The Effect of Cytokine Adsorption on Leukocyte and Platelet Activation after Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.

Background:  Post-cardiac arrest syndrome (PCAS) is a frequent complication following successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation and correlates with poor outcome. PCAS is characterized by an excessive inflammatory response to whole-body ischemia and reperfusion. Cytokine adsorption was suggested as an adjunctive treatment option for the removal of cytokines from the patients' blood to restore the physiological equilibrium of pro- and anti-inflammatory activity and thus mitigate hemodynamic instability and end-organ complications.

Early SARS-CoV-2 infection: Platelet-neutrophil complexes and platelet function.

Background: Conflicting results have been reported on platelet activity and responsiveness among patients with COVID-19 with or without thromboembolic complications.

Objectives: To assess platelet reactivity in patients with moderate disease at early stages of COVID-19.

Methods: We performed a prospective, descriptive analysis of 100 consecutive patients presenting with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection at University Medical Center Freiburg during the first or second wave of the pandemic.

Clinical analysis on diagnostic accuracy of Bosch Vivalytic SARS-CoV-2 point-of-care test and evaluation of cycle threshold at admission for COVID-19 risk assessment.

Background: Point-of-care (POC) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests have the ability to improve testing efficiency in the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, real-world data on POC tests is scarce.

Objective: To evaluate the efficiency of a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) POC test in a clinical setting and examine the prognostic value of cycle threshold (CT) on admission on the length of hospital stay (LOS) in COVID-19 patients.

Platelet Subtypes in Inflammatory Settings.

In addition to their essential role in hemostasis and thrombosis, platelets also modulate inflammatory reactions and immune responses. This is achieved by specialized surface receptors as well as secretory products including inflammatory mediators and cytokines. Platelets can support and facilitate the recruitment of leukocytes into inflamed tissue.

Thromboinflammation as a Driver of Venous Thromboembolism.

Thrombus formation has been identified as an integral part in innate immunity, termed immunothrombosis. Activation of host defense systems is known to result in a procoagulant environment. In this system, cellular players as well as soluble mediators interact with each other and their dysregulation can lead to the pathological process of thromboinflammation.

Complement system component dysregulation is a distinctive feature of COVID-19 disease: a prospective and comparative analysis of patients admitted to the emergency department for suspected COVID-19 disease.

The complement system (CS) plays a pivotal role in Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pathophysiology. The objective of this study was to provide a comparative, prospective data analysis of CS components in an all-comers cohort and COVID-19 patients. Patients with suspected COVID-19 infection admitted to the Emergency department were grouped for definite diagnosis of COVID-19 and no COVID-19 accordingly.

Peripheral serotonin lacks effects on endothelial adhesion molecule expression in acute inflammation.

Background: Peripheral, non-neuronal serotonin promotes the recruitment of neutrophils to sites of acute inflammation and tissue damage. Direct effects of serotonin on neutrophil function were shown to be involved. However, the influence of serotonin on the endothelial counterpart is unknown.

Pre-medication with oral anticoagulants is associated with better outcomes in a large multinational COVID-19 cohort with cardiovascular comorbidities.

Aims: Coagulopathy and venous thromboembolism are common findings in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and are associated with poor outcome. Timely initiation of anticoagulation after hospital admission was shown to be beneficial. In this study we aim to examine the association of pre-existing oral anticoagulation (OAC) with outcome among a cohort of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients.

Serotonin: a platelet hormone modulating cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular diseases and depression are significant health burdens and increasing evidence suggests a causal relationship between them. The incidence of depression among patients suffering from cardiovascular disease is markedly elevated, and depression itself is an established cardiovascular risk factor. Serotonin 5-hydroxytryptamin (5-HT), a biogenic amine acting as a neurotransmitter and a peripheral hormone, is involved in the pathogenesis of both, cardiovascular disease and depression.

Rate of venous thromboembolism in a prospective all-comers cohort with COVID-19.

COVID-19 is associated with a variety of clinical complications including coagulopathy, which frequently results in venous thromboembolism (VTE). Retrospective analyses reported a markedly increased rate of VTEs in COVID-19. However, most recent studies on coagulopathy in COVID-19 were only focused on critically ill patients, and without suitable control groups.