This study aimed to evaluate the potential of amino-acid profiles to predict disease progression in patients with Crimean–Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) and to identify metabolic biomarkers associated with clinical outcomes and survival. Of the 115 confirmed CCHF patients, 18 required intensive care unit (ICU) admission and 16 died. Notably, 15 of the deaths occurred among ICU patients, whereas only one death occurred outside the ICU. For each patient, 32 amino acid concentrations were used as input for machine-learning (ML) models. Among the classification models evaluated for predicting ICU admission, XGBOOST and LASSO achieved the highest performance, each with an AUC of 0.958. Arginine and glutamic acid consistently emerged as the most predictive features across all models, followed by 1-methyl-L-histidine, tryptophan, and tyrosine, which appeared among the top variables in four of the five best-performing models. In survival analysis, the mean concordance index (and integrated Brier score) was 0.973 (0.10) for Survival LASSO, 0.971 (0.11) for RFSRC, and 0.942 (0.12) for Survival XGBOOST. In survival models, the top five amino acids contributing to predictions were ornithine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, ethanolamine, arginine, and histidine. ML models based on amino-acid profiles can accurately predict disease progression in CCHF, supporting early risk stratification and providing insights into the metabolic mechanisms underlying disease severity.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by persistent synovial inflammation and progressive joint destruction, leading to functional disability and reduced quality of life. Beyond classical inflammatory pathways, increasing evidence indicates that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) contribute to immune dysregulation and chronic inflammation in RA. However, the clinical relevance of circulating ER stress-related biomarkers in RA remains insufficiently defined. This study aimed to evaluate serum levels of ER stress-related and apoptosis-associated markers in patients with RA, to assess their ability to discriminate RA from healthy individuals, and to explore their associations with inflammatory parameters and disease activity. This observational case–control study was conducted between 2021 and 2022 at the Rheumatology Clinic of Sivas Cumhuriyet University Faculty of Medicine Hospital. This observational case–control study included 35 patients with RA and 31 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Serum levels of GRP78, eIF2α, ATF4, CHOP, caspase-3, and caspase-9 were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Disease activity was assessed using the Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS28). Statistical analyses included group comparisons, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, and Spearman correlation analyses. A total of 67 participants (35 RA, 32 controls) were included. GRP-78, ATF4, eIF2α, caspase-3, and caspase-9 levels were significantly higher in RA patients (all p < 0.01), whereas CHOP levels were comparable between groups (p = 0.103). Caspase-3 demonstrated the highest discriminatory performance (AUC = 0.774, 95

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a life-threatening zoonotic viral disease characterized by endothelial dysfunction, coagulopathy, and systemic inflammation. Angiopoietin-like proteins (ANGPTLs) regulate vascular integrity, lipid metabolism, and inflammatory responses; however, their roles in the pathogenesis of CCHF remain unclear. In this prospective case-control study, serum levels of ANGPTL1, ANGPTL2, ANGPTL3, ANGPTL4, ANGPTL6, and ANGPTL8 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 60 patients with laboratory-confirmed CCHF and 30 healthy controls. Standard laboratory parameters were recorded, and correlations between ANGPTLs and inflammatory, coagulation, and metabolic markers were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to assess diagnostic performance and exploratory mortality-discrimination ability. All measured ANGPTL levels were significantly lower in CCHF patients than in healthy controls. However, no statistically significant differences in ANGPTL1, ANGPTL2, ANGPTL3, ANGPTL4, ANGPTL6, or ANGPTL8 levels were observed between survivors and non-survivors. Although ANGPTL2 and ANGPTL3 yielded statistically significant area under the curve (AUC) values for mortality, the small number of fatal cases limits the strength of this finding. Overall, reduced ANGPTL levels were associated with disease-related inflammatory, endothelial, coagulation-related, and metabolic alterations, but these findings do not support their role as prognostic markers for mortality or establish a causal role in CCHF pathogenesis.

