Humans ; COVID-19 ; Neoplasms/complications* ; Lung Diseases ; Medical Oncology

Humans ; COVID-19/complications* ; Ischemia ; Arterial Occlusive Diseases ; Peripheral Vascular Diseases

Humans ; COVID-19/complications* ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac/diagnosis* ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents/therapeutic use*

Humans ; COVID-19/complications* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Lung ; Abdominal Pain/diagnosis*

Humans ; Encephalomyelitis, Acute Disseminated/complications* ; COVID-19/complications* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Brain

BACKGROUND: T-cell immunoreceptor with immunoglobulin and immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motif domains (TIGIT), an inhibitory receptor expressed on T cells, plays a dysfunctional role in antiviral infection and antitumor activity. However, it is unknown whether TIGIT expression on T cells influences the immunological effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) inactivated vaccines. METHODS: Forty-five people living with HIV (PLWH) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) for more than two years and 31 healthy controls (HCs), all received a third dose of a SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccine, were enrolled in this study. The amounts, activation, proportion of cell subsets, and magnitude of the SARS-CoV-2-specific immune response of TIGIT + CD4 + and TIGIT + CD8 + T cells were investigated before the third dose but 6 months after the second vaccine dose (0W), 4 weeks (4W) and 12 weeks (12W) after the third dose. RESULTS: Compared to that in HCs, the frequency of TIGIT + CD8 + T cells in the peripheral blood of PLWH increased at 12W after the third dose of the inactivated vaccine, and the immune activation of TIGIT + CD8 + T cells also increased. A decrease in the ratio of both T naïve (T N ) and central memory (T CM ) cells among TIGIT + CD8 + T cells and an increase in the ratio of the effector memory (T EM ) subpopulation were observed at 12W in PLWH. Interestingly, particularly at 12W, a higher proportion of TIGIT + CD8 + T cells expressing CD137 and CD69 simultaneously was observed in HCs than in PLWH based on the activation-induced marker assay. Compared with 0W, SARS-CoV-2-specific TIGIT + CD8 + T-cell responses in PLWH were not enhanced at 12W but were enhanced in HCs. Additionally, at all time points, the SARS-CoV-2-specific responses of TIGIT + CD8 + T cells in PLWH were significantly weaker than those of TIGIT - CD8 + T cells. However, in HCs, the difference in the SARS-CoV-2-specific responses induced between TIGIT + CD8 + T cells and TIGIT - CD8 + T cells was insignificant at 4W and 12W, except at 0W. CONCLUSIONS TIGIT expression on CD8 + T cells may hinder the T-cell immune response to a booster dose of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, suggesting weakened resistance to SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially in PLWH. Furthermore, TIGIT may be used as a potential target to increase the production of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8 + T cells, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of vaccination.
Humans ; Antibodies, Viral ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; COVID-19/complications* ; COVID-19 Vaccines/immunology* ; HIV Infections/complications* ; Receptors, Immunologic ; SARS-CoV-2

Free flap procedure provides an overall success rate of 97%, which decreases to 85% in hypercoagulable states. COVID-19, as a pro-thrombotic disorder, therefore seems detrimental to free flap survival. We encountered a case of unique pattern of free flap partial failure in a young male who underwent extremity reconstruction. The patient was diagnosed as COVID-19 positive on the 3rd day post-reconstruction. The flap survived well for the first 7 days post-operatively, but gradually the skin got necrosed and the subcutaneous fat layer was preserved when debriding. To our knowledge, this is the only case in which the skin of the free flap of a COVID-19 positive patient was necrosed almost entirely subsequently, while the subcutaneous fat was relatively preserved.
Humans ; Male ; Thigh/surgery* ; Free Tissue Flaps/surgery* ; Plastic Surgery Procedures ; COVID-19 ; Lower Extremity/surgery* ; Vascular Diseases ; Postoperative Complications/surgery*

This study aimed to investigate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on erectile function in Chinese patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). A retrospective study was conducted on 657 CP/CPPS patients who visited The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University (Changsha, China) from November 2018 to November 2022. Patients were divided into two groups based on the timeline before and after the COVID-19 outbreak in China. The severity of CP/CPPS, penile erection status, anxiety, and depression was evaluated using the National Institutes of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI), International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scales, respectively. Compared with patients before the COVID-19 outbreak, more CP/CPPS patients developed severe erectile dysfunction (ED) due to depression and anxiety caused by the pandemic. After developing moderate-to-severe ED, mild and moderate-to-severe CP/CPPS patients exhibited more apparent symptoms of anxiety and depression ( P < 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively), forming a vicious cycle. The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected the psychological status of CP/CPPS patients, exacerbating their clinical symptoms and complicating ED. The exacerbation of clinical symptoms further worsens the anxiety and depression status of patients, forming a vicious cycle. During the COVID-19 pandemic, paying more attention to the mental health of CP/CPPS patients, strengthening psychological interventions, and achieving better treatment outcomes are necessary.
Male ; Humans ; Erectile Dysfunction/etiology* ; Pandemics ; Penile Erection ; Prostatitis/complications* ; Retrospective Studies ; East Asian People ; COVID-19/complications* ; Chronic Disease ; Pelvic Pain/complications*

OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical characteristics and prognosis of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection-associated acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE) in children . METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical data of 12 children with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection-associated ANE who were admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Qingdao Women and Children's Hospital from December 18 to 29, 2022. The children were divided into two groups based on outcomes: death group (7 cases) and survival group (5 cases). The clinical manifestations and auxiliary examination results were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The median age of the 12 patients was 30 months, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:1. All patients presented with persistent high fever, with a median highest body temperature of 41℃. The median time from fever onset to seizure or consciousness disturbance was 18 hours. The death group had a higher proportion of neurogenic shock, coagulation dysfunction, as well as elevated lactate, D-dimer, interleukin-6, interleukin--8, and interleukin-10 levels compared to the survival group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Children with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection-associated with ANE commonly present with persistent high fever, rapidly progressing disease, and have a high likelihood of developing consciousness disorders and multiorgan dysfunction within a short period. The occurrence of neurogenic shock, coagulation dysfunction, and significantly elevated cytokine levels suggests an increased risk of mortality.
Humans ; Female ; Child ; Male ; Infant ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Retrospective Studies ; COVID-19/complications* ; Brain Diseases/etiology* ; Prognosis ; Fever ; Blood Coagulation Disorders

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic has triggered a huge impact on healthcare, socioeconomics, and other aspects of the world over the past three years. An increasing number of studies have identified a complex relationship between COVID-19 and stroke, although active measures are being implemented to prevent disease transmission. Severe COVID-19 may be associated with an increased risk of stroke and increase the rates of disability and mortality, posing a serious challenge to acute stroke diagnosis, treatment, and care. This review aims to provide an update on the influence of COVID-19 itself or vaccines on stroke, including arterial stroke (ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke) and venous stroke (cerebral venous thrombosis). Additionally, the neurovascular mechanisms involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection and the clinical characteristics of stroke in the COVID-19 setting are presented. Evidence on vaccinations, potential therapeutic approaches, and effective strategies for stroke management has been highlighted.
Humans ; COVID-19/complications* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Stroke/therapy*