ systems are also involved. Early diagnosis followed up by a retrospective analysis and tracking of a few markers relevant to the immunological status of the individual may aid in determining the state of the patient's disease prognosis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate immunological parameters such as neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and D-dimer, taking into account the patient's age and oxygen saturation level. Our retrospective analysis of clinical data revealed that such parameters as CRP, D-dimer, and NLR should be taken into consideration to predict severe COVID-19-related complications. The data obtained indicate that patients over age 60 are especially vulnerable to severe COVID-19.

Abstract Background Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is a fatal infectious disease caused by Pneumocystis jirovecii (PJP). The major factor relevant to morbidity and mortality seems to be the host inflammatory reaction. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, and IL-13 cytokine mRNA expression among suspected P. jirovecii infection. Methods This was a cross-sectional analytical study undertaken in Aseer region, Saudi Arabia. One hundred suspected PCP cases and 100 healthy controls were included in the study. Basic clinical manifestations, radiological findings, microbiological and immunological findings were extracted from the hospital records from January 2019 to August 2019, Pneumocystis detection was done by immune-fluorescent staining (IFAT, Gomorimethanamine silver staining (GMSS), Giemsa staining, Toluidine blue O (TBO), and Pneumocystis RT-PCR. Results Increased more than 5 fold, 3 fold, 4 fold, and 7 fold of IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, and IL-13 mRNA expression were observed in PCP cases compared to controls. Higher expression of IL-2 mRNA was connected with crept, wheezing and chest X-ray findings like central perihilar infiltrate, patchy infiltrate, consolidation, hilar lymphadenopathy, pneumothorax, pleural effusion which showed higher expression compared to counterpart (p

Background: Esophageal motility disorders (EMDs) can significantly impact patients' quality of life. The Chicago Classification (CC) was developed as a robust framework to enable clinicians to better understand and classify the nature of motility disorders. Previous studies have primarily focused on the CC version 3.0 (CCv3.0), and data regarding the correlation between symptoms and CC version 4.0 (CCv4.0) in the Saudi Arabian population are lacking. This study aimed to assess the correlation between symptoms and CCv3.0 and CCv4.0 using high-resolution esophageal manometry (HRM) in Saudi Arabia, to evaluate the diagnostic performance of both classifications. Methods: A total of 182 patients presenting with esophageal symptoms were included in this study. HRM was performed to assess esophageal motility, and patients' reported symptoms were recorded. The association between HRM findings and symptomatic variables was analyzed using sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV). Results: Variability was observed in the diagnostic performance of symptomatic variables for major EMDs. CCv4.0 demonstrated a higher sensitivity for dysphagia than CCv3.0; however, it exhibited lower sensitivity to atypical gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms. Noncardiac chest pain (NCCP) exhibited the highest specificity and PPV, whereas typical GERD symptoms showed lower specificity. Conclusion: CCv4.0 demonstrated potential improvements in sensitivity for dysphagia, but lower sensitivity for atypical GERD symptoms, compared with CCv3.0. These insights provide guidance for clinicians in Saudi Arabia and contribute to understanding the diagnostic performance of CCv3.0 and CCv4.0.