This study aimed to establish age- and gender-specific reference intervals for thyroid function tests-fT3 (pmol/L), fT4 (pmol/L), and TSH (μIU/L)-in both pediatric and adult populations, and for anti-TPO (kIU/L) only in adults. It also compared partitioned and continuous modeling approaches to determine the most appropriate method for clinical interpretation. In this retrospective observational study, laboratory data from individuals who visited Sivas Cumhuriyet University Hospital between 2017 and 2022 were analyzed. Partitioned reference intervals were determined using the refineR method. Continuous reference intervals were modeled using Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale, and Shape (GAMLSS), including LMS (Box-Cox Normal), LMST (Box-Cox t), and LMSP (Box-Cox Power Exponential) distributions. Model selection was based on Generalized Akaike Information Criterion (GAIC) values, and gender differences were evaluated using parametric and non-parametric tests. In pediatric subjects, hormone distributions largely overlapped between sexes during early childhood, whereas significant gender differences in fT3 appeared after approximately age 12 (p < 0.001). In adults, males generally showed higher fT3 concentrations than females, while sex differences in fT4 were less consistent across ages. TSH levels showed minimal gender-related variation in both pediatric and adult groups. According to GAIC values, the LMSP model provided the best fit for thyroid function parameters in both pediatric and adult datasets. Continuous reference interval modeling captured gradual age-related changes and provided a flexible framework for evaluating thyroid function.

ABSTRACT This study aimed to compare the prognostic performances of individual laboratory parameters and biomarker ratios derived from them formortality in patients with Crimean‐Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), and to examine the temporal stability of the strongest index. A total of 1171 adult patients with laboratory‐confirmed CCHF followed between 2014 and 2024 were retrospectively included in the study. Admission data were recorded, and the mortality discriminative performances of individual and derived biomarkers (interleukin‐6‐to‐platelet ratio [IL‐6/PLT], interleukin‐6‐to‐calcium ratio [IL‐6/Ca], ferritin‐to‐platelet ratio [Ferritin/PLT], and ferritin‐to‐calcium ratio [Ferritin/Ca]) for mortality were compared using ROC analysis. Ninety‐seven patients (8.3%) resulted in mortality. Among the individual parameters, IL‐6 demonstrated the highest discriminative ability for mortality (AUC: 0.887). Among the derived indices, the IL‐6/PLT ratio demonstrated the highest overall performance with an AUC value of 0.920 (95% CI: 0.871–0.969; p < 0.001). The optimal cut‐off value for the IL‐6/PLT ratio was determined as 0.78 (88% sensitivity, 81% specificity). Mortality reached 100% in all patients with a ratio of ≥ 16. Sequential ROC analyzes demonstrated that the IL‐6/PLT ratio maintained high prognostic stability throughout the course of infection. The IL‐6/PLT ratio, a combined indicator of inflammatory response and hemostatic dysfunction, is a powerful biomarker candidate for the early and dynamic monitoring of mortality risk in CCHF.

Background/Aims: Proton pump inhibitors have been reported to exert anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects independent of gastric acid suppression; however, their role in inflammatory bowel disease remains unclear. The current study investigated whether rabeprazole modulates oxidative stress–related and inflammatory pathways in an acetic acid–induced colonic injury (AAIC) and compared these effects with those of prednisolone. Materials and Methods: Forty male Wistar albino rats were randomly assigned to 5 groups (n = 8) using a computer-generated sequence. To ensure unbiased results, the control and AAIC groups received sham gavage of 1 mL of 0.9% NaCl on the same schedule as the treatment groups. Colonic injury was induced by transrectal administration of 3% acetic acid. Rabeprazole (20 mg/kg/day) and/ or prednisolone (2 mg/kg/day) were administered orally for 10 days. Macroscopic and histopathological evaluations were performed. Immunohistochemical expression of 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) was assessed. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) levels were measured. Results: Rabeprazole significantly attenuated histopathological damage and inflammatory cell infiltration compared with the AAIC group. Expression of 8-OHdG, TGF-β, TNF-α, and NF-κB was reduced, accompanied by decreased MDA levels and increased SOD and CAT activities. These effects overlapped with those of prednisolone. Combined administration did not provide additional benefit and was associated with reduced protective responses compared with either agent alone. Conclusion: Rabeprazole modulates oxidative stress and inflammatory pathways and alleviates tissue injury in experimental colonic injury; however, its effects are not additive with those of prednisolone. Further studies are warranted to clarify the underlying mechanisms. Cite this article as: .zbek A, Yıldız M, Altınkaya E, Doğan HO, .zkaraca M, Ataseven H. Modulation of oxidative stress and nuclear factor-κB–associated inflammatory signaling by rabeprazole in acetic acid–induced colonic injury. Turk J Gastroenterol. Published online May 20, 2025. doi: 10.5152/tjg.2026.26033.

IntroductionSchizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder characterized by substantial biological and clinical heterogeneity. Beyond classical neurotransmitter-based models, increasing evidence suggests that systemic metabolic alterations may contribute to its pathophysiology.ObjectivesThis study aimed to characterize urinary organic acid profiles in patients with schizophrenia and investigate their associations with clinical characteristics and pathway-level metabolic alterations.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, urinary organic acids were quantified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in 55 patients with schizophrenia and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Organic acid concentrations were normalized to urinary creatinine levels. Clinical severity was evaluated using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity scale. Differential metabolite analysis, subgroup comparisons, principal component analysis, correlation analyses, and pathway enrichment analyses were performed.ResultsPatients with schizophrenia demonstrated widespread alterations in urinary organic acid profiles compared with healthy controls, with 40 metabolites remaining significantly different after false discovery rate correction. Subgroup analyses identified additional metabolomic variation according to symptom severity, treatment adherence, family history, and current treatment status. Principal component analysis demonstrated partial separation between patients and controls, whereas subgroup distributions showed substantial overlap. Correlation analyses revealed predominantly weak-to-moderate associations between clinical variables and urinary metabolite concentrations. Pathway enrichment analysis identified propanoate metabolism as the only pathway that remained statistically significant after multiple testing correction, while several additional pathways demonstrated nominal enrichment.ConclusionThese findings suggest that schizophrenia is associated with broad alterations in urinary metabolomic profiles and support the possibility that intermediary metabolic pathways may contribute to the biological complexity and heterogeneity of the disorder. Further longitudinal and validation studies are needed to clarify the biological and clinical relevance of these observations.

This study aims to investigate expanded hematological data in multiple sclerosis (MS) and evaluate their association with disease severity. A total of 190 patients participated in the study. For this purpose, expanded hemocytometry data were compared between 120 patients diagnosed with MS and 70 healthy controls. Neurological deficit was assessed during the relapse period using the Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), and patients were divided into two groups based on EDSS scores: mild (EDSS < 5) and moderate-severe (EDSS >= 5). The distribution width of the complexity of monocyte (Mo-WX) was significantly decreased in MS patients compared to the controls (p = 0.011). In contrast, dispersion of the lymphocyte-Y signal (Ly-WY; p = 0.017), dispersion of the Ly-Z signal (Ly-WZ; p = 0.021), and dispersion of the Mo-Z signal of monocytes (Mo-WZ; p = 0.049) were significantly increased in MS patients compared to the controls. Percentage of neutrophils (Ne%; p < 0.0001), percentage of monocyte (Mo%; p = 0.002), and percentage of immature granulocytes (IG%; p = 0.011) were higher in patients than in controls, whereas percentage of lymphocyte (lymphocyte%; p < 0.0001) and absolute lymphocyte count (lymphocyte#; p < 0.0001) were significantly lower. Furthermore, increasing EDSS scores were associated with higher dispersion of the neutrophil NE-SSC signal (NE-WX; p = 0.003), neutrophil% (p = 0.005), IG% (p = 0.014), and absolute IG count (IG#; p = 0.003), while lymphocyte% (p = 0.018) and reactive lymphocyte percentage (Re-Ly%; p = 0.016) were significantly reduced. We identified morphological changes in immune cells of MS patients that highlight unique immunological profiles and potential markers for MS. Further research and validation of these parameters may enhance their clinical significance by providing valuable insights for personalized treatment and diagnostic strategies in managing MS.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neuroinflammatory disease associated with involving metabolic disruptions. Although amino acid metabolism is linked to MS pathophysiology, its role remains unclear. This study investigates alterations in amino acid profiles to identify potential biomarkers for MS. Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected from MS patients and individuals with pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) as controls. Amino acid concentrations were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Compared to controls, MS patients exhibited lower plasma tyrosine levels and higher CSF hydroxylysine and ornithine levels. CSF 3-aminoisobutyric acid and valine correlated positively with lymphocyte/monocyte counts, while CSF β-alanine exhibited inverse correlations. Additionally, CSF β-alanine, homocitrulline, and citrulline were associated with CSF protein levels. Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores were associated with plasma isoleucine, methionine, citrulline, and threonine—no CSF amino acids correlated with EDSS. Pathway analysis identified significant disruptions in phenylalanine-tyrosine-tryptophan biosynthesis, arginine biosynthesis, and ubiquinone pathway. Altered amino acid metabolism plays a critical role in MS pathogenesis. The observed correlations between immune cell counts and specific amino acids highlight their involvement in immune activation and neuroinflammation, suggesting that targeting specific molecular networks may offer therapeutic potential

