Learning from the Experiences in the COVID-19 Pandemic - Impact on Quality of Life and Challenges for the Staff of a Dermatological Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Germany: A Retrospective Analysis.

Purpose: During the COVID-19 pandemic, infections could also be detected among the staff and patients of the dermatological hospital Bad Bentheim (Germany). This retrospective analysis aims to better understand the impact of the pandemic on health care workers. The results could help improve future pandemic plans and measures to protect health care workers. Patients and Methods: In 2020, the whole staff (460 participants) of the dermatological hospital Bad Bentheim had been offered the option to be tested with respect to the antibody status on SARS-CoV-2 (IgG, IgM). The data were collected by means of a blood sample and subsequent questionnaires (22 questions for employees with positive SARS-CoV-2 serology) regarding disease severity, symptoms, disease duration, chains of infection, psychological and physical burden. Both groups were divided by positive or negative serology and data analysis was performed using an independent t-test. Results: It was shown that a COVID-19 Infection clinically presented itself as a respiratory tract infection, differed significantly in severity and duration, but also the long-term consequences in employees with proven COVID-19 disease (n=14, 3.7%) from the employees with non-COVID-19 respiratory diseases (33.6% of the seronegative employees). In addition, there was a significant psychological impairment and burden of COVID-19-affected employees. Our study showed unique insights into infection chains, disease courses, disease severity, symptoms and a significant psychological impairment and burden of COVID-19-affected employees among the COVID-19 positive staff. Conclusion: Our study shows deep insights into infection chains, disease courses, disease severity and symptoms among the COVID-19 positive staff and led to change of behavior with the disease itself and among the health care professionals. This knowledge has the potential to positively influence the handling of similar future events.

[Erythrodermic psoriasis after COVID-19]. / Erythroderme Psoriasis nach COVID-19-Erkrankung.

We present a clinical case of a patient with acutely exacerbated erythrodermic psoriasis vulgaris after symptomatic infection with SARS-CoV­2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). Various factors are already known that can lead to an exacerbation of psoriasis, such as drugs or infections with, for example, streptococcus. An association between psoriasis and an infection with SARS-CoV­2 has been described so far in individual case reports, in which, however, drug treatment with for example hydroxychloroquine, a known trigger of psoriasis, often took place. Later cases of exacerbation of psoriasis, partly as pustular psoriasis have been published also without drug induction. However we present for the first time a case of erythrodermic psoriasis triggered by COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) without an obvious drug trigger.

Reduced Androgen Receptor Expression in Genital Skin Fibroblasts From Patients With 45,X/46,XY Mosaicism.

CONTEXT: Molecular mechanisms causing the broad phenotypic diversity of external masculinization in individuals with 45,X/46,XY mosaicism are poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: Analysis of androgen receptor (AR) expression and function as a putative influencing factor for the genital phenotype in patients with 45,X/46,XY mosaicism. DESIGN: Measurement of AR mRNA expression levels, AR activity [DHT-mediated APOD (apolipoprotein D) induction] and cellular 45,X/46,XY ratios in genital skin fibroblasts from individuals with 45,X/46,XY mosaicism and male reference individuals, and determination of the external virilization scale from individuals with 45,X/46,XY mosaicism. SETTING: University hospital endocrine research laboratory. Patients or Other Participants: 30 genital skin fibroblast cultures (GFs) from male reference individuals and 15 GFs from individuals with 45,X/46,XY mosaicism. INTERVENTION: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Determination of AR mRNA expression and AR activity in male reference GFs and 45,X/46,XY GFs and correlation of the obtained data with the cellular 45,X/46,XY ratios and the patients' external virilization scale. RESULTS: In 6 of 15 45,X/46,XY GFs, AR mRNA expression and AR activity were significantly lower compared with those in the 46,XY reference GFs. In this subgroup of reduced AR mRNA expression, a positive trend was seen between AR mRNA expression and the percentage of XY-positive cells. Furthermore, we found a positive correlation between AR activity and the external virilization scale in the 15 45,X/46,XY GF samples (P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that AR expression and AR activity might influence the phenotypic variability seen in patients with 45,X/46,XY mosaicism.