Publications by authors named "B Falkensammer"

The clinical presentation, organ involvement, and severity of disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 are highly variable, ranging from asymptomatic or mild infection to respiratory or multi-organ failure and, in children and young adults, the life-threatening multisystemic inflammatory disease (MIS-C). SARS-CoV-2 enters cells via the angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 receptor (ACE-2), which is expressed on the cell surfaces of all organ systems, including the gastrointestinal tract. GI manifestations have a high prevalence in children with COVID-19.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in ocular tissues and its potential infectivity in lacrimal fluid by comparing viral loads in eye and nasopharyngeal swabs from COVID-19 patients.
  • - Ocular samples were collected from 28 SARS-CoV-2 infected patients; while some ocular samples tested positive, overall viral loads were lower in the eyes compared to nasopharyngeal samples, with a correlation between ocular infection and higher viral loads in the throat.
  • - The research concluded that SARS-CoV-2 can be detected in the eyes, albeit at reduced levels, and suggests that lacrimal fluid may pose an infectious risk, particularly in patients with high viral loads. *
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  • The study investigates how well antibodies generated from previous SARS-CoV-2 wild-type infections or mRNA vaccinations can recognize and bind to the S1 protein of the BA.1 Omicron variant.
  • Plasma samples from 336 infected individuals and 354 vaccinated individuals were analyzed, revealing that around 38.59% of antibodies recognized the Omicron variant, with vaccinated individuals showing a higher proportion (43.46%) than those who recovered from infection (28.83%).
  • The findings indicate that although the overall amount of antibodies binding to the Omicron strain has reduced, the strength (avidity) of the remaining antibodies is comparable, suggesting that previous exposure to wild-type virus still provides significant immune protection against newer variants.
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Background: Correlates of protection could help to assess the extent to which a person is protected from SARS-CoV-2 infection after vaccination (so-called breakthrough infection). We aimed to clarify associations of antibody and T-cell responses after vaccination against COVID-19 with risk of a SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infection and whether measurement of these responses enhances risk prediction.

Methods: We did an open-label, phase 4 trial in two community centres in the Schwaz district of the Federal State of Tyrol, Austria, before the emergence of the omicron (B.

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Several studies have shown that SARS-CoV-2 BA.1 omicron is an immune escape variant. Meanwhile, however, omicron BA.

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