Incidental diagnosis of lung cancer on chest CT scan performed for suspected or documented COVID-19 infection.

CONTEXT: Recent studies have shown a benefit of chest computed tomography (CT scan) in lung cancer screening. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to many chest CT scan performed on a large population. The objective of this study was to describe the incidence and characteristics of lung cancer detected on chest CT scan, outside the framework of a clinical trial, for a suspected or documented COVID-19 infection. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter study, carried out from the analysis of data from the prospective COVID-19 database of the Clinical Data Warehouse of the Greater Paris University Hospitals (AP-HP). We identified the patients who had been diagnosed with a lung cancer, due to a chest CT scan done for a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection. The study period was limited to the first two epidemic lockdowns: (03/01/20 - 05/31/20) and (10/10/20 - 11/30/20). RESULTS: Over the study period, 24 390 patients had at least one chest CT scan. Among them, 72 lung cancer diagnoses were made (incidence 0.30 %; median age 67.4 years old, 50.0 % current smokers, 55.6 % adenocarcinoma). Half of the lung cancer patients (n = 36) did not meet the National Lung Screening Trial inclusion criteria. Twenty-six patients (36.1 %) were diagnosed at an early stage, 25 (34.7 %) of whom received radical curative treatment. Twenty-six patients died during the follow-up (36.1 %) but none in early stages. The median overall survival in lung cancer patients was 693 days [532 - NA]. CONCLUSIONS: A large-scale chest CT scan strategy for suspected or documented COVID-19 infection has allowed a significant proportion of early-stage lung cancer diagnosis, all of which have benefited from curative treatment.

Displacement of Zygomatic Implant in infratemporal region in a case of COVID-19 associated Mucormycosis.

Reconstruction of maxillary defects can be carried out by a variety of treatment modalities. The choice of modality depends on numerous factors including the size and extent of the defect, patient factors and existing comorbidities. One of the various options is reconstruction and rehabilitation using a fixed prosthesis supported over zygomatic implant. In maxillectomy cases, zygomatic implant can be used to improve the retention of the obturator prosthesis as loss of alveolar bone makes it impossible to use conventional endosseous implants. Even though the zygomatic implants are advocated to have high success rates, they are not complication free. We hereby present a rare complication associated with placement of zygomatic implant in an operated patient of COVID - 19 associated mucormycosis. This rare complication has never been reported before. The case report also highlights on the management of complication involving displacement of zygomatic implant in infratemporal region.

Synchronous pneumothorax and venous thromboembolism after body contouring surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Lipoabdominoplasty is one of the most common abdominal body contouring procedures performed today; however, it carries the risk of significant complications. Pneumothorax is a rare complication of liposuction, while, venous thromboembolism has a low short-term mortality and long-term morbidity. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 57-year-old woman with a history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, obesity, and severe COVID-19 three years earlier. The patient underwent 360-degree liposuction and abdominoplasty. In the immediate postoperative period, the patient developed a right pneumothorax and followed by deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), which were diagnosed and treated early. After six months of follow-up, the patient presented a complete recovery. DISCUSSION: Pneumothorax is recognized as a rare complication of liposuction and has been limited to case reports and small case series in the medical literature with an incidence of 0.04 %. In plastic and aesthetic surgery, body contouring procedures such as lipoabdominoplasty are associated with a risk of DVT and PE of 0.2-0.6 %, and 0.3 %, respectively. In addition, we believe that performing combined aesthetic procedures may increase the risk of complications. CONCLUSION: This is the first reported case of pneumothorax, DVT and PE after body contouring surgery. We highlight the importance of awareness of these complications and the need for a high index of suspicion for early diagnosis and treatment, which is critical for patient survival.

Adverse childhood experiences are associated with perceived cognitive difficulties among high school students in the United States.

