Optic Neuritis After COVID-19 Vaccination: An Analysis of the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the association of optic neuritis (ON) after the COVID-19 vaccines. METHODS: Cases of ON from Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) were collected and divided into the prepandemic, COVID-19 pandemic, and COVID-19 vaccine periods. Reporting rates were calculated based on estimates of vaccines administered. Proportion tests and Pearson χ 2 test were used to determine significant differences in reporting rates of ON after vaccines within the 3 periods. Kruskal-Wallis testing with Bonferroni-corrected post hoc analysis and multivariable binary logistic regression was used to determine significant case factors such as age, sex, concurrent multiple sclerosis (MS) and vaccine manufacturer in predicting a worse outcome defined as permanent disability, emergency room (ER) or doctor visits, and hospitalizations. RESULTS: A significant increase in the reporting rate of ON after COVID-19 vaccination compared with influenza vaccination and all other vaccinations (18.6 vs 0.2 vs 0.4 per 10 million, P < 0.0001) was observed. However, the reporting rate was within the incidence range of ON in the general population. Using self-controlled and case-centered analyses, there was a significant difference in the reporting rate of ON after COVID-19 vaccination between the risk period and control period ( P < 0.0001). Multivariable binary regression with adjustment for confounding variables demonstrated that only male sex was significantly associated with permanent disability. CONCLUSIONS: Some cases of ON may be temporally associated with the COVID-19 vaccines; however, there is no significant increase in the reporting rate compared with the incidence. Limitations of this study include those inherent to any passive surveillance system. Controlled studies are needed to establish a clear causal relationship.

Efficient Synthesis, Spectroscopic Characterization, and Nonlinear Optical Properties of Novel Salicylaldehyde-Based Thiosemicarbazones: Experimental and Theoretical Studies.

Currently, we reported the synthesis of six novel salicylaldehyde-based thiosemicarbazones (BHCT1-HBCT6) via condensation of salicylaldehyde with respective thiosemicarbazide. Through various spectroscopic methods, UV-visible and NMR, the chemical structures of BHCT1-HBCT6 compounds were determined. Along with synthesis, a computational study was also performed at the M06/6-31G(d,p) functional. Various analyses such as natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis, natural population analysis, frontier molecular orbital (FMO) analysis, and molecular electrostatic potential surfaces were carried out to understand the nonlinear optical (NLO) characteristics of the synthesized compounds. Additionally, a comparative study was carried out between DFT and experimental results (UV-vis study), and a good agreement was observed in the results. The energy gap calculated through FMOs was found to be in decreasing order as 4.505 (FHCT2) > 4.499 (HBCT6) > 4.497 (BHCT1) = 4.497(HMCT5) > 4.386 (CHCT3) > 4.241(AHCT4) in eV. The global reactivity parameters (GRPs) were attained through E HOMO and E LUMO, which described the stability and hardness of novel compounds. The NBO approach confirmed the charge delocalization and stability of the molecules. Among all the investigated compounds, a larger value (557.085 a.u.) of first hyperpolarizability (ßtot) was possessed by CHCT3. The NLO response (ßtot) of BHCT1-HBCT6 was found to be 9.145, 9.33, 13.33, 5.43, 5.68, and 10.13 a.u. times larger than that of the standard para-nitroaniline molecule. These findings ascertained the potential of entitled ligands as best NLO materials for a variety of applications in modern technology.