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Objective: To investigate the relationship between the levels of adipokines and other endocrine biomarkers and patient outcomes in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Methods: In a prospective study that included 213 subjects with COVID-19 admitted to the intensive care unit, we measured the levels of cortisol, C-peptide, glucagonlike peptide-1, insulin, peptide YY, ghrelin, leptin, and resistin.; their contributions to patient clustering, disease severity, and predicting in-hospital mortality were analyzed. Results: Cortisol, resistin, leptin, insulin, and ghrelin levels significantly differed between severity groups, as defined by the World Health Organization severity scale. Additionally, lower ghrelin and higher cortisol levels were associated with mortality. Adding biomarkers to the clinical predictors of mortality significantly improved accuracy in determining prognosis. Phenotyping of subjects based on plasma biomarker levels yielded two different phenotypes that were associated with disease severity, but not mortality. Conclusion: As a single biomarker, only cortisol was independently associated with mortality; however, metabolic biomarkers could improve mortality prediction when added to clinical parameters. Metabolic biomarker phenotypes were differentially distributed according to COVID-19 severity but were not associated with mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In diabetes, tissue repair is impaired, increasing susceptibility to Staphylococcus aureus infections, a pathogen commonly found in wounds. The emergence of S. aureus strains that are highly resistant to antimicrobial agents highlights the urgent need for alternative therapeutic options. One promising candidate is Cramoll (Cratylia mollis seed lectin), known for its immunomodulatory, mitogenic, and healing properties. However, its efficacy in infected diabetic wounds remains unexplored. This study evaluated the effects of topical Cramoll treatment on diabetic wounds infected by S. aureus. Diabetic Swiss mice (induced by streptozotocin) were subjected to an 8-mm wound on the back and subsequently infected with a suspension of multidrug-resistant S. aureus. During the treatment period, the wounds were clinically evaluated for inflammation and the area of injury. After seven days, samples were collected from the wounds to quantify the bacterial load and histopathological and immunological analyses. Wounds infected by S. aureus exhibited more pronounced areas and severity indices, which were significantly reduced by Cramoll treatment (p < 0.05). Histopathological analysis revealed a reduction in inflammatory cells and an increase in revascularization with Cramoll treatment (p < 0.05). Cramoll also promoted greater collagen production compared to controls (p < 0.05). Furthermore, Cramoll treatment significantly reduced the S. aureus load in wounds (p < 0.0001), decreased TNF-α and IL-6 levels in infected wounds, and increased ERK pathway activation (p < 0.05). In conclusion, Cramoll lectin improves the healing of diabetic wounds, and these results contribute to the understanding of Cramoll healing mechanisms, reinforcing its potential as a healing agent in various clinical conditions., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)