Despite the lower virulence of current SARS-CoV-2 variants and high rates of vaccinated and previously infected subjects, COVID-19 remains a persistent threat in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). This study evaluated the parameters of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody production in 120 KTRs. The production of neutralizing antibodies in KTRs, following booster vaccination with the mRNA vaccine BNT162b2, was significantly decreased and their decline was faster than in healthy subjects. Factors predisposing to the downregulation of anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies included age, lower estimated glomerular filtration rate, and a full dose of mycophenolate mofetil. Neutralizing antibodies correlated with those targeting the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD), SARS-CoV-2 Spike trimmer, total SARS-CoV-2 S1 protein, as well as with antibodies to the deadly SARS-CoV-1 virus. No cross-reactivity was found with antibodies against seasonal coronaviruses. KTRs exhibited lower postvaccination production of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2; however, the specificity of their humoral response did not differ compared to healthy subjects.
- MeSH
- COVID-19 * imunologie prevence a kontrola MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- glykoprotein S, koronavirus imunologie MeSH
- humorální imunita MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- neutralizující protilátky * krev imunologie MeSH
- příjemce transplantátu * MeSH
- protilátky virové * krev imunologie MeSH
- SARS-CoV-2 * imunologie MeSH
- sekundární imunizace MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- transplantace ledvin * škodlivé účinky MeSH
- vakcína BNT162 imunologie aplikace a dávkování MeSH
- vakcíny proti COVID-19 imunologie aplikace a dávkování MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- MeSH
- COVID-19 MeSH
- pandemie prevence a kontrola MeSH
- Světová zdravotnická organizace MeSH
- vakcinace MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Slovenská republika MeSH
- MeSH
- infekce respiračními syncytiálními viry * diagnóza epidemiologie farmakoterapie MeSH
- kazuistiky jako téma MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- novorozenci extrémně nezralí * MeSH
- novorozenec MeSH
- palivizumab farmakologie terapeutické užití MeSH
- plicní ventilace MeSH
- preexpoziční profylaxe klasifikace metody MeSH
- ribavirin farmakokinetika terapeutické užití MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- novorozenec MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- přehledy MeSH
BACKGROUND: Dexamethasone 6 mg in patients with severe COVID-19 has been shown to decrease mortality and morbidity. The effects of higher doses of corticosteroid, that would further increase anti-inflammatory effects, are uncertain. The objective of our study was to assess the effect of 20 mg dexamethasone vs. 6 mg dexamethasone intravenously in patients with moderate-to-severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and COVID-19. METHODS: In a multicenter, open-label, randomized trial conducted in nine hospitals in the Czech Republic, we randomized adult patients with ARDS and COVID-19 requiring high-flow oxygen, noninvasive or invasive mechanical ventilation to receive either intravenous high-dose dexamethasone (20 mg/day on days 1-5, 10 mg/day on days 6-10) or standard-dose dexamethasone (6 mg/d, days 1-10). The primary outcome was 28-day ventilator-free days. The five secondary outcomes were 60-day mortality, C-reactive protein dynamics, 14-day WHO (World Health Organization) Clinical Progression Scale score, adverse events and 90-day Barthel index. The long-term outcomes were 180- and 360-day mortality and the Barthel index. The planned sample size was 300, with interim analysis after enrollment of 150 patients. RESULTS: The trial was stopped due to a lack of recruitment, and the follow-up was completed in February 2023. Among 234 randomized patients of 300 planned patients, the primary outcome was available for 224 patients (110 high-dose and 114 standard-dose dexamethasone; median [interquartile range (IQR)] age, 59.0 [48.5-66.0] years; 130 [58.0%] were receiving noninvasive or invasive mechanical ventilation at baseline). The mean number of 28-day ventilator-free days was 8.9 (± 11.5) days for high-dose dexamethasone and 8.0 (± 10.7) days for standard-dose dexamethasone, with an absolute difference of + 0.81 days (95% CI - 2.12-3.73 days). None of the prespecified secondary outcomes, including adverse events, differed between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Despite not reaching its prespecified enrollment, there was no signal to either benefit or harm high-dose dexamethasone over standard-dose dexamethasone in patients with COVID-19 and moderate-to-severe ARDS. Trial registration Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04663555. Registered 10 December 2020, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04663555?term=NCT04663555&rank=1 and EudraCT: 2020-005887-70.
