Project description:BackgroundA high proportion of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors may develop long-term cognitive impairment. We aimed to develop a multivariate causal model exposing the links between COVID-19-associated biomarkers, illness-related variables, and their effects on cognitive performance.MethodsIn this prospective study, we assess the potential drivers for the development of cognitive impairment in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia aged ≥ 18 years at 6-month follow-up after hospital discharge, using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Patients with pre-existing cognitive impairment were excluded. Laboratory results at hospital admission were clustered by principal component analysis (PCA) and included in a path analysis model evaluating the causal relationship between age, comorbidities, hypoxemia, invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) requirement, in-hospital delirium, and cognitive performance.ResultsWe studied 92 patients: 54 (58.7%) men and 38 (41.3%) women, with median age of 50 years (interquartile range 42-55), among whom 50 (54.4%) tested positive for cognitive impairment at 6-month follow-up. Path analysis revealed a direct link between the thrombo-inflammatory component of PCA (C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, and neutrophils) and hypoxemia severity at hospital admission. Our model showed that low PaO2/FiO2 ratio values, unlike the thrombo-inflammatory component, had a direct effect on cognitive performance, independent from age, in-hospital delirium, and invasive mechanical ventilation.ConclusionIn this study, biomarkers of thrombo-inflammation in COVID-19 and low PaO2/FiO2 had a negative effect on cognitive performance 6 months after hospital discharge. These results highlight the critical role of hypoxemia as a driver for impaired cognition in the mid-term.
Project description:Early stages of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are associated with silent hypoxia and poor oxygenation despite relatively minor parenchymal involvement. Although speculated that such paradoxical findings may be explained by impaired hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction in infected lung regions, no studies have determined whether such extreme degrees of perfusion redistribution are physiologically plausible, and increasing attention is directed towards thrombotic microembolism as the underlying cause of hypoxemia. Herein, a mathematical model demonstrates that the large amount of pulmonary venous admixture observed in patients with early COVID-19 can be reasonably explained by a combination of pulmonary embolism, ventilation-perfusion mismatching in the noninjured lung, and normal perfusion of the relatively small fraction of injured lung. Although underlying perfusion heterogeneity exacerbates existing shunt and ventilation-perfusion mismatch in the model, the reported hypoxemia severity in early COVID-19 patients is not replicated without either extensive perfusion defects, severe ventilation-perfusion mismatch, or hyperperfusion of nonoxygenated regions.
Project description:We retrospectively analysed the expression of 579 immunological genes in 60 COVID-19 subjects (SARS +ve) and 59 COVID-negative (SARS -ve) subjects using the NanoString nCounter (Immunology panel), a technology based on multiplexed single-molecule counting. Biobanked Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) samples underwent Nucleic Acid extraction and digital detection of mRNA to evaluate changes in antiviral gene expression between SARS -ve controls and patients with mild (SARS +ve Mild) and moderate/severe (SARS +ve Mod/Sev) disease.
Project description:BackgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is associated with immune dysregulation and hyperinflammation, including elevated interleukin-6 levels. The use of tocilizumab, a monoclonal antibody against the interleukin-6 receptor, has resulted in better outcomes in patients with severe Covid-19 pneumonia in case reports and retrospective observational cohort studies. Data are needed from randomized, placebo-controlled trials.MethodsIn this phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned patients who were hospitalized with severe Covid-19 pneumonia in a 2:1 ratio receive a single intravenous infusion of tocilizumab (at a dose of 8 mg per kilogram of body weight) or placebo. Approximately one quarter of the participants received a second dose of tocilizumab or placebo 8 to 24 hours after the first dose. The primary outcome was clinical status at day 28 on an ordinal scale ranging from 1 (discharged or ready for discharge) to 7 (death) in the modified intention-to-treat population, which included all the patients who had received at least one dose of tocilizumab or placebo.ResultsOf the 452 patients who underwent randomization, 438 (294 in the tocilizumab group and 144 in the placebo group) were included in the primary and secondary analyses. The median value for clinical status on the ordinal scale at day 28 was 1.0 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0 to 1.0) in the tocilizumab group and 2.0 (non-ICU hospitalization without supplemental oxygen) (95% CI, 1.0 to 4.0) in the placebo group (between-group difference, -1.0; 95% CI, -2.5 to 0; P = 0.31 by the van Elteren test). In the safety population, serious adverse events occurred in 103 of 295 patients (34.9%) in the tocilizumab group and in 55 of 143 patients (38.5%) in the placebo group. Mortality at day 28 was 19.7% in the tocilizumab group and 19.4% in the placebo group (weighted difference, 0.3 percentage points; 95% CI, -7.6 to 8.2; nominal P = 0.94).ConclusionsIn this randomized trial involving hospitalized patients with severe Covid-19 pneumonia, the use of tocilizumab did not result in significantly better clinical status or lower mortality than placebo at 28 days. (Funded by F. Hoffmann-La Roche and the Department of Health and Human Services; COVACTA ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04320615.).
