Wingless-related integration site (WNT) signaling is activated during the inflammatory response upon cardiac surgery: A translational study.

Objective: Cardiac surgery and the use of cardiopulmonary bypass initiate a systemic inflammatory response. Wingless-related integration site (WNT) signaling is part of the innate immunity and has been attributed a major role in the regulation of inflammation. In preclinical research, WNT-5a may sustain an inflammatory response and cause endothelial dysfunction.

T-cell recovery and evidence of persistent immune activation 12 months after severe COVID-19.

Background: T-cell lymphopenia and functional impairment is a hallmark of severe acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). How T-cell numbers and function evolve at later timepoints after clinical recovery remains poorly investigated.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled and longitudinally sampled 173 individuals with asymptomatic to critical COVID-19 and analyzed phenotypic and functional characteristics of T cells using flow cytometry, 40-parameter mass cytometry, targeted proteomics, and functional assays.

Autoantibodies in COVID-19 correlate with antiviral humoral responses and distinct immune signatures.

Background: Several autoimmune features occur during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), with possible implications for disease course, immunity, and autoimmune pathology. In this study, we longitudinally screened for clinically relevant systemic autoantibodies to assess their prevalence, temporal trajectory, and association with immunity, comorbidities, and severity of COVID-19.

Methods: We performed highly sensitive indirect immunofluorescence assays to detect antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA), along with serum proteomics and virome-wide serological profiling in a multicentric cohort of 175 COVID-19 patients followed up to 1 year after infection, eleven vaccinated individuals, and 41 unexposed controls.

Immunoglobulin signature predicts risk of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome.

Following acute infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) a significant proportion of individuals develop prolonged symptoms, a serious condition termed post-acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) syndrome (PACS) or long COVID. Predictors of PACS are needed. In a prospective multicentric cohort study of 215 individuals, we study COVID-19 patients during primary infection and up to one year later, compared to healthy subjects.

Post-COVID-19 bifacial weakness and paraesthesia: a case report.

Objectives: We present a patient with bifacial weakness and paraesthesia subtype of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), which occurred 1 month after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. While GBS as complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection has been described many times, only a few cases of post-COVID-19 bifacial weakness and paraesthesia are known to date.

Results: A 59-year-old man presented with thoracoradicular pain, paraesthesias of hands and feet, as well as progressive bilateral facial palsy.

Outcome, demography and resource utilization in ICU Patients with delirium and malignancy.

Delirium in the general intensive care unit (ICU) population is common, associated with adverse outcomes and well studied. However, knowledge on delirium in the increasing number of ICU patients with malignancy is scarce. The aim was to assess the frequency of delirium and its impact on resource utilizations and outcomes in ICU patients with malignancy.

Reduced Relative Sensitivity of the Elecsys SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Assay in Saliva Compared to Nasopharyngeal Swabs.

Early identification and isolation of SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals is central to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) serve as a specimen for detection by RT-PCR and rapid antigen screening tests. Saliva has been confirmed as a reliable alternative specimen for RT-PCR and has been shown to be valuable for diagnosing children and in repetitive mass testing due to its non-invasive collection.

Profound dysregulation of T cell homeostasis and function in patients with severe COVID-19.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and shows a broad clinical presentation ranging from asymptomatic infection to fatal disease. A very prominent feature associated with severe COVID-19 is T cell lymphopenia. However, homeostatic and functional properties of T cells are ill-defined in COVID-19.

High Efficacy of Saliva in Detecting SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR in Adults and Children.

Rising demands for repetitive SARS-CoV-2 screens and mass testing necessitate additional test strategies. Saliva may serve as an alternative to nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) as its collection is simple, non-invasive and amenable for mass- and home testing, but its rigorous validation, particularly in children, is missing. We conducted a large-scale head-to-head comparison of SARS-CoV-2 detection by RT-PCR in saliva and NPS of 1270 adults and children reporting to outpatient test centers and an emergency unit.

A distinct innate immune signature marks progression from mild to severe COVID-19.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) manifests with a range of severities, but immune signatures of mild and severe disease are still not fully understood. Here, we use mass cytometry and targeted proteomics to profile the innate immune response of patients with mild or severe COVID-19 and of healthy individuals. Sampling at different stages allows us to reconstruct a pseudo-temporal trajectory of the innate response.

Extracorporeal life support as bridge to recovery in yew poisoning: case reports and literature review.

Aims: This short communication aims to review the treatment of cardiogenic shock in patients with yew poisoning based on two case reports from our institution, focusing on the use of extracorporeal life support (ECLS).

Methods And Results: We report two cases of Taxus baccata poisoning treated with ECLS at our institution and review the literature based on a search in PubMed and Google Scholar on the topic of yew poisoning and ECLS. All cases were combined for analysis of demographics, ECLS therapy, and outcome.

Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy-associated encephalitis: a case series and review of the literature.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) can cause a wide spectrum of immune-related adverse events, including encephalitis. To date, no prospective randomised controlled trials examining the patient characteristics, treatment and outcomes of ICI-associated encephalitis have been published. Therefore, we aimed to review case reports and to provide recommendations for the management of ICI-associated encephalitis.

