ABSTRACT
Case report In May 2021, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved the administration of the mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine (Pfizer/BioNTech) in adolescents aged 12-15 years, in the form of a two-doses-primary course three weeks apart, with a booster dose after five months. Few adverse events have been observed in vaccinated children -mainly fever, myalgia, or local edema at the injection site. Conversely, delayed cutaneous reactions are little reported in adults and even rarer in pediatric age. A 12-year-old boy, with no previous cutaneous or autoimmune diseases nor allergic reactions to previous vaccines or drugs, came to our attention because of a cutaneous rash, which started on his right arm two days after his first dose of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. The rash was flat, erythematous, and purpuric, with subsequent bruise appearance and spontaneous resolution. Lesions took over on the front side of his arms and shoulders until a month after the vaccine. Urine and blood tests -including blood cell count, flow cytometry, plasma biochemistry, inflammatory index, autoantibodies, coagulation, and platelets aggregation test -did not show significant alterations. Grass pollen monosensitization was detected. Biopsy of the lesions showed 'modest perivascular lymphohistiocytic infiltrate and focal infiltration of vascular walls with swollen endothelium' with 'occasional eosinophils, scattered neutrophil granulocytes, and erythrocytes in interstitial areas,' compatible with leukocytoclastic vasculitis. Epidermidis was undamaged, and the direct immunofluorescence showed fibrinogen deposits in superficial-to-middle dermis vessels. Further tests highlighted a high immune response to the vaccine without previous Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. No therapies were needed, and the boy experienced no other side effects undergoing his second dose. Few leukocytoclastic vasculitis cases after SARS-CoV-2-vaccination have been reported in adults, primarily flares of previously known vasculitis. A role for induced spike glycoprotein as a pseudovirion docking to specific vascular receptors has been suggested, too. To our knowledge, no similar cases were described currently, neither in such young patients nor with such atypical, focal lesions. Further studies are needed to identify the pathogenesis and possibly prevent the onset of this adverse reaction.
ABSTRACT
Case report: Chronic urticaria is defined as the presence of urticaria for a period exceeding six weeks. Infections are known as possible triggers for urticaria manifestations, and, as such, SARS-CoV- 2 infection can be recognized as causative. An 8-year- old boy, with a previous history of idiopathic chronic urticaria, came to the Emergency Department for the appearance of generalized urticaria and lips angioedema associated with vomit and shortening of breath normal vital signs by age. Thus, due to the significant reaction, intravenous corticosteroids and antihistamines were promptly administered, with a rapid improvement of symptoms. Since the systemic reaction, the tryptase dosage was performed with the identification of an elevation at the time of the arrival and a complete normalization after the twelfth hour from the beginning of the reaction. Figure 1 shows the kinetic of the tryptase over time. SARS-CoV2 swab was performed before hospitalization and a positive test was identified. To investigate the etiopathogenesis of reaction, the patient was submitted to the extensive clinical, laboratory, and instrumental investigations that revealed only a positive in vitro basophil activation test (BAT) as evidence of functional serum histamine-releasing autoantibodies that are directed against IgE or high-affinity IgE receptors. The viral infection did not need any medication, and the urticaria was resolute in a couple of days. Daily treatment with oral antihistamines was then prescribed, and no further urticarious episodes occurred. A negative SARS-CoV- 2 swab was detected within 12 days of beginning symptoms. Approximately 40% of patients with idiopathic chronic urticaria have circulating antibodies versus IgE epitopes or the IgE receptor, but as it occurs in many autoimmune conditions, the presence of autoantibodies does not necessarily result in a disease phenotype. It is demonstrated that infections can elicit an autoimmune condition, and as our report shows, SARS-CoV2 could explain the reaction observed in our patient. The autoimmune precondition could have been the primer of the systemic reaction, pre-activating the mastocyte degranulation, as the tryptase elevation demonstrated. On the other hand, the SARS-CoV2 virus reducing the ACE2 expression, due to virus endocytosis, could create an imbalance in the RAS system, increasing the bradykinin levels. Bystander activation of pre-activated mastocytes caused by an inflammatory environment could explain the systemic reaction described above.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: Transplantation of kidneys from donors with active SARS-CoV-2 infection is uncommon due to concerns about the risk of viral transmission and kidney quality. To date, there is no conclusive data that viral transmission from extra-pulmonary solid organ transplant is a possibility. Given the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infections in potential donors, the shortage of kidneys available for transplantation and the low risk of viral transmission, we developed a clinical protocol for accepting kidneys from donors with active SARS-CoV-2 infection and preserved kidney function. Method(s): Retrospective chart review of 5 kidney transplant recipients from 4 deceased donors with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. Donor and recipient characteristics are reported using descriptive characteristics. Result(s): Donor creatinine ranged from 0.51 to 0.60 mg/dL and KDPI ranged from 14% to 52%. Three of the 5 kidneys came from donation after circulatory death donors. All recipients were fully vaccinated, and 4/5 received post-exposure prophylactic monoclonal antibody treatment. 3 recipients had delayed graft function but were off of dialysis by postoperative day 6 or 8. 3 recipients were readmitted, one for fluid overload and mild rejection on two different occasions, one for hypotension from dehydration and one for sepsis secondary to an aspiration pneumonia. The latter recipient subsequently died with a functioning graft secondary to a severe bacterial infection. This recipient was also found to have a femoral DVT during readmission on the contralateral side to the kidney graft. At 30 days post-transplant, no recipients displayed signs or symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the three who were readmitted tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 via nasopharyngeal swab. All had a creatinine less than 2 at the most recent follow up. Conclusion(s): Our findings suggest that kidney grafts from donors with severe SARSCoV- 2 infection but preserved kidney function can be safely used and have good early outcomes. However, more research is needed to determine the safety and long term outcomes of kidney transplantation from donors with severe COVID-19 pneumonia.
ABSTRACT
The period characterized by restrictions due to Covid-19 represented a unique opportunity to study completely new social phenomena. In fact, what was previously a possibility, such as entertaining activities through online media, become a forced condition to satisfy one's need for sociality and search for meaning. Starting from reflections about mediated interactions, social presence and online religiosity, this work focuses on a case study involving an evangelic religious community. In this context, the changing dynamics in the passage from "real" world to a "virtual" one, were analysed. The participants' words - gained through interview and focus group discussions - enabled to reconstruct the phases of online activities, the ambivalence about "social presence" as well as the opportunities and limits of online worship. As a consequence, the uniqueness of the place of cult for an authentic religious experience emerged.