Project description:Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, type 2 diabetes (T2D) was marked as a risk-factor for severe disease. Inflammation is central to the aetiology of both conditions where immune responses influence disease course. Identifying at-risk groups through immuno-inflammatory signatures can direct personalised care and help develop potential targets for precision therapy. This observational study characterised immunophenotypic variation associated with COVID-19 severity in T2D. Broad-spectrum immunophenotyping quantified 15 leukocyte populations in circulation from a cohort of 45 hospitalised COVID-19 patients with and without T2D. Lymphocytopenia, of CD8+ lymphocytes, was associated with severe COVID-19 and intensive care admission in non-diabetic and T2D patients. A morphological anomaly of increased monocyte size and monocytopenia of classical monocytes were specifically associated with severe COVID-19 in patients with T2D requiring intensive care. Over-expression of inflammatory markers reminiscent of the type-1 interferon pathway underlaid the immunophenotype associated with T2D. These changes may contribute to severity of COVID-19 in T2D. These findings show characteristics of severe COVID-19 in T2D as well as provide evidence that type-1 interferons may be actionable targets for future studies.
Project description:In patients hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia, both tocilizumab and baricitinib have been shown to have clinical benefit compared with placebo. To date, there are few data comparing the two treatments, and their relative benefits and harms are unknown. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of tocilizumab versus baricitinib in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia and hypoxemia.DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingSeven inpatient acute-care hospitals in Wisconsin.ParticipantsPatients hospitalized with COVID-19, hypoxemia, and Pao2-to-Fio2 ratio less than or equal to 300 mm Hg, who received either tocilizumab or baricitinib.InterventionsElectronic chart review.Measurements and main resultsPatients were divided into tocilizumab and baricitinib cohorts based on actual medication received. The primary outcome was hospital discharge alive and free from mechanical ventilation within 60 days, assessed by logistic regression. Three hundred eighty-two patients were included: 194 in the tocilizumab cohort and 188 in the baricitinib cohort. Most baseline characteristics in the two cohorts were similar. All patients received dexamethasone. Two patients were lost to follow-up. In the remaining 380 patients, probability of successful discharge in the two cohorts was quantitatively similar in unadjusted, multivariate-adjusted, and propensity score-matched analyses. Hospital length of stay, rates of thromboembolic events, and rates of hospital-acquired infections were all similar in the two cohorts.ConclusionsIn patients hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia and hypoxemia who receive dexamethasone, treatment with tocilizumab or baricitinib appears to result in similar outcomes.
Project description:ObjectiveNo guidelines exist for the management of massive pulmonary embolism (PE) in COVID-19. We present a COVID-19 patient with refractory acute respiratory syndrome (ARDS), and life-threatening PE who underwent successful thrombolysis.Case presentationA previously healthy 47 year old male was admitted to our hospital due to severe COVID-19 pneumonia [confirmed by Real-Time-Polymerase-Chain-Reaction (RT-PCR)]. He had rapidly evolving ARDS [partial arterial pressure of oxygen to fractional inspired concentration of oxygen ratio: 175], and sepsis. Laboratory results showed lymphocytopenia, and increased D-dimer levels (7.7 ?g/ml; normal: 0-0.5 ?g/ml). The patient was treated in the intensive care unit. On day-1, ARDS-net/prone positioning ventilation, and empiric anti-COVID treatment integrating prophylactic anticoagulation was administered. On hospital day-2, the patient developed shock with worsening oxygenation. Point-of-care-ultrasound depicted a large thrombus migrating from the right atrium to the pulmonary circulation. Intravenous alteplase (100 mg over 2 h) was administered as rescue therapy. The patient made an uneventful recovery, and was discharged to home isolation (day-20) on oral rivaroxaban.ConclusionThrombolysis may have a critical therapeutic role for massive PE in COVID-19; however the risk of potential bleeding should not be underestimated. Point-of-care ultrasound has a pivotal role in the management of refractory ARDS in COVID-19.