TY - JOUR A1 - Lodha, Manivel A1 - Erhard, Florian A1 - Dölken, Lars A1 - Prusty, Bhupesh K. T1 - The hidden enemy within: non-canonical peptides in virus-induced autoimmunity JF - Frontiers in Microbiology N2 - Viruses play a key role in explaining the pathogenesis of various autoimmune disorders, whose underlying principle is defined by the activation of autoreactive T-cells. In many cases, T-cells escape self-tolerance due to the failure in encountering certain MHC-I self-peptide complexes at substantial levels, whose peptides remain invisible from the immune system. Over the years, contribution of unstable defective ribosomal products (DRiPs) in immunosurveillance has gained prominence. A class of unstable products emerge from non-canonical translation and processing of unannotated mammalian and viral ORFs and their peptides are cryptic in nature. Indeed, high throughput sequencing and proteomics have revealed that a substantial portion of our genomes comprise of non-canonical ORFs, whose generation is significantly modulated during disease. Many of these ORFs comprise short ORFs (sORFs) and upstream ORFs (uORFs) that resemble DRiPs and may hence be preferentially presented. Here, we discuss how such products, normally “hidden” from the immune system, become abundant in viral infections activating autoimmune T-cells, by discussing their emerging role in infection and disease. Finally, we provide a perspective on how these mechanisms can explain several autoimmune disorders in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. KW - viruses KW - cryptic peptides KW - autoimmunity KW - defective ribosomal products KW - non-canonical translation KW - COVID-19 Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-263053 SN - 1664-302X VL - 13 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gupta, Shishir K. A1 - Minocha, Rashmi A1 - Thapa, Prithivi Jung A1 - Srivastava, Mugdha A1 - Dandekar, Thomas T1 - Role of the pangolin in origin of SARS-CoV-2: an evolutionary perspective JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences N2 - After the recent emergence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, unanswered questions remain related to its evolutionary history, path of transmission or divergence and role of recombination. There is emerging evidence on amino acid substitutions occurring in key residues of the receptor-binding domain of the spike glycoprotein in coronavirus isolates from bat and pangolins. In this article, we summarize our current knowledge on the origin of SARS-CoV-2. We also analyze the host ACE2-interacting residues of the receptor-binding domain of spike glycoprotein in SARS-CoV-2 isolates from bats, and compare it to pangolin SARS-CoV-2 isolates collected from Guangdong province (GD Pangolin-CoV) and Guangxi autonomous regions (GX Pangolin-CoV) of South China. Based on our comparative analysis, we support the view that the Guangdong Pangolins are the intermediate hosts that adapted the SARS-CoV-2 and represented a significant evolutionary link in the path of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus. We also discuss the role of intermediate hosts in the origin of Omicron. KW - COVID-19 KW - SARS-CoV-2 KW - origin KW - evolution KW - intermediate host KW - pangolin KW - mutation KW - recombination KW - adaptation KW - transmission KW - comparative sequence analysis Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-285995 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 23 IS - 16 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bertram, Ralph A1 - Bartsch, Vanessa A1 - Sodmann, Johanna A1 - Hennig, Luca A1 - Müjde, Engin A1 - Stock, Jonathan A1 - Ruedig, Vivienne A1 - Sodmann, Philipp A1 - Todt, Daniel A1 - Steinmann, Eike A1 - Hitzl, Wolfgang A1 - Steinmann, Joerg T1 - Risk stratification of SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections based on an outbreak at a student festive event JF - Vaccines N2 - In early 2022, the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains a global challenge. COVID-19 is caused by an increasing number of variants of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Here, we report an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections related to a student festive event with 100 mostly vaccinated guests, which took place in Northern Bavaria, Germany, in October 2021. The data were obtained by retrospective guest interviews. In total, 95 students participated in the study, with 94 being fully vaccinated and 24 reporting infection by the delta variant. Correlation analyses among 15 examined variables revealed that time spent at the event, conversation with the supposed index person, and a homologous viral vector vaccination regime were significant risk factors for infection. Non-significant observations related to higher rates of infection included time since last vaccination, shared use of drinking vessels, and number of individual person-to-person contacts at the event. Our data suggest that a high rate of