Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis of malignant melanoma: a retrospective study

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced health care services all around the globe, which is also reflected in the diagnosis and management of malignant melanoma (MM). Objectives: We performed a retrospective assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis of MM in order to evaluate the effects of the pandemic on MM care. Materials & Methods: The Breslow thickness of excised MM and total number of patients with newly diagnosed MM who underwent surgery during the first year of the pandemic (March, 2020 to February, 2021; 227 subjects) were compared relative to a control period the year before (March, 2019 to February, 2020; 201 subjects), based on a retrospective study design. Results: There was no significant decrease in the total number of excisions (227 subjects in the pre-COVID cohort vs. 201 in the COVID cohort). However, the mean Breslow thickness increased significantly from 1.1±1.4 mm in the pre-COVID group to 1.8±2.3 mm in the COVID group. Conclusion: We conclude that, due to several restrictions in the early phase of the pandemic, melanomas were diagnosed at a more advanced stage.

Donor-specific HLA antibodies and graft function in kidney-transplanted children - the Vienna cohort.

In the pediatric population, little is known on de novo DSA development, its impact on graft function, and association with suboptimal IS. We assessed the prevalence of de novo DSA in the Vienna cohort of 40 renal transplanted children and adolescents and prospectively followed its association with clinical parameters, graft function, and proteinuria for one yr. At the cross-sectional analysis (median post-transplant time of five yr), 17% of the patients had developed de novo DSA. All HLA-Ab were anti-HLA class II antibodies and persisted in 85% of the cases until the follow-up screening performed within one yr. Basic clinical and laboratory parameters did not differ between DSA-negative and DSA-positive patients at the time of HLA-Ab screening. Suboptimal IS due to reduced medication or non-adherence could not be proven in DSA-positive patients. The changes in eGFR did not differ during the prospective study period, but there was a significantly higher proteinuria in the DSA-positive patients during the follow-up. Our data demonstrate an overall prevalence of 17% of de novo DSA in a pediatric renal transplant cohort. During 12 months of prospective follow-up time, we could demonstrate a significant impact of de novo DSA presence on proteinuria.