Validation of risk scores for prediction of severe pneumonia in kidney transplant recipients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia

PURPOSE

Risk scores for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are widely used for standardized assessment in immunocompetent patients and to identify patients at risk for severe pneumonia and death. In immunocompromised patients, the prognostic value of pneumonia-specific risk scores seems to be reduced, but evidence is limited. The value of different pneumonia risk scores in kidney transplant recipients (KTR) is not known.

METHODS

Therefore, we retrospectively analyzed 310 first CAP episodes after kidney transplantation in 310 KTR. We assessed clinical outcomes and validated eight different risk scores (CRB-65, CURB-65, DS-CRB-65, qSOFA, SOFA, PSI, IDSA/ATS minor criteria, NEWS-2) for the prognosis of severe pneumonia and in-hospital mortality. Risk scores were assessed up to 48 h after admission, but always before an endpoint occurred. Multiple imputation was performed to handle missing values.

RESULTS

In total, 16 out of 310 patients (5.2%) died, and 48 (15.5%) developed severe pneumonia. Based on ROC analysis, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) and national early warning score 2 (NEWS-2) performed best, predicting severe pneumonia with AUC of 0.823 (0.747-0.880) and 0.784 (0.691-0.855), respectively.

CONCLUSION

SOFA and NEWS-2 are best suited to identify KTR at risk for the development of severe CAP. In contrast to immunocompetent patients, CRB-65 should not be used to guide outpatient treatment in KTR, since there is a 7% risk for the development of severe pneumonia even in patients with a score of zero.

Clinically used broad-spectrum antibiotics compromise inflammatory monocyte-dependent antibacterial defense in the lung

Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) is associated with high mortality and costs, and frequently caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. Although prior antimicrobial therapy is a major risk factor for HAP, the underlying mechanism remains incompletely understood. Here, we demonstrate that antibiotic therapy in hospitalized patients is associated with decreased diversity of the gut microbiome and depletion of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) producers. Infection experiments with mice transplanted with patient fecal material reveal that these antibiotic-induced microbiota perturbations impair pulmonary defense against MDR Klebsiella pneumoniae. This is dependent on inflammatory monocytes (IMs), whose fatty acid receptor (FFAR)2/3-controlled and phagolysosome-dependent antibacterial activity is compromized in mice transplanted with antibiotic-associated patient microbiota. Collectively, we characterize how clinically relevant antibiotics affect antimicrobial defense in the context of human microbiota, and reveal a critical impairment of IM´s antimicrobial activity. Our study provides additional arguments for the rational use of antibiotics and offers mechanistic insights for the development of novel prophylactic strategies to protect high-risk patients from HAP.

Soluble ACE2 correlates with severe COVID-19 and can impair antibody responses

Identifying immune modulators that impact neutralizing antibody responses against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is of great relevance. We postulated that high serum concentrations of soluble angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (sACE2) might mask the spike and interfere with antibody maturation toward the SARS-CoV-2-receptor-binding motif (RBM). We tested 717 longitudinal samples from 295 COVID-19 patients and showed a 2- to 10-fold increase of enzymatically active sACE2 (a-sACE2), with up to 1 μg/mL total sACE2 in moderate and severe patients. Fifty percent of COVID-19 sera inhibited ACE2 activity, in contrast to 1.3% of healthy donors and 4% of non-COVID-19 pneumonia patients. A mild inverse correlation of a-sACE2 with RBM-directed serum antibodies was observed. In silico, we show that sACE2 concentrations measured in COVID-19 sera can disrupt germinal center formation and inhibit timely production of high-affinity antibodies. We suggest that sACE2 is a biomarker for COVID-19 and that soluble receptors may contribute to immune suppression informing vaccine design.

Activin A levels are raised during human tuberculosis and blockade of the activin signaling axis influences murine responses to M. tuberculosis infection

Activin A strongly influences immune responses; yet, few studies have examined its role in infectious diseases. We measured serum activin A levels in two independent tuberculosis (TB) patient cohorts and in patients with pneumonia and sarcoidosis. Serum activin A levels were increased in TB patients compared to healthy controls, including those with positive tuberculin skin tests, and paralleled severity of disease, assessed by X-ray scores. In pneumonia patients, serum activin A levels were also raised, but in sarcoidosis patients, levels were lower. To determine whether blockade of the activin A signaling axis could play a functional role in TB, we harnessed a soluble activin type IIB receptor fused to human IgG1 Fc, ActRIIB-Fc, as a ligand trap in a murine TB model. The administration of ActRIIB-Fc to Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected mice resulted in decreased bacterial loads and increased numbers of CD4 effector T cells and tissue-resident memory T cells in the lung. Increased frequencies of tissue-resident memory T cells corresponded with downregulated T-bet expression in lung CD4 and CD8 T cells. Altogether, the results suggest a disease-exacerbating role of ActRIIB signaling pathways. Serum activin A may be useful as a biomarker for diagnostic triage of active TB or monitoring of anti-tuberculosis therapy.

IMPORTANCE

Tuberculosis remains the leading cause of death by a bacterial pathogen. The etiologic agent of tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, can remain dormant in the infected host for years before causing disease. Significant effort has been made to identify biomarkers that can discriminate between latently infected and actively diseased individuals. We found that serum levels of the cytokine activin A were associated with increased lung pathology and could discriminate between active tuberculosis and tuberculin skin-test-positive healthy controls. Activin A signals through the ActRIIB receptor, which can be blocked by administration of the ligand trap ActRIIB-Fc, a soluble activin type IIB receptor fused to human IgG1 Fc. In a murine model of tuberculosis, we found that ActRIIB-Fc treatment reduced mycobacterial loads. Strikingly, ActRIIB-Fc treatment significantly increased the number of tissue-resident memory T cells. These results suggest a role for ActRIIB signaling pathways in host responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and activin A as a biomarker of ongoing disease.

Analysis of acute COVID-19 including chronic morbidity: protocol for the deep phenotyping National Pandemic Cohort Network in Germany (NAPKON-HAP)

BACKGROUND

The severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic causes a high burden of acute and long-term morbidity and mortality worldwide despite global efforts in containment, prophylaxis, and therapy. With unprecedented speed, the global scientific community has generated pivotal insights into the pathogen and the host response evoked by the infection. However, deeper characterization of the pathophysiology and pathology remains a high priority to reduce morbidity and mortality of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

METHODS

NAPKON-HAP is a multi-centered prospective observational study with a long-term follow-up phase of up to 36 months post-SARS-CoV-2 infection. It constitutes a central platform for harmonized data and biospecimen for interdisciplinary characterization of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection and long-term outcomes of diverging disease severities of hospitalized patients.

RESULTS

Primary outcome measures include clinical scores and quality of life assessment captured during hospitalization and at outpatient follow-up visits to assess acute and chronic morbidity. Secondary measures include results of biomolecular and immunological investigations and assessment of organ-specific involvement during and post-COVID-19 infection. NAPKON-HAP constitutes a national platform to provide accessibility and usability of the comprehensive data and biospecimen collection to global research.

CONCLUSION

NAPKON-HAP establishes a platform with standardized high-resolution data and biospecimen collection of hospitalized COVID-19 patients of different disease severities in Germany. With this study, we will add significant scientific insights and provide high-quality data to aid researchers to investigate COVID-19 pathophysiology, pathology, and chronic morbidity.

RSV vaccination strategies for high-risk patients 2023: a collaborative position paper by leading German medical societies and organizations

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) inflicts severe illness and courses of infections not only in neonates, infants, and young children, but also causes significant morbidity and mortality in older adults and in people with immunosuppression, hemato-oncologic disease, chronic lung disease, or cardiovascular disease. In June and August 2023, effective vaccines against RSV were approved for the first time by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the EU. The respective pivotal studies showed a very high efficacy of the vaccine in preventing severe RSV-associated respiratory infections. At this point, use of the respective vaccines is restricted to persons aged 60 years or older, according to the registration studies. We therefore recommend use of the vaccination in persons aged 60 years or older. In addition, we recommend use of the vaccination in adults of any age with severe pulmonary or cardiovascular pre-existing conditions, as well as in adults with significant immune compromise, after individual consultation with the treating physician. Cost coverage can be applied for individually with the responsible health insurance company.

Pathogen spectrum of community acquired pneumonia in people living with HIV (PLWH) in the German CAPNETZ-Cohort

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to identify the pathogen spectrum of community acquired pneumonia in people living with HIV (PLWH), and to compare it with a matched HIV negative group in order to reassess therapeutic strategies for PLWH.

METHODS

Seventy-three (n = 73) PLWH (median CD4 3-6 months before CAP: 515/µl; SD 309) with community acquired pneumonia (CAP) were matched with 218 HIV-negative CAP controls in a prospective study design. Pathogen identifications used blood culture, samples from the upper and lower respiratory tract (culture and multiplex PCR) and urinary pneumococcal and legionella antigen test.