breakthrough infections with the delta variant occurs if no preventive measures are practiced. To limit infection risk, high-quality testing of participants should be considered a mandatory measure at gatherings, irrespective of the participants' vaccination status. KW - COVID-19 KW - SARS-CoV-2 KW - outbreak KW - breakthrough infection Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-267270 SN - 2076-393X VL - 10 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sitter, Magdalena A1 - Pecks, Ulrich A1 - Rüdiger, Mario A1 - Friedrich, Sabine A1 - Fill Malfertheiner, Sara A1 - Hein, Alexander A1 - Königbauer, Josefine T. A1 - Becke-Jakob, Karin A1 - Zöllkau, Janine A1 - Ramsauer, Babett A1 - Rathberger, Katharina A1 - Pontones, Constanza A. A1 - Kraft, Katrina A1 - Meybohm, Patrick A1 - Härtel, Christoph A1 - Kranke, Peter T1 - Pregnant and postpartum women requiring intensive care treatment for COVID-19 — first data from the CRONOS-registry JF - Journal of Clinical Medicine N2 - (1) Background: Data on coronavirus 2 infection during pregnancy vary. We aimed to describe maternal characteristics and clinical presentation of SARS-CoV-2 positive women requiring intensive care treatment for COVID-19 during pregnancy and postpartum period based on data of a comprehensive German surveillance system in obstetric patients. (2) Methods: Data from COVID-19 Related Obstetric and Neonatal Outcome Study (CRONOS), a prospective multicenter registry for SARS-CoV-2 positive pregnant women, was analyzed with respect to ICU treatment. All women requiring intensive care treatment for COVID-19 were included and compared regarding maternal characteristics, course of disease, as well as maternal and neonatal outcomes. (3) Results: Of 2650 cases in CRONOS, 101 women (4%) had a documented ICU stay. Median maternal age was 33 (IQR, 30–36) years. COVID-19 was diagnosed at a median gestational age of 33 (IQR, 28–35) weeks. As the most invasive form of COVID-19 treatment interventions, patients received either continuous monitoring of vital signs without further treatment requirement (n = 6), insufflation of oxygen (n = 30), non-invasive ventilation (n = 22), invasive ventilation (n = 28), or escalation to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (n = 15). No significant clinical differences were identified between patients receiving different forms of ventilatory support for COVID-19. Prevalence of preterm delivery was significantly higher in women receiving invasive respiratory treatments. Four women died of COVID-19 and six fetuses were stillborn. (4) Conclusions: Our cohort shows that progression of COVID-19 is rare in pregnant and postpartum women treated in the ICU. Preterm birth rate is high and COVID-19 requiring respiratory support increases the risk of poor maternal and neonatal outcome. KW - maternal critical care KW - COVID-19 KW - ARDS KW - SARS-CoV-2 KW - pregnancy KW - obstetrics Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-255257 SN - 2077-0383 VL - 11 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nyawale, Helmut A. A1 - Moremi, Nyambura A1 - Mohamed, Mohamed A1 - Njwalila, Johnson A1 - Silago, Vitus A1 - Krone, Manuel A1 - Konje, Eveline T. A1 - Mirambo, Mariam M. A1 - Mshana, Stephen E. T1 - High seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in Mwanza, northwestern Tanzania: a population-based survey JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health N2 - The transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, has been documented worldwide. However, the evidence of the extent to which transmission has occurred in different countries is still to be established. Understanding the magnitude and distribution of SARS-CoV-2 through seroprevalence studies is important in designing control and preventive strategies in communities. This study investigated the seropositivity of the SARS-CoV-2 virus antibodies in the communities of three different districts in the Mwanza region, Tanzania. A household cross-sectional survey was conducted in September 2021 using the modified African Centre for Disease and Prevention (ACDC) survey protocol. A blood sample was obtained from one member of each of the selected households who consented to take part in the survey. Immunochromatographic rapid test kits were used to detect IgM and IgG SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, followed by descriptive data analysis. Overall, 805 participants were enrolled in the study with a median age of 35 (interquartile range (IQR):27–47) years. The overall SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity was 50.4% (95%CI: 46.9–53.8%). The IgG and IgM seropositivity of the SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was 49.3% and 7.2%, respectively, with 6.1% being both IgG and IgM seropositive. A history of runny nose (aOR: 1.84, 95%CI: 1.03–3.5, p = 0.036), loss of taste (aOR: 1.84, 95%CI: 1.12–4.48, p = 0.023), and living in Ukerewe (aOR: 3.55, 95%CI: 1.68–7.47, p = 0.001) and Magu (aOR: 2.89, 