Objective: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with mental health and cognitive problems, and mental health problems are associated with perceived cognitive difficulties among adolescents. The unique contribution of ACEs to cognitive difficulties after adjusting for poor mental health is not well understood and represents the purpose of this study. Methods: The Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey was conducted in 2021 with high school students in the United States. Cognitive difficulty was assessed with: 'Because of a physical, mental, or emotional problem, do you have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?' Four ACEs were examined: sexual violence (lifetime and past 12 months), parental emotional abuse, and parental physical abuse. Students were asked about feeling sad or hopeless (past year), considering suicide (past year), and having poor mental health (past month). Binary logistic regressions examined the association between ACEs and cognitive problems, adjusting for mental health. Results: Participants were 6,945 students. Students reporting poor mental health were very likely to endorse difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions (girls = 81% and boys = 67%). Cognitive difficulty was uncommon among students who denied poor mental health (girls = 17% and boys = 12%). For boys [p < 0.001; R2 = 0.22] and girls [p < 0.001; R2 = 0.31], after adjusting for mental health problems, independent predictors of cognitive difficulties included parental verbal abuse and physical abuse. For girls, lifetime forced sexual intercourse and sexual violence during the past year were also independently associated. Conclusion: ACEs are associated with perceived cognitive difficulty in both adolescent girls and boys, even after adjusting for poor mental health.

Whole genome analysis of Rhizopus species causing rhino-cerebral mucormycosis during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: Mucormycosis is an acute invasive fungal disease (IFD) seen mainly in immunocompromised hosts and in patients with uncontrolled diabetes. The incidence of mucormycosis increased exponentially in India during the SARS-CoV-2 (henceforth COVID-19) pandemic. Since there was a lack of data on molecular epidemiology of Mucorales causing IFD during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, whole genome analysis of the Rhizopus spp. isolated during this period was studied along with the detection of mutations that are associated with antifungal drug resistance. Materials and methods: A total of 50 isolates of Rhizopus spp. were included in this prospective study, which included 28 from patients with active COVID-19 disease, 9 from patients during the recovery phase, and 13 isolates from COVID-19-negative patients. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed for the isolates, and the de novo assembly was done with the Spades assembler. Species identification was done by extracting the ITS gene sequence from each isolate followed by searching Nucleotide BLAST. The phylogenetic trees were made with extracted ITS gene sequences and 12 eukaryotic core marker gene sequences, respectively, to assess the genetic distance between our isolates. Mutations associated with intrinsic drug resistance to fluconazole and voriconazole were analyzed. Results: All 50 patients presented to the hospital with acute fungal rhinosinusitis. These patients had a mean HbA1c of 11.2%, and a serum ferritin of 546.8 ng/mL. Twenty-five patients had received steroids. By WGS analysis, 62% of the Rhizopus species were identified as R. delemar. Bayesian analysis of population structure (BAPS) clustering categorized these isolates into five different groups, of which 28 belong to group 3, 9 to group 5, and 8 to group 1. Mutational analysis revealed that in the CYP51A gene, 50% of our isolates had frameshift mutations along with 7 synonymous mutations and 46% had only synonymous mutations, whereas in the CYP51B gene, 68% had only synonymous mutations and 26% did not have any mutations. Conclusion: WGS analysis of Mucorales identified during and after the COVID-19 pandemic gives insight into the molecular epidemiology of these isolates in our community and establishes newer mechanisms for intrinsic azole resistance.

Development of a novel instrument to characterize telemedicine programs in primary care.

BACKGROUND: Given the rapid deployment of telemedicine at the onset of the COVID - 19 pandemic, updated assessment methods are needed to study and characterize telemedicine programs. We developed a novel semi - structured survey instrument to systematically describe the characteristics and implementation processes of telemedicine programs in primary care. METHODS: In the context of a larger study aiming to describe telemedicine programs in primary care, a survey was developed in 3 iterative steps: 1) literature review to obtain a list of telemedicine features, facilitators, and barriers; 2) application of three evaluation frameworks; and 3) stakeholder engagement through a 2-stage feedback process. During survey refinement, items were tested against the evaluation frameworks while ensuring it could be completed within 20-25 min. Data reduction techniques were applied to explore opportunity for condensed variables/items. RESULTS: Sixty initially identified telemedicine features were reduced to 32 items / questions after stakeholder feedback. Per the life cycle framework, respondents are asked to report a month in which their telemedicine program reached a steady state, i.e., "maturation". Subsequent questions on telemedicine features are then stratified by telemedicine services offered at the pandemic onset and the reported point of maturation. Several open - ended questions allow for additional telemedicine experiences to be captured. Data reduction techniques revealed no indication for data reduction. CONCLUSION: This 32-item semi-structured survey standardizes the description of primary care telemedicine programs in terms of features as well as maturation process. This tool will facilitate evaluation of and comparisons between telemedicine programs across the United States, particularly those that were deployed at the pandemic onset.

[Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the management of imported malaria in China].

OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the epidemic status of imported malaria and national malaria control program in China, so as to provide insights into post-elimination malaria surveillance. METHODS: All data pertaining to imported malaria cases were collected from Anhui Province, Hubei Province, Henan Province, Zhejiang Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region during the period from January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2021. The number of malaria cases, species of malaria parasites, country where malaria parasite were infected, diagnosis and treatment after returning to China, and response were compared before (from January 1, 2018 to January 22, 2020) and after the COVID-19 pandemic (from January 23, 2020 to December 31, 2021). RESULTS: A total of 2 054 imported malaria cases were reported in Anhui Province, Hubei Province, Henan Province, Zhejiang Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region during the period from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2021, and there were 1 722 cases and 332 cases reported before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively. All cases were reported within one day after definitive diagnosis. The annual mean number of reported malaria cases reduced by 79.30% in Anhui Province, Hubei Province, Henan Province, Zhejiang Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region after the COVID-19 pandemic (171 cases) than before the pandemic (826 cases), and the number of monthly reported malaria cases significantly reduced in Anhui Province, Hubei Province, Henan Province, Zhejiang Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region since February 2020. There was a significant difference in the constituent ratio of species of malaria parasites among the imported malaria cases in Anhui Province, Hubei Province, Henan Province, Zhejiang Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region before and after the COVID-19 pandemic (χ2 = 146.70, P < 0.05), and P. falciparum malaria was predominant before the COVID-19 pandemic (72.30%), while P. ovale malaria (44.28%) was predominant after the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by P. falciparum malaria (37.65%). There was a significant difference in the constituent ratio of country where malaria parasites were infected among imported malaria cases in Anhui Province, Hubei Province, Henan Province, Zhejiang Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region before and after the COVID-19 pandemic (χ2 = 13.83, P < 0.05), and the proportion of malaria cases that acquired Plasmodium infections in western Africa reduced after the COVID-19 pandemic that before the pandemic (44.13% vs. 37.95%; χ2 = 4.34, P < 0.05), while the proportion of malaria cases that acquired Plasmodium infections in eastern Africa increased after the COVID-19 pandemic that before the pandemic (9.58% vs. 15.36%; χ2 = 9.88, P = 0.02). The proportion of completing case investigation within 3 days was significantly lower after the COVID-19 pandemic than before the pandemic (96.69% vs. 98.32%; χ2= 3.87, P < 0.05), while the proportion of finishing foci investigation and response within 7 days was significantly higher after the COVID-19 pandemic than before the pandemic (100.00% vs. 98.43%; χ2 = 3.95, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The number of imported malaria cases remarkably reduced in Anhui Province, Hubei Province, Henan Province, Zhejiang Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a decreased proportion of completing case investigations within 3 days. The sensitivity of the malaria surveillance-response system requires to be improved to prevent the risk of secondary transmission of malaria due to the sharp increase in the number of imported malaria cases following the change of the COVID-19 containment policy.