RESULTS

Although the vaccination rate among PLWH with CAP was significantly higher (pneumococcal vaccination: 27.4 vs. 8.3%, p < 0.001; influenza vaccination: 34.2 vs. 17.4%, p = 0.009), pneumococci were found most frequently as pathogen among both PLWH (n = 19/21.3%) and controls (n = 34/17.2%; p = 0.410), followed by Haemophilus influenzae (PLWH, n = 12/13.5%, vs. controls, n = 25 / 12.6%; p = 0.850). Staphylococcus aureus was found equally in 20.2 and 19.2% in PLWH and controls, but infection or colonization could not be distinguished. Mortality during 6-month follow-up was significantly higher for PLWH (5/73, or 6.8%) versus controls (3/218, or 1.4%), however with lower case numbers than previously reported. Typical HIV-associated pathogens such as Pneumocystis jirovecii were found only exceptionally.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study underscores the persistent clinical burden of CAP for PLWH. From pathogen perspective, empirical antibiotic treatment for CAP in PLWH on antiretroviral therapy should cover pneumococci and Haemophilus influenzae and may be adopted from valid common recommendations.

Characterization of Commercially Available Human Primary Alveolar Epithelial Cells

In vitro lung research requires appropriate cell culture models that adequately mimic in vivo structure and function. Previously, researchers have extensively utilized commercially available and easily expandable A549 and NCI-H441 cells which replicate some yet not all features of alveolar epithelial cells. Specifically, these cells are often restricted by terminally altered expression while lacking important alveolar epithelial characteristics. Of late, human primary alveolar epithelial cells (hPAEpC) have become commercially available, but are so far poorly specified. Here, we applied a comprehensive set of technologies to characterize their morphology, surface marker expression, transcriptomic profile, and functional properties. At optimized seeding numbers of 7,500 cells per cm2 and growth at a gas-liquid interface, hPAEpC formed regular monolayers with tight junctions and amiloride-sensitive transepithelial ion transport. Electron microscopy revealed lamellar body and microvilli formation characteristic for alveolar type II cells. Protein and single cell transcriptomic analyses revealed expression of alveolar type I and type II cell markers, yet transcriptomic data failed to detect NKX2-1, an important transcriptional regulator of alveolar cell differentiation. With increasing passage number, hPAEpC transdifferentiated towards alveolar-basal intermediates characterized as SFTPC-, KRT8high and KRT5- cells. In spite of marked changes in transcriptome as a function of passaging, UMAP plots did not reveal major shifts in cell clusters and epithelial permeability was unaffected. The present work delineates optimized culture conditions, cellular characteristics and functional properties of commercially available hPAEpC. hPAEpC may provide a useful model system for studies on drug delivery, barrier function, and transepithelial ion transport in vitro.

Cationic LNP-formulated mRNA expressing Tie2-agonist in the lung endothelium prevents pulmonary vascular leakage

Dysfunction of endothelial cells (ECs) lining the inner surface of blood vessels are causative for a number of diseases. Hence, the ability to therapeutically modulate gene expression within ECs is of high therapeutic value in treating diseases such as those associated with lung edema. mRNAs formulated with lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have emerged as a new drug modality to induce transient protein expression for modulating disease-relevant signal transduction pathways. In the study presented here, we tested the effect of a novel synthetic, nucleoside-modified mRNA encoding COMP-Ang1 (mRNA-76) formulated into a cationic LNP on attenuating inflammation-induced vascular leakage. After intravenous injection, the respective mRNA was found to be delivered almost exclusively to the ECs of the lung, while sparing other vascular beds and bypassing the liver. The mode of action of mRNA-76, such as its activation of the Tie2 signal transduction pathway, was tested by pharmacological studies in vitro and in vivo in respective mouse models. mRNA-76 was found to prevent lung vascular leakage/lung edema as well as neutrophil infiltration in a lipopolysaccharide-challenging model.

Persistent symptoms and risk factors predicting prolonged time to symptom-free after SARS‑CoV‑2 infection: an analysis of the baseline examination of the German COVIDOM/NAPKON-POP cohort

PURPOSE

We aimed to assess symptoms in patients after SARS-CoV-2 infection and to identify factors predicting prolonged time to symptom-free.

METHODS

COVIDOM/NAPKON-POP is a population-based prospective cohort of adults whose first on-site visits were scheduled ≥ 6 months after a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test. Retrospective data including self-reported symptoms and time to symptom-free were collected during the survey before a site visit. In the survival analyses, being symptom-free served as the event and time to be symptom-free as the time variable. Data were visualized with Kaplan-Meier curves, differences were tested with log-rank tests. A stratified Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) of predictors, with aHR < 1 indicating a longer time to symptom-free.

RESULTS

Of 1175 symptomatic participants included in the present analysis, 636 (54.1%) reported persistent symptoms after 280 days (SD 68) post infection. 25% of participants were free from symptoms after 18 days [quartiles: 14, 21]. Factors associated with prolonged time to symptom-free were age 49-59 years compared to < 49 years (aHR 0.70, 95% CI 0.56-0.87), female sex (aHR 0.78, 95% CI 0.65-0.93), lower educational level (aHR 0.77, 95% CI 0.64-0.93), living with a partner (aHR 0.81, 95% CI 0.66-0.99), low resilience (aHR 0.65, 95% CI 0.47-0.90), steroid treatment (aHR 0.22, 95% CI 0.05-0.90) and no medication (aHR 0.74, 95% CI 0.62-0.89) during acute infection.

CONCLUSION

In the studied population, COVID-19 symptoms had resolved in one-quarter of participants within 18 days, and in 34.5% within 28 days. Over half of the participants reported COVID-19-related symptoms 9 months after infection. Symptom persistence was predominantly determined by participant's characteristics that are difficult to modify.

Efficacy and safety of zapnometinib in hospitalised adult patients with COVID-19 (RESPIRE): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre, proof-of-concept, phase 2 trial

Background

Zapnometinib is an oral, non-ATP-competitive, small-molecule inhibitor of MEK1/MEK2 with immunomodulatory and antiviral properties. We aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of zapnometinib in patients with COVID-19.

Methods

In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre, proof-of-concept, phase 2 trial, we recruited hospitalised adults with moderate or severe COVID-19 from 18 hospitals in Germany, India, Romania, South Africa, and Spain. Those requiring ICU admission or ventilator support at screening or randomisation were excluded. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive oral zapnometinib (900 mg on Day 1; 600 mg on Days 2-6) or matching placebo, on top of standard of care. Randomisation, stratified by baseline clinical severity status (CSS 3 or 4, measured on a 7-point ordinal scale), was done using Interactive Response Technology. Patients, investigators, and the sponsor were masked to treatment allocation. The primary endpoint was CSS at Day 15 and was conducted on the full analysis set (FAS: all patients who were randomised to the study, received at least one dose of study medication and had at least one post-dose assessment of CSS, as randomised). Safety analyses were conducted on the safety analysis set (all study participants who received at least one dose of study medication, as treated). This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04776044) and EudraCT (2020-004206-59).

Findings

The trial was terminated early as the emergence of the Omicron variant impacted recruitment. Between 12th April 2021 and 9th August 2022, 104 of the planned 220 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned, 103 were treated, and 101 were included in the FAS (zapnometinib: n = 50; placebo: n = 51). The primary outcome was not significantly different between the two groups, but patients on zapnometinib had higher odds of improved CSS versus placebo (odds ratio [OR] 1.54 [95% CI 0.72-3.33]; p = 0.26). Predefined subgroup analyses identified trends for improved CSS in patients with severe disease at baseline (OR 2.57 [0.76-8.88]; p = 0.13) and non-Omicron variants (OR 2.36 [0.85-6.71]; p = 0.10); the p value of the CSS subgroup by Treatment interaction term in the model was p = 0.28. The frequency and intensity of adverse events was low and similar between arms. Twenty (39.2%) patients treated with zapnometinib experienced adverse events compared with eighteen (34.6%) patients treated with placebo. One patient receiving zapnometinib and two patients receiving placebo died during the study. None of the deaths were considered related to study medication.

Interpretation

These results provide proof-of-concept for the innovative approach of targeting the Raf/MEK/ERK pathway in patients with hospitalised moderate/severe COVID-19. Further clinical studies will be required to evaluate the clinical benefit of zapnometinib in this and other indications.

Funding

Atriva Therapeutics GmbH and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Germany.

Initial therapeutic anticoagulation with rivaroxaban compared to prophylactic therapy with heparins in moderate to severe COVID-19: results of the COVID-PREVENT randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

COVID-19 is associated with a prothrombotic state. Current guidelines recommend prophylactic anticoagulation upon hospitalization.