Systemic and mucosal antibody responses specific to SARS-CoV-2 during mild versus severe COVID-19.

Background: Whereas severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific antibody tests are increasingly being used to estimate the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the determinants of these antibody responses remain unclear.

Objectives: Our aim was to evaluate systemic and mucosal antibody responses toward SARS-CoV-2 in mild versus severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.

Methods: Using immunoassays specific for SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins, we determined SARS-CoV-2-specific IgA and IgG in sera and mucosal fluids of 2 cohorts, including SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive patients (n = 64) and PCR-positive and PCR-negtive health care workers (n = 109).

Benralizumab in eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis complicated by Staphylococcus aureus sepsis.

Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (EGPA) is an ANCA-associated small-vessels vasculitis characterized by hypereosinophilia and eosinophilic asthma. EGPA with life-threatening organ involvement, particularly cardiac and central nervous system (CNS), is a medical emergency requiring immediate immunosuppression. We describe a 58-year-old patient with a history of chronic rhinosinusitis and eosinophilic asthma, who presented with fever, hypereosinophilia and systemic inflammation.

Levosimendan Efficacy and Safety: 20 years of SIMDAX in Clinical Use.

Levosimendan was first approved for clinic use in 2000, when authorisation was granted by Swedish regulatory authorities for the haemodynamic stabilisation of patients with acutely decompensated chronic heart failure. In the ensuing 20 years, this distinctive inodilator, which enhances cardiac contractility through calcium sensitisation and promotes vasodilatation through the opening of adenosine triphosphate-dependent potassium channels on vascular smooth muscle cells, has been approved in more than 60 jurisdictions, including most of the countries of the European Union and Latin America. Areas of clinical application have expanded considerably and now include cardiogenic shock, takotsubo cardiomyopathy, advanced heart failure, right ventricular failure and pulmonary hypertension, cardiac surgery, critical care and emergency medicine.

Levosimendan Efficacy and Safety: 20 Years of SIMDAX in Clinical Use.

Levosimendan was first approved for clinical use in 2000, when authorization was granted by Swedish regulatory authorities for the hemodynamic stabilization of patients with acutely decompensated chronic heart failure (HF). In the ensuing 20 years, this distinctive inodilator, which enhances cardiac contractility through calcium sensitization and promotes vasodilatation through the opening of adenosine triphosphate-dependent potassium channels on vascular smooth muscle cells, has been approved in more than 60 jurisdictions, including most of the countries of the European Union and Latin America. Areas of clinical application have expanded considerably and now include cardiogenic shock, takotsubo cardiomyopathy, advanced HF, right ventricular failure, pulmonary hypertension, cardiac surgery, critical care, and emergency medicine.

Cardiovascular Safety of Clonidine and Dexmedetomidine in Critically Ill Patients after Cardiac Surgery.

Purpose: The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the haemodynamic adverse effects of clonidine and dexmedetomidine in critically ill patients after cardiac surgery.

Methods: 2769 patients were screened during the 30-month study period. Heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and norepinephrine requirements were assessed 3-hourly during the first 12 hours of the continuous drug infusion.

Acute coronary syndromes and acute heart failure: a diagnostic dilemma and high-risk combination. A statement from the Acute Heart Failure Committee of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology.

Acute coronary syndrome is a precipitant of acute heart failure in a substantial proportion of cases, and the presence of both conditions is associated with a higher risk of short-term mortality compared to acute coronary syndrome alone. The diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome in the setting of acute heart failure can be challenging. Patients may present with atypical or absent chest pain, electrocardiograms can be confounded by pre-existing abnormalities, and cardiac biomarkers are frequently elevated in patients with chronic or acute heart failure, independently of acute coronary syndrome.

QTc prolongation after haloperidol administration in critically ill patients post cardiovascular surgery: A cohort study and review of the literature.

Objective: From case reports, haloperidol administration has been associated with QTc prolongation, torsades de pointes, and sudden cardiac death. In a vulnerable population of critically ill patients after cardiac surgery, however, it is unclear whether haloperidol administration affects the QTc interval. Thus, the aim of this study is to explore the effect of haloperidol in low doses on this interval.

Effect of ivabradine on major adverse cardiovascular events and mortality in critically ill patients: a systematic review and meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials with trial sequential analyses.

Background: Ivabradine lowers heart rate (HR) without affecting contractility or vascular tone. It is licensed for HR control in chronic heart diseases. We performed a systematic review and meta-analyses to examine whether ivabradine could decrease major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and mortality in critically ill patients.

Hemodynamic response of restoring sinus rhythm in critically ill patients with atrial fibrillation.

Background: Electrical cardioversion (ECV) is the recommended treatment for atrial fibrillation (AFib) in critically ill patients, despite lacking data showing hemodynamic benefits of restoring sinus rhythm in this setting. The aim of this study was to assess the hemodynamic effect of successful ECV in a cohort of hemodynamically unstable critically ill patients.

Methods And Results: This study included 66 successful ECV performed in hemodynamically unstable critically ill patients with new-onset AFib.