- MeSH
- COVID-19 * mortalita komplikace MeSH
- dexamethason * aplikace a dávkování terapeutické užití MeSH
- farmakoterapie COVID-19 * MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- SARS-CoV-2 MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- syndrom dechové tísně * farmakoterapie mortalita MeSH
- umělé dýchání * MeSH
- výsledek terapie MeSH
- vztah mezi dávkou a účinkem léčiva MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- multicentrická studie MeSH
- randomizované kontrolované studie MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
- MeSH
- antivirové látky aplikace a dávkování terapeutické užití MeSH
- COVID-19 * diagnóza terapie MeSH
- hospitalizace * MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- rizikové faktory MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- směrnice pro lékařskou praxi MeSH
- MeSH
- ambulantní péče * MeSH
- antivirové látky aplikace a dávkování terapeutické užití MeSH
- COVID-19 * diagnóza terapie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- rizikové faktory MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- směrnice pro lékařskou praxi MeSH
BACKGROUND: MUC1 and UMOD pathogenic variants cause autosomal dominant tubulointerstitial kidney disease (ADTKD). MUC1 is expressed in kidney, nasal mucosa and respiratory tract, while UMOD is expressed only in kidney. Due to haplo-insufficiency ADTKD-MUC1 patients produce approximately 50% of normal mucin-1. METHODS: To determine whether decreased mucin-1 production was associated with an increased COVID-19 risk, we sent a survey to members of an ADTKD registry in September 2021, after the initial, severe wave of COVID-19. We linked results to previously obtained ADTKD genotype and plasma CA15-3 (mucin-1) levels and created a longitudinal registry of COVID-19 related deaths. RESULTS: Surveys were emailed to 637 individuals, with responses from 89 ADTKD-MUC1 and 132 ADTKD-UMOD individuals. 19/83 (23%) ADTKD-MUC1 survey respondents reported a prior COVID-19 infection vs. 14/125 (11%) ADTKD-UMOD respondents (odds ratio (OR) 2.35 (95%CI 1.60-3.11, P = 0.0260). Including additional familial cases reported from survey respondents, 10/41 (24%) ADTKD-MUC1 individuals died of COVID-19 vs. 1/30 (3%) with ADTKD-UMOD, with OR 9.21 (95%CI 1.22-69.32), P = 0.03. The mean plasma mucin-1 level prior to infection in 14 infected and 27 uninfected ADTKD-MUC1 individuals was 7.06 ± 4.12 vs. 10.21 ± 4.02 U/mL (P = 0.035). Over three years duration, our longitudinal registry identified 19 COVID-19 deaths in 360 ADTKD-MUC1 individuals (5%) vs. 3 deaths in 478 ADTKD-UMOD individuals (0.6%) (P = 0.0007). Multivariate logistic regression revealed the following odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for COVID-19 deaths: ADTKD-MUC1 8.4 (2.9-29.5), kidney transplant 5.5 (1.6-9.1), body mass index (kg/m2) 1.1 (1.0-1.2), age (y) 1.04 (1.0-1.1). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with ADTKD-MUC1 are at an eight-fold increased risk of COVID-19 mortality vs. ADTKD-UMOD individuals. Haplo-insufficient production of mucin-1 may be responsible.
- MeSH
- COVID-19 * mortalita genetika MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- intersticiální nefritida genetika MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mucin 1 * krev MeSH
- mutace * MeSH
- registrace MeSH
- SARS-CoV-2 genetika MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- uromodulin MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- pozorovací studie MeSH
BACKGROUND: Using the perspective of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, which represents a public health challenge that also affects education and the psychological well-being of students, this paper aims to assess the vulnerability to anxiety and stress of the Romanian students from the Faculty of Administration and Business of the University of Bucharest pursuing their degrees in administration and business. METHODS: Our study is based on the results of the survey that was administered to a sample of 422 students (39.6% females and 60.4% males) selected from the pool of 2000 recruited respondents. We employed the ANOVA/linear Dependent Dirichlet Process mixture model to explain the causes of stress and anxiety after various grouping variables represented by gender, specialisation, as well as labour market status. RESULTS: Our results revealed that more than 80% of the students in the sample yielded medium and high vulnerability to stress, while 64% of the respondents were affected by severe anxiety (high frequency of psychological, social, and physical problems that were difficult for them to control). The most important stressors were the fear of getting infected and social distancing, while self-control was considered the most effective coping strategy by 62.6% of employed students. CONCLUSIONS: These results allow us to provide practical recommendations for effectively coping with stress and anxiety among students in Romania and beyond and to help stakeholders and policymakers design strategies for strengthening students' resilience, mental health, and well-being in case of future pandemics or other extreme contexts.
