Brain 18F-FDG PET imaging in outpatients with post-COVID-19 conditions: findings and associations with clinical characteristics
European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging - Brain 18F-FDG PET imaging has the potential to provide an objective assessment of brain involvement in post-COVID-19 conditions but...
18F-FDG brain PET hypometabolism in patients with long COVID
In the context of the worldwide outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), some patients report functional complaints after apparent recovery from COVID-19. This clinical presentation has been referred as “long COVID.” ...
Asymptomatic SARS-COV-2 infection in children's tonsils
SARS-CoV-2 pandemic killed over 6 million people worldwide. Although COVID-19 is mainly known for lung infection, several extrapulmonary tissues had been described as infected by SARS-CoV-2 during the acute disease. At least for the initial variants, children were supposedly less exposed to the virus, predominantly presenting mild or asymptomatic infection. In the present study, we describe how SARS-CoV-2 can silently infect palatine tonsils and adenoids from asymptomatic children. We studied 48 children who underwent adenotonsillectomy between October 2020 and September 2021. None of them had experienced signs or symptoms of acute upper airway infection in the month prior to surgery. Nasal cytobrush, nasal wash and adenotonsillar tissue samples were tested by RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry (IHC), flow cytometry and neutralization assay. SARS-CoV-2 was detected in at least one sample in 12 patients (25%). SARS-CoV-2 genome detection rate was 20% in the tonsils, 16.27% in the adenoids, 10.41% of nasal cytobrushes and 6.25% of nasal washes. IHC confirmed the presence of SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein in 15 out of 16 positive tonsils samples, both in epithelium and lymphoid compartment. Flow cytometry revealed that CD123+ dendritic cells were the most frequently infected cell type (10.57%) followed by CD14+ monocytes (6.32%), CD4+ T lymphocytes (1.75%), CD20+ B lymphocytes (1.67%), and in less extent CD8+ T lymphocytes cells (1.36%). In conclusion, tonsils and adenoids are important sites of SARS-CoV-2 infection in asymptomatic children. Positive immunostaining in adenotonsillar tissue samples suggest that lymphoid tissue can be a reservoir of SARS-CoV-2 and may play an important role in community dissemination. It remains unclear for how long the lymphoid tissue can sustain the SARS-CoV-2 in a persistent infection, and whether this persistence has any impact on virus transmission.
Der Bericht “Kindertagesbetreuung und Infektionsgeschehen während der COVID-19-Pandemie” https://t.co/XRC5XHjfVy ist sehr reichhaltig, und die wie oft unangemessen verkürzende Studien-Lesart von Lauterbach wird ihm nicht gerecht. Einige mE besonders interessante Punkte: … (1/7)— Emanuel Wyler (@ewyler) November 3, 2022
Here is the latest from our team in @NatureMedicineShould you protect yourself from Covid-19 reinfection Yes!Reinfection is not benign; it is best to avoid itby @Bcbowe @Biostayan @zalalyA thread 🧵https://t.co/RVENVKRucU— Ziyad Al-Aly, MD (@zalaly) November 10, 2022
Association between chronic fatigue syndrome and suicidality among survivors of Middle East respiratory syndrome over a 2-year follow-up period - PubMed
Suicide is an important public health issue during the current pandemic of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs). In EIDs, various symptoms persist even after recovery, and chronic fatigue is among those that are commonly reported. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of chronic fatigue sy …
Mental Morbidities and Chronic Fatigue in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Survivors: Long-term Follow-up
Background Short-term follow-up studies of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) survivors suggested that their physical conditions continuously improved in the first year but that their mental health did not. We investigated long-term psychiatric morbidities and chronic fatigue among SARS...
High-dimensional characterization of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19
Nature - Healthcare data from the US Department of Veterans Affairs are used to characterize the six-month incident sequelae of individuals who survive for at least thirty days after developing...
Measles virus infection diminishes preexisting antibodies that offer protection from other pathogens
Many of the deaths attributable to measles virus are caused by secondary infections because the virus infects and functionally impairs immune cells. Whether measles infection causes long-term damage to immune memory has been unclear. This question has become increasingly important given the resurgence in measles epidemics worldwide. Using a blood test called VirScan, Mina et al. comprehensively analyzed the antibody repertoire in children before and after natural infection with measles virus as well as in children before and after measles vaccination. They found that measles infection can greatly diminish previously acquired immune memory, potentially leaving individuals at risk for infection by other pathogens. These adverse effects on the immune system were not seen in vaccinated children.
The Paxlovid Rebound Study: A Prospective Cohort Study to Evaluate Viral and Symptom Rebound Differences Between Paxlovid and Untreated COVID-19 Participants
Introduction: The uptake of Paxlovid in individuals infected with COVID-19 has been significantly limited by concerns around the Paxlovid rebound phenomenon despite the scarcity of evidence around its epidemiology. The purpose of this study was to prospectively compare the epidemiology of Paxlovid rebound in treated and untreated participants with acute COVID-19 infection Methods: We designed a digital, prospective observational study, which included participants who tested positive for COVID-19 and were clinically eligible for Paxlovid. Participants were assigned to a Paxlovid or control group based on their decision to take the medication. Both groups were provided 12 rapid antigen tests and asked to test and answer symptom surveys on a regular frequent schedule for 16 days. Viral rebound based on test results and COVID-19 symptom rebound based on patient reported symptoms were evaluated. Results: Viral rebound incidence was 14.2% in the Paxlovid group (n=127) and 9.3% in the control group (n=43). COVID-19 symptom rebound incidence was higher in the Paxlovid group (18.9%) compared to the control group (7.0%). There were no notable differences in viral rebound by age, gender, pre-existing conditions, or major symptom groups during the acute phase or at the 1-month interval. Conclusion: This preliminary report of our prospective study suggests that rebound after clearance of test positivity or symptom resolution is higher than previously reported. However, we observed a similar rate of rebound in both in the Paxlovid and control groups. Large studies with diverse participants and extended follow-up are needed to better understand the rebound phenomena.
### Competing Interest Statement
MJM is Chief Science Officer of eMed, he is on the board of directors of Quantum-SI, a protein sequencing company, is on the scientific advisory board for ImmuneID, a company that develops immunological tools, and serves on the medical advisory board for 4 Catalyzer. The other authors declare no competing interests.
### Funding Statement
This study was funded by eMed.
### Author Declarations
I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.
Yes
The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:
All individuals participating in the study provided informed consent electronically. The protocol for this study was reviewed and approved by the Scripps Office for the Protection of Research Subjects (IRB-22-7978).
I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.
Yes
I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).
Yes
I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable.
Yes
This is an ongoing study. We plan to make the de-identified data available after approval of a proposal by a responsible authority at Scripps and with a data access agreement, pledging to not re-identify individuals or share the data with a third party.
Excess Death Rates for Republicans and Democrats During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, and business professionals.
Ein Preprint zu #Paxlovid. Nach eigenem Review halte ich die Daten mit 100tsd Patienten und die Datenquelle für sehr zuverlässig.Das #LongCovid und #PostCovid Risiko sowie Hospitalisieren/Tod NACH durchgemachter Infektion werden reduziert (1/3)https://t.co/tfmQIvcyTr— ECMO_Karagiannidis (@ECMOKaragianni1) November 6, 2022
Ulmer Forscher: Long Covid ist ein massives Problem
Viele Corona-Infizierte leiden monatelang unter Long Covid, also Langzeitfolgen einer Coronainfektion. Das hat eine Studie ergeben, an der die Universität Ulm beteiligt war. Federführend in Ulm ist Jürgen Steinacker.
Dank COVID-19 lernt die Forschung derzeit viel über die Zusammenhänge zwischen Virusinfektionen und Neurodegeneration. Doch ab wann spricht man von Neuro-Covid und was bedeutet das für die Patienten?
