Myocardial infarction following COVID-19 vaccine administration; a systematic review.

Introduction: Covid-19 vaccines have been assessed in randomized trials, which are designed to establish efficacy and safety, but are insufficient in power to detect rare adverse outcomes. Among the adverse cardiac events associated with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are inflammations (e.g., pericarditis or myocarditis), thrombosis, and ischemia. Objective: This systematic review aims to evaluate the reported cases of myocardial infarction (MI) after COVID-19 vaccinations. Method: Web of Science, MEDLINE on OVID, PubMed, and Google Scholar were searched for English-language papers published until March 25, 2022. Results: This study included 15 papers (10 case reports and 5 case series). In total, 20 individuals were included who had received COVID-19 vaccines and experienced MI. Males (55%) reported more adverse occurrences than females (45%) across the majority of event categories. The mean time from the administration of the vaccine to the onset of symptoms was 2 days (0-10 days). The AstraZeneca vaccine was responsible for more than half of the reported events. In the majority of cases, the event developed after receiving the first dose of vaccination. Conclusion: MI related to COVID19 vaccination is a rare, but serious and life-threatening condition. Chest discomfort should be regarded as a warning sign, particularly in people who have been administered a dose of the vaccine within the previous two days.

Amplicon and Metagenomic Analysis of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) Coronavirus and the Microbiome in Patients with Severe MERS.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a zoonotic infection that emerged in the Middle East in 2012. Symptoms range from mild to severe and include both respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses. The virus is mainly present in camel populations with occasional zoonotic spill over into humans. The severity of infection in humans is influenced by numerous factors, and similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), underlying health complications can play a major role. Currently, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 are coincident in the Middle East and thus a rapid way of sequencing MERS-CoV to derive genotype information for molecular epidemiology is needed. Additionally, complicating factors in MERS-CoV infections are coinfections that require clinical management. The ability to rapidly characterize these infections would be advantageous. To rapidly sequence MERS-CoV, an amplicon-based approach was developed and coupled to Oxford Nanopore long read length sequencing. This and a metagenomic approach were evaluated with clinical samples from patients with MERS. The data illustrated that whole-genome or near-whole-genome information on MERS-CoV could be rapidly obtained. This approach provided data on both consensus genomes and the presence of minor variants, including deletion mutants. The metagenomic analysis provided information of the background microbiome. The advantage of this approach is that insertions and deletions can be identified, which are the major drivers of genotype change in coronaviruses. IMPORTANCE Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) emerged in late 2012 in Saudi Arabia. The virus is a serious threat to people not only in the Middle East but also in the world and has been detected in over 27 countries. MERS-CoV is spreading in the Middle East and neighboring countries, and approximately 35% of reported patients with this virus have died. This is the most severe coronavirus infection so far described. Saudi Arabia is a destination for many millions of people in the world who visit for religious purposes (Umrah and Hajj), and so it is a very vulnerable area, which imposes unique challenges for effective control of this epidemic. The significance of our study is that clinical samples from patients with MERS were used for rapid in-depth sequencing and metagenomic analysis using long read length sequencing.

Rapid, inexpensive methods for exploring SARS CoV-2 D614G mutation.

A common mutation has occurred in the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2), known as D614G (A23403G). There are discrepancies in the impact of this mutation on the virus's infectivity. Also, the whole genome sequencings are expensive and time-consuming. This study aims to develop three fast economical assays for prompt identifications of the D614G mutation including Taqman probe-based real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT PCR), an amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS) RT and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), in nasopharyngeal swab samples. Both rRT and ARMS data showed G614 mutants indicated by the presence of HEX probe and 176 bp, respectively. Additionally, the results of the RFLP data and DNA sequencings confirmed the prevalence of the G614 mutants. These methods will be important, in epidemiological, reinfections and zoonotic aspects, through detecting the G614 mutant in retro-perspective samples to track its origins and future re-emergence of D614 wild type.

Amplicon-Based Detection and Sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 in Nasopharyngeal Swabs from Patients With COVID-19 and Identification of Deletions in the Viral Genome That Encode Proteins Involved in Interferon Antagonism.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Sequencing the viral genome as the outbreak progresses is important, particularly in the identification of emerging isolates with different pathogenic potential and to identify whether nucleotide changes in the genome will impair clinical diagnostic tools such as real-time PCR assays. Although single nucleotide polymorphisms and point mutations occur during the replication of coronaviruses, one of the biggest drivers in genetic change is recombination. This can manifest itself in insertions and/or deletions in the viral genome. Therefore, sequencing strategies that underpin molecular epidemiology and inform virus biology in patients should take these factors into account. A long amplicon/read length-based RT-PCR sequencing approach focused on the Oxford Nanopore MinION/GridION platforms was developed to identify and sequence the SARS-CoV-2 genome in samples from patients with or suspected of COVID-19. The protocol, termed Rapid Sequencing Long Amplicons (RSLAs) used random primers to generate cDNA from RNA purified from a sample from a patient, followed by single or multiplex PCRs to generate longer amplicons of the viral genome. The base protocol was used to identify SARS-CoV-2 in a variety of clinical samples and proved sensitive in identifying viral RNA in samples from patients that had been declared negative using other nucleic acid-based assays (false negative). Sequencing the amplicons revealed that a number of patients had a proportion of viral genomes with deletions.

A severe refractory COVID-19 patient responding to convalescent plasma; A case series.

INTRODUCTION: Although some medicines are under research, currently, no specific antiviral drug has been approved to target 2019 novel coronavirus. In this report two severe cases of 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients have been described who received convalescent plasma (CP). CASE REPORT: Two male cases (a 46-year-old and a 56-year-old) after being diagnosed with severe COVID-19, they deteriorated despite supportive care and antiviral therapy. They started to improve with CP infusion both clinically and radiologically. Finally they were discharged in a very well condition with negative virology tests. CONCLUSION: CP might be an effective therapy for severe COVID-19 patients.