METHODS

COVID-PREVENT, an open-label, multicenter, randomized, clinical trial enrolled patients (≥ 18 years) with moderate to severe COVID-19 and age-adjusted D-dimers > 1.5 upper limit of normal (ULN). The participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either therapeutic anticoagulation with rivaroxaban 20 mg once daily or thromboprophylaxis with a heparin (SOC) for at least 7 days followed by prophylactic anticoagulation with rivaroxaban 10 mg once daily for 28 days or no thromboprophylaxis. The primary efficacy outcome was the D-dimer level and the co-primary efficacy outcome the 7-category ordinal COVID-19 scale by WHO at 7 days post randomization. The secondary outcome was time to the composite event of either venous or arterial thromboembolism, new myocardial infarction, non-hemorrhagic stroke, all-cause death or progression to intubation and invasive ventilation up to 35 days post randomization.

RESULTS

The primary efficacy outcome D-dimer at 7 days was not different between patients assigned to therapeutic (n = 55) or prophylactic anticoagulation (n = 56) (1.21 mg/L [0.79, 1.86] vs 1.27 mg/L [0.79, 2.04], p = 0.78). In the whole study population D-dimer was significantly lower at 7 days compared to baseline (1.05 mg/L [0.75, 1.48] vs 1.57 mg/L [1.13, 2.19], p < 0.0001). Therapy with rivaroxaban compared to SOC was not associated an improvement on the WHO 7-category ordinal scale at 7 days (p = 0.085). Rivaroxaban improved the clinical outcome measured by the score in patients with a higher baseline D-dimer  > 2.0 ULN (exploratory analysis; 0.632 [0.516, 0.748], p = 0.026). The secondary endpoint occurred in 6 patients (10.9%) in the rivaroxaban group and in 12 (21.4%) in the SOC group (time-to-first occurrence of the components of the secondary outcome: HR 0.5; 95% CI 0.15-1.67; p = 0.264). There was no difference in fatal or non-fatal major or clinically relevant non-major bleeding between the groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Therapeutic anticoagulation with rivaroxaban compared to prophylactic anticoagulation with a heparin did not improve surrogates of clinical outcome in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19. Whether initial rivaroxaban at therapeutic doses might be superior to thromboprophylaxis in patients with COVID-19 and a high risk as defined by D-dimer  > 2 ULN needs confirmation in further studies.

Protocol of the Berlin Long-term Observation of Vascular Events (BeLOVE): a prospective cohort study with deep phenotyping and long-term follow up of cardiovascular high-risk patients

INTRODUCTION

The Berlin Long-term Observation of Vascular Events is a prospective cohort study that aims to improve prediction and disease-overarching mechanistic understanding of cardiovascular (CV) disease progression by comprehensively investigating a high-risk patient population with different organ manifestations.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

A total of 8000 adult patients will be recruited who have either suffered an acute CV event (CVE) requiring hospitalisation or who have not experienced a recent acute CVE but are at high CV risk. An initial study examination is performed during the acute treatment phase of the index CVE or after inclusion into the chronic high risk arm. Deep phenotyping is then performed after ~90 days and includes assessments of the patient's medical history, health status and behaviour, cardiovascular, nutritional, metabolic, and anthropometric parameters, and patient-related outcome measures. Biospecimens are collected for analyses including 'OMICs' technologies (e.g., genomics, metabolomics, proteomics). Subcohorts undergo MRI of the brain, heart, lung and kidney, as well as more comprehensive metabolic, neurological and CV examinations. All participants are followed up for up to 10 years to assess clinical outcomes, primarily major adverse CVEs and patient-reported (value-based) outcomes. State-of-the-art clinical research methods, as well as emerging techniques from systems medicine and artificial intelligence, will be used to identify associations between patient characteristics, longitudinal changes and outcomes.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The study was approved by the Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin ethics committee (EA1/066/17). The results of the study will be disseminated through international peer-reviewed publications and congress presentations.

STUDY REGISTRATION

First study phase: Approved WHO primary register: German Clinical Trials Register: https://drks.de/search/de/trial/DRKS00016852; WHO International Clinical Registry Platform: http://apps.who.int/trialsearch/Trial2.aspx?TrialID=DRKS00016852. Recruitment started on July 18, 2017.Second study phase: Approved WHO primary register: German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00023323, date of registration: November 4, 2020, URL: http://www.drks.de/ DRKS00023323. Recruitment started on January 1, 2021.

Ethical and coordinative challenges in setting up a national cohort study during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany

With the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), global researchers were confronted with major challenges. The German National Pandemic Cohort Network (NAPKON) was launched in fall 2020 to effectively leverage resources and bundle research activities in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We analyzed the setup phase of NAPKON as an example for multicenter studies in Germany, highlighting challenges and optimization potential in connecting 59 university and nonuniversity study sites. We examined the ethics application process of 121 ethics submissions considering durations, annotations, and outcomes. Study site activation and recruitment processes were investigated and related to the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections. For all initial ethics applications, the median time to a positive ethics vote was less than two weeks and 30 of these study sites (65%) joined NAPKON within less than three weeks each. Electronic instead of postal ethics submission (9.5 days (Q1: 5.75, Q3: 17) vs. 14 days (Q1: 11, Q3: 26), p value = 0.01) and adoption of the primary ethics vote significantly accelerated the ethics application process. Each study center enrolled a median of 37 patients during the 14-month observation period, with large differences depending on the health sector. We found a positive correlation between recruitment performance and COVID-19 incidence as well as hospitalization incidence. Our analysis highlighted the challenges and opportunities of the federated system in Germany. Digital ethics application tools, adoption of a primary ethics vote and standardized formal requirements lead to harmonized and thus faster study initiation processes during a pandemic.

Mobilisation practices during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: A retrospective analysis (MobiCOVID)

BACKGROUND

Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients display risk factors for intensive care unit acquired weakness (ICUAW). The pandemic increased existing barriers to mobilisation. This study aimed to compare mobilisation practices in COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study was conducted at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany, including adult patients admitted to one of 16 ICUs between March 2018, and November 2021. The effect of COVID-19 on mobilisation level and frequency, early mobilisation (EM) and time to active sitting position (ASP) was analysed. Subgroup analysis on COVID-19 patients and the ICU type influencing mobilisation practices was performed. Mobilisation entries were converted into the ICU mobility scale (IMS) using supervised machine learning. The groups were matched using 1:1 propensity score matching.

RESULTS

A total of 12,462 patients were included, receiving 59,415 mobilisations. After matching 611 COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients were analysed. They displayed no significant difference in mobilisation frequency (0.4 vs. 0.3, p = 0.7), maximum IMS (3 vs. 3; p = 0.17), EM (43.2% vs. 37.8%; p = 0.06) or time to ASP (HR 0.95; 95% CI: 0.82, 1.09; p = 0.44). Subgroup analysis showed that patients in surge ICUs, i.e., temporarily created ICUs for COVID-19 patients during the pandemic, more commonly received EM (53.9% vs. 39.8%; p = 0.03) and reached higher maximum IMS (4 vs. 3; p = 0.03) without difference in mobilisation frequency (0.5 vs. 0.3; p = 0.32) or time to ASP (HR 1.15; 95% CI: 0.85, 1.56; p = 0.36).

CONCLUSION

COVID-19 did not hinder mobilisation. Those treated in surge ICUs were more likely to receive EM and reached higher mobilisation levels.

Uncapped Metered-Dose Inhalers: A Risk for Foreign Body Aspiration. A Case Report and Review of the Literature

The risk of foreign body aspiration associated with uncapped handheld metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) is underestimated. We report a case in which a plastic cable clip accidentally lodged in the mouthpiece of an uncapped pressurized MDI was aspirated during its use. A literature search revealed 16 other cases of foreign body aspiration associated with uncapped handheld inhalers, all but one of which were pressurized inhalers. Patients should be informed of the risk of foreign body aspiration associated with uncapped pocket inhalers. The use of an uncuffed armoured tracheal tube with a separate oxygen tubing during flexible bronchoscopy for foreign body removal ensures a safe airway. Foreign bodies that exceed the lumen size of the tracheal tube can be pulled to the distal opening with forceps and removed when the tube is withdrawn.

Analysis of Urinary Glycosaminoglycans to Predict Outcome in COVID-19 and Community-Acquired Pneumonia-A Proof-of-Concept Study

Although coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is considered a systemic disease associated with vascular inflammation and eventual destruction of the protective endothelial glycocalyx (eGC), biomarkers of eGC damage are not yet available in the clinic. The most prominent components of eGC are sulphated glycosaminoglycans (sGAGs) attached to core proteoglycans. We hypothesised that the amount of sGAG fragments shed in urine (as a surrogate for systemic eGC damage) would correlate with disease severity and outcome. Total urinary sGAG concentration was measured using an in-house optimised 1,9-dimethylmethylene blue (DMMB) assay, which is highly accurate and insensitive to interferences. The median urinary sGAG concentration was significantly higher in 67 hospitalised patients with COVID-19 compared to 72 hospitalised patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). In both groups, urinary sGAG concentrations predicted a combined endpoint (including intubation and death) with an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve of 0.72 (95% CI 0.55-0.88, p = 0.01) and 0.70 (95% CI 0.57-0.83, p = 0.007), respectively. In conclusion, the inexpensive and easy-to-perform DMMB assay provides a surrogate parameter for eGC damage that may be useful for risk stratification of patients with COVID-19 and CAP.

