Anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike RBD (receptor-binding domain) IgG antibody levels were monitored in 1643 volunteer healthcare workers of Eginition, Evangelismos, and Konstantopoulio General Hospitals (Athens, Greece), who underwent vaccination with two doses of COVID-19 BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine (Pfizer) and had no history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Venous blood was collected 20–30 days after the second vaccine dose and anti-RBD IgG levels were determined using CMIA SARS-CoV-2 IgG II Quant (Abbott) on ARCHITECT i System or ADVIA Centaur SARS-CoV-2 IgG (Siemens) on Centaur XP platform. From the total population of 1643 vaccinees (533 M/1110 F; median age = 49; interquartile range-IQR = 40–56), 1636 (99.6%) had anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG titers above the positivity threshold of the assay used. One-Way ANOVA Kruskal-Wallis H test showed a statistically significant difference in the median of antibody titers between the different age groups (p < 0.0001). Consistently, Spearman’s correlation coefficient (r) for IgGs and age as continuous variables was −0.2380 (p = 1.98 × 10⁻¹⁷). Moreover, antibody titers were slightly higher by 1.2-mean fold (p = 3 × 10⁻⁶) in the total female population of the three hospitals (median = 1594; IQR = 875–2584) as compared to males (median = 1292; IQR = 671.9–2188). The present study supports that BNT162b2 vaccine is particularly effective in producing high anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG levels in healthy individuals, and this humoral response is age- and gender-dependent.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition; it is a major cause of hospital mortality worldwide and it constitutes a global health problem. This research investigates the use of MDW as a predictor for septic patients. This was a double-center prospective cohort study of adult septic patients. Septic patients were identified and were categorized into two categories: those who improved and those who died. Blood was drawn from the patients three times, on the first, third, and fifth day of their admission to the hospital. MDW was evaluated as a biomarker to predict patient outcome. In addition, existing inflammatory markers were recorded in all patients. The MDW was able to predict patient’s outcome. The average MDW was found to be significantly higher in patients who died in all records. For example, an MDW value of 28.4 on the first day of admission to the hospital was shown to be the best cut-off value in determining fatal outcomes; receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed an area under the curve value of 0.71 (95% Confidence Interval-CI: 0.57–0.84) with a sensitivity of 64.7% and a specificity of 88.2%. In conclusion, MDW, in addition to being a marker that can quickly detect sepsis more effectively than other biomarkers, which is proven by numerous studies, could also be used as an indicator to predict patient outcome. This work is an attempt in that direction.

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening condition and a major cause of hospital mortality worldwide. This studyinvestigated the diagnostic utility of monocyte mean volume (MONO MEAN-V), monocyte distribution width(MDW), monocyte mean conductivity (MONO MEAN-C), and monocyte standard deviation conductivity (MONOSd-C) for sepsis, compared to conventional markers.Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in two centers, enrolling adult patients classified into threegroups: sepsis, septic shock, and febrile. Blood was drawn from septic patients on days 1, 3, and 5 of admission.MDW and other inflammatory parameters were measured in all patients.Results: Patients with sepsis or septic shock exhibited significantly elevated MONO MEAN-V, MDW, and MONOMEAN-C and lower MONO Sd-C compared to febrile patients. Among the biomarkers evaluated, MDW emergedas a reliable predictor of sepsis. A cut-off MDW value of 25.1 on day 1 demonstrated optimal diagnostic performance,with an area under the ROC curve of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.77-0.91), sensitivity of 75%, and specificity of 91.2%.Conclusions: MDW appears to be a cost-effective, rapid marker for sepsis detection, performing at least as effectivelyas existing biomarkers. Our findings corroborate other published studies, highlighting MDW’s potential toenhance early sepsis recognition.