95%CI: 1.34–6.25, p= 0.007) were all independently associated with SARS-CoV-2 IgM seropositivity. Out of the studied factors, living in the Ukerewe district was independently associated with IgG seropositivity (aOR 1.29, CI 1.08–1.54, p = 0.004). Twenty months after the first case of COVID-19 in Tanzania, about half of the studied population in Mwanza was seropositive for SARS-CoV-2. KW - SARS-CoV-2 KW - COVID-19 KW - seroprevalence KW - antibodies KW - Mwanza KW - Tanzania Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-288134 SN - 1660-4601 VL - 19 IS - 18 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hasenpusch, Claudia A1 - Matterne, Uwe A1 - Tischer, Christina A1 - Hrudey, Ilona A1 - Apfelbacher, Christian T1 - Development and content validation of a comprehensive health literacy survey instrument for use in individuals with asthma during the COVID-19 pandemic JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health N2 - Individuals with chronic conditions have been faced with many additional challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Individual health literacy (HL) as the ability to access, understand, evaluate, and apply pandemic-related information has thus become ever more important in these populations. The purpose of this study was to develop and content-validate a comprehensive HL survey instrument for people with asthma based on an integrated framework, and on previous surveys and other instruments for use in the general population and vulnerable groups. Beside HL, assumed determinants, mediators, and health outcomes were embraced in the framework. A mixed-method design was used. A comprehensive examination of the available literature yielded an initial pool of 398 single items within 20 categories. Based on content validity indices (CVI) of expert ratings (n = 11) and the content analysis of cognitive interviews with participants (n = 9), the item pool was reduced, and individual items/scales refined or modified. The instrument showed appropriate comprehensibility (98.0%), was judged relevant, and had an acceptable CVI at scale level (S-CVI/Ave = 0.91). The final version comprises 14 categories measured by 38 questions consisting of 116 single items. In terms of content, the instrument appears a valid representation of behavioural and psychosocial constructs pertaining to a broad HL understanding and relevant to individuals with asthma during the COVID-19 pandemic. Regular monitoring of these behavioural and psychosocial constructs during the course of the pandemic can help identify needs as well as changes during the course of the pandemic, which is particularly important in chronic disease populations. KW - SARS-CoV-2 KW - COVID-19 KW - asthma KW - survey instrument KW - questionnaire development KW - health literacy Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-262146 SN - 1660-4601 VL - 19 IS - 4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zyberaj, Jetmir A1 - Seibel, Sebastian A1 - Schowalter, Annika F. A1 - Pötz, Lennart A1 - Richter-Killenberg, Stefanie A1 - Volmer, Judith T1 - Developing sustainable careers during a pandemic: the role of psychological capital and career adaptability JF - Sustainability N2 - The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has not only had negative effects on employees' health, but also on their prospects to gain and maintain employment. Using a longitudinal research design with two measurement points, we investigated the ramifications of various psychological and organizational resources on employees' careers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, in a sample of German employees (N = 305), we investigated the role of psychological capital (PsyCap) for four career-related outcomes: career satisfaction, career engagement, coping with changes in career due to COVID-19, and career-related COVID-19 worries. We also employed leader–member exchange (LMX) as a moderator and career adaptability as a mediating variable in these relationships. Results from path analyses revealed a positive association between PsyCap and career satisfaction and career coping. Furthermore, PsyCap was indirectly related to career engagement through career adaptability. However, moderation analysis showed no moderating role of LMX on the link between PsyCap and career adaptability. Our study contributes to the systematic research concerning the role of psychological and organizational resources for employees' careers and well-being, especially for crisis contexts. KW - psychological capital KW - career adaptability KW - LMX KW - career engagement KW - career satisfaction KW - career coping KW - COVID-19 Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-267286 SN - 2071-1050 VL - 14 IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lambertini, Alessandro A1 - Hartrampf, Philipp E. A1 - Higuchi, Takahiro A1 - Serfling, Sebastian E. A1 - Meybohm, Patrick A1 - Schirbel, Andreas A1 - Buck, Andreas K. A1 - Werner, Rudolf A. T1 - CXCR4-targeted molecular