Half-Dose versus Single-Dose Gadobutrol for Extracellular Volume Measurements in Cardiac Magnetic Resonance

BACKGROUND

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging with gadolinium-based contrast agents offers unique non-invasive insights into cardiac tissue composition. Myocardial extracellular volume (ECV) has evolved as an objective and robust parameter with broad diagnostic and prognostic implications. For the gadolinium compound gadobutrol, the recommended dose for cardiac imaging, including ECV measurements, is 0.1 mmol/kg (single dose). This dose was optimized for late enhancement imaging, a measure of focal fibrosis. Whether a lower dose is sufficient for ECV measurements is unknown. We aim to evaluate the accuracy of ECV measurements using a half dose of 0.05 mmol/kg gadobutrol compared to the standard single dose of 0.1 mmol/kg.

METHODS AND RESULTS

From a contemporary trial (NCT04747366, registered 10 February 2021), a total of 25 examinations with available T1 mapping before and after 0.05 and 0.1 mmol/kg gadobutrol were analyzed. ECV values were calculated automatically from pre- and post-contrast T1 relaxation times. T1 and ECV Measurements were performed in the midventricular septum. ECV values after 0.05 and 0.1 mmol/kg gadobutrol were correlated (R2 = 0.920, p < 0.001). ECV values after 0.05 mmol/kg had a bias of +0.9% (95%-CI [0.4; 1.4], p = 0.002) compared to 0.1 mmol/kg gadobutrol, with limits of agreement from -1.5 to 3.3%.

CONCLUSIONS

CMR with a half dose of 0.05 mmol/kg gadobutrol overestimated ECV by 0.9% compared with a full dose of 0.1 mmol/kg, necessitating adjustment of normal values when using half-dose ECV imaging.

Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 on Hospital Admissions, Health Status, and Behavioral Changes of Patients with COPD

Introduction

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have an increased risk of acquiring severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is why self-isolation was recommended. However, long periods of social isolation, accompanied by limited access to health care systems, might influence the outcome of patients with severe COPD negatively.

Methods

Data from COPD and pneumonia patients at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the volume of endoscopic lung volume reduction (ELVR) surgeries from the German Lung Emphysema Registry (Lungenemphysem Register e.V.) were analyzed from pre-pandemic (2012 to 2019) to the pandemic period (2020 and 2021). In addition, 52 patients with COPD Global initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) stage 4 status included in the lung emphysema registry received questionnaires during lockdowns from June 2020 to April 2021.

Results

Admissions and ventilation therapies administered to COPD patients significantly decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Likewise, there was a reduction in ELVR treatments and follow-ups registered in German emphysema centers. Mortality was slightly higher among patients hospitalized with COPD during the pandemic. Increasing proportions of COPD patients with GOLD stage 3 and GOLD stage 4 status reported behavioral changes and subjective feelings of increasing COPD symptoms the longer the lockdown lasted. However, COPD symptom questionnaires revealed stable COPD symptoms over the pandemic time period.

Summary

This study reveals reduced COPD admissions and elective treatment procedures of COPD patients during the pandemic, but a slight increase in mortality among patients hospitalized with COPD, irrespective of COVID-19. Correspondingly, patients with severe COPD reported subjective deterioration of their health status, probably caused by their very strict compliance with lockdown measures.

Assessment of efficacy and safety of endoscopic lung volume reduction with one-way valves in patients with a very low FEV1

Introduction

Endoscopic lung volume reduction (ELVR) with one-way valves produces beneficial outcomes in patients with severe emphysema. Evidence on the efficacy remains unclear in patients with a very low forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) (≤20% predicted). We aim to compare clinical outcomes of ELVR, in relation to the FEV1 restriction.

Methods

All data originated from the German Lung Emphysema Registry (Lungenemphysem Register), which is a prospective multicentric observational study for patients with severe emphysema after lung volume reduction. Two groups were formed at baseline: FEV1 ≤20% pred and FEV1 21-45% pred. Pulmonary function tests (FEV1, residual volume, partial pressure of carbon dioxide), training capacity (6-min walk distance (6MWD)), quality of life (modified Medical Research Council dyspnoea scale (mMRC), COPD Assessment Test (CAT), St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ)) and adverse events were assessed and compared at baseline and after 3 and 6 months.

Results

33 patients with FEV1 ≤20% pred and 265 patients with FEV1 21-45% pred were analysed. After ELVR, an increase in FEV1 was observed in both groups (both p<0.001). The mMRC and CAT scores, and 6MWD improved in both groups (all p<0.05). The SGRQ score improved significantly in the FEV1 21-45% pred group, and by trend in the FEV1 ≤20% pred group. Pneumothorax was the most frequent complication within the first 90 days in both groups (FEV1 ≤20% pred: 7.7% versus FEV1 21-45% pred: 22.1%; p=0.624). No deaths occurred in the FEV1 ≤20% pred group up to 6 months.

Conclusion

Our study highlights the potential efficacy of one-way valves, even in patients with very low FEV1, as these patients experienced significant improvements in FEV1, 6MWD and quality of life. No death was reported, suggesting a good safety profile, even in these high-risk patients.

The unremarkable alveolar epithelial glycocalyx: a thorium dioxide-based electron microscopic comparison after heparinase or pneumolysin treatment

Recent investigations analyzed in depth the biochemical and biophysical properties of the endothelial glycocalyx. In comparison, this complex cell-covering structure is largely understudied in alveolar epithelial cells. To better characterize the alveolar glycocalyx ultrastructure, unaffected versus injured human lung tissue explants and mouse lungs were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. Lung tissue was treated with either heparinase (HEP), known to shed glycocalyx components, or pneumolysin (PLY), the exotoxin of Streptococcus pneumoniae not investigated for structural glycocalyx effects so far. Cationic colloidal thorium dioxide (cThO₂) particles were used for glycocalyx glycosaminoglycan visualization. The level of cThO₂ particles orthogonal to apical cell membranes (≙ stained glycosaminoglycan height) of alveolar epithelial type I (AEI) and type II (AEII) cells was stereologically measured. In addition, cThO₂ particle density was studied by dual-axis electron tomography (≙ stained glycosaminoglycan density in three dimensions). For untreated samples, the average cThO₂ particle level was ≈ 18 nm for human AEI, ≈ 17 nm for mouse AEI, ≈ 44 nm for human AEII and ≈ 35 nm for mouse AEII. Both treatments, HEP and PLY, resulted in a significant reduction of cThO₂ particle levels on human and mouse AEI and AEII. Moreover, a HEP- and PLY-associated reduction in cThO₂ particle density was observed. The present study provides quantitative data on the differential glycocalyx distribution on AEI and AEII based on cThO₂ and demonstrates alveolar glycocalyx shedding in response to HEP or PLY resulting in a structural reduction in both glycosaminoglycan height and density. Future studies should elucidate the underlying alveolar epithelial cell type-specific distribution of glycocalyx subcomponents for better functional understanding.

Ventilator-induced Lung Injury Is Modulated by the Circadian Clock

Rationale: Mechanical ventilation (MV) is life-saving but may evoke ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). Objectives: To explore how the circadian clock modulates severity of murine VILI via the core clock component BMAL1 (basic helix-loop-helix ARNT like 1) in myeloid cells. Methods: Myeloid cell BMAL1-deficient (LysM (lysozyme 2 promoter/enhancer driving cre recombinase expression)Bmal1-/-) or wild-type control (LysMBmal1+/+) mice were subjected to 4 hours MV (34 ml/kg body weight) to induce lung injury. Ventilation was initiated at dawn or dusk or in complete darkness (circadian time [CT] 0 or CT12) to determine diurnal and circadian effects. Lung injury was quantified by lung function, pulmonary permeability, blood gas analysis, neutrophil recruitment, inflammatory markers, and histology. Neutrophil activation and oxidative burst were analyzed ex vivo. Measurements and Main Results: In diurnal experiments, mice ventilated at dawn exhibited higher permeability and neutrophil recruitment compared with dusk. Experiments at CT showed deterioration of pulmonary function, worsening of oxygenation, and increased mortality at CT0 compared with CT12. Wild-type neutrophils isolated at dawn showed higher activation and reactive oxygen species production compared with dusk, whereas these day-night differences were dampened in LysMBmal1-/- neutrophils. In LysMBmal1-/- mice, circadian variations in VILI severity were dampened and VILI-induced mortality at CT0 was reduced compared with LysMBmal1+/+ mice. Conclusions: Inflammatory response and lung barrier dysfunction upon MV exhibit diurnal variations, regulated by the circadian clock. LysMBmal1-/- mice are less susceptible to ventilation-induced pathology and lack circadian variation of severity compared with LysMBmal1+/+ mice. Our data suggest that the internal clock in myeloid cells is an important modulator of VILI.

