OBJECTIVE: Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) is divided into granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), microscopic polyangiitis, and eosinophilic GPA. It is one of the most severe and potentially fatal autoimmune inflammatory conditions. The etiology and pathology of AAV are complex and poorly understood. Since the onset of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, numerous reports have documented GPA cases following COVID-19, suggesting a potential link between COVID-19 and the development of GPA. This case report discusses a 16-year-old East Asian boy who developed GPA with diffuse alveolar hemorrhage after contracting COVID-19. Additionally, a literature review was conducted to gain a deeper understanding of this disorder.
METHODS: The study involved a retrospective analysis of the data of a case of GPA post-COVID-19 infection, aiming to summarize the clinical characteristics of GPA post-COVID-19 infection through a search of databases (PubMed, Wanfang Data, and CNKI), supplemented by standard searches in Google Scholar, Cochrane, Scopus, and LitCovid, and to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the literature.
RESULTS: A total of 12 cases were identified and, when combined with the present case, yielded 13 cases of GPA post-COVID-19 infection, comprising 5 males and 8 females with an average age of (40.6 ± 19.5) years. The interval between COVID-19 infection and the diagnosis of GPA varied from 1 day to 3 months across all cases. Mortality was reported at 7.7% (1/13). The most common clinical manifestations included cough (69.2%) and dyspnea (46.1%). Computed tomography scans revealed ground-glass opacities and multifocal pulmonary nodules. In all cases, positive findings for c-ANCA and protease 3-antibody were observed. Renal involvement was observed in more than half of the patients.

UNASSIGNED: Host genetic variations have been identified as potential influencers of COVID-19 infection. This study aimed to examine the association between transmembrane serine protease type 2 (TMPRSS2) rs2070788 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and the prognosis of COVID-19 in Iranian populations.
UNASSIGNED: This case-control study was performed on 756 COVID-19 patients and 59 healthy individuals across Iran. Clinical data, blood samples, and the presence of the TMPRSS2 rs2070788: G>A SNP were determined using T-ARMS-PCR. Additionally, serum levels of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-1β were evaluated in the collected blood samples.
UNASSIGNED: No significant association was found between the genotypes and allele frequencies of TMPRSS2 rs2070788 SNP and susceptibility to or mortality from COVID-19 infection. However, we observed a substantial increase in IL-6 and CRP levels associated with the severity of COVID-19, while no such trend was observed for IL-1β and TNF-α. This study showed a considerable rise in TNF-α and IL-1β serum levels exclusively in COVID-19 patients with TT rs2070788 TMPRSS2 SNP genotype compared to healthy controls.
UNASSIGNED: In this study conducted across multiple cities in Iran, no significant association was found between the TMPRSS2 rs2070788 SNP genotypes and COVID-19 severity or mortality.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the risk of ocular adverse events, including retinal artery occlusion (RAO), retinal vein occlusion (RVO), non-infectious uveitis (NIU), non-infectious scleritis (NIS), optic neuritis (ON), ischemic optic neuropathy (ION), and ocular motor cranial nerve palsy (OMCNP), following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination.
METHODS: Population-based self-controlled case series METHODS: This study utilized nationwide claims and vaccination data provided by the Korea National Health Insurance Service and Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. From the entire South Korean population of 52 million individuals, patients with incident RAO, RVO, anterior NIU, non-anterior NIU, NIS, ON, ION, or OMCNP between January 2021 and March 2022 were included. The post-vaccination risk period was defined as up to 56 days after COVID-19 vaccination. The relative incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for RAO, RVO, anterior NIU, non-anterior NIU, NIS, ON, ION, and OMCNP during the risk periods were measured using conditional Poisson regression.
RESULTS: The study included 6,590, 70,120, 137,958, 17,921, 15,492, 2,039, 49,089, and 11,312 cases of incident RAO, RVO, anterior NIU, non-anterior NIU, NIS, ON, ION, and OMCNP, respectively. The IRRs (95% confidence interval) during the early risk period (0-28 days) were 0.95 (0.88-1.01), 0.96 (0.94-0.98), 0.93 (0.91-0.94), 0.93 (0.89-0.96), 0.96 (0.92-1.01), 1.04 (0.92-1.18), 0.98 (0.95-1.00), and 0.91 (0.86-0.96), respectively. In the late risk period (29-56 days), the IRRs were 0.96 (0.89-1.03), 0.93 (0.91-0.96), 0.96 (0.95-0.98), 1.00 (0.95-1.04), 0.96 (0.91-1.01), 1.00 (0.87-1.15), 1.01 (0.98-1.04), and 0.95 (0.90-1.01), respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 vaccination did not increase the risk of incident RAO, RVO, anterior NIU, non-anterior NIU, NIS, ON, ION, or OMCNP during the post-vaccination period.