Nirmatrelvir and the Risk of Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19
Long Covid -- the disease encompassing the post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) -- affects millions of people around the world. Prevention of PASC is an urgent public health priority. In this work, we aimed to examine whether treatment with nirmatrelvir in the acute phase of COVID-19 is associated with reduced risk of post-acute sequelae. We used the healthcare databases of the US Department of Veterans Affairs to identify users of the health system who had a SARS-CoV-2 positive test between March 01, 2022 and June 30, 2022, were not hospitalized on the day of the positive test, had at least 1 risk factor for progression to severe COVID-19 illness and survived the first 30 days after SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis. We identify those who were treated with oral nirmatrelvir within 5 days after the positive test (n=9217) and those who received no COVID-19 antiviral or antibody treatment during the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection (control group, n= 47,123). Inverse probability weighted survival models were used to estimate the effect of nirmatrelvir (versus control) on a prespecified panel of 12 post-acute COVID-19 outcomes and reported as hazard ratio (HR) and absolute risk reduction (ARR) in percentage at 90 days. Compared to the control group, treatment with nirmatrelvir was associated with reduced risk of PASC (HR 0.74 95% CI (0.69, 0.81), ARR 2.32 (1.73, 2.91)) including reduced risk of 10 of 12 post-acute sequelae in the cardiovascular system (dysrhythmia and ischemic heart disease), coagulation and hematologic disorders (deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism), fatigue, liver disease, acute kidney disease, muscle pain, neurocognitive impairment, and shortness of breath. Nirmatrelvir was also associated with reduced risk of post-acute death (HR 0.52 (0.35, 0.77), ARR 0.28 (0.14, 0.41)), and post-acute hospitalization (HR 0.70 (0.61, 0.80), ARR 1.09 (0.72, 1.46)). Nirmatrelvir was associated with reduced risk of PASC in people who were unvaccinated, vaccinated, and boosted, and in people with primary SARS-CoV-2 infection and reinfection. In sum, our results show that in people with SARS-CoV-2 infection who had at least 1 risk factor for progression to severe COVID-19 illness, treatment with nirmatrelvir within 5 days of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test was associated with reduced risk of PASC regardless of vaccination status and history of prior infection. The totality of findings suggests that treatment with nirmatrelvir during the acute phase of COVID-19 reduces the risk of post-acute adverse health outcomes. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This research was funded by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: The Institutional Review Board of the VA Saint Louis Health Care System gave approval of this study. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable. Yes Data is available from the US Department of Veterans Affairs
Characterization of autonomic symptom burden in long COVID: A global survey of 2,314 adults - PubMed
Evidence of moderate to severe autonomic dysfunction was seen in 66% of PASC patients in our study, independent of hospitalization status, suggesting that autonomic dysfunction is highly prevalent in the PASC population and independent of the severity of acute COVID-19 illness.
Gut microbiome dysbiosis in antibiotic-treated COVID-19 patients is associated with microbial translocation and bacteremia
Nature Communications - Here, the authors show that SARS-CoV-2 infection causes gut microbiome dysbiosis and gut epithelial cell alterations in a mouse model, and correlate dysbiosis observed in...
AstraZeneca’s covid-19 (mis)adventure and the future of vaccine equity
The pandemic brought vaccine equity to the forefront of public health consciousness like never before—yet the world seems no closer to it. Robert Fortner asks what, if anything, has been learnt The pandemic, for a moment, wobbled the foundations of the drug industry, with calls to elevate lives above profit. “I personally don’t believe that in a time of pandemic there should be exclusive licenses,” the researcher Adrian Hill declared to the New York Times in the spring of 2021. Hill and others at Oxford University, UK, had produced what was then the world’s leading covid-19 vaccine candidate and planned to offer it to manufacturers royalty free. But the insurgency was put down before it ever got off the ground. Oxford swiftly and exclusively licensed its technology to the UK based pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca. The agreement did include a “non-profit” agreement: initially priced at cost, the vaccine saved more lives from covid-19 than any other in its first year of circulation.1 Yet the no-profit pledge also unleashed a withering crossfire—equity advocates alleging grotesque hypocrisy on one side, market forces on the other. Financial media in the US “clearly didn’t like the idea of a low cost vaccine, undercutting the market,” Hill told the Financial Times .2 AstraZeneca’s vaccine won regulatory approval the world over, but not in the US. Fast forward a year to 2022, and AstraZeneca seems to be exiting the stage before the pandemic ends (box 1), its good deed having earned the company a reputational thrashing.3 Few speak of the AstraZeneca vaccine, while its rivals Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech look set to profit from ongoing booster shots tailored to new covid-19 variants. These two companies have hauled in billions of dollars during the pandemic and paved the way for a new line of therapeutics based …
Smoking, second-hand smoke exposure and smoking cessation in relation to leukocyte telomere length and mortality - PubMed
Our findings indicated a complex association between smoking, telomere length, and mortality. LTL alterations with SHS and smoking cessation warrant further investigation for translation to public health measures.