Live-attenuated vaccine sCPD9 elicits superior mucosal and systemic immunity to SARS-CoV-2 variants in hamsters

Vaccines play a critical role in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Future control of the pandemic requires improved vaccines with high efficacy against newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and the ability to reduce virus transmission. Here we compare immune responses and preclinical efficacy of the mRNA vaccine BNT162b2, the adenovirus-vectored spike vaccine Ad2-spike and the live-attenuated virus vaccine candidate sCPD9 in Syrian hamsters, using both homogeneous and heterologous vaccination regimens. Comparative vaccine efficacy was assessed by employing readouts from virus titrations to single-cell RNA sequencing. Our results show that sCPD9 vaccination elicited the most robust immunity, including rapid viral clearance, reduced tissue damage, fast differentiation of pre-plasmablasts, strong systemic and mucosal humoral responses, and rapid recall of memory T cells from lung tissue after challenge with heterologous SARS-CoV-2. Overall, our results demonstrate that live-attenuated vaccines offer advantages over currently available COVID-19 vaccines.

MicroRNA-223 Dampens Pulmonary Inflammation during Pneumococcal Pneumonia

Community-acquired pneumonia remains a major contributor to global communicable disease-mediated mortality. Neutrophils play a leading role in trying to contain bacterial lung infection, but they also drive detrimental pulmonary inflammation, when dysregulated. Here we aimed at understanding the role of microRNA-223 in orchestrating pulmonary inflammation during pneumococcal pneumonia. Serum microRNA-223 was measured in patients with pneumococcal pneumonia and in healthy subjects. Pulmonary inflammation in wild-type and microRNA-223-knockout mice was assessed in terms of disease course, histopathology, cellular recruitment and evaluation of inflammatory protein and gene signatures following pneumococcal infection. Low levels of serum microRNA-223 correlated with increased disease severity in pneumococcal pneumonia patients. Prolonged neutrophilic influx into the lungs and alveolar spaces was detected in pneumococci-infected microRNA-223-knockout mice, possibly accounting for aggravated histopathology and acute lung injury. Expression of microRNA-223 in wild-type mice was induced by pneumococcal infection in a time-dependent manner in whole lungs and lung neutrophils. Single-cell transcriptome analyses of murine lungs revealed a unique profile of antimicrobial and cellular maturation genes that are dysregulated in neutrophils lacking microRNA-223. Taken together, low levels of microRNA-223 in human pneumonia patient serum were associated with increased disease severity, whilst its absence provoked dysregulation of the neutrophil transcriptome in murine pneumococcal pneumonia.

Protocol to dissociate healthy and infected murine- and hamster-derived lung tissue for single-cell transcriptome analysis

In infectious disease research, single-cell RNA sequencing allows dissection of host-pathogen interactions. As a prerequisite, we provide a protocol to transform solid and complex organs such as lungs into representative diverse, viable single-cell suspensions. Our protocol describes performance of vascular perfusion, pneumonectomy, enzymatic digestion, and mechanical dissociation of lung tissue, as well as red blood cell lysis and counting of isolated cells. A challenge remains, however, to further increase the proportion of pulmonary endothelial cells without compromising on viability. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Nouailles et al. (2021),1 Wyler et al. (2022),2 and Ebenig et al. (2022).3.

Circadian Rhythm Disruption in Critically Ill Patients

Patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) are in need of continuous organ replacement strategies and specialized care, e.g. because of neurological dysfunction, cardio-pulmonary instability, liver or kidney failure, trauma, hemorrhagic or septic shock or even preterm birth. The 24-hour nursing and care interventions provided to critically ill patients significantly limit resting and/or recovery phases. Consecutively, the patient's endogenous circadian rhythms are misaligned and disrupted, which in turn may interfere with their critical condition. A more thorough understanding of the complex interactions of circadian effectors and tissue-specific molecular clocks could therefore serve as potential means for enhancing personalized treatment in critically ill patients, conceivably restoring their circadian network and thus accelerating their physical and neurocognitive recovery. This review addresses the overarching issue of how circadian rhythms are affected and disturbed in critically ill newborns and adults in the ICU, and whether the conflicting external or environmental cues in the ICU environment further promote disruption and thus severity of illness. We direct special attention to the influence of cell-type specific molecular clocks on with severity of organ dysfunctions such as severity of brain dysfunction, pneumonia- or ventilator-associated lung inflammation, cardiovascular instability, liver and kidney failure, trauma, and septic shock. Finally, we address the potential of circadian rhythm stabilization to enhance and accelerate clinical recovery.

Short- and long-term T cell and antibody responses following Dexamethasone treatment in COVID-19

BACKGROUND

After its introduction as standard-of-care for severe COVID-19, dexamethasone has been administered to a large number of patients globally. Detailed knowledge of its impact on the cellular and humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 remains scarce.

METHODS

We included immunocompetent individuals with 1) mild COVID-19, 2) severe COVID-19 before introduction of dexamethasone treatment, and 3) severe COVID-19 infection treated with dexamethasone from prospective observational cohort studies at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany. We analyzed SARS-CoV-2 spike-reactive T cells, spike-specific IgG titers as well as serum neutralizing activity against B.1.1.7, B.1.617.2 in samples ranging from two weeks to six months post infection. We also analyzed BA.2 neutralization in sera after booster immunization.

RESULTS

Patients with severe COVID-19 and dexamethasone treatment had lower T cell and antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 compared to patients without dexamethasone treatment in the early phase of disease, which converged in both groups before six months post infection and also post-immunization. Patients with mild COVID-19 had a comparatively lower T cell and antibody response than patients with severe disease, including a lower response to booster-immunization during convalescence.

CONCLUSION

Dexamethasone treatment is associated with short-term reduction of T cell and antibody response in severe COVID-19 when compared to the non-treated group, but this difference evens out six months after infection. We confirm higher cellular and humoral immune responses in patients after severe versus mild COVID-19 infection and the concept of improved hybrid immunity upon immunization.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

n/aFunding: Berlin Institute of Health, German Federal Ministry of Education and German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices.

Management, risk factors and prognostic impact of checkpoint-inhibitor pneumonitis (CIP) in lung cancer – A multicenter observational analysis

INTRODUCTION

Checkpoint-inhibitor pneumonitis (CIP) represents a major immune-related adverse event (irAE) in patients with lung cancer. We aimed for the clinical characterization, diagnostics, risk factors, treatment and outcome in a large cohort of patients from everyday clinical practice.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

For this retrospective analysis, 1,376 patients having received checkpoint inhibitors (CPI) in any line of therapy from June 2015 until February 2020 from three large-volume lung cancer centers in Berlin, Germany were included and analyzed.

RESULTS

With a median follow-up of 35 months, all-grade, high-grade (CTCAE ≥ 3) and fatal CIP were observed in 83 (6.0%), 37 (2.7%) and 12 (0.9%) patients, respectively, with a median onset 4 months after initiation of CPI therapy. The most common radiologic patterns were organizing pneumonia (OP) and non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) (37% and 31%). All except 7 patients with G1-2 CIP interrupted treatment. Corticosteroids were administered to 74 patients with a median starting dose of 0.75 mg/kg. After complete restitution (n = 67), re-exposure to CPI (n = 14) led to additional irAE in 43% of the cases. Thoracic radiotherapy targeting the lung was the only independent risk factor for CIP (odds ratio 2.8, p < 0.001) and pretherapeutic diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide inversely correlated with CIP severity. Compared with patients without CIP and non-CIP irAE, CIP was associated with impaired overall survival (hazard ratios 1.23, p = 0.24 and 2.01, p = 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

High-grade CIP accounts for almost half of all CIP cases in an allcomer lung cancer population. A continuous vigilance, rapid diagnostics and adequate treatment are key to prevent disease progression associated with impaired survival.

Cenicriviroc for the treatment of COVID-19: first interim results of a randomised, placebo-controlled, investigator-initiated, double-blind phase II trial

OBJECTIVES

C-C-chemokine receptors (CCRs) are expressed on a variety of immune cells and play an important role in many immune processes, particularly leukocyte migration. Comprehensive preclinical research demonstrated CCR2/CCR5-dependent pathways as pivotal for the pathophysiology of severe COVID-19. Here we report human data on use of a chemokine receptor inhibitor in patients with COVID-19.

METHODS

Interim results of a 2:1 randomised, placebo-controlled, investigator-initiated trial on the CCR2/CCR5-inhibitor Cenicriviroc (CVC) 150 mg BID orally for 28 d in hospitalised patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 are reported. The primary endpoint is the subject's responder status defined by achieving grade 1 or 2 on the 7-point ordinal scale of clinical improvement on day 15.

