Vaccines (Dec 2022)

Endothelial Monocyte-Activating Polypeptide-II Is an Indicator of Severity and Mortality in COVID-19 Patients

  • Manal Mohamed Saber,
  • Azhar Mohamed Nomair,
  • Ashraf M. Osman,
  • Hanan Mohamed Nomeir,
  • Naglaa M. Farag

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10122177
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 12
p. 2177

Abstract

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Data for predicting the severity and mortality of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are limited, and investigations are ongoing. Endothelial monocyte-activating protein II (EMAP-II) is a multifunctional polypeptide with pro-inflammatory properties. EMAP-II is a significant pathogenic component in chronic inflammatory lung diseases and lung injury. In this study, we aimed to assess the potential utility of EMAP-II as a predictor of COVID-19 severity and mortality. This study included 20 healthy volunteers and 60 verified COVID-19 patients. Nasopharyngeal samples from COVID-19-positive subjects and normal volunteers were collected at admission. The nasopharyngeal samples were subjected to EMAP-II real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). EMAP-II RNA was not detected in nasopharyngeal swabs of normal controls and mild to asymptomatic COVID-19 patients and was only detectable in severe COVID-19 patients. EMAP-II critical threshold (Ct) was positively associated with lymphocyte percentages and oxygen saturation (p p = 0.041), serum CRP, ferritin, and D-dimer levels (p < 0.001). EMAP-II Ct cutoff ≤34 predicted a worse outcome in COVID-19 illness, with a sensitivity and specificity of 100%. Our study suggests that EMAP-II could be considered a potential biomarker of COVID-19 severity. EMAP-II can predict the fatal outcome in COVID-19 patients.

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