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a severe tick-borne viral infection associated with high morbidity and mortality. Understanding the metabolic alterations associated with the disease may uncover novel biomarkers for diagnosis and disease severity assessment. In this study, we conducted a targeted metabolomic analysis using LC-MS/MS to quantify serum organic acid levels in 115 CCHF-positive patients, 30 CCHF-negative patients, and 45 healthy controls. This is the first study to comprehensively profile organic acid alterations in CCHFV using targeted metabolomics. Our findings revealed that several organic acids, notably alpha-ketoglutaric acid, malic acid, p-hydroxyphenyllactic acid, and 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid, were significantly elevated in CCHFV patients and positively correlated with markers of inflammation and coagulation. These metabolites demonstrated strong prognostic performance for intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Additionally, survival analysis indicated that elevated levels of specific organic acids were associated with increased mortality risk. Pathway enrichment analysis identified dysregulation of the TCA cycle, pyruvate metabolism, and amino acid pathways in CCHF patients. Our results suggest that specific organic acids may serve as novel biomarkers for disease severity and prognosis, offering potential tools for early risk stratification and improved clinical management of CCHF.

OBJECTIVE:An epidemic of acute pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 spread rapidly worldwide in December 2019. The first interaction between the virus and the host cell occurs via the binding of the spike (S) protein to the ACE2 receptor. ACE2 gene expression correlates with COVID-19 severity, and certain polymorphisms may alter expression or susceptibility. METHODS:This study investigated ACE2 rs200180615, rs149039346, rs73635825, and rs140473595 polymorphisms by PCR-RFLP. The sample included 84 controls, 80 outpatients, and 168 intensive care unit (ICU) patients. RESULTS:No significant associations were found for rs200180615, rs149039346, or rs73635825. In contrast, compared with controls, ICU patients carrying the rs140473595 CT genotype (OR = 7.222, 95% CI: 3.563-14.639, p < 0.000) or TT genotype (OR = 5.893, 95% CI: 1.578-22.000, p = 0.005) had a markedly higher risk of severe disease. Inheritance model analysis also revealed significant associations for the dominant (CC vs. CT/TT; OR = 2.37, 95% CI: 1.38-4.05) and co-dominant (CC vs. TC; OR = 2.37, 95% CI: 1.37-4.09) models. Clinical parameters including CRP, HsTroponin, D-dimer, urea, NEU, and LYM were associated with COVID-19 severity. Independent t-test analysis showed that mutant allele carriers (CT, TT) had significant alterations in these parameters compared with the wild-type CC genotype, consistent with trends observed as disease severity increased. CONCLUSION:The ACE2 rs140473595 polymorphism is associated with COVID-19 severity. Broader studies in diverse populations are needed to further clarify the role of ACE2 variants in disease progression.

This study aimed to compare the prognostic performances of individual laboratory parameters and biomarker ratios derived from them formortality in patients with Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), and to examine the temporal stability of the strongest index. A total of 1171 adult patients with laboratory-confirmed CCHF followed between 2014 and 2024 were retrospectively included in the study. Admission data were recorded, and the mortality discriminative performances of individual and derived biomarkers (interleukin-6-to-platelet ratio [IL-6/PLT], interleukin-6-to-calcium ratio [IL-6/Ca], ferritin-to-platelet ratio [Ferritin/PLT], and ferritin-to-calcium ratio [Ferritin/Ca]) for mortality were compared using ROC analysis. Ninety-seven patients (8.3%) resulted in mortality. Among the individual parameters, IL-6 demonstrated the highest discriminative ability for mortality (AUC: 0.887). Among the derived indices, the IL-6/PLT ratio demonstrated the highest overall performance with an AUC value of 0.920 (95% CI: 0.871-0.969; p < 0.001). The optimal cut-off value for the IL-6/PLT ratio was determined as 0.78 (88% sensitivity, 81% specificity). Mortality reached 100% in all patients with a ratio of ≥ 16. Sequential ROC analyzes demonstrated that the IL-6/PLT ratio maintained high prognostic stability throughout the course of infection. The IL-6/PLT ratio, a combined indicator of inflammatory response and hemostatic dysfunction, is a powerful biomarker candidate for the early and dynamic monitoring of mortality risk in CCHF.