RESULTS

Of the 30 patients randomised, 18 were assigned to receive CVC and 12 to placebo. Efficient CCR2- and CCR5 inhibition was demonstrated through CCL2 and CCL4 elevation in CVC-treated patients (485% and 80% increase on day 3 compared to the baseline, respectively). In the modified intention-to-treat population, 82.4% of patients (14/17) in the CVC group met the primary endpoint, as did 91.7% (11/12) in the placebo group (OR = 0.5, 95% CI = 0.04-3.41). One patient treated with CVC died of progressive acute respiratory distress syndrome, and the remaining had a favourable outcome. Overall, treatment with CVC was well tolerated, with most adverse events being grade I or II and resolving spontaneously.

CONCLUSIONS

Our interim analysis provides proof-of-concept data on CVC for COVID-19 patients as an intervention to inhibit CCR2/CCR5. Further studies are warranted to assess its clinical efficacy.

CLEC12A Binds to Legionella pneumophila but Has No Impact on the Host's Antibacterial Response

Legionella pneumophila is an intracellular pathogen that can cause severe pneumonia after the inhalation of contaminated aerosols and replication in alveolar macrophages. Several pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) have been identified that contribute to the recognition of L. pneumophila by the innate immune system. However, the function of the C-type lectin receptors (CLRs), which are mainly expressed by macrophages and other myeloid cells, remains largely unexplored. Here, we used a library of CLR-Fc fusion proteins to search for CLRs that can bind the bacterium and identified the specific binding of CLEC12A to L. pneumophila. Subsequent infection experiments in human and murine macrophages, however, did not provide evidence for a substantial role of CLEC12A in controlling innate immune responses to the bacterium. Consistently, antibacterial and inflammatory responses to Legionella lung infection were not significantly influenced by CLEC12A deficiency. Collectively, CLEC12A is able to bind to L. pneumophila-derived ligands but does not appear to play a major role in the innate defense against L. pneumophila.

Bronchoscopic Measurement of Collateral Ventilation: State of the Art

Endoscopic lung volume reduction procedure with valves is a well-studied treatment option for advanced lung emphysema to target lung hyperinflation in carefully selected patients with COPD. Before valve implantation, collateral ventilation (CV) of the target lobe needs to be assessed to obtain an optimal treatment effect. The analysis of CV according to current standards occurs via an in vivo assessment with the Chartis®system (PulmonX Inc., Redwood City, CA, USA) and a computed tomography (CT) scan of the thorax with interlobar fissure analysis. The focus of this review is to provide detailed information about the Chartis®procedure and interpretation of Chartis® phenotypes. As a main tool in the assessment of CV and being a safe procedure, the Chartis® assessment should be performed by default to confirm interlobar fissure analysis in most emphysema patients. Based on the obtained results, lung volume reduction therapy options should be discussed in an interdisciplinary emphysema conference.

Persisting chemosensory dysfunction in COVID-19 - a cross-sectional population-based survey

BACKGROUND

Chemosensory dysfunction (CD) has been reported as a common symptom of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but it is not well understood whether and for how long changes of smell, taste and chemesthesis persist in infected individuals.

METHODOLOGY

Unselected adult residents of the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein with Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-test-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were invited to participate in this large cross-sectional study. Data on the medical history and subjective chemosensory function of participants were obtained through questionnaires and visual analogue scales (VAS). Olfactory function (OF) was objectified with the Sniffin Sticks test (SST), including threshold (T), discrimination (D) and identification (I) test as well as summarized TDI score, and compared to that in healthy controls. Gustatory function (GF) was evaluated with the suprathreshold taste strips (TS) test, and trigeminal function was tested with an ampoule containing ammonia.

RESULTS

Between November 2020 and June 2021, 667 infected individuals (mean age: 48.2 years) were examined 9.1 months, on average, after positive PCR testing. Of these, 45.6% had persisting subjective olfactory dysfunction (OD), 36.2% had subjective gustatory dysfunction (GD). Tested OD, tested GD and impaired trigeminal function were observed in 34.6%, 7.3% and 1.8% of participants, respectively. The mean TDI score of participants was significantly lower compared to healthy subjects. Significant associations were observed between subjective OD and GD, and between tested OD and GD.

CONCLUSION

Nine months after SARS-CoV-2 infection, OD prevalence is significantly increased among infected members of the general population. Therefore, OD should be included in the list of symptoms collectively defining Long-COVID.

Post-treatment haemolysis is common following oral artemisinin combination therapy of uncomplicated malaria in travellers

BACKGROUND

Artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) for the treatment of malaria is highly effective, well tolerated and safe. Episodes of delayed hemolysis occur in up to 57.9% of patients with severe malaria treated with intravenous artesunate, mainly caused by 'pitting' of infected red blood cells (RBCs) in the spleen and delayed loss of these once-infected RBCs (oiRBCs). Several reports indicate that post-treatment hemolysis (PTH) also occurs in uncomplicated malaria treated with oral ACT, calling for systematic investigation.

METHODS

Prospective observational study to identify the proportion of patients with PTH after oral ACT, defined as increased lactate dehydrogenase activity and low haptoglobin level on day 14 after treatment. Patients were enrolled at two study centres in Germany and Italy. Study visits took place on days 1, 3, 7, 14, 28. Laboratory investigations included extended clinical routine laboratory tests, quantitative P.f.-HRP2, anti-RBC antibodies, and oiRBCs. State of semi-immunity to malaria was assessed from childhood and ongoing exposure to Plasmodium spp. as per patient history.

RESULTS

A total of 134 patients with uncomplicated malaria and 3-day ACT treatment were recruited. Thirty-seven (37.4%) of 99 evaluable patients with P.f. and none of nine patients with non-P.f. malaria exhibited PTH on d14. Patients with PTH had higher initial parasitaemia, higher oiRBC counts on d3, and a 10-fold decrease in oiRBCs between d7 and d14 compared to patients without PTH. In patients with PTH, loss of haemoglobin (Hb) was 4-fold greater in non-Africans than in Africans (-1.3 vs -0.3 g/dl). Semi-immune African patients with PTH showed markedly increased erythropoiesis on d14 compared to not semi-immune African and non-African patients with PTH.

CONCLUSIONS

PTH is common in patients with uncomplicated malaria and oral ACT. While the observed loss of Hb will not be clinically relevant in most cases, it could aggravate pre-existing anaemia and warrants follow-up examinations in populations at risk.

Identification of two specific transcriptomic clusters of COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome patients with different immune profiles and different outcomes

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of the respiratory illness COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019). The virus was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China and has since then spread globally, resulting in the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, causing more than 615 million confirmed cases of infection (https://covid19.who.int/). Although the largest proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infections in humans is characterised by a mild course of disease, about 5% to 20% of patients are hospitalised with COVID-19 due to a more severe course of disease, and require admission to the intensive care unit for diffuse lung infiltrates and severe hypoxaemia [1].

Transcriptomic clustering of patients with ARDS due to COVID-19 identified different immune profiles and outcomes. This demonstrates heterogeneity among COVID-19 ARDS patients and may help to establish personalised therapies.https://bit.ly/3h61sCj

LB1529. Randomized, Controlled Phase 3 Study of anti-C5a Vilobelimab's Effect on Mortality in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients: A Therapy for Viral Pneumonia

Background

SARS-CoV-2 induces endothelial damage and activates the complement system. In severe COVID-19 patients, complement split factor C5a is highly elevated leading to inflammation that contributes to multiorgan failure. The anti-C5a monoclonal antibody, Vilobelimab (Vilo), which preserves the membrane attack complex (MAC), was investigated in an adaptively designed, randomized double-blind, placebo (P)-controlled Phase 3 international multicenter study for survival in critically ill COVID-19 patients (pts).

Methods

COVID-19 pneumonia pts (N=368; Vilo n=177, P n=191), mechanically ventilated within 48 hrs before treatment, received up to 6, 800 mg infusions of Vilo or P on top of standard of care. The primary and main secondary endpoints were 28-day (d) and 60-d all-cause mortality.

Results

Pts enrolled in the study were on corticosteroids (97%) and anti-coagulants (98%) as standard of care. A smaller proportion (20%) were either continuing or had taken immunomodulators such as tocilizumab and baricitinib prior to receiving Vilo. The 28-d all-cause mortality was 31.7% with Vilo vs 41.6% with P (Kaplan-Meier estimates; Cox regression site-stratified, HR 0.73; 95% CI:0.50-1.06; P=0.094), representing a 23.8% relative mortality reduction. In predefined primary outcome analysis without site stratification, however, Vilo significantly reduced mortality at 28 (HR 0.67; 95% CI:0.48-0.96; P=0.027) and 60 days (HR 0.67; 95% CI:0.48-0.92; P=0.016). Vilo also significantly reduced 28-d mortality in more severe pts with baseline WHO ordinal scale score of 7 (n=237, HR 0.62; 95% CI:0.40-0.95; P=0.028), severe ARDS/PaO2/FiO2 ≤ 100 mmHg (n=98, HR 0.55; 95% CI:0.30-0.98; P=0.044) and eGFR &lt; 60 mL/min/1.73m2 (n=108, HR 0.55; 95% CI:0.31-0.96; P=0.036). Treatment-emergent AEs were 90.9% Vilo vs 91.0% P. Infections were comparable: Vilo 62.9%, P 59.3%. Infection incidence per 100 Pt days were equal. No meningococcal infections were reported. Serious AEs were 58.9% Vilo, 63.5% P.

