Differential Gene Expression in the Upper Respiratory Tract following Acute COVID-19 Infection in Ambulatory Patients That Develop Long COVID.

Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, or long COVID, is a condition characterized by persistent COVID-19 symptoms. As long COVID is defined by clinical criteria after an elapsed period, an opportunity for early intervention may aid in future prophylactic approaches; however, at present, the pathobiological mechanisms are multifactorial. By analyzing early virally infected upper respiratory tract tissue prior to eventual clinical diagnosis, it may be possible to identify biomarkers of altered immune response to facilitate future studies and interventions.

Evaluation of Real and Perceived Risk to Health Care Workers Caring for Patients With the Omicron Variant of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus in Surgery and Obstetrics.

Objectives: The Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is described as more contagious than previous variants. We sought to assess risk to health care workers (HCWs) caring for patients with COVID-19 in surgical/obstetrical settings, and the perception of risk among this group.

Methods: From January to April 2022, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 viral ribonucleic acid in patient, environmental (floor, equipment, passive air) samples, and HCWs' masks (inside surface) during urgent surgery or obstetrical delivery for patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Host Expression Profiling From Diagnostic Coronavirus Disease 2019 Swabs Associates Upper Respiratory Tract Immune Responses With Radiologic Lung Pathology and Clinical Severity.

Background: COVID-19 presents with a breadth of symptomatology including a spectrum of clinical severity requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission. We investigated the mucosal host gene response at the time of gold standard COVID-19 diagnosis using clinical surplus RNA from upper respiratory tract swabs.

Methods: Host response was evaluated by RNA-sequencing, and transcriptomic profiles of 44 unvaccinated patients including outpatients and in-patients with varying levels of oxygen supplementation were included.

Cystic neutrophilic granulomatous mastitis: sensitivity and specificity of 16s rRNA and Sanger sequencing for spp.

Aims: Cystic neutrophilic granulomatous mastitis (CNGM) is a subtype of granulomatous mastitis (GM) associated with spp infection. We aimed to analyse the prevalence of Corynebacteria in CNGM and non-CNGM cases.

Methods: Breast specimens diagnosed as granulomatous inflammation between 2010 and 2020 were reviewed to identify a CNGM cohort and a non-CNGM cohort.

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 contamination in the operating room and birthing room setting: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The exposure risks to front-line health care workers caring for patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection undergoing surgery or obstetric delivery are unclear, and an understanding of sample types that may harbour virus is important for evaluating risk. We sought to determine whether SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA from patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection undergoing surgery or obstetric delivery was present in the peritoneal cavity of male and female patients, in the female reproductive tract, in the environment of the surgery or delivery suite (surgical instruments or equipment used, air or floors), and inside the masks of the attending health care workers.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study from November 2020 to May 2021 at 2 tertiary academic Toronto hospitals, during urgent surgeries or obstetric deliveries for patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Recognition of Long-COVID-19 Patients in a Canadian Tertiary Hospital Setting: A Retrospective Analysis of Their Clinical and Laboratory Characteristics.

A proportion of patients with COVID-19 have symptoms past the acute disease phase, which may affect quality of life. It is important for clinicians to be aware of this "long-COVID-19" syndrome to better diagnose, treat, and prevent it. We reviewed clinical and laboratory characteristics of a COVID-19 cohort in a Toronto, Ontario tertiary care center.