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The aim of our study was to investigate the immunogenicity of the BNT162b2 vaccination according to the age and medical status of vaccinated individuals. A total of 511 individuals were enrolled (median age: 54.0 years, range: 19–105); 509 of these individuals (99.6%) received two doses of BNT162b2 at an interval of 21 days. IgG and IgA responses were evaluated on days 21, 42, 90, and 180 after the first dose with chemiluminescent microparticle and ELISA assays. The cell-mediated immune responses were assessed by an automated interferon-gamma release assay. We demonstrated positive antibody responses after vaccination for the majority of enrolled participants, although waning of IgG and IgA titers was also observed over time. We further observed that the intensity of humoral responses was positively correlated with increased age and prior COVID-19 infection (either before or after the first vaccination). Moreover, we found that only a medical history of autoimmune disease could affect the intensity of IgA and IgG responses (3 weeks after the primary and secondary immunization, respectively), while development of systemic adverse reactions after the second vaccination dose was significantly associated with the height of IgG responses. Finally, we identified a clear correlation between humoral and cellular responses, suggesting that the study of cellular responses is not required as a routine laboratory test after vaccination. Our results provide useful information about the immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccination with significant implications for public health vaccination strategies.

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Introduction: Rapid antigen tests (RATs) are convenient for SARS-CoV-2 detection because they are simpler and faster than nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs). This study aimed to assess the accuracy of a locally manufactured test; Rapid Test Ag 2019-nCoV (PROGNOSIS, BIOTECH, Larissa, Greece) in a clinical setting and during mass screening. Methods: Nasopharyngeal samples from 624 individuals were analyzed. The results of the rapid test were compared to real-time reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). At the end of the test’s procedure, positive test strips were scanned in an S-Flow reader in order to roughly estimate the antigen concentration. Results: The lower limit of detection of the test was 468.75 genome copies/mL. The PROGNOSIS rapid test displayed a sensitivity of 85.5% (141/165) (95%CI: 79.1–90.5) and a specificity of 99.8% (458/459) (95%CI: 98.8%–100.0%). The general inter-rater agreement was 0.89 (95%CI: 85.1–93.3). The regression analysis between the S-flow reader measurements (viral antigen) and the viral load of the positive samples demonstrated a weak correlation (R2 = 0.288, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The Rapid Test Ag 2019-nCoV demonstrated sufficient sensitivity, excellent specificity and could be available to be used with low overall cost. Thus, it could be used as point of care test, but also for mass screening for rapid detection of infected persons (e.g., for travelers).

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and systemic immune-inflammatory (SII) index, which provide a simple, rapid, inexpensive method to measure the level of inflammation, have been examined as potential inflammatory biomarkers of bipolar disorder (BD) in several studies. We conducted a case-control study recruiting 180 BD patients and 407 healthy controls. BD patients who met the inclusion criteria and were hospitalized due to BD at the psychiatry clinic of the University General Hospital of Larisa, Greece, until September 2021 were included in the study. Among them, 111 patients experienced a manic episode and 69 patients experienced a depressive episode. Data including a complete blood count were retrieved from their first admission to the hospital. Bipolar patients had a higher NLR, MLR and SII index compared to healthy controls when they were experiencing a manic episode (p < 0.001) and a depressive episode (p < 0.001). MLR was increased with large effect size only in patients expressing manic episodes. Neutrophils and NLR had the highest area under the curve with a cutoff of 4.38 and 2.15 in the ROC curve, respectively. Gender-related differences were mainly observed in the SII index, with males who were expressing manic episodes and females expressing depressive episodes having an increased index compared to healthy controls. The NLR, MLR and SII index were significantly higher in patients with BD than in healthy controls, which implies a higher grade of inflammation in BD patients.

The aim of the study was to compare mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 with adenovirus vector- based vaccines in terms of presence of adverse reactions, immunogenicity, and protection against COVID-19. A total of 270 individuals were enrolled, of which 135 were vaccinated with adenovirus vector-based vaccines and compared with 135 age- and sex-matched participants who received the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. Serum sampling was performed on all participants on days 21, 42, 90, and 180 following the first dose, to evaluate anti-spike IgG and IgA responses. Antibodies were quantified by chemiluminescent microplate and ELISA assays. We demonstrate that both mRNA and adenovirus vector-based vaccines caused mild side-effects and were effective in inducing adequate antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2, although BNT162b2 was superior concerning the intensity of antibody responses and protection against severe COVID-19. Moreover, we identify that IgG and IgA responses depended primarily on both history of previous COVID-19 infection and vaccination platform used, with individuals immunized with a single-dose vaccine having lower antibody titers over time. Lastly, all vaccine platforms had limited side-effects, with the most frequent pain at the injection site. Our results provide useful information regarding antibody responses after vaccination with different vaccine platforms, which can be useful for public health vaccination strategies.

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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, broke out in December 2019 in Wuhan city of China and spread rapidly worldwide. Therefore, by March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the disease a global pandemic. Apart from the respiratory system, various other organs of the human body are also seriously affected by the virus. Liver injury in patients with a severe form of COVID-19 is estimated to be 14.8%-53.0%. Elevated levels of total bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase and low levels of serum albumin and prealbumin are the main laboratory findings. Patients with pre-existing chronic liver disease and cirrhosis are much more prone to develop severe liver injury. This literature review presented the recent scientific findings regarding the pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for liver injury in critically ill patients with COVID-19, the various interactions between drugs used to treat the disease and the function of the liver and the specific tests providing the possibility of early diagnosis of severe liver injury in these patients. Moreover, it highlighted the burden that COVID-19 put on health systems worldwide and its effect on transplant programs and the care provided to critically ill patients in general and particularly to those with chronic liver disease.