Helper Syndrome and Pathological Altruism in nurses - a study in times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Pathological Altruism and the concept of Helper Syndrome are comparable. We focused on Schmidbauer's description because it provides a comprehensive and testable definition. Nevertheless, this concept of Helper Syndrome has not yet been empirically investigated in a sample of helping professionals. Aim: To investigate whether nurses working with covid-19 patients are more likely to have Helper Syndrome compared with individuals from non-helper professions. Methods: The online survey took place between April 2021 and February 2022, in urban and rural regions of Salzburg, during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurses (n = 447) and controls (n = 295) were compared regarding Helper Syndrome characteristics. To measure characteristics of Helper Syndrome the following questionnaires were used: WHO-Five (WHO-5), selected scales of the Personality, Style and Disorder Inventory (PSSI) and the Freiburg Personality Inventory-Revised (FPI-R), the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Insecure gender identity and self-assessment of having a Helper Syndrome was measured by a Likert scale. Results: In both groups, Helper Syndrome was detected (nurses 29.5%, controls 30.5%). Participants with Helper Syndrome showed significant differences in personality styles and traits, namely significantly higher scores for Foreboding-Schizotypical Personality Style, Spontaneous-Borderline Personality Style, Amiable-Histrionic Personality Style, Ambitious-Narcissistic Personality Style, Loyal-Dependent Personality Style, Helpful-Selfless Personality Style, Carefully-Obsessive Personality Style, Optimistic-Rhapsodic Personality Style, Social Orientation, Strain, Emotionality and lower well-being. The only difference between nurses and controls was that nurses were significantly less open aggressive. Conclusion: For the first time, we were able to demonstrate Schmidbauer's concept of Helper Syndrome. According to our data, we found a subgroup of individuals similar to Schmidbauer's description of Helper Syndrome, but this sample was independent of helping or non-helping profession. These individuals seem to be at higher risk for psychiatric disorders.

The impact of immunocompromise on outcomes of COVID-19 in children and young people-a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Despite children and young people (CYP) having a low risk for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes, there is still a degree of uncertainty related to their risk in the context of immunodeficiency or immunosuppression, primarily due to significant reporting bias in most studies, as CYP characteristically experience milder or asymptomatic COVID-19 infection and the severe outcomes tend to be overestimated. Methods: A comprehensive systematic review to identify globally relevant studies in immunosuppressed CYP and CYP in general population (defined as younger than 25 years of age) up to 31 October 2021 (to exclude vaccinated populations) was performed. Studies were included if they reported the two primary outcomes of our study, admission to intensive therapy unit (ITU) and mortality, while data on other outcomes, such as hospitalization and need for mechanical ventilation were also collected. A meta-analysis estimated the pooled proportion for each severe COVID-19 outcome, using the inverse variance method. Random effects models were used to account for interstudy heterogeneity. Findings: The systematic review identified 30 eligible studies for each of the two populations investigated: immunosuppressed CYP (n = 793) and CYP in general population (n = 102,022). Our meta-analysis found higher estimated prevalence for hospitalization (46% vs. 16%), ITU admission (12% vs. 2%), mechanical ventilation (8% vs. 1%), and increased mortality due to severe COVID-19 infection (6.5% vs. 0.2%) in immunocompromised CYP compared with CYP in general population. This shows an overall trend for more severe outcomes of COVID-19 infection in immunocompromised CYP, similar to adult studies. Interpretation: This is the only up-to-date meta-analysis in immunocompromised CYP with high global relevance, which excluded reports from hospitalized cohorts alone and included 35% studies from low- and middle-income countries. Future research is required to characterize individual subgroups of immunocompromised patients, as well as impact of vaccination on severe COVID-19 outcomes. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO identifier, CRD42021278598.

Mucormicosis maxilar asociado a COVID-19, tratamiento médico-quirúrgico y manejo multidisciplinario. Reporte de caso / Maxillary mucormycosis associated with COVID-19, medical-surgical treatment and multidisciplinary management. Case report

Resumen Introducción: Durante la actual pandemia de COVID-19 múltiples complicaciones se han desarrollado posterior a la enfermedad, dentro de las cuales se encuentran las infecciones fúngicas, como la mucormicosis, que puede resultar directamente de la infección por COVID-19 y/o como efecto secundario de los fármacos utilizados en su tratamiento. La mucormicosis es una infección causada por un grupo de hongos llamados mucormycetes; a nivel rinocerebral se presenta con celulitis facial, cefalea, proptosis, movilización del diente afectado y secreción nasal. Reporte de caso: Se presenta a un paciente femenino de 57 años con antecedente de neumonía grave por COVID-19 con posterior desarrollo de absceso periodontal que ameritó extracción del segundo molar superior derecho con posterior formación de fistula. Se toma TC de macizo facial donde se evidencia erosión ósea con pérdida de la morfología habitual y en pared anterior del seno maxilar derecho. Se realiza biopsia reportando tejido óseo con elementos micóticos (hifas aseptadas) morfológicamente compatibles con mucor sp. Se realizó tratamiento con anfotericina B y hemimaxilectomia derecha. Actualmente se encuentra en tratamiento con pozaconazol, y lavados quirúrgicos. Conclusión: La enfermedad de COVID-19 es una enfermedad muy común actualmente a nivel mundial, por lo que es importante identificar y llevar un seguimiento de aquellas personas con factores de riesgo para desarrollar mucormicosis; el diagnóstico y un plan de tratamiento temprano es fundamental para evitar complicaciones, las cuales pueden originar un desenlace fatal.

Abstract Introduction: During the current pandemic of COVID-19 multiple complications have developed after the disease, among which are fungal infections, such as mucormycosis, which can result directly from COVID-19 infection and/or as a side effect of the drugs used in its treatment. Mucormycosis is an infection caused by a group of fungi called mucormycetes; at the rhinocerebral level it presents with facial cellulitis, headache, proptosis, mobilization of the affected tooth and nasal secretion. Case report: the following is a 57-year-old female patient with a history of severe pneumonia due to COVID-19 with subsequent development of periodontal abscess that merited extraction of the upper right second molar with subsequent fistula formation. The patient started an infection with the presence of purulent secretion in the extraction area of the right molar. A CT scan of the facial mass was taken showing bone erosion with loss of the usual morphology in the right upper maxillary bone and anterior wall of the right maxillary sinus, as well as a biopsy of the right maxilla reporting bone tissue with mycotic elements (aseptates hyphae) morphologically compatible with mucor sp. Treatment with amphotericin B and right hemimaxillectomy was performed. She is currently being treated with pozaconazole and surgical washings. Conclusion: COVID-19 disease is currently a very common disease worldwide, so it is important to identify and follow up those people with risk factors for developing mucormycosis; early diagnosis and treatment plan is essential to avoid complications, which can lead to a fatal outcome.

Improved awareness of physical activities is associated with a gain of fitness and a stable body weight in breast cancer patients during the first year of antineoplastic therapy: the BEGYN-1 study.

Background: Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer in women. Reduced physical activity and overweight are associated with poor prognosis. Breast cancer patients have a high risk to gain weight, lose muscle mass and reduce physical activity during therapy. Concepts are urgently needed to motivate patients to engage in physical activity. Methods: 110 non-metastatic breast cancer patients were included in the prospective observational BEGYN-1 study. Physiological parameters and body composition were measured before the start of therapy and then quarterly for one year. Patients used a fitness tracker and documented their physical activity in a diary throughout the study. Results: Although the patients were not offered any guided exercise, and despite the restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, they increased their physical activity (metabolic equivalent of task (MET) -minutes): p<0.001), physical fitness (decreasing resting heart rate: p=0.001) and did not gain weight (median - 0.4kg) over the course of the study. Conclusion: Improved awareness of physical activity is associated with an increase in physical activity, fitness, and a stable weight during the first year of therapy in breast cancer patients. Counselling at diagnosis should motivate patients to engage in physical activity, wear a fitness tracker and document activities.

Activation and pro-inflammatory cytokine production by unswitched memory B cells during SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Memory B cells are comprised of unswitched (CD27+IgD+) and switched (CD27+IgD-) subsets. The origin and function of unswitched human memory B cells are debated in the literature, whereas switched memory B cells are primed to respond to recurrent infection. Unswitched memory B cells have been described to be reduced in frequency with severe SARS-CoV2 infection and here we characterize their activation status, BCR functionality, and contribution to virally-induced cytokine production. Analyses of whole blood from healthy individuals, people immunized against SARS-CoV2, and those who have had mild and severe SARS-CoV2 infection, confirm a reduction in the frequency of unswitched memory B cells during severe SARS-CoV2 infection and demonstrate this reduction is associated with increased levels of systemic TNFα. We further document how severe viral infection is associated with an increased frequency of 'IgD+' only memory B cells that correlate with increased IgG autoantibody levels. Unswitched and switched memory B cells from severe SARS-CoV2 infection displayed evidence of heightened activation with a concomitant reduction in the expression of the inhibitory receptor CD72. Functionally, both populations of memory B cells from severe SARS-COV2 infection harbored a signaling-competent BCR that displayed enhanced BCR signaling activity in the unswitched population. Finally, we demonstrate that B cells from mild SARS-CoV2 infection are poised to secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNFα. Importantly, unswitched memory B cells were a major producer of IL-6 and switched memory B cells were a major producer of TNFα in response to viral TLR ligands. Together these data indicate that B cells contribute to the inflammatory milieu during viral infection.

Supervised interprofessional student pain clinic program - efficacy with the utilization of zoom.

Introduction: Current medical education curricula in pain management are insufficient to match the prevalence of chronic pain and the needs of patient populations. The Supervised Student Inter-professional Pain Clinic Program (SSIPCP) aims to train healthcare professional students to improve their abilities in chronic pain management in interprofessional (IP) teams. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Zoom was employed to allow the program to continue. In this study, survey data from students who participated during and before the COVID-19 pandemic were compared to determine if the program carried out via Zoom can maintain its effectiveness. Methods: Student pre- and post-program survey data were entered into Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and then graphed and analyzed with Sigma Plot. Surveys assessed knowledge in chronic pain physiology and management, attitude towards IP practice, and perceived team skills in the form of questionnaires and open-ended questions. Paired t-tests and Wilcoxon Signed-rank tests were used for two-group comparisons and two-way repeated ANOVA followed by the Holm-Sidak post-hoc tests were used for multiple group comparisons. Results: Overall, students continued to exhibit significant improvement in major areas assessed even with the use of Zoom. Strengths of the programs were also shared across student cohorts regardless of Zoom usage. However, despite their improvements, students who utilized Zoom stated that they would have preferred in-person program activities. Conclusion: Although students prefer in-person activities, the SSIPCP successfully trained healthcare students in chronic pain management and working in an IP team through Zoom.

Telemedicine for diabetes management during COVID-19: what we have learnt, what and how to implement.

The past two decades have witnessed telemedicine becoming a crucial part of health care as a method to facilitate doctor-patient interaction. Due to technological developments and the incremental acquisition of experience in its use, telemedicine's advantages and cost-effectiveness has led to it being recognised as specifically relevant to diabetology. However, the pandemic created new challenges for healthcare systems and the rate of development of digital services started to grow exponentially. It was soon discovered that COVID-19-infected patients with diabetes had an increased risk of both mortality and debilitating sequelae. In addition, it was observed that this higher risk could be attenuated primarily by maintaining optimal control of the patient's glucose metabolism. As opportunities for actual physical doctor-patient visits became restricted, telemedicine provided the most convenient opportunity to communicate with patients and maintain delivery of care. The wide range of experiences of health care provision during the pandemic has led to the development of several excellent strategies regarding the applicability of telemedicine across the whole spectrum of diabetes care. The continuation of these strategies is likely to benefit clinical practice even after the pandemic crisis is over.

The multifaceted nature of IL-10: regulation, role in immunological homeostasis and its relevance to cancer, COVID-19 and post-COVID conditions.

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a pleiotropic cytokine that has a fundamental role in modulating inflammation and in maintaining cell homeostasis. It primarily acts as an anti-inflammatory cytokine, protecting the body from an uncontrolled immune response, mostly through the Jak1/Tyk2 and STAT3 signaling pathway. On the other hand, IL-10 can also have immunostimulating functions under certain conditions. Given the pivotal role of IL-10 in immune modulation, this cytokine could have relevant implications in pathologies characterized by hyperinflammatory state, such as cancer, or infectious diseases as in the case of COVID-19 and Post-COVID-19 syndrome. Recent evidence proposed IL-10 as a predictor of severity and mortality for patients with acute or post-acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this context, IL-10 can act as an endogenous danger signal, released by tissues undergoing damage in an attempt to protect the organism from harmful hyperinflammation. Pharmacological strategies aimed to potentiate or restore IL-10 immunomodulatory action may represent novel promising avenues to counteract cytokine storm arising from hyperinflammation and effectively mitigate severe complications. Natural bioactive compounds, derived from terrestrial or marine photosynthetic organisms and able to increase IL-10 expression, could represent a useful prevention strategy to curb inflammation through IL-10 elevation and will be discussed here. However, the multifaceted nature of IL-10 has to be taken into account in the attempts to modulate its levels.