Thoracic Ultrasound in COVID-19: Use of Lung and Diaphragm Ultrasound in Evaluating Dyspnea in Survivors of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome from COVID-19 Pneumonia in a Post-ICU Clinic.

INTRODUCTION: Dyspnea is a common symptom in survivors of severe COVID-19 pneumonia. While frequently employed in hospital settings, the use of point-of-care ultrasound in ambulatory clinics for dyspnea evaluation has rarely been explored. We aimed to determine how lung ultrasound score (LUS) and inspiratory diaphragm excursion (DE) correlate with patient-reported dyspnea during a 6-min walk test (6MWT) in survivors of COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We hypothesize higher LUS and lower DE will correlate with dyspnea severity. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Single-center cross-sectional study of survivors of critically ill COVID-19 pneumonia (requiring high-flow nasal cannula, invasive, or non-invasive mechanical ventilation) seen in our Post-ICU clinic. All patients underwent standardized scanning protocols to compute LUS and DE. Pearson correlations were performed to detect an association between LUS and DE with dyspnea at rest and exertion during 6MWT. RESULTS: We enrolled 45 patients. Average age was 61.5 years (57.7% male), with average BMI of 32.3 Higher LUS correlated significantly with dyspnea, at rest (r = + 0.41, p = < 0.01) and at exertion (r = + 0.40, p = < 0.01). Higher LUS correlated significantly with lower oxygen saturation during 6MWT (r = -0.55, p = < 0.01) and lower 6MWT distance (r = -0.44, p = < 0.01). DE correlated significantly with 6MWT distance but did not correlate with dyspnea at rest or exertion. CONCLUSION: Higher LUS correlated significantly with patient-reported dyspnea at rest and exertion. Higher LUS significantly correlated with more exertional oxygen desaturation during 6MWT and lower 6MWT distance. DE did not correlate with dyspnea.

COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine-Associated Myocarditis.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been reported to cause cardiovascular complications including myocarditis, pericardial effusion, pericarditis, and arrhythmias. With the introduction of the vaccine, there have been reports of myocarditis possibly associated with the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. We report a case of cardiac involvement following the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in a young male. A healthy 24-year-old male presented to the emergency department with complaints of non-radiating mid-sternal chest pain and pressure. He noticed his symptoms started six hours after he received the second dose of Pfizer COVID vaccine. Laboratory tests revealed elevated cardiac troponin I-CtNI levels. Computed tomography angiography of the chest did not show evidence of pulmonary embolism. Given his presentation of acute chest pain associated with elevated troponin levels, a coronary angiogram was performed which revealed normal coronary arteries. He was subsequently treated for acute peri-myocarditis with colchicine, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and beta-blockers for tachycardia and the prevention of arrhythmia. Although rare, clinicians should be aware of the risk for myocarditis and pericarditis, which should be considered in individuals presenting with chest pain within a week after vaccination, especially in the younger population. Although the long-term risk in these patients is uncertain, early diagnosis and treatment are key to minimizing complications.

Spleen Glucose Metabolism on [18F]-FDG PET/CT for Cancer Drug Discovery and Development cannot be Overlooked.

BACKGROUND: Fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]-FDG) Positron Emission Tomography/ Computed Tomography (PET/CT) is a useful tool that assesses glucose metabolism in tumor cells to help guide the management of cancer patients. However, the clinical relevance of glucose metabolism in healthy tissues, including hematopoietic tissues such as the spleen, has been potentially overlooked. Recent studies suggested that spleen glucose metabolism could improve the management of different cancers. STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Overall, the current literature includes 1,157 patients, with a wide range of tumor types. The prognostic and/or predictive value of spleen metabolism has been demonstrated in a broad spectrum of therapies, including surgery and systemic cancer therapies. Most of these studies showed that high spleen glucose metabolism at baseline is associated with a poor outcome while treatment-induce change in spleen glucose metabolism is a multi-faceted surrogate of cancer- related inflammation, which correlates with immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment as well as with immune activation. CONCLUSION: In this systematic review, we seek to unravel the prognostic/predictive significance of spleen glucose metabolism on [18F]-FDG PET/CT and discuss how it could potentially guide cancer patient management in the future.