imaging after severe SARS-Cov-2 infection JF - European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging N2 - No abstract available. KW - CXCR4-targeting KW - SARS-CoV-2 KW - COVID-19 KW - molecular imaging Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-324619 VL - 50 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Holzmann-Littig, Christopher A1 - Frank, Tamara A1 - Schmaderer, Christoph A1 - Braunisch, Matthias C. A1 - Renders, Lutz A1 - Kranke, Peter A1 - Popp, Maria A1 - Seeber, Christian A1 - Fichtner, Falk A1 - Littig, Bianca A1 - Carbajo-Lozoya, Javier A1 - Meerpohl, Joerg J. A1 - Haller, Bernhard A1 - Allwang, Christine T1 - COVID-19 Vaccines: Fear of side effects among German health care workers JF - Vaccines N2 - (1) Background: Health care workers (HCWs) play a key role in increasing anti-COVID vaccination rates. Fear of potential side effects is one of the main reasons for vaccine hesitancy. We investigated which side effects are of concern to HCWs and how these are associated with vaccine hesitancy. (2) Methods: Data were collected in an online survey in February 2021 among HCWs from across Germany with 4500 included participants. Free-text comments on previously experienced vaccination side effects, and fear of short- and long-term side effects of the COVID-19 vaccination were categorized and analyzed. (3) Results: Most feared short-term side effects were vaccination reactions, allergic reactions, and limitations in daily life. Most feared long-term side effects were (auto-) immune reactions, neurological side effects, and currently unknown long-term consequences. Concerns about serious vaccination side effects were associated with vaccination refusal. There was a clear association between refusal of COVID-19 vaccination in one's personal environment and fear of side effects. (4) Conclusions: Transparent information about vaccine side effects is needed, especially for HCW. Especially when the participants' acquaintances advised against vaccination, they were significantly more likely to fear side effects. Thus, further education of HCW is necessary to achieve good information transfer in clusters as well. KW - COVID-19 KW - vaccine hesitancy KW - health care workers KW - side-effects KW - fears Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-270561 SN - 2076-393X VL - 10 IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tappe, Beeke A1 - Lauruschkat, Chris D. A1 - Strobel, Lea A1 - Pantaleón García, Jezreel A1 - Kurzai, Oliver A1 - Rebhan, Silke A1 - Kraus, Sabrina A1 - Pfeuffer-Jovic, Elena A1 - Bussemer, Lydia A1 - Possler, Lotte A1 - Held, Matthias A1 - Hünniger, Kerstin A1 - Kniemeyer, Olaf A1 - Schäuble, Sascha A1 - Brakhage, Axel A. A1 - Panagiotou, Gianni A1 - White, P. Lewis A1 - Einsele, Hermann A1 - Löffler, Jürgen A1 - Wurster, Sebastian T1 - COVID-19 patients share common, corticosteroid-independent features of impaired host immunity to pathogenic molds JF - Frontiers in Immunology N2 - Patients suffering from coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) are susceptible to deadly secondary fungal infections such as COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis and COVID-19-associated mucormycosis. Despite this clinical observation, direct experimental evidence for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-driven alterations of antifungal immunity is scarce. Using an ex-vivo whole blood stimulation assay, we challenged blood from twelve COVID-19 patients with Aspergillus fumigatus and Rhizopus arrhizus antigens and studied the expression of activation, maturation, and exhaustion markers, as well as cytokine secretion. Compared to healthy controls, T-helper cells from COVID-19 patients displayed increased expression levels of the exhaustion marker PD-1 and weakened A. fumigatus- and R. arrhizus-induced activation. While baseline secretion of proinflammatory cytokines was massively elevated, whole blood from COVID-19 patients elicited diminished release of T-cellular (e.g., IFN-γ, IL-2) and innate immune cell-derived (e.g., CXCL9, CXCL10) cytokines in response to A. fumigatus and R. arrhizus antigens. Additionally, samples from COVID-19 patients showed deficient granulocyte activation by mold antigens and reduced fungal killing capacity of neutrophils. These features of weakened anti-mold immune responses were largely decoupled from COVID-19 severity, the time elapsed since diagnosis of COVID-19, and recent corticosteroid uptake, suggesting that impaired anti-mold defense is a common denominator of the underlying SARS-CoV-2 infection. Taken together, these results expand our understanding of the immune predisposition to post-viral mold infections and could inform future studies of immunotherapeutic strategies to prevent and treat fungal superinfections in COVID-19 patients. KW - COVID-19 KW - immune impairment KW - T cells KW - granulocytes KW - Aspergillus KW - Rhizopus Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-283558 SN - 1664-3224 VL - 13 ER -