Background/Objectives: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to pose a significant global health challenge due to its high transmissibility and potential for severe clinical outcomes. Early identification of patients at risk of hospitalization is essential for effective triage in emergency departments and for the optimal allocation of healthcare resources. Methods: This prospective study included 84 patients aged over 18 years who presented to the emergency department on 23 December 2020, with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection. Initially, 100 patients were evaluated, and 16 were excluded based on predefined exclusion criteria. The mean age of the participants was 53.65 ± 13.62 years, and 39 (46.4%) were women. Results: At admission, the mean signal peptide, CUB domain, EGF (SCUBE-1) level among SARS-CoV-2 patients was 0.16 ± 0.08 ng/mL. There was no significant difference in SCUBE-1 levels between patient and control groups (n = 59 vs. 25), but levels differed significantly between hospitalized and home-treated patients (n = 37 vs. 22; p = 0.001). Neutrophil count (p = 0.001) and NLR (p = 0.010) were higher in patients than controls and also higher in hospitalized than home-treated patients (p = 0.003 and p = 0.015). ROC analysis revealed that SCUBE-1 predicted hospitalization with 84.6% sensitivity and 88.9% specificity. A positive correlation was observed between SCUBE-1 levels and length of hospital stay (p = 0.007, r = 0.554), with a median stay of 9.0 (5.0–11.0) days. Conclusions: SCUBE-1 levels were significantly associated with disease severity in SARS-CoV-2 patients and may serve as a promising biomarker to support clinical decision-making for hospitalization versus home-based management.

Aim: To compare some routinely studied hematological and biochemical parameters in HLA-B27 positive and negative ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients and to evaluate their potential as early disease activity biomarkers. Methods: This retrospective study included 272 AS patients (136 HLA-B27 positive and 136 HLA-B27 negative) admitted to the Medical Genetics Department of Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University Izzet Baysal Training and Research Hospital between 2018 and 2020. HLA-B27 genotyping was performed using Real-Time PCR. Demographic and laboratory data were collected from records, and statistical analyses compared biomarker levels between groups using appropriate tests. Results: Significantly higher white blood cell (WBC) count (p=0.033) and lymphocyte (LYM) (p=0.030) were observed in males; females had higher platelet count (PLT) (p=0.013) and procalcitonin (PCT) (p=0.016). The median values of all analyzed biochemical parameters were significantly higher in the HLA-B27 positive group than in the negative group (p < 0.05). HLA-B27 positive females had higher PLT and PCT, while negative females showed increased PLT, PCT, neutrophil (NEU), and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Our study findings suggest that hematological and inflammatory markers vary by HLA-B27 status and gender. In addition, elevated mean platelet volume (MPV) and NLR may serve as useful biomarkers for early diagnosis, monitoring, and prognosis, highlighting the importance of integrating lab parameters with genetic profiling in AS management.