Cutaneous leukocytoclastic vasculitis following COVID-19 vaccination with Ad26.COV2.S vaccine: a case report and literature review.

Cutaneous vasculitis is a recognized and potentially serious adverse event of immunization with several vaccines, and COVID-19 vaccines are no exception. We present a case of cutaneous leukocytoclastic vasculitis occurring 17 days after inoculation with adenoviral vector vaccine (Ad26.COV2.S) in a previously healthy 30-year-old patient with no history of prior adverse events following vaccination. Transient laboratory abnormalities (mild proteinuria, cryoglobulinemia, and slightly diminished C3 complement level) were also noted, but they resolved with the resolution of skin changes after treatment with topical steroids. Although the frequency of cutaneous vasculitis after COVID-19 vaccines is extremely low, it presents an important challenge for the clinician when faced with an uncertain and delicate decision whether these patients can safely receive booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Because vaccination certificates are necessary for day-to-day activities and have a limited validity date, this may be an uncomfortable issue.

Uromodulin and microRNAs in Kidney Transplantation-Association with Kidney Graft Function.

Uromodulin and microRNAs (miRNAs) have recently been investigated as potential biomarkers for kidney graft associated pathology and outcome, with a special focus on biomarkers indicating specific disease processes and kidney graft survival. The study's aim was to determine whether expression of serum uromodulin concentration and selected miRNAs might be related to renal function in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). The uromodulin concentration and expression of six selected miRNAs (miR-29c, miR-126, miR-146a, miR-150, miR-155, and miR-223) were determined in the serum of 100 KTRs with stable graft function and chronic kidney disease of all five stages. Kidney graft function was estimated with routine parameters (creatinine, urea, cystatin C, and Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration study equations) and precisely measured using chromium-51 labelled ethylenediaminetetraacetic-acid clearance. The selected miRNAs were shown to be independent of kidney graft function, indicating their potential as biomarkers of associated kidney graft disease processes. In contrast, the serum uromodulin level depended entirely on kidney graft function and thus reflected functioning tubules rather than any specific kidney graft injury. However, decreased concentrations of serum uromodulin can be observed in the early course of tubulointerstitial injury, thereby suggesting its useful role as an accurate, noninvasive biomarker of early (subclinical) kidney graft injury.

Morphological responses to high sugar concentrations differ from adaptation to high salt concentrations in the xerophilic fungi Wallemia spp.

Fungi from the food-borne basidiomycetous genus Wallemia, which comprises Wallemia ichthyophaga, Wallemia muriae and Wallemia sebi, are among the most xerophilic organisms described. Their morphological adaptations to life at high NaCl concentrations are reflected in increased cell-wall thickness and size of cellular aggregates. The objectives of this study were to examine their growth and to define cell morphology and any ultrastructural cell-wall changes when these fungi are grown in low and high glucose and honey concentrations, as environmental osmolytes. We analysed their growth parameters and morphological characteristics by light microscopy and transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Wallemia ichthyophaga grew slowly in all of the sugar-based media, while W. muriae and W. sebi demonstrated better growth. Wallemia ichthyophaga adapted to the high glucose and honey concentrations with formation of larger cellular aggregates, while cell-wall thickness was increased only at the high glucose concentration. Wallemia muriae and W. sebi demonstrated particularly smaller sizes of hyphal aggregates at the high glucose concentration, and different and less explicit changes in cell-wall thickness. Adaptive responses show that the phylogenetically more distant W. ichthyophaga is better adapted to high salt conditions, whereas W. muriae and W. sebi cope better with a high sugar environment.

Use of scanning electron microscopy to monitor nanofibre/cell interaction in digestive epithelial cells.

We provide data obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) on the interaction of ingested tungsten nanofibers with epithelial cells of the digestive tubes of a test organism Porcellio scaber. Conventional toxicity endpoints including feeding behaviour, weight loss and mortality were also measured in each investigated animal. No toxicity was detected in any of exposed animals after 14 days of feeding on tungsten nanofiber dosed food, but when nanofibers enter the digestive system they can react with epithelial cells of the digestive tubes, becoming physically inserted into the cells. In this way, nanofibers can injure the epithelial cells of digestive gland tubes when they are ingested with food. Our SEM data suggest that peristaltic forces may have an important role, not predicted by in vitro experiments, in the interactions of nanomaterials with digestive intestinal cells.

Cell membrane integrity and internalization of ingested TiO(2) nanoparticles by digestive gland cells of a terrestrial isopod.

The present study was motivated by the paucity of reports on cellular internalization of ingested titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) nanoparticles (nano-TiO(2)). The model invertebrate (Porcellio scaber, Isopoda, Crustacea) was exposed to food dosed with nano-TiO(2) containing 100, 1,000, 3,000, or 5,000 µg nano-TiO(2) per gram of food. After 14 d of exposure, the amount of Ti in the entire body was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, and elemental analyses of tissue cross sections were performed by particle induced X-ray emission. In addition, a series of toxicological markers including feeding parameters, weight change, and survival, as well as cytotoxic effects such as digestive gland cell membrane stability, were monitored. Internalization of ingested nano-TiO(2) by the isopod's digestive gland epithelial cells was shown to depend on cell membrane integrity. Cell membranes were found to be destabilized by TiO(2) particles, and at higher extracellular concentrations of nano-TiO(2), the nanoparticles were internalized.

Zinc bioaccumulation in a terrestrial invertebrate fed a diet treated with particulate ZnO or ZnCl2 solution.

A number of reports on potential toxicity of nanoparticles are available, but there is still a lack of knowledge concerning bioaccumulation. The aim of this work was to investigate how different sources of zinc, such as uncoated and unmodified ZnO nanoparticles, ZnCl(2) in solution, and macropowder ZnO influence the bioaccumulation of this metal in the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber. After exposure to different sources of Zn in the diet, the amount of assimilated Zn in whole body, the efficiency of zinc assimilation, and bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) were assessed. The bioaccumulation potential of Zn was found to be the same regardless of Zn source. The amount of assimilated Zn and BAF were dose-dependent, and Zn assimilation efficiency was independent of exposure concentrations. The Zn assimilation capacity was found to be up to 16% of ingested Zn. It is known that as much as approximately 20% of Zn can be accreted from ZnO particles by dissolution. We conclude that bioaccumulation of Zn in isopods exposed to particulate ZnO depends most probably on Zn dissolution from ZnO particles and not on bioaccumulation of particulate ZnO.

In vivo screening to determine hazards of nanoparticles: nanosized TiO2.

A single-species laboratory test with terrestrial invertebrates was used to identify the hazard of nanosized TiO(2). Feeding parameters, weight change, mortality, and the activities of catalase and glutathione-S-transferase were evaluated after 3 or 14 days of dietary exposure. The effects of nano-TiO(2) were dependent on exposure concentration and duration, total consumed quantity, size and pre-treatment of particles. The intensity of a response was ruled by duration of exposure and not by consumed quantity of nano-TiO(2) or exposure concentration as expected. The response to nano-TiO(2) is described as threshold-like. The exposure concentrations 10-1000 microg TiO(2)/g dry food (1.35-1025 microg of total consumed quantity of TiO(2)/g animal wet wt.) were identified as safe for tested species after tested exposure period. We conclude that the response to nanoparticles is different from that of soluble chemicals therefore these two types of data should be interpreted and processed differently.