In Türkiye, where both Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) and brucellosis are endemic, these infections share common presenting symptoms, including fever and musculoskeletal complaints, as well as overlapping laboratory findings such as thrombocytopenia and elevated liver enzymes, making early differential diagnosis challenging. Given their distinct infection control and management requirements, this study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of routine hematological and biochemical parameters for differentiating these infections before confirmatory test results become available. In this retrospective study, a total of 1,578 patients [1,171 (74.2

This study aims to investigate the levels of pleiotrophin (PTN) in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and to explore its potential role in inflammatory responses and neuroprotective mechanisms. We conducted a comparative analysis of serum PTN levels between 40 patients diagnosed with aneurysmal SAH and 40 healthy controls matched for age and gender. Clinical parameters, including the GCS and WFNS score, the presence of vasospasm, and mortality outcomes, were also assessed in relation to PTN levels. Our findings indicated that PTN levels were significantly lower in the aneurysm patient group compared to healthy controls, suggesting a potential link between PTN reduction and the pathophysiological changes associated with SAH. Despite the assessment of various clinical parameters, we found no significant correlation between these factors and PTN levels, indicating that changes in clinical scores may not directly influence PTN levels. The study highlights the importance of PTN in the context of aneurysmal SAH, as its reduction may reflect inflammatory responses and neuroprotective mechanisms. Given the observed decline in PTN levels, further research is warranted to elucidate its specific role in neuronal health and recovery. Monitoring PTN levels over extended periods and conducting more comprehensive studies will be essential to enhancing its clinical significance as a biomarker. Ultimately, this research could inform personalized treatment strategies aimed at improving outcomes for patients with aneurysmal SAH.

Aim: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is a diverse group of hematologic cancers characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of lymphoid cells. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between serum concentrations of interleukin-36 alpha (IL-36α), interleukin-36 beta (IL-36β), interleukin-36 gamma (IL-36γ), and interleukin-17 (IL-17), which play an important role in the immune system, in NHL patients and whether these cytokines can serve as potential biomarkers or therapeutic targets for NHL.Material and Methods: A total of 88 individuals, including 55 NHL patients diagnosed and followed up in the Department of Hematology, Sivas Cumhuriyet University Medical Faculty, and 33 healthy controls, were included in the study. Blood samples were collected from patients at the time of diagnosis and from individuals in the control group for hemogram and biochemistry tests and serum IL-17, IL-36α, IL-36β, and IL-36γ levels. Patients were divided into three groups, complete remission (CR), partial remission (PR), and progression according to interim positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) results.Results: Serum IL-36α (p

Fatty acids (FAs) are essential for cellular structure, metabolism, and inflammatory regulation. This study investigated FA profiles in Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), a severe viral illness with high mortality rates, to explore their potential as disease progression and severity biomarkers. 190 participants were included in the study, comprising 115 CCHF-positive patients, 30 CCHF-negative patients, and 45 healthy controls. FA concentrations were analyzed via gas chromatography‒mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Statistically significant differences in specific FA levels were observed between the study groups. Compared with mild and moderate cases, severe cases showed distinctive FA profiles. Notably, higher omega-6/omega-3 ratios and linoleic acid to dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (LA/DGLA) ratios are associated with severe disease outcomes and poor prognosis and are correlated with inflammatory markers such as IL-6 and D-dimer. Pathway analysis was performed to identify disruptions in fatty acid biosynthesis and metabolism. Additionally, Cox regression analyses were conducted to determine key fatty acids associated with prognosis. Regression analyses identified several key fatty acids influencing prognosis, including myristic acid, phytanic acid, linoleic acid, gamma-linolenic acid, alpha-linolenic acid, oleic acid, behenic acid, cerotic acid, linoleic acid DGLA, omega-6 fatty acids, omega-9 fatty acids, and the omega-6/omega-3 ratio. Pathway analysis revealed that the disruptions in the most affected pathways were the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, α-linolenic acid metabolism, elongation, degradation, arachidonic acid metabolism, and fatty acid biosynthesis in CCHF pathogenesis. This study highlights significant alterations in fatty acid metabolism and laboratory markers in CCHF. These findings provide insights into the pathophysiology of this disease and may guide future research on targeted therapeutic strategies.

