Double-Positive Anti-Glomerular Basement Membrane Antibody and Myeloperoxidase Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Autoantibody-Associated Glomerulonephritis Post COVID-19 mRNA vaccine: A Case Series of 4 Patients.

Rationale: Vaccines remain central to the management of COVID-19 pandemic, including the need for repeat doses of vaccines to boost immunity. There has been an accumulating case count of glomerulopathies temporally associated with COVID-19 vaccination. This case series presents 4 patients who developed double-positive anti-glomerular basement membrane antibody (anti-GBM) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA)-associated glomerulonephritis after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. This report contributes to our collective knowledge about the pathophysiology and clinical outcomes associated with this rare complication. Presenting Concerns of the Patient: Four patients developed nephritic syndrome within 1 to 6 weeks after receiving a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (3 post Pfizer-BioNTech and 1 post Moderna vaccination). Three of the 4 patients also had hemoptysis. Diagnosis: Three of the 4 patients had double-positive serology, whereas the fourth patient had renal biopsy findings consistent with double-positive disease, although anti-GBM serology was negative. All patients had renal biopsy findings consistent with double-positive anti-GBM and ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis. Interventions: All 4 patients were treated with pulse steroids, cyclophosphamide, and plasmapheresis. Outcomes: Of the 4 patients, 1 demonstrated complete remission, 2 remained dialysis-dependent, and the fourth is deceased. Of the 2 patients who received repeat vaccination with COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, 1 patient had second serologic flare of anti-GBM in response to the vaccine. Novel Findings: This case series reinforces growing evidence that COVID-19 mRNA vaccine-induced glomerulonephritis is a rare but real phenomenon. Dual ANCA and anti-GBM nephritis can present after the first dose of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine or after several administrations of the vaccine. We are the first to report cases of double-positive MPO ANCA and anti-GBM nephritis after Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination. To our knowledge, we are also the first to report outcomes of repeat COVID-19 vaccination in patients with de novo flare of ANCA and anti-GBM nephritis temporally associated with COVID-19 vaccination.

Double Anti-neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody and Anti-glomerular Basement Membrane Antibody-positive Crescentic Glomerulonephritis, Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) affects kidneys mainly in the form of acute kidney injury but rarely can cause glomerular disease. On a very rare occasion, SARS-CoV-2 infection can be associated with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antigen (ANCA)-associated vasculitis and anti-glomerular basement membrane glomerulonephritis (anti-GBM GN). We report a case of a 59-year-old man who presented with progressive renal failure 8 weeks after contracting the viral infection, which progressed slowly to severe renal dysfunction. Renal biopsy showed crescentic glomerulonephritis (CrGN) accompanied by interrupted linear IgG deposits along the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) on immunofluorescence (IF) staining with associated mild acute tubular injury. The serology for anti-myeloperoxidase (MPO), as well as anti-GBM antibodies, was positive. He was treated with steroid and pulse intravenous cyclophosphamide, following which there was a significant improvement in the renal function and serological resolution of both the antibodies 6 months post-treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of "double-antibody" positive CrGN following SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Negative Noninvasive Ventilation-Cuirass: Design and Clinical Implications

The first body ventilator was called, by Philip Drinker and Louis Agassiz Shaw, “iron lung” due to the metal being used in the construction of the tank that contained the patient. However, in the following years, not only were used lighter materials, but were also used different shapes in order to contain the chest of the patients to be treated, and thus, the “pneumowrap” and the “cuirass” were born. Each of these ventilators has particular characteristics and clinical indications that are listed here. A particular note must be added to the Hayek ventilator, which, with its oscillatory wave delivery, has additional characteristics to the normal “cuirass” and the “Double Positive + Negative Synchronized Ventilation (DPNSV)” in which two synchronized ventilators are being used. Each of these acts in a diametrically opposite way on the chest: One delivers a positive pressure to the airways and the other a negative extra-thoracic pressure. With this latest mode of mechanical ventilation, which eliminates alveolar pressures during inspiration, a new path is being opened in treating even difficult patients such as those suffering from ARDS or COVID-19. © 2022 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

Differential alterations in peripheral lymphocyte subsets in COVID-19 patients: upregulation of double-positive and double-negative T cells.

BACKGROUND: Viral infections cause alteration in the total number of lymphocytes and their subset distribution. We aimed to study peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets in COVID-19 patients and to correlate these subsets with clinical and laboratory data, which may help in clarifying the pathogenesis to develop novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for COVID-19. METHODS: Twenty-six reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed COVID-19 patients were subjected to medical history-taking and a thorough clinical examination. Laboratory tests included complete blood count, D dimer, ferritin, and C-reactive protein (CRP). Chest CT was used to diagnose COVID-19 pneumonia. Lymphocyte subsets were compared with those in 20 healthy controls using flow cytometry. RESULTS: Leucopenia, relative neutrophilia, lymphopenia, eosinopenia together with marked elevation in neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio were observed in our COVID-19 patients. A marked reduction was observed in T cells, including both CD4 and CD8 cells, natural killer (NK), and natural killer T cells (NKT). Double-positive T (DPT) cells, double-negative T (DNT) cells, and B cells were elevated in the patients relative to the other lymphocyte subsets. CONCLUSION: Immune-inflammatory parameters are of utmost importance in understanding the pathogenesis and in the provisional diagnosis of COVID-19. Yet, adequate care must be taken during their interpretation because of the vast discrepancies observed between studies even in the same locality. Further studies are needed to clarify the role of B cells, DPT, and DNT cells in the pathogenesis and control of COVID-19.