The impact of COVID-19 on a Southern Chinese cohort with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders.

BACKGROUND: There are few studies on risk factors for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in patients with Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders (NMOSD). The relationship between NMOSD relapse and COVID-19 needs to be evaluated. The objective of our study is to identify the risk factors of COVID-19 infection and NMOSD relapse among NMOSD patients with COVID-19. METHOD: A total of 379 NMOSD patients registered in a NMOSD database were included in this case-control study after the end of the COVID-19 quarantine and restriction policies on December 6, 2022 in China. Data were obtained from the database. Additional information was obtained by questionnaires and the Neurology out-patient clinic. The clinical characteristics of NMOSD patients with COVID-19 were described. Risk factors associated with COVID-19 infection and outcome among patients with NMOSD were analyzed. Risk factors associated with relapse in NMOSD patients with COVID-19 were also identified. RESULTS: 239 (63.1%) NMOSD patients were infected with COVID-19. Patients with NMOSD who were infected with COVID-19, in comparison to those without COVID-19, were younger at the time of interview (median [IQR] age: 43.00 [32.00-55.00] vs 49.50 [35.25-56.00] years, P = 0.029), younger at NMOSD onset (median [IQR] age: 38.00 [27.00-51.00] vs 45.00 [32.00-52.75] years, P = 0.013), had abnormal visual evoked potentials before infection (73.4% vs 54.3% P = 0.029), had lower baseline Activities of Daily Living Scale (ADL) scores (median [IQR] ADL: 14.00 [14.00-16.00] vs 14.00 [14.00-19.00], P = 0.014) or lower baseline modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores (1.12±0.749 vs 1.33±0.991, P = 0.037), and were less frequently treated with more than 10 mg prednisone or 8 mg methylprednisolone (25.0% vs 36.0%,p = 0.026). All 9 NMOSD patients who had symptomatic cerebral syndrome developed moderate/severe COVID-19. A higher percentage of patients with moderate/severe COVID-19 experienced more than one core clinical NMOSD symptoms (61.5% vs 55.1%, p = 0.044), compared to patients with mild COVID-19. Higher risk of NMOSD relapse among NMOSD patients with COVID-19 was associated with higher Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores (median[IQR] EDSS: 2.00 [1.00-3.00] vs 1.50 [1.00-2.25], P = 0.037) and drug treatments disruption (21.6% vs 5.0% P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: NMOSD patients with younger age, lower baseline ADL or mRS had higher incidence of being diagnosed with COVID-19 during pandemic. Glucocorticoid use may decrease the risk of COVID-19. NMOSD patients with symptomatic cerebral syndrome before the COVID-19 pandemic are associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes. Drug treatment disruption may result in relapse among NMOSD patients with COVID-19.

Clinical Characteristics of Myasthenia Gravis Patients with COVID-19 in Guangxi, China: A Case-Control Study.

Purpose: With the adjustment of prevention strategies in December 2022, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) became widely prevalent in China. This study is aimed to describe the clinical characteristics of myasthenia gravis (MG) patients with COVID-19 and identify risk factors of exacerbation in MG patients with COVID-19 in Guangxi. Patients and Methods: A total of 489 MG patients and 587 control subjects in Guangxi during the COVID-19 pandemic were enrolled in this case-control study. After contacting the participants, the clinical data of MG patients and the control group were analyzed. The clinical characteristics of MG patients with COVID-19 were described. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used for discovering independent risk factors of MG exacerbation in the patients with MG and COVID-19. Results: A total of 311 (75.30%) MG patients and 428 (72.91%) control subjects were infected with COVID-19, and 64.31% of MG patients with COVID-19 were women. The median age at the time of interview was 41 (IQR: 28, 54) years old, and median onset age was 36 (IQR: 24, 51), both of which were lower than those in MG patients without COVID-19. MG duration was 24 (IQR: 9, 72) months. About 44.69% of patients were generalized MG (GMG). About 11.90% of MG patients with COVID-19 showed severe COVID-19 symptoms and the duration of symptomatic COVID-19 was 9.57 ± 6.79 days, higher than those in the control group. About 35.69% MG patients with immunosuppressive drugs were infected with COVID-19, which is higher than those in the non-infected MG patients (21.57%). A total of 120 (38.59%) MG patients with COVID-19 had comorbidities. About 21 (20.19%) of the 104 MG patients without vaccination showed severe COVID-19 symptoms. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that baseline MG activities of daily living profile (MG-ADL, OR 1.280, 95% CI: 1.010-1.621, p = 0.041), duration of COVID-19 (OR 1.158, 95% CI: 1.100-1.220, p < 0.001), GMG (OR 2.331, 95% CI: 1.228, 4.426, p = 0.010), and lack of COVID vaccination (OR 2.075, 95% CI: 1.152, 3.738, p = 0.015) were independent factors of exacerbation in MG patients with COVID-19. Conclusion: MG patients with immunosuppressive drugs, younger onset, longer MG duration, or comorbidities are more susceptible to COVID-19. The baseline MG-ADL, duration of symptomatic COVID-19, GMG, and lack of COVID-19 vaccination are independent risk factors of exacerbation in MG patients with COVID-19.

Inhibiting PI3K/Akt-Signaling Pathway Improves Neurobehavior Changes in Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis Mice by Ameliorating Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption and Neuronal Damage.

The disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is hypothesized to be involved in the progression of anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis, but its mechanism is still unclear. Recently, the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/threonine kinase (Akt) pathway is involved in the regulation of the BBB in various diseases. This study is aimed to investigate the mechanism of BBB damage and neurobehavior changes in anti-NMDAR encephalitis mice. Female C57BL/6J mice were actively immunized to establish an anti-NMDAR encephalitis mouse model and evaluate the neurobehavior changes of mice. To study its potential mechanism, LY294002 (PI3K inhibitor, 8 mg/kg) and Recilisib (PI3K agonist, 10 mg/kg) were treated by intraperitoneal injection, respectively. Anti-NMDAR encephalitis mice showed neurological deficits, increased BBB permeability, open endothelial tight junctions (TJs), and decreased expression of TJ-related proteins zonula occludens (ZO)-1 and Claudin-5. However, administration of PI3K inhibitor significantly reduced the expression of p-PI3K and p-Akt, improved neurobehavior function, decreased BBB permeability, and upregulated the expressions of ZO-1 and Claudin-5. Furthermore, PI3K inhibition reversed the decline of NMDAR NR1 in the membranes of hippocampal neurons, which reduced the loss of neuron-specific nucleoprotein (NeuN) and microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2). In contrast, administration of the PI3K agonist Recilisib showed a tendency to exacerbate BBB breakdown and neurological deficits. Our results showed that the activation of PI3K/Akt, along with the changes in TJ-related proteins ZO-1 and Claudin-5, may be closely related to BBB damage and neurobehavior changes in anti-NMDAR encephalitis mice. PI3K inhibition attenuates BBB disruption and neuronal damage in mice, thereby improving neurobehavior.