1.
Normal T and B Cell Responses Against SARS-CoV-2 in a Family With a Non-Functional Vitamin D Receptor: A Case Report.
Kongsbak-Wismann, M, Al-Jaberi, FAH, Schmidt, JD, Ghanizada, M, Hansen, CB, Lopez, DV, Woetmann, A, Ødum, N, Bonefeld, CM, Stryhn, A, et al
Frontiers in immunology. 2021;:758154
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has severely impacted daily life all over the world. Any measures to slow down the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and to decrease disease severity are highly requested. Recent studies have reported inverse correlations between plasma levels of vitamin D and susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity. Therefore, it has been proposed to supplement the general population with vitamin D to reduce the impact of COVID-19. However, by studying the course of COVID-19 and the immune response against SARS-CoV-2 in a family with a mutated, non-functional vitamin D receptor, we here demonstrate that vitamin D signaling was dispensable for mounting an efficient adaptive immune response against SARS-CoV-2 in this family. Although these observations might not directly be transferred to the general population, they question a central role of vitamin D in the generation of adaptive immunity against SARS-CoV-2.
2.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 as a potential cause of type 1 diabetes facilitated by spike protein receptor binding domain attachment to human islet cells: An illustrative case study and experimental data.
Venkatesh, N, Astbury, N, Thomas, MC, Rosado, CJ, Pappas, E, Krishnamurthy, B, MacIsaac, RJ, Kay, TWH, Thomas, HE, O'Neal, DN
Diabetic medicine : a journal of the British Diabetic Association. 2021;(11):e14608
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Abstract
AIMS: Aim of this study is to report severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), as a possible cause for type 1 diabetes by providing an illustrative clinical case of a man aged 45 years presenting with antibody-negative diabetic ketoacidosis post-recovery from COVID-19 pneumonia and to explore the potential for SARS-CoV-2 to adhere to human islet cells. METHODS Explanted human islet cells from three independent solid organ donors were incubated with the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor biding domain (RBD) fused to a green fluorescent protein (GFP) or a control-GFP, with differential adherence established by flow cytometry. RESULTS Flow cytometry revealed dose-dependent specific binding of RBD-GFP to islet cells when compared to control-GFP. CONCLUSIONS Although a causal basis remains to be established, our case and in vitro data highlight a potential mechanism by which SARS-CoV-2 infection may result in antibody-negative type 1 diabetes.
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New-onset Nephrotic Syndrome after Janssen COVID-19 Vaccination: a Case Report and Literature Review.
Lim, JH, Han, MH, Kim, YJ, Kim, MS, Jung, HY, Choi, JY, Cho, JH, Kim, CD, Kim, YL, Park, SH
Journal of Korean medical science. 2021;(30):e218
Abstract
Various coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are being developed, which show practical preventive effects. Here, we report a 51-year-old healthy man with nephrotic syndrome secondary to minimal change disease (MCD) after Ad26.COV.2 (Janssen) vaccination. He had no comorbid disease and received Ad26.COV.2 on April 13, 2021. Seven days after vaccination, he developed edema and foamy urine. Edema rapidly aggravated with decreased urine volume. He was admitted to the hospital 28 days after vaccination, and his body weight increased by 21 kg after vaccination. His serum creatinine level was 1.54 mg/dL, and 24-h urinary protein excretion was 8.6 g/day. Kidney biopsy revealed no abnormality in the glomeruli and interstitium of the cortex and medulla under the light microscope. Electron microscopy revealed diffuse effacement of the podocyte foot processes, thus, he was diagnosed with MCD. High-dose steroid therapy was applied, and his kidney function improved three days after steroid therapy. Three weeks after steroid use, his serum creatinine decreased to 0.95 mg/dL, and spot urine protein-to-creatine decreased to 0.2 g/g. This case highlights the risk of new-onset nephrotic syndrome secondary to MCD after vectored COVID-19 vaccination. Although the pathogenesis is uncertain, clinicians need to be careful about adverse renal effects of COVID-19 vaccines.