: According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 3-6% of people suffer from post-COVID condition or syndrome (PCS). A subset meets the diagnostic criteria for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Studies have reported that SARS-CoV-2 proteins or RNA can persist after acute infection in serum or tissues, but their role in PCS is unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAutoantibodies (AABs) are currently being investigated as causative or aggravating factors during post-COVID. In this study, we analyze the effect of immunoadsorption therapy on symptom improvement and the relationship with immunological parameters in post-COVID patients exhibiting symptoms of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) induced or aggravated by an SARS-CoV-2 infection. This observational study includes 12 post-COVID patients exhibiting a predominance of ME/CFS symptoms alongside increased concentrations of autonomic nervous system receptor (ANSR) autoantibodies and neurological impairments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMany complications associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are closely linked with the generation of reactive species or free radicals leading to oxidative/nitrosative stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of combined administration of metformin with propionate on the degree of oxidative/nitrosative damage in the brain of rats with an experimental model of T2DM. Male Wistar rats were divided into control (healthy rats); rats with T2DM and no further therapy; rats with T2DM that received: metformin, propionate, propionate + metformin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe fouling resistance of zwitterionic coatings is conventionally explained by the strong hydrophilicity of such polymers. Here, the biocompatibility of a set of systematically varied amphiphilic, zwitterionic copolymers is investigated. Photocrosslinkable, amphiphilic copolymers containing hydrophilic sulfobetaine methacrylate (SPe) and butyl methacrylate (BMA) were systematically synthesized in different ratios (50:50, 70:30, and 90:10) with a fixed content of photo-crosslinker by free radical copolymerization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Mono and combined reactivation of latent viruses occurs frequently under immunosuppressive therapy in kidney transplant patients. Recently, monitoring torque teno virus (TTV) reactivation came more into focus as a potential biomarker for immune status. The surrogate characteristics of TTV reactivation on acute rejection, and the combined reactivation with other latent viruses such as cytomegalovirus (CMV), human BK virus (BKV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and human herpes virus-6A (HHV-6A) on allograft function, are unknown so far.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: There is evidence that lower activity of the RAF/MEK/ERK network is associated with positive outcomes in mild and moderate courses of COVID-19. The effect of this cascade in COVID-19 sepsis is still undetermined. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that activity of the RAF/MEK/ERK network in COVID-19-induced sepsis is associated with an impact on 30-day survival.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic it was speculated that the virus might be associated with a persistent increase of cardiovascular risk. The present study compares pre- and post-pandemic hospital admission rates for hypertension and coronary artery disease.
Methods: Systematic multicentric retrospective cohort analysis of 57.
Pyuria in dipstick examination serves as the most widespread screening tool for urinary tract infections (UTI). The absence of pyuria, however, does not exclude UTI. We investigated the diagnostic value of urinary calprotectin, a mediator protein of the innate immune system, which is released by leukocytes, for the detection of UTI and compared it with dipstick pyuria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Sepsis, a life-threatening condition caused by the dysregulated host response to infection, is a major global health concern. Understanding the impact of viral or bacterial pathogens in sepsis is crucial for improving patient outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) seropositivity as a risk factor for development of sepsis in patients with COVID-19.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere is a controversial debate regarding whether unattended blood pressure (BP) measurement should be regarded as the new gold standard of office BP measurement. Unattended BP measurement eliminates the white-coat effect and reduces external influences on the patient. On the other hand, it might underestimate real-life BP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOsteosarcopenia, the concurrent presence of sarcopenia and osteopenia/osteoporosis, poses a significant health risk to older adults, yet its impact on clinical outcomes is not fully understood. The aim of this prospective, longitudinal multicentre study was to examine the impact of osteosarcopenia on 3-year mortality and unplanned hospitalizations among 572 older hospitalized patients (mean age 75.1 ± 10.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Sleep apnea is associated with hypertension. Metaanalyses indicate that treatment of sleep apnea by continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) reduces blood pressure (BP) by a mean of 3 mmHg. To date, predictors of BP response to CPAP remain incompletely understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSepsis is a common life-threatening disease caused by dysregulated immune response and metabolic acidosis which lead to organ failure. An abnormal expression of aquaporins plays an important role in organ failure. Additionally, genetic variants in aquaporins impact on the outcome in sepsis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSepsis involves an immunological systemic response to a microbial pathogenic insult, leading to a cascade of interconnected biochemical, cellular, and organ-organ interaction networks. Potential drug targets can depict aquaporins, as they are involved in immunological processes. In immune cells, AQP3 and AQP9 are of special interest.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: A proportion of the convalescent SARS-CoV-2 pediatric population presents nonspecific symptoms, mental health problems, and a reduction in quality of life similar to myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and long COVID-19 symptomatic. However, data regarding its clinical manifestation and immune mechanisms are currently scarce.
Methods: In this study, we perform a comprehensive clinical and immunological profiling of 17 convalescent COVID-19 children with post-acute COVID-19 sequelae (PASC) manifestation and 13 convalescent children without PASC manifestation.
Background: SARS-CoV-2mRNA vaccination related seroconversion rates are reduced in dialysis and kidney transplant patients.
Methods: We evaluated nine months follow up data in our observational Dia-Vacc study exploring specific cellular (interferon-γ release assay) or/and humoral immune responses after 2x SARS-CoV-2mRNA vaccination in 880 participants including healthy medical personnel (125-MP), dialysis patients (595-DP), kidney transplant recipients (111-KTR), and apheresis patients (49-AP) with positive seroconversion (de novo IgA or IgG antibody positivity by ELISA) after eight weeks.
Findings: Nine months after first vaccination, receptor binding domain (RBD) antibodies were still positive in 90 % of MP, 86 % of AP, but only 55 %/48 % of DP/KTR, respectively.
Cross-reactive cellular and humoral immunity can substantially contribute to antiviral defense against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC). While the adult SARS-CoV-2 cellular and humoral immunity and its cross-recognition potential against VOC is broadly analyzed, similar data regarding the pediatric population are missing. In this study, we perform an analysis of the humoral and cellular SARS-CoV-2 response immune of 32 convalescent COVID-19 children (children), 27 convalescent vaccinated adults(C + V+) and 7 unvaccinated convalescent adults (C + V-).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Immune monitoring is an important aspect in diagnostics and clinical trials for patients with compromised immune systems. Flow cytometry is the standard method for immune cell counting but faces limitations. Best practice guidelines are available, but lack of standardization complicates compliance with e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused millions of COVID-19 cases and deaths worldwide. Severity of pulmonary pathologies and poor prognosis were reported to be associated with the activation non-virus-specific bystander T cells. In addition, high concentrations of the macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) were found in serum of COVID-19 patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMyalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a devastating disease affecting millions of people worldwide. Due to the 2019 pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), we are facing a significant increase of ME/CFS prevalence. On May 11th to 12th, 2023, the second international ME/CFS conference of the Charité Fatigue Center was held in Berlin, Germany, focusing on pathomechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment.
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