Conclusion

Vilo significantly reduced mortality at 28 and 60 days in critically ill COVID-19 pts with no increase in infections suggesting the importance of targeting C5a while preserving MAC. Vilo targets inflammation which may represent an approach to treat sepsis and ARDS caused by other respiratory viruses.

Disclosures

Alexander Vlaar, MD, PhD, InflaRx GmbH: Advisor/Consultant Maria Habel, PhD, InflaRx GmbH: Stocks/Bonds Claus Thielert, PhD, InflaRx GmbH: Stocks/Bonds James Dickinson, MSc, InflaRx GmbH: Stocks/Bonds simon Rückinger, PhD, InflaRx GmbH: Advisor/Consultant Robert Zerbib, MSc, InflaRx GmbH: Stocks/Bonds Dorothee Neukirchen, PhD, InflaRx GmbH: Stocks/Bonds Korinna Pilz, MD, MSc, InflaRx GmbH: Ownership Interest|InflaRx GmbH: Stocks/Bonds Renfeng Guo, MD, InflaRx GmbH: Board Member|InflaRx GmbH: CSO|InflaRx GmbH: Ownership Interest|InflaRx GmbH: Stocks/Bonds Diederik van de Beek, MD, PhD, InflaRx GmbH: Advisor/Consultant Niels Riedemann, MD, PhD, InflaRx GmbH: Board Member|InflaRx GmbH: CEO|InflaRx GmbH: Ownership Interest|InflaRx GmbH: Stocks/Bonds.

Neurofilament light chain levels predict encephalopathy and outcome in community-acquired pneumonia

OBJECTIVE

Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) is a biomarker for neuroaxonal damage and has been found to be elevated in several neurological diseases with neuronal destruction. New onset of confusion is a hallmark of severity in infections. The objective of this study was to determine whether sNfL levels are increased in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and if increased sNfL levels are associated with disease-associated confusion or disease severity.

METHODS

In this observational study, sNfL levels were determined with single-molecule array technology in CAP patients of the CAPNETZ cohort with validated CRB (confusion, respiratory rate, and blood pressure)-65 score. We determined associations between log-transformed sNfL concentrations, well-defined clinical characteristics, and unfavorable outcome in multivariable analyses. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to assess the prediction accuracy of sNfL levels for confusion in CAP patients.

RESULTS

sNfL concentrations were evaluated in 150 CAP patients. Patients with confusion had higher sNfL levels as compared to non-confusion patients of comparable overall disease severity. ROC analysis of sNfL and confusion provided an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.73 (95% CI 0.62-0.82). Log-transformed sNfL levels were not associated with general disease severity. In a logistic regression analysis, log2-sNfL was identified as a strong predictor for an unfavorable outcome.

INTERPRETATION

sNfL levels are specifically associated with confusion and not with pneumonia disease severity, thus reflecting a potential objective marker for encephalopathy in these patients. Furthermore, sNfL levels are also associated with unfavorable outcome in these patients and might help clinicians to identify patients at risk.

Loss of endothelial CFTR drives barrier failure and edema formation in lung infection and can be targeted by CFTR potentiation

Pneumonia is the most common cause of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Here, we identified loss of endothelial cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) as an important pathomechanism leading to lung barrier failure in pneumonia-induced ARDS. CFTR was down-regulated after Streptococcus pneumoniae infection ex vivo or in vivo in human or murine lung tissue, respectively. Analysis of isolated perfused rat lungs revealed that CFTR inhibition increased endothelial permeability in parallel with intracellular chloride ion and calcium ion concentrations ([Cl^-]_i and [Ca²⁺]_i). Inhibition of the chloride ion-sensitive with-no-lysine kinase 1 (WNK1) protein with tyrphostin 47 or WNK463 replicated the effect of CFTR inhibition on endothelial permeability and endothelial [Ca²⁺]_i, whereas WNK1 activation by temozolomide attenuated it. Endothelial [Ca²⁺]_i transients and permeability in response to inhibition of either CFTR or WNK1 were prevented by inhibition of the cation channel transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4). Mice deficient in Trpv4 (Trpv4^-/-) developed less lung edema and protein leak than their wild-type littermates after infection with S. pneumoniae. The CFTR potentiator ivacaftor prevented lung CFTR loss, edema, and protein leak after S. pneumoniae infection in wild-type mice. In conclusion, lung infection caused loss of CFTR that promoted lung edema formation through intracellular chloride ion accumulation, inhibition of WNK1, and subsequent disinhibition of TRPV4, resulting in endothelial calcium ion influx and vascular barrier failure. Ivacaftor prevented CFTR loss in the lungs of mice with pneumonia and may, therefore, represent a possible therapeutic strategy in people suffering from ARDS due to severe pneumonia.

Human lungs show limited permissiveness for SARS-CoV-2 due to scarce ACE2 levels but virus-induced expansion of inflammatory macrophages

BACKGROUND

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) utilises the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) transmembrane peptidase as cellular entry receptor. However, whether SARS-CoV-2 in the alveolar compartment is strictly ACE2-dependent and to what extent virus-induced tissue damage and/or direct immune activation determines early pathogenesis is still elusive.

METHODS

Spectral microscopy, single-cell/-nucleus RNA sequencing or ACE2 "gain-of-function" experiments were applied to infected human lung explants and adult stem cell derived human lung organoids to correlate ACE2 and related host factors with SARS-CoV-2 tropism, propagation, virulence and immune activation compared to SARS-CoV, influenza and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) autopsy material was used to validate ex vivo results.

RESULTS

We provide evidence that alveolar ACE2 expression must be considered scarce, thereby limiting SARS-CoV-2 propagation and virus-induced tissue damage in the human alveolus. Instead, ex vivo infected human lungs and COVID-19 autopsy samples showed that alveolar macrophages were frequently positive for SARS-CoV-2. Single-cell/-nucleus transcriptomics further revealed nonproductive virus uptake and a related inflammatory and anti-viral activation, especially in "inflammatory alveolar macrophages", comparable to those induced by SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, but different from NL63 or influenza virus infection.

CONCLUSIONS

Collectively, our findings indicate that severe lung injury in COVID-19 probably results from a macrophage-triggered immune activation rather than direct viral damage of the alveolar compartment.

Anti-C5a antibody (vilobelimab) therapy for critically ill, invasively mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 (PANAMO): a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial

BACKGROUND

Vilobelimab, an anti-C5a monoclonal antibody, was shown to be safe in a phase 2 trial of invasively mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19. Here, we aimed to determine whether vilobelimab in addition to standard of care improves survival outcomes in this patient population.

METHODS

This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre phase 3 trial was performed at 46 hospitals in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium, Russia, Brazil, Peru, Mexico, and South Africa. Participants aged 18 years or older who were receiving invasive mechanical ventilation, but not more than 48 h after intubation at time of first infusion, had a PaO2/FiO2 ratio of 60-200 mm Hg, and a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection with any variant in the past 14 days were eligible for this study. Eligible patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive standard of care and vilobelimab at a dose of 800 mg intravenously for a maximum of six doses (days 1, 2, 4, 8, 15, and 22) or standard of care and a matching placebo using permuted block randomisation. Treatment was not continued after hospital discharge. Participants, caregivers, and assessors were masked to group assignment. The primary outcome was defined as all-cause mortality at 28 days in the full analysis set (defined as all randomly assigned participants regardless of whether a patient started treatment, excluding patients randomly assigned in error) and measured using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Safety analyses included all patients who had received at least one infusion of either vilobelimab or placebo. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04333420.

FINDINGS

From Oct 1, 2020, to Oct 4, 2021, we included 368 patients in the ITT analysis (full analysis set; 177 in the vilobelimab group and 191 in the placebo group). One patient in the vilobelimab group was excluded from the primary analysis due to random assignment in error without treatment. At least one dose of study treatment was given to 364 (99%) patients (safety analysis set). 54 patients (31%) of 177 in the vilobelimab group and 77 patients (40%) of 191 in the placebo group died in the first 28 days. The all-cause mortality rate at 28 days was 32% (95% CI 25-39) in the vilobelimab group and 42% (35-49) in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·73, 95% CI 0·50-1·06; p=0·094). In the predefined analysis without site-stratification, vilobelimab significantly reduced all-cause mortality at 28 days (HR 0·67, 95% CI 0·48-0·96; p=0·027). The most common TEAEs were acute kidney injury (35 [20%] of 175 in the vilobelimab group vs 40 [21%] of 189 in the placebo), pneumonia (38 [22%] vs 26 [14%]), and septic shock (24 [14%] vs 31 [16%]). Serious treatment-emergent adverse events were reported in 103 (59%) of 175 patients in the vilobelimab group versus 120 (63%) of 189 in the placebo group.

