PIMS-TS immunophenotype: description and comparison with healthy children, Kawasaki disease and severe viral and bacterial infections.

BACKGROUND: A new clinical syndrome named Paediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome Temporally Associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS) has been described. This new disease is a leading cause of hospital and paediatric intensive care unit (PICU). It has been related to immunity dysregulation. METHODS: Prospective-retrospective observational study to describe the innate cell signature and immunophenotype of children admitted to PICU because of PIMS-TS (from March 2020 to September 2020). The immunophenotype was done through the expression analysis of these proteins of mononuclear cells: CD64, CD18, CD11a and CD11b. They were compared with previous healthy controls and children admitted to PICU because of bacterial infection, viral infection and Kawasaki disease (KD). Two hundred and forty-seven children were studied: 183 healthy controls, 25 viral infections, 20 bacterial infections, 6 KD and 13 PIMS-TS. RESULTS: PIMT-TS showed the lowest percentage of lymphocytes and monocytes with higher relative numbers of CD4+ (p = .000). Monocytes and neutrophils in PIMS-TS showed higher levels of CD64 expression (p = .000). Also, CD11a and CD11b were highly expressed (p =,000). CONCLUSION: We observed a differential cell innate signature in PIMS-TS. These findings are consistent with a proinflammatory status (CD64 elevated expression) and lymphocyte trafficking to tissues (CD11a and CD11b). More studies should be carried out to confirm our results.

The cognitive and psychiatric subacute impairment in severe Covid-19.

Neurologic impairment persisting months after acute severe SARS-CoV-2 infection has been described because of several pathogenic mechanisms, including persistent systemic inflammation. The objective of this study is to analyze the selective involvement of the different cognitive domains and the existence of related biomarkers. Cross-sectional multicentric study of patients who survived severe infection with SARS-CoV-2 consecutively recruited between 90 and 120 days after hospital discharge. All patients underwent an exhaustive study of cognitive functions as well as plasma determination of pro-inflammatory, neurotrophic factors and light-chain neurofilaments. A principal component analysis extracted the main independent characteristics of the syndrome. 152 patients were recruited. The results of our study preferential involvement of episodic and working memory, executive functions, and attention and relatively less affectation of other cortical functions. In addition, anxiety and depression pictures are constant in our cohort. Several plasma chemokines concentrations were elevated compared with both, a non-SARS-Cov2 infected cohort of neurological outpatients or a control healthy general population. Severe Covid-19 patients can develop an amnesic and dysexecutive syndrome with neuropsychiatric manifestations. We do not know if the deficits detected can persist in the long term and if this can trigger or accelerate the onset of neurodegenerative diseases.

Low Levels of Granulocytic Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells May Be a Good Marker of Survival in the Follow-Up of Patients With Severe COVID-19

Infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes a disease (coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19) that may develop into a systemic disease with immunosuppression and death in its severe form. Myeloid-derived suppressive cells (MDSCs) are inhibitory cells that contribute to immunosuppression in patients with cancer and infection. Increased levels of MDSCs have been found in COVID-19 patients, although their role in the pathogenesis of severe COVID-19 has not been clarified. For this reason, we raised the question whether MDSCs could be useful in the follow-up of patients with severe COVID-19 in the intensive care unit (ICU). Thus, we monitored the immunological cells, including MDSCs, in 80 patients admitted into the ICU. After 1, 2, and 3 weeks, we examined for a possible association with mortality (40 patients). Although the basal levels of circulating MDSCs did not discriminate between the two groups of patients, the last measurement before the endpoint (death or ICU discharge) showed that patients discharged alive from the ICU had lower levels of granulocytic MDSCs (G-MDSCs), higher levels of activated lymphocytes, and lower levels of exhausted lymphocytes compared with patients who had a bad evolution (death). In conclusion, a steady increase of G-MDSCs during the follow-up of patients with severe COVID-19 was found in those who eventually died.

Moderated Online Data-Collection for Developmental Research: Methods and Replications.

