Résumé
While numerous studies have evaluated humoral responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines, data on the cellular responses to these vaccines remain sparse. We evaluated T cell responses to ChAdOx1-nCoV-19 and BNT162b2 vaccinations using an interferon gamma (IFN-γ) release assay (IGRA). ChAdOx1-nCoV-19- and BNT162b2-vaccinated participants initially showed stronger T cell responses than unvaccinated controls. The T cell response decreased over time and increased substantially after the administration of a BNT162b2 booster dose. Changes in the T cell response were less significant than those in the anti-receptor-binding domain IgG antibody titer. The study results can serve as baseline data for T cell responses after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and suggest that the IGRA can be useful in monitoring immunogenicity.
Résumé
Background@#Reference intervals defined for adults or children of other ethnicities cannot be applied in the evaluation of Korean pediatric patients. Pediatric reference intervals are difficult to establish because children are in their growing stage and their physiology changes continuously. We aimed to establish reference intervals for routine laboratory tests for Korean pediatric patients through retrospective multicenter data analysis. @*Methods@#Preoperative laboratory test results from 1,031 pediatric patients aged 0 month–18 years who underwent minor surgeries in four university hospitals were collected. Age- and sex-specific reference intervals for routine laboratory tests were defined based on the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) EP28-A3c guidelines. @*Results@#The pediatric reference intervals determined in this study were different from existing adult reference intervals and pediatric reference intervals for other ethnicities. Most tests required age-specific partitioning, and some of those required sex-specific partitioning for at least one age-partitioned subgroup. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, monocyte percentage, basophil percentage, activated partial thromboplastin time, glucose, cholesterol, albumin, bilirubin, chloride, and C-reactive protein did not show any difference between age- or sex-partitioned subgroups. @*Conclusions@#We determined Korean pediatric reference intervals for hematology, coagulation, and chemistry tests by indirect sampling based on medical record data from multiple institutions. These reference intervals would be valuable for clinical evaluations in the Korean pediatric population.
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There have been controversies on the prophylactic effect of hydroxychloroquine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). We describe a patient, 60-year old Korean woman, with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who had been taking hydroxychloroquine for 6 months. Her serum and saliva concentrations of hydroxychloroquine were 280 μg/L and 4,890 μg/L, respectively. The present case raises concerns on hydroxychloroquine's role as a prophylactic agent for COVID-19.
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Fungi are a major cause of human infections with diverse clinical manifestations. The incidence of fungal infections has increased over time, particularly in patients who have risk factors such as neutropenia, immune suppression, an intravascular catheter, parenteral nutrition, a prosthetic device, and prior broad spectrum antibiotic therapy. Here, we present an unusual case of co-infection by 2 distinct fungi, Candida parapsilosis and Trichosporon asahii, isolated from a patient who did not have any known risk factors initially, except active pulmonary tuberculosis. Despite the negative conversion of sputum acid-fast bacilli (AFB) culture test after treatment, clinical symptoms were refractory to therapy. The patient developed symptoms suggesting septic shock, and 2 distinct colonies were isolated from a blood specimen, which were identified as C. parapsilosis and T. asahii by MALDI-TOF and rRNA sequencing. Fever and hypotension were relieved after anti-fungal agent injection, and pulmonary lesions identified by imaging also improved.
Sujets)
Humains , Candida , Cathéters , Co-infection , Fièvre , Fongémie , Champignons , Hypotension artérielle , Incidence , Neutropénie , Nutrition parentérale , Facteurs de risque , Choc septique , Expectoration , Trichosporon , Tuberculose pulmonaireRésumé
BACKGROUND: Newborn screening of tyrosinemia type 1 is important for identifying infants at risk for developing this disease before life-threatening symptoms occur. It is difficult to differentiate between tyrosinemia type 1 and transient neonatal tyrosinemia (TNT) by analyzing tyrosine alone. Thus, succinylacetone must be analyzed. In this study, we measured succinylacetone in dried blood spot (DBS) by HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) and established cut-off values. METHODS: We used the hydrazine derivatization method to measure succinylacetone in 127 DBSs showing normal results in the newborn screening test and 93 DBSs showing increased tyrosine levels. We established cut-off values using the 99.9th percentile value or median+5 standard deviation value. RESULTS: Succinylacetone levels determined by our method were well-correlated with the results recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for proficiency testing (r=0.9968). The succinylacetone levels in normal newborn DBSs were significantly lower than those in DBSs with high tyrosine levels (P < 0.001). The cut-off values were calculated to be 1.3 µM from the results of 127 normal DBS samples and 2.2 µM from 220 DBSs, including in 93 newborns with TNT. CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of succinylacetone in DBSs by HPLC-MS/MS is useful in individuals with increased tyrosine concentrations and can be used for rapid differential diagnosis of tyrosinemia when an appropriate cut-off value is established.