This study aims to investigate the extended leukocyte parameters, known as cell population data (CPD), in Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) and to evaluate their diagnostic performance in assessing mortality risk and intensive care unit (ICU) admission requirements. The study included a total of 260 participants, comprising 200 individuals diagnosed with CCHF and 60 healthy controls. CPD analyses were conducted using a Sysmex-XN 9000 complete blood count analyzer. Elevated levels of immature granulocyte (IG) percentage, neutrophil reactivity indices (Ne-X, Ne-Y), dispersion of neutrophil NE-SSC and NE-SFL signals (Ne-WX, Ne-WY), monocyte metabolic activity (Mo-X), and lymphocyte metabolic activity (Ly-X) were observed in CCHF patients compared to controls. Conversely, lymphocyte metabolic activity (Ly-Y) and monocyte fluorescence intensity (Mo-WY) were lower in patients than in controls. In discriminating mortality, IG#, IG%, Ne-WY, and Ly-Y exhibited higher AUC values than other CPDs. Additionally, for predicting ICU requirements, IG#, IG%, and Ne-WY demonstrated higher AUC values compared to other CPDs. IG, Ne-WY, and Ly-Y have the potential to serve as biomarkers for predicting mortality in CCHF. Furthermore, IG and Ne-WY may emerge as innovative and reliable biomarkers for identifying severe cases and predicting ICU admission requirements.

Aim: This study aimed to determine the relationship between the degree of liver fibrosis and serum Golgi protein 73 (sGP73) concentration in patients with chronic hepatitis B (HBV) infection. Materials and Methods: A total of 124 (78 HBV-positive, 40 healthy) individuals were included in the study. The participants were classified as negative healthy individuals (Group 1); HBV surface antigen-positive, HBV DNA <2000 IU/mL, chronic HBV-infected patients without liver biopsy (Group 2); and individuals with HBV DNA >= 2000 IU/mL and liver biopsy (Group 3). Group 3 was divided into subgroups as those with fibrosis lower than stage 2 (F1) and those with fibrosis of stage 2 or higher (F2). When regrouped according to the hepatic activity index (HAI), Group 1 and 2 remained the same, while Group 3 was divided into patients with an HAI below 6 (A1) and those with HAI of 6 or higher (A2). Results: sGP73 concentrations were 11.40 +/- 7.05 ng/mL in Group 1, 16.78 +/- 6.01 ng/mL in Group 2, 43.23 +/- 10.99 ng/mL in subgroup F1, and 48.75 +/- 10.93 ng/mL in subgroup F2. These values were significantly higher in F1 and F2 compared to Groups 1 and 2 (p<0.05), with no statistical difference between F1 and F2. When the mean sGP73 concentrations of Group 1, Group 2, subgroup A1 (43.42 +/- 11.15 ng/mL), and subgroup A2 (46.74 +/- 11.11 ng/mL) were compared, there was no significant difference between A2 and A1 (p>0.05), while the differences between the other groups were statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: A relationship was observed between sGP73 and liver damage in patients with HBV. Although sGP73 concentration was associated with the presence of fibrosis, the relationship between sGP73 and degree of fibrosis was weakly positive and non-significant.

COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, represents a significant global health challenge, with genetic factors influencing the severity of the disease. Transmembrane Serine Protease 11 A (TMPRSS11A) is a serine protease, and the relationship between the rs353163 and rs977728 polymorphisms in its coding region and COVID-19 severity has not been fully elucidated. In this context, we aimed to investigate the association between the TMPRSS11A rs353163 and rs977728 polymorphisms and the severity of COVID-19. The study included 84 control participants, 80 patients with mild COVID-19 (MC-19), and 168 patients with severe COVID-19 (SC-19). Genotyping was conducted using the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method. The genotype distributions, haplotype frequencies, and their relationships with clinical parameters were statistically analyzed. This study investigated the impact of TMPRSS11A rs977728 C > T and rs353163 T > C polymorphisms on COVID-19 disease severity by examining their associations with genetic variations and clinical parameters. No homozygous mutant genotype was detected for the rs353163 T > C polymorphism. The heterozygous TC genotype was associated with a 3-fold increased risk of developing severe COVID-19 (OR = 3.300; p < 0.001). For the rs977728 C > T polymorphism, the TT and CT genotypes were observed at significantly higher frequencies in the SC‑19 group, corresponding to 7.6-fold and 2.3-fold increased risks, respectively. Haplotype analysis revealed that the rs977728 wild-type C / rs353163 mutant C* haplotype was strongly associated with SC‑19 disease severity. All genotype combinations carrying the mutant allele (rs977728 C > T / rs353163 T > C*) were associated with poor prognosis, as indicated by clinical parameters including CRP, D-dimer, ferritin, hs‑troponin, Neu, Neu