ABSTRACT
This is an introduction to the Special Issue, inspired by the Histories and New Directions: Soap Opera and Serial Narrative Research conference at the University of York in July 2017. The event was conceptualized and organized by the editors of this Special Issue to gather media and cultural studies scholars, and generate a scholarly dialogue on the historical issues, current status and future directions of serial narratives and soap opera as a genre. The introduction outlines the seven articles in this issue, all of which revisit and expand on previous soap opera scholarship and its enduring appeal to audiences and fans. In asking questions about the aesthetics, audiences and industries of soap operas, the articles in this Special Issue highlight some of the key issues in soap storytelling and fandom such as community, pleasure and gender. Some of the articles also consider the impact of COVID-19 on the production and reception of soap operas.
ABSTRACT
Since little is known about dysregulated hyperinflammatory immunological responses causing acute severe infection and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the available data on therapies for severe presentations in children are very limited. Describing experiences of severe pediatric COVID-19 presentations in more detail will help improve clinical practice. In this case report, we describe the complete clinical course of a 9-year-old girl previously diagnosed with Angelman syndrome and high-risk T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia who had been receiving reinduction chemotherapy, presented with pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome, and progressively developed hyperferritinemic multiple-organ failure, a cytokine storm, and coagulopathy associated with COVID-19. She was treated with therapeutic plasma exchange, tocilizumab, hydrocortisone, and favipiravir, but she died 7 days after her admission into our pediatric intensive care unit. The utility of therapeutic plasma exchange with other immunomodulatory therapies in severe presentations requires further trials. The spectrum of the inflammatory phenotypes associated with COVID-19 should be investigated and well defined to initiate the optimal treatment strategy on time. © 2021 Georg Thieme Verlag. All rights reserved.