UNASSIGNED: Data on the management of patients aged more than 85 years with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequential infections are lacking.
UNASSIGNED: The current study described the management of an older couple aged more than 85 years with these above-mentioned two diseases treated with 12 weeks of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir (Epclusa®) and 5 days of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid®) sequentially. The effectiveness and safety profiles were closely monitored during therapy and till 9 months posttreatment.
UNASSIGNED: In late March 2023, the husband with the main complaint of repeated gingival bleeding and asymptomatic wife were 86 and 85 years old, and had HCV RNA levels of 91,800 and 6,630,000 IU/mL, respectively. On the fourth day of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir treatment, the husband had a moderate headache, and the wife had severe headache and moderate fever and dizziness. We then found that their SARS-CoV-2 test results were positive. After careful consideration, the expert panel decided to treat the couple with oral nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (300 mg/100 mg, twice daily) beginning on the fifth day of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir treatment for 5 days. During the 5 days of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir treatment, the patient\'s symptoms and signs gradually improved, and the patient was negative for SARS-CoV-2 RNA on the fifth day of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir therapy. Meanwhile, the husband\'s HCV RNA was not detectable after one week of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir treatment till posttreatment month 9, and his ALT level was normal beginning at week 1 of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir treatment. Moreover, the wife\'s HCV RNA was not detectable after week 4 of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir treatment till posttreatment month 9. Notably, no other symptoms or signs occurred during the treatment or follow-up period, and other serum biochemical parameters remained stable until 9 months after the discontinuation of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir treatment.
UNASSIGNED: The older couple aged more than 85 years with chronic HCV and SARS-CoV-2 sequential infection were safely cured by the sofosbuvir/velpatasvir and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir sequential treatment.
UNASSIGNED: This study suggested that old age should not be a barrier to HCV/SARS-CoV-2 treatment. Given that the proportion of older HCV-infected patients is increasing, clinical trials of direct-acting antiviral agents should include older HCV-infected individuals.