Background: COVID-19-associated coagulopathy (CAC) is a complex condition, with high rates of thrombosis, high levels of inflammation markers and hypercoagulation (increased levels of fibrinogen and D-Dimer), as well as extensive microthrombosis in the lungs and other organs of the deceased. It resembles, without being identical, other coagulation disorders such as sepsis-DIC (SIC/DIC), hemophagocyte syndrome (HPS) and thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). Platelets (PLTs), key regulators of thrombosis, inflammation and immunity, are considered an important risk mediator in COVID-19 pathogenesis. Platelet index MPV/PLT ratio is reported in the literature as more specific in the prognosis of platelet-related systemic thrombogenicity. Studies of MPV/PLT ratio with regards to the severity of COVID-19 disease are limited, and there are no references regarding this ratio to the outcome of COVID-19 disease at specific time points of hospitalization. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship of COVID-19 mortality with the red cell distribution width–coefficient of variation (RDW-CV), platelets and MPV/PLT ratio parameters. Methods: Values of these parameters in 511 COVID-19 hospitalized patients were recorded (a) on admission, (b) as mean values of the 1st and 2nd week of hospitalization, (c) over the total duration of hospitalization, (d) as nadir and zenith values, and (e) at discharge. Results: As for mortality (survivors vs. deceased), statistical analysis with ROC curves showed that regarding the values of the parameters on admission, only the RDW-CV baseline was of prognostic value. Platelet parameters, absolute number and MPV/PLT ratio had predictive potential for the disease outcome only as 2nd week values. On the contrary, with regards to disease severity (mild/moderate versus severe/critical), only the MPV/PLT ratio on admission can be used for prognosis, and to a moderate degree. On multivariable logistic regression analysis, only the RDW-CV mean hospitalization value (RDW-CV mean) was an independent and prognostic variable for mortality. Regarding disease severity, the MPV/PLT ratio on admission and RDW-CV mean were independent and prognostic variables. Conclusions: RDW-CV, platelets and MPV/PLT ratio hematological parameters could be of predictive value for mortality and severity in COVID-19 disease, depending on the hospitalization timeline.

Sepsis is a life-threatening syndrome caused by dysregulated host response to infection and remains a major global health challenge with high healthcare burden. Early recognition is critical for improving outcomes, yet current diagnostic tools and conventional biomarkers such as C-reactive protein and procalcitonin have important limitations related to kinetics, specificity, and cost. This review examines Monocyte Distribution Width (MDW), a novel hematologic parameter derived from routine complete blood count analysis, as an emerging biomarker for early sepsis detection and prognostic assessment. MDW reflects monocyte morphological heterogeneity associated with innate immune activation and rises early in the inflammatory cascade, often at the time of initial clinical presentation. Evidence from emergency department and intensive care unit studies demonstrates that MDW provides high sensitivity and negative predictive value for early sepsis screening and performs comparably to or better than established biomarkers, particularly when integrated with clinical scoring systems and other laboratory indices. Beyond diagnosis, elevated MDW correlates with disease severity, organ dysfunction, and adverse outcomes, suggesting prognostic utility. Although promising, current evidence is limited by heterogeneity and the need for standardized cut-off values and multicenter validation. Overall, MDW represents a rapid, cost-effective adjunct that may enhance multimodal sepsis assessment and clinical decision-making.

Sepsis is a life-threatening syndrome caused by dysregulated host response to infection and remains a major global health challenge with high healthcare burden. Early recognition is critical for improving outcomes, yet current diagnostic tools and conventional biomarkers such as C-reactive protein and procalcitonin have important limitations related to kinetics, specificity, and cost. This review examines Monocyte Distribution Width (MDW), a novel hematologic parameter derived from routine complete blood count analysis, as an emerging biomarker for early sepsis detection and prognostic assessment. MDW reflects monocyte morphological heterogeneity associated with innate immune activation and rises early in the inflammatory cascade, often at the time of initial clinical presentation. Evidence from emergency department and intensive care unit studies demonstrates that MDW provides high sensitivity and negative predictive value for early sepsis screening and performs comparably to or better than established biomarkers, particularly when integrated with clinical scoring systems and other laboratory indices. Beyond diagnosis, elevated MDW correlates with disease severity, organ dysfunction, and adverse outcomes, suggesting prognostic utility. Although promising, current evidence is limited by heterogeneity and the need for standardized cut-off values and multicenter validation. Overall, MDW represents a rapid, cost-effective adjunct that may enhance multimodal sepsis assessment and clinical decision-making.