- MeSH
- adaptace psychologická * MeSH
- copingové dovednosti MeSH
- COVID-19 * epidemiologie psychologie MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- pandemie MeSH
- průzkumy a dotazníky MeSH
- psychický stres * epidemiologie psychologie MeSH
- SARS-CoV-2 MeSH
- studenti * psychologie statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- univerzity MeSH
- úzkost * epidemiologie psychologie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Rumunsko MeSH
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB), the most common tick-borne diseases of the central nervous system in Central Europe, are frequently associated with pareses. The aim of this study was to characterise paretic complications in patients with TBE and LNB, including their severity, persistence and impact on the patients' quality of life. Our retrospective observational study included patients with aseptic CNS infection due to TBE virus or Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. Paretic complications were evaluated in the acute phase and the patients were followed up until complete regression or long-term stabilisation of any neurological deficit. The severity of the neurological deficit was graded according to the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). A total of 823 patients (582 with TBE, 241 with LNB) was included. Paretic complications were diagnosed in 63 TBE patients (10.8 %) and in 147 LNB patients (61.0 %). In TBE, the most common neurological deficit was brachial plexus paresis in 21 patients (33 %) and bulbar symptoms in 18 patients (29 %). In LNB patients, facial nerve palsy was the most frequent neurological deficit (117patients; 79.6 %), followed by lower limb paresis in 23 patients (15.6 %). Forty-nine TBE patients and 134 LNB paretic patients completed follow-up. Paresis resolved within 3 weeks in 16 TBE patients (33 %) and 53 LNB patients (39.5 %), but the proportion of patients with paresis persisting for more than 12 months was significantly higher in TBE (34.7 vs. 3.7 %, p < 0.001). The mean mRS was significantly higher in TBE paretic patients compared to LNB (p < 0.001). Paretic complications are significantly more common in LNB than in TBE but pareses associated with TBE last longer than in LNB and considerably reduce the quality of life of patients. Prevention remains the only way to influence the long-term motor deficits of TBE.
- MeSH
- klíšťová encefalitida * komplikace epidemiologie diagnóza MeSH
- kvalita života MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- lymská neuroborelióza * komplikace epidemiologie diagnóza MeSH
- paréza etiologie komplikace MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- pozorovací studie MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
Despite lower virulence, the omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) still poses a relevant threat for immunocompromised patients. A retrospective multicentric study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of pre-exposure prophylaxis with tixagevimab/cilgavimab (Evusheld) with a 6-month follow-up for preventing severe COVID-19 in adult patients with hematology malignancy. Among the 606 patients in the cohort, 96 (16%) contracted COVID-19 with a median of 98.5 days after Evusheld administration. A total of 75% of patients had asymptomatic or mild severity of COVID-19, while just 25% of patients with SARS-CoV-2 positivity had to be hospitalized. Two patients (2%) died directly, and one patient (1%) in association with COVID-19. Eight patients (1.3%) of every cohort experienced adverse events related to Evusheld, mostly grade 1 and of reversible character. It was found that complete vaccination status or positive seroconversion was not associated with lower risk of COVID-19 infection. Previous treatment with an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody was associated with higher rates of COVID-19, while previous treatment with anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody was not, as was the case for recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation or CAR-T cell therapy. Presence of other comorbidities was not associated with more severe COVID-19. The results support the growing evidence for Evusheld's efficacy against severe COVID-19 in patients with hematology malignancies.
- MeSH
- COVID-19 * MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- hematologické nádory * komplikace farmakoterapie epidemiologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- monoklonální protilátky MeSH
- preexpoziční profylaxe * MeSH
- retrospektivní studie MeSH
- SARS-CoV-2 MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- multicentrická studie MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH