The Effects of COVID-19 on the Emotional and Social Stability, Motivation and Attitudes of Gifted and Non-Gifted Children in Greece.

Gifted children exhibit advanced cognitive abilities, usually beyond their emotional development, which puts them at higher risk of the negative consequences of isolation. This study investigates the effects of distance learning and home confinement on the emotional and social stability, motivation, and attitudes of gifted and non-gifted children in Greece. Our study includes two subsets, from before (September 2017 to March 2020) and after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2020 to March 2022). The analysis indicated that home confinement and distance learning caused children to create a stronger attachment with their parents, and it increased the involvement of parents in their child's school experience. Non-gifted children displayed high levels of certain attitudes (perfectionism, desire for acceptance, and condescending behavior) and demonstrated elevated motivation. Gifted children in the pre-COVID-19 period had already displayed increased levels of condescending attitude, which is assumed to be the result of already existing expectations from their parents. The pandemic further increased this attitude, as a result of the higher expectations of their parents. Overall, the study highlighted the importance of children to have more than one support system and the need for them to strengthen their self-image.

Reply to Çinar et al. Comment on "Zamfir et al. Hematologic Malignancies Diagnosed in the Context of the mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign: A Report of Two Cases. Medicina 2022, 58, 874".

We would like to thank Çinar et al. for their appreciation and insightful discussions presented in their comment [...].

Hematologic Malignancies Diagnosed in the Context of the mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign: A Report of Two Cases.

BACKGROUND: During the last two years, the COVID-19 pandemic led to millions of disease-related deaths worldwide. The efforts of the scientific community facing this global challenge resulted in outstanding achievements. Thus, within one year, new mRNA-based vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 viral infection were released, providing highly efficient protection and showing a very good safety profile in the general population. However, clinical data collection after vaccination is a continuous process for the long-term safety of any new medical product. The aim of our paper is to present two cases of hematological malignancies: diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma and T/NK-cell lymphoma, diagnosed shortly after the administration of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. METHODS AND RESULTS: Case 1: A female patient was admitted with a suspicious cervical mass that emerged within one week after the administration of second dose of the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine. Surgical removal followed by pathology assessment of the specimen confirmed the diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Case 2: A male patient was admitted with multiple ulcerative oral lesions arising on the third day after the initial dose of the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine. These lesions had a progressive character and during the following months were complicated with repetitive episodes of heavy oral bleeding, requiring blood transfusions. The incisional biopsy of the lesions and pathological assessment of the specimens confirmed the diagnosis of T/NK-cell lymphoma. CONCLUSIONS: The safety profile of the mRNA-based vaccines is an undeniable fact. In most cases, suspicions of potentially aggressive side effects were ruled out, proving to be transient post-vaccine reactions. Clinicians should remain alert to report any potentially aggressive manifestations emerging in the context of mRNA COVID-19 vaccination, such as these cases of hematological malignancies, in order to promote additional investigations on the particular mechanisms of action of COVID-19 vaccines and to provide the best medical care to the patients.

A combination of two regional flaps for the complex reconstruction after head and neck cancer surgery as an alternative approach during the COVID-19 pandemic: A case report.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, the medical systems were challenged by continuously increasing numbers of infections and faced critical issues when trying to find solutions for patients suffering from other diseases, including patients with head and neck cancers. Complex surgeries were delayed due to an acute deficit of specialized intensive care medical staff and equipment, which were redirected towards COVID-19 hospitalized cases, with irreversible consequences for the patients. In the present study, the case of locally advanced head and neck cancer was presented, which was treated radically during the heaviest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Romania using an alternative approach for immediate defect reconstruction. The case of locally advanced buccal carcinoma (staged T4aN0Mx) was reported, where radical tumor excision was followed by immediate reconstruction using a combination of two regional flaps, temporal and submental, in order to provide timely and optimal medical care. In the difficult context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the standard reconstructive technique, which is the free vascularized tissue transfer, could not be performed for this patient, due to the acute deficit of anesthetists and associated medical staff, as well as the lack of free beds in intensive care units. Combinations of local and regional flaps, such as temporal muscle flap and submental flap, are simple and accessible surgical techniques that require reduced surgical time, minimal equipment, and basic surgical training, advantages that become crucial in historically challenging times, such as a global pandemic. Individual cases, like elderly patients or patients with severe comorbidities, should be considered for these types of reconstructive techniques: simple solutions, single or in combination, which may be an improved therapeutic option for these patients.

Motor demyelinating tibial neuropathy in COVID-19.

Ten patients suffering from residual symptoms after the resolution of COVID-19, which manifested as fatigue in the lower limbs, have been submitted to nerve conduction studies. Motor demyelinating neuropathy features mainly of the tibial nerves but also the peroneal, median, and ulnar nerves were objectified. These findings might be considered as new neurological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 infection.