Online data collection methods are expanding the ease and access of developmental research for researchers and participants alike. While its popularity among developmental scientists has soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, its potential goes beyond just a means for safe, socially distanced data collection. In particular, advances in video conferencing software has enabled researchers to engage in face-to-face interactions with participants from nearly any location at any time. Due to the novelty of these methods, however, many researchers still remain uncertain about the differences in available approaches as well as the validity of online methods more broadly. In this article, we aim to address both issues with a focus on moderated (synchronous) data collected using video-conferencing software (e.g., Zoom). First, we review existing approaches for designing and executing moderated online studies with young children. We also present concrete examples of studies that implemented choice and verbal measures (Studies 1 and 2) and looking time (Studies 3 and 4) across both in-person and online moderated data collection methods. Direct comparison of the two methods within each study as well as a meta-analysis of all studies suggest that the results from the two methods are comparable, providing empirical support for the validity of moderated online data collection. Finally, we discuss current limitations of online data collection and possible solutions, as well as its potential to increase the accessibility, diversity, and replicability of developmental science.

University Medialabs: New Learning Spaces for Educational Innovation

Higher Education Institutions, like many other organizations, are facing pressure from the development of digital technologies as a push towards the digitization of their activities and towards a type of change that some describe as disruptive and that forces them to review their processes and structures. This article describes the case of the medialab of the University of Salamanca, MEDIALAB USAL, as an experience of new learning space in higher education. Its origin is explained from the experiences of citizen technology laboratories and experimental laboratories at the point of intersection between Art, Science and Technology. Its structure and working methods are explained, and its activities are illustrated through the description of four educational innovation projects based on different digital technologies: a mathematics didactics project using AppInventor, Wikipedia as a tool for knowledge generation, Arduino for innovation in the teaching of Fine Arts and a university Hackathon as an activity to introduce students to social and entrepreneurial innovation processes.

PIMS-TS Innate Cell Signature and Immunophenotype, Description and Comparison with a Cohort of Healthy Children, Kawasaki Disease, Severe Viral and Bacterial Infections. (preprint)

A new clinical syndrome named as Pediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome Temporally Associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS) has been described. This new disease is a main cause of hospital and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). We made a prospective-retrospective observational study to describe the innate cell signature and immunophenotype of children admitted to PICU because of PIMS-TS (from March 2020 to September 2020). They were compared with previous cohorts of healthy controls and children admitted to PICU because bacterial infection, viral infection and Kawasaki disease (KD). Two hundred and forty seven children were studied: 183 healthy controls, 25 viral infections, 20 bacterial infections, 6 KD and 13 PIMS-TS. PIMT-TS showed the lowest percentage of lymphocytes and monocytes with higher relative numbers of CD4+ (p =0,000). Monocytes and neutrophils in PIMS-TS showed higher levels of CD64 expression (p = 0,000). Also, CD11a and CD11b were highly expressed compare to other severe viral or bacterial infections (p = 0,000). In conclusion, we describe and compare for the first time the innate cellular response of children with PIMS-TS with other severe forms of viral or bacterial infection and KD. These data should be further studied and may facilitate the diagnosis and management of these patients. 

Cd64, cd11a, and cd18 leukocytes expression in a case series of children with SARS-CoV-2 multisystem inflammatory syndrome and kawasaki disease: Similar but not the same

AIMS & OBJECTIVES: A new paediatric inflammatory syndrome named as "pediatric multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS)" has been described. It has been compared to Kawasaki Disease. The aim of this report is adding to the PIMS-TS clinical and analytical description the application of immunophenotyping by flow cytometry (FC). We describe CD64, CD18, and CD11a leukocytes expression in three children with SARSCoV2 infection and compare it with three cases of Kawasaki Disease. METHODS: Three children were studied after informed consent obtained from their parents or legal guardians. Their blood samples were collected in sterile EDTA at room temperature or refrigerated at 4°C and analyzed within 24 hours. Expressions were measured in monocytes, neutrophils, and lymphocytes. At least 10 000 events were recorded for each sample. The intensity of CD64, CD18, and CD11a surface expression were measured as mean fluorescence intensity in arbitrary units (MFI). They were compared with three previous cases of KD. RESULTS: The median CD64, CD18 and CD11a MFI expression in PIMS-TS versus KD cases are described in Figure 1. The CD64 and the CD11a expression on neutrophils and monocytes are higher. The CD11a in CD8 Lymphocytes is higher too. CONCLUSIONS: We compare for the first time the immunophenotype of children with PIMS-TS infection versus KD. We observed significant but higher upregulation of CD64, CD18, and CD11a expression. This response appears to be similar but different than in KD. Prospective studies with a higher number of cases should be conducted to confirm this observation.