1
|
Rhodes RH, Love GL, Da Silva Lameira F, Sadough Shahmirzadi M, Fox SE, Vander Heide RS. Acute neutrophilic vasculitis (leukocytoclasia) in 36 COVID-19 autopsy brains. Diagn Pathol 2024; 19:33. [PMID: 38360666 PMCID: PMC10870569 DOI: 10.1186/s13000-024-01445-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hypercytokinemia, the renin-angiotensin system, hypoxia, immune dysregulation, and vasculopathy with evidence of immune-related damage are implicated in brain morbidity in COVID-19 along with a wide variety of genomic and environmental influences. There is relatively little evidence of direct SARS-CoV-2 brain infection in COVID-19 patients. METHODS Brain histopathology of 36 consecutive autopsies of patients who were RT-PCR positive for SARS-CoV-2 was studied along with findings from contemporary and pre-pandemic historical control groups. Immunostaining for serum and blood cell proteins and for complement components was employed. Microcirculatory wall complement deposition in the COVID-19 cohort was compared to historical control cases. Comparisons also included other relevant clinicopathological and microcirculatory findings in the COVID-19 cohort and control groups. RESULTS The COVID-19 cohort and both the contemporary and historical control groups had the same rate of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and obesity. The COVID-19 cohort had varying amounts of acute neutrophilic vasculitis with leukocytoclasia in the microcirculation of the brain in all cases. Prominent vascular neutrophilic transmural migration was found in several cases and 25 cases had acute perivasculitis. Paravascular microhemorrhages and petechial hemorrhages (small brain parenchymal hemorrhages) had a slight tendency to be more numerous in cohort cases that displayed less acute neutrophilic vasculitis. Tissue burden of acute neutrophilic vasculitis with leukocytoclasia was the same in control cases as a group, while it was significantly higher in COVID-19 cases. Both the tissue burden of acute neutrophilic vasculitis and the activation of complement components, including membrane attack complex, were significantly higher in microcirculatory channels in COVID-19 cohort brains than in historical controls. CONCLUSIONS Acute neutrophilic vasculitis with leukocytoclasia, acute perivasculitis, and associated paravascular blood extravasation into brain parenchyma constitute the first phase of an immune-related, acute small-vessel inflammatory condition often termed type 3 hypersensitivity vasculitis or leukocytoclastic vasculitis. There is a higher tissue burden of acute neutrophilic vasculitis and an increased level of activated complement components in microcirculatory walls in COVID-19 cases than in pre-pandemic control cases. These findings are consistent with a more extensive small-vessel immune-related vasculitis in COVID-19 cases than in control cases. The pathway(s) and mechanism for these findings are speculative.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roy H Rhodes
- Department of Pathology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 7th Floor, 2021 Perdido Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA.
| | - Gordon L Love
- Department of Pathology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 7th Floor, 2021 Perdido Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA
| | - Fernanda Da Silva Lameira
- Department of Pathology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 7th Floor, 2021 Perdido Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Norfolk, Virginia, 23510, USA
| | - Maryam Sadough Shahmirzadi
- Department of Pathology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 7th Floor, 2021 Perdido Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA
| | - Sharon E Fox
- Department of Pathology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 7th Floor, 2021 Perdido Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA
- Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Services, Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA
| | - Richard S Vander Heide
- Department of Pathology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 7th Floor, 2021 Perdido Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA
- Marshfield Clinic Health System, Marshfield, Wisconsin, 54449, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Du W, Wang H, Shen J, Qiao X, Yao J, Li C. Cardiac tamponade, a rare complication of gastric cardia cancer resection after neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy: a case report and literature review. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1189500. [PMID: 37675225 PMCID: PMC10478204 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1189500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Transthoracic cardia resection is a technically well-established surgical procedure. However, acute cardiac tamponade in the early postoperative period is extremely rare. The occurrence is life-threatening to the patient. It also poses a great clinical challenge for perioperative management. To date, few cases of pericardial tamponade have been reported in gastric cancer resection performed after neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy. We present the case of a 62-year-old woman who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy before surgery, followed by transthoracic surgery. A life-threatening complication, pericardial tamponade, occurred in the early postoperative period. The successful outcome was achieved in through multidisciplinary collaboration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Du
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Hemei Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Junmei Shen
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Xi Qiao
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Jifang Yao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Chao Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| |
Collapse
|