INTERPRETATION

In addition to standard of care, vilobelimab improves survival of invasive mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 and leads to a significant decrease in mortality. Vilobelimab could be considered as an additional therapy for patients in this setting and further research is needed on the role of vilobelimab and C5a in other acute respiratory distress syndrome-causing viral infections.

FUNDING

InflaRx and the German Federal Government.

Mobilisation of critically ill patients receiving norepinephrine: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Mobilisation and exercise intervention in general are safe and feasible in critically ill patients. For patients requiring catecholamines, however, doses of norepinephrine safe for mobilisation in the intensive care unit (ICU) are not defined. This study aimed to describe mobilisation practice in our hospital and identify doses of norepinephrine that allowed a safe mobilisation.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective single-centre cohort study of 16 ICUs at a university hospital in Germany with patients admitted between March 2018 and November 2021. Data were collected from our patient data management system. We analysed the effect of norepinephrine on level (ICU Mobility Scale) and frequency (units per day) of mobilisation, early mobilisation (within 72 h of ICU admission), mortality, and rate of adverse events. Data were extracted from free-text mobilisation entries using supervised machine learning (support vector machine). Statistical analyses were done using (generalised) linear (mixed-effect) models, as well as chi-square tests and ANOVAs.

RESULTS

A total of 12,462 patients were analysed in this study. They received a total of 59,415 mobilisation units. Of these patients, 842 (6.8%) received mobilisation under continuous norepinephrine administration. Norepinephrine administration was negatively associated with the frequency of mobilisation (adjusted difference -0.07 mobilisations per day; 95% CI - 0.09, - 0.05; p ≤ 0.001) and early mobilisation (adjusted OR 0.83; 95% CI 0.76, 0.90; p ≤ 0.001), while a higher norepinephrine dose corresponded to a lower chance to be mobilised out-of-bed (adjusted OR 0.01; 95% CI 0.00, 0.04; p ≤ 0.001). Mobilisation with norepinephrine did not significantly affect mortality (p > 0.1). Higher compared to lower doses of norepinephrine did not lead to a significant increase in adverse events in our practice (p > 0.1). We identified that mobilisation was safe with up to 0.20 µg/kg/min norepinephrine for out-of-bed (IMS ≥ 2) and 0.33 µg/kg/min for in-bed (IMS 0-1) mobilisation.

CONCLUSIONS

Mobilisation with norepinephrine can be done safely when considering the status of the patient and safety guidelines. We demonstrated that safe mobilisation was possible with norepinephrine doses up to 0.20 µg/kg/min for out-of-bed (IMS ≥ 2) and 0.33 µg/kg/min for in-bed (IMS 0-1) mobilisation.

Critical assessment of transformer-based AI models for German clinical notes

Objective

Healthcare data such as clinical notes are primarily recorded in an unstructured manner. If adequately translated into structured data, they can be utilized for health economics and set the groundwork for better individualized patient care. To structure clinical notes, deep-learning methods, particularly transformer-based models like Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT), have recently received much attention. Currently, biomedical applications are primarily focused on the English language. While general-purpose German-language models such as GermanBERT and GottBERT have been published, adaptations for biomedical data are unavailable. This study evaluated the suitability of existing and novel transformer-based models for the German biomedical and clinical domain.

Materials and Methods

We used 8 transformer-based models and pre-trained 3 new models on a newly generated biomedical corpus, and systematically compared them with each other. We annotated a new dataset of clinical notes and used it with 4 other corpora (BRONCO150, CLEF eHealth 2019 Task 1, GGPONC, and JSynCC) to perform named entity recognition (NER) and document classification tasks.

Results

General-purpose language models can be used effectively for biomedical and clinical natural language processing (NLP) tasks, still, our newly trained BioGottBERT model outperformed GottBERT on both clinical NER tasks. However, training new biomedical models from scratch proved ineffective.

Discussion

The domain-adaptation strategy’s potential is currently limited due to a lack of pre-training data. Since general-purpose language models are only marginally inferior to domain-specific models, both options are suitable for developing German-language biomedical applications.

Conclusion

General-purpose language models perform remarkably well on biomedical and clinical NLP tasks. If larger corpora become available in the future, domain-adapting these models may improve performances.

Selective adipocyte loss of Angiopoietin-2 prompts female-specific obesity and metabolic syndrome

Thermogenic fat differentiation and function can be promoted through multiple pathways, resulting in a common cell phenotype characterized by the expression of Uncoupling Protein-1 and the ability to dissipate energy, but local and systemic stimuli are necessary to promote adequate thermogenic fat vascularization, which is a precondition for the transport of substrate and the dissipation of heat. Angiopoietin-2 is an important driver of vascularization, and its transcription is in part promoted by estrogen signaling. In this study we demonstrate that adipose tissue-specific knock out of Angiopoietin-2 causes a female-specific reduced thermogenic fat differentiation and function, resulting in obesity and impaired glucose tolerance with end-organ features consistent with metabolic syndrome. In humans, angiopoietin-2 levels are higher in females than in males, and are inversely correlated with adiposity and age more strongly in pre-menopause when compared to post-menopause. Collectively, these data indicate a novel and important role for estrogen-mediated Angiopoietin-2 adipose tissue production in the protection against calorie overload in females, and potentially in the development of postmenopausal weight gain.

Estimated Global Proportions of Individuals With Persistent Fatigue, Cognitive, and Respiratory Symptom Clusters Following Symptomatic COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021

Importance

Some individuals experience persistent symptoms after initial symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection (often referred to as Long COVID).

Objective

To estimate the proportion of males and females with COVID-19, younger or older than 20 years of age, who had Long COVID symptoms in 2020 and 2021 and their Long COVID symptom duration.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Bayesian meta-regression and pooling of 54 studies and 2 medical record databases with data for 1.2 million individuals (from 22 countries) who had symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Of the 54 studies, 44 were published and 10 were collaborating cohorts (conducted in Austria, the Faroe Islands, Germany, Iran, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the US). The participant data were derived from the 44 published studies (10 501 hospitalized individuals and 42 891 nonhospitalized individuals), the 10 collaborating cohort studies (10 526 and 1906), and the 2 US electronic medical record databases (250 928 and 846 046). Data collection spanned March 2020 to January 2022.

Exposures

Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Proportion of individuals with at least 1 of the 3 self-reported Long COVID symptom clusters (persistent fatigue with bodily pain or mood swings; cognitive problems; or ongoing respiratory problems) 3 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020 and 2021, estimated separately for hospitalized and nonhospitalized individuals aged 20 years or older by sex and for both sexes of nonhospitalized individuals younger than 20 years of age.

Results

A total of 1.2 million individuals who had symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection were included (mean age, 4-66 years; males, 26%-88%). In the modeled estimates, 6.2% (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 2.4%-13.3%) of individuals who had symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection experienced at least 1 of the 3 Long COVID symptom clusters in 2020 and 2021, including 3.2% (95% UI, 0.6%-10.0%) for persistent fatigue with bodily pain or mood swings, 3.7% (95% UI, 0.9%-9.6%) for ongoing respiratory problems, and 2.2% (95% UI, 0.3%-7.6%) for cognitive problems after adjusting for health status before COVID-19, comprising an estimated 51.0% (95% UI, 16.9%-92.4%), 60.4% (95% UI, 18.9%-89.1%), and 35.4% (95% UI, 9.4%-75.1%), respectively, of Long COVID cases. The Long COVID symptom clusters were more common in women aged 20 years or older (10.6% [95% UI, 4.3%-22.2%]) 3 months after symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection than in men aged 20 years or older (5.4% [95% UI, 2.2%-11.7%]). Both sexes younger than 20 years of age were estimated to be affected in 2.8% (95% UI, 0.9%-7.0%) of symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections. The estimated mean Long COVID symptom cluster duration was 9.0 months (95% UI, 7.0-12.0 months) among hospitalized individuals and 4.0 months (95% UI, 3.6-4.6 months) among nonhospitalized individuals. Among individuals with Long COVID symptoms 3 months after symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, an estimated 15.1% (95% UI, 10.3%-21.1%) continued to experience symptoms at 12 months.

Conclusions and Relevance

This study presents modeled estimates of the proportion of individuals with at least 1 of 3 self-reported Long COVID symptom clusters (persistent fatigue with bodily pain or mood swings; cognitive problems; or ongoing respiratory problems) 3 months after symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.