UNASSIGNED: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been revealed as a severe illness with a wide-ranging cardiac manifestation and has a worldwide burden on the health-care system.
UNASSIGNED: Our aim in this study is to assess the impact of mild COVID-19 infection on cardiac function in patients without previous structural heart disease.
UNASSIGNED: We evaluated 100 outpatients with a history of mild COVID-19 infection without needing hospitalization within 3 weeks to 3 months after recovery from the acute phase of the illness between August 2020 and July 2021.
UNASSIGNED: The patients were compared with 105 healthy participants without a history of COVID-19 as the control group. All participants underwent comprehensive transthoracic echocardiography.
UNASSIGNED: Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS statistics 23. For all tests, P < 0.05 was defined as statistically significant.
UNASSIGNED: COVID-19 patients had higher global longitudinal strain (P = 0.001), systolic pulmonary artery pressure (P = 0.008), RV E\' (P = 0.049), and RV A\' (P = 0.003), while had lower septal tissue velocities (P = 0.01) and left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) (LVEF) (P = 0.03). Abnormal EF (LVEF <55%) was noted in 19% of the COVID-19 patients and 8.6% of the control group (P = 0.03). Moderate or more diastolic dysfunction was noted in 10 COVID-19 patients but only in one participant in the control group (P = 0.005).
UNASSIGNED: Mild COVID-19 infection can result in cardiac functional and structural changes, even in patients without known previous structural heart disease. Echocardiography can be a useful modality for risk assessment and follow-up in patients with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Cold agglutination syndrome is a subtype of autoimmune hemolytic anemia. The condition is referred to as \"cold\" because the antibodies become active and induce hemolysis at cold temperatures, typically 3-4 °C, which is not always the case in other kinds of autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Whereas primary cold agglutination syndrome may occur in the absence of underlying conditions, secondary cold agglutination syndrome is associated with the presence of underlying infections, including coronavirus disease 2019.
METHODS: We report the case of a 69-year-old Japanese woman with periodontitis who was referred to our hospital with complaints of brown-colored urine and chest pain. Her hemoglobin level was 6.1 g/dL. Computed tomography revealed multiple lung abscesses. Her direct antibody test results were positive (2+) for anti-complement direct antiglobulin and negative for immunoglobulin G, and her cold agglutinin titer was elevated at 1:4096. Workup for anemia revealed a positive result for cold agglutination syndrome. The patient had received the fourth dose of coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination. Nasopharyngeal swab test for detecting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 using a real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction gave a cycle threshold value of 42.3, and the level of virus-specific immunoglobulin G was elevated at 7.71 S/C (normal range -1.4 S/C).
CONCLUSIONS: A decrease in hemoglobin in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 may be associated with secondary cold agglutination syndrome. The patient was hypothesized to have developed multiple lung abscesses with secondary cold agglutination syndrome following coronavirus disease 2019. Thus, following coronavirus disease 2019, patients can develop secondary cold agglutination syndrome, which could worsen owing to associated bloodstream bacterial infections.

Although endothelial damage has been hypothesized to be associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related cerebral infarction based on the specificity of the viral cellular invasion pathway, no case has been reported to date. We herein report a 51-year-old Japanese woman who presented with neck pain one week after COVID-19 infection. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed inflammation of the carotid and vertebral arteries. Ultrasonography revealed multiple flap-like structures that were assumed to be thrombi. Although the patient had no cerebral infarction, this could be an important case of vascular damage and thrombus formation in a COVID-19 patient.

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Acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE) is a rare immune-mediated complication of a viral infection commonly involving the bilateral thalamus and has been reported mainly in children. Here, we describe the MRI findings of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated ANE in two pediatric patients, including a 7-year-old girl with fever and mental change, and a 6-year-old girl with fever and generalized seizures. Brain MRI revealed symmetrical T2 fluid attenuated inversion recovery high-signal intensity lesions in the bilateral thalamus with central hemorrhage. In one patient, the thalamic lesions showed a trilaminar pattern on the apparent diffusion coefficient map. This report emphasizes the importance of creating awareness regarding these findings in patients with COVID-19, particularly in children with severe neurological symptoms. Furthermore, it provides a literature review of several documented cases of COVID-19 presenting with bilateral thalamic hemorrhagic necrosis, suggesting a diagnosis of ANE.
급성 괴사성 뇌병증은 바이러스 감염의 드문 면역 매개 합병증이다. 일반적으로 양쪽 시상을 침범하며, 주로 어린이에서 보고된다. 저자들은 소아에서 발생한 코로나바이러스감염증과 관련된 급성 괴사성 뇌병증 2건을 보고하고자 한다. 7세 여아는 발열과 의식변화, 6세 여아는 발열과 전신성 간질로 내원하였다. 뇌 MRI에서 두 환자 모두 양쪽 시상에 중심부 출혈을 동반한 대칭적인 액체감쇠역전회 고신호강도 병변이 보였고, 한 환자에서는 겉보기확산계수에서 시상에 층상 병변이 보였다. 저자들은 이 보고를 통해 급성 괴사성 뇌병증의 특징적인 뇌 MRI 영상 소견을 인지함으로써 심각한 신경학적 증상을 나타내는 코로나바이러스감염증 환자의 경우 특히 소아에서 영상 소견을 바탕으로 한 빠른 진단이 필요함을 강조하고자 한다. 또한, 급성 괴사성 뇌병증을 시사하는 양측 시상의 출혈성 괴사로 나타났던 코로나바이러스 감염 증례에 대한 문헌을 검토하고자 한다.