Long-term sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 two years following infection: exploring the interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors.

Background: Severe fatigue and cognitive complaints are frequently reported after SARS-CoV-2 infection and may be accompanied by depressive symptoms and/or limitations in physical functioning. The long-term sequelae of COVID-19 may be influenced by biomedical, psychological, and social factors, the interplay of which is largely understudied over time. We aimed to investigate how the interplay of these factors contribute to the persistence of symptoms after COVID-19.

Pulmonary herpes simplex virus and cytomegalovirus in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome related to COVID-19.

Purpose: Human herpesviruses, particularly cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV), frequently reactivate in critically ill patients, including those with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The clinical interpretation of pulmonary herpesvirus reactivation is challenging and there is ongoing debate about its association with mortality and benefit of antiviral medication. We aimed to quantify the incidence and pathogenicity of pulmonary CMV and HSV reactivations in critically ill COVID-19 patients.

Inflammatory profiles are associated with long COVID up to 6 months after COVID-19 onset: A prospective cohort study of individuals with mild to critical COVID-19.

Background: After initial COVID-19, immune dysregulation may persist and drive post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC). We described longitudinal trajectories of cytokines in adults up to 6 months following SARS-CoV-2 infection and explored early predictors of PASC.

Methods: RECoVERED is a prospective cohort of individuals with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between May 2020 and June 2021 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Determinants of epidemic size and the impacts of lulls in seasonal influenza virus circulation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, levels of seasonal influenza virus circulation were unprecedentedly low, leading to concerns that a lack of exposure to influenza viruses, combined with waning antibody titres, could result in larger and/or more severe post-pandemic seasonal influenza epidemics. However, in most countries the first post-pandemic influenza season was not unusually large and/or severe. Here, based on an analysis of historical influenza virus epidemic patterns from 2002 to 2019, we show that historic lulls in influenza virus circulation had relatively minor impacts on subsequent epidemic size and that epidemic size was more substantially impacted by season-specific effects unrelated to the magnitude of circulation in prior seasons.

Aberrant neutrophil degranulation in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 partially remains for 6 months.

Neutrophils are important players in COVID-19, contributing to tissue damage by release of inflammatory mediators, including ROS and neutrophil elastase. Longitudinal studies on the effects of COVID-19 on neutrophil phenotype and function are scarce. Here, we longitudinally investigated the phenotype and degranulation of neutrophils in COVID-19 patients (28 nonhospitalized and 35 hospitalized patients) compared with 17 healthy donors (HDs).