Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, physical therapists have had to adopt a set of specific protection measures, which have had an impact on their clinical activity and economy. The objective was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the work of Spanish physical therapists, as well as their attitudes and predisposition to vaccination. An online questionnaire was divided into five sections: (1) demographic and professional data; (2) labor impact; (3) precautions and infection-control measures; (4) economic impact; and (5) vaccine acceptance and adverse effects. Of the 666 participants, 62.1% showed a reduction in their working hours motivated by: fear of infection (p = 0.007), financial issues (p = 0.002) and being in quarantine or isolation (p < 0.001). Of these, 36.4% were forced to close the clinic, 62.7% requested help from the government, but only 12.04% mentioned that it was adequate. The main prevention measures adopted were the use of gels and masks and, in the private sector, disinfection with ozone or ultraviolet light (p < 0.05). The acceptance of the vaccine was high, 87.5%, being lower among the group over 40 years of age, self-employed, widowed or separated. More adverse effects were mentioned after receiving the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, compared to Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna. In conclusion, this study assessed for the first time that the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain had a negative impact on work and finances of physical therapists. The vaccine was widely accepted, in part by the economic impact that an infection in the work setting could signify.

The effect of a third vaccine dose (3D) of homologous mRNA vaccine on blood levels of SARS-CoV-2-receptor binding domain (RBD)-total antibodies was assessed in 40 hemodialysis patients (HD) and 21 kidney transplant recipients (KTR) at a median of 46 days after 3D. Anti-RBD antibodies were detected in 39/40 HD and 19/21 KTR. Overall, 3D boosted anti-RBD antibody levels (median: 58-fold increase). Neutralizing antibodies (NtAb) against the Wuhan-Hu-1, Delta, and Omicron variants were detected in 14, 13, and 11 out of 14 HD patients, and in 5, 5, and 4 out of 8 KTR patients, respectively. The median fold increase in NtAb titers in HD patients was 77, 28, and 5 and 56, 37, and 9 in KTR patients for each respective variant. SARS-CoV-2-S S-IFN- -producing CD8+ and CD4+ T-cell responses were detected in the majority of HD (35 and 36/37, respectively) and all KTR (16/16) patients at 3D. Overall, the administration of 3D boosted T-cell levels in both population groups. In conclusion, a homologous mRNA COVID-19 vaccine 3D exerts a booster effect on anti-RBD antibodies, NtAb binding to Wuhan-Hu-1, Delta, and Omicron variants, and SARS-CoV-2-S-IFN- -producing T cells in both HD and KTR patients. The magnitude of the effect was more marked in HD than KTR patients.

The purpose of the study is to analyze the impact of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 on anxiety and depression scores in patients with different modalities of chronic kidney disease. One hundred and seventeen renal patients (50 hemodialysis patients, 13 peritoneal dialysis patients, 32 kidney transplants, and 22 advanced chronic kidney disease patients at pre-dialysis care) were evaluated for depression, anxiety, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and perceived fears and resources with standardized (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)) and self-reported questionnaires. The measure points were before vaccination and 15 days after vaccination. The main finding of the study was that there was a decrease in the global mean of normal scores for anxiety and depression symptoms in chronic kidney disease patients post-vaccination. We did not find statistically significant differences in depression or anxiety scores, nor any HRQOL differences between the treatment groups. The three main fears reported by the participants at baseline were those of adverse effects, not getting the vaccine, and lack of information. These findings highlight the potential interest of assessing psychological variables related to the impact of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. New studies will be required to assess the impact of comprehensive vaccine coverage and its psychological impact.

This study analyses the obstetric–neonatal outcomes of women in labour with symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19. A retrospective, multicenter, observational study was carried out between 1 March 2020 and 28 February 2021 in eight public hospitals in the Valencian community (Spain). The chi-squared test compared the obstetric–neonatal outcomes and general care for symptomatic and asymptomatic women. In total, 11,883 births were assisted in participating centers, with 10.9 per 1000 maternities (n = 130) infected with SARS-CoV-2. The 20.8% were symptomatic and had more complications both upon admission (p = 0.042) and during puerperium (p = 0.042), as well as transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU). The percentage of admission to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) was greater among offspring of symptomatic women compared to infants born of asymptomatic women (p < 0.001). Compared with asymptomatic women, those with symptoms underwent less labour companionship (p = 0.028), less early skin-to-skin contact (p = 0.029) and greater mother–infant separation (p = 0.005). The overall maternal mortality rate was 0.8%. No vertical transmission was recorded. In conclusion, symptomatic infected women are at increased risk of lack of labour companionship, mother–infant separation, and admission to the ICU, as well as to have preterm births and for NICU admissions.

Background. Little is known regarding the dynamics of antibody and T-cell responses in chronic kidney disease (CKD) following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination. Methods. Prospective observational cohort study including 144 participants on haemodialysis (HD) (n = 52) or peritoneal dialysis (PD) (n = 14), those undergoing kidney transplantation (KT) (n = 30) or those with advanced CKD (ACKD) not on dialysis and healthy controls (n = 18). Anti-Spike (S) antibody and T-cell responses were assessed at 15 days (15D) and 3 months (3M) after complete vaccination schedule. HD, PD and KT patients received mRNA vaccines (mRNA-123 and BNT162b2). Most ACKD patients received BNT162b2 (n = 23), or Ad26.COV.2.S (4). Most controls received BNT162b2 (n = 12), or Ad26.COV.2.S (n = 5). Results. Anti-S antibodies at 15D and 3M were detectable in 95% (48/50)/98% (49/50) of HD patients, 93% (13/14)/100% of PD patients, 67% (17/26)/75% (21/28) of KT patients and 96% (25/26)/100% (24/24) of ACKD patients. Rates for healthy controls were 81% (13/16)/100% (17/17). Previous severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2-S) infection was documented in four (7.7%) HD patients, two (14.3%) PD patients, two (6.7%) KT patients, one (5.55%) healthy control and in no ACKD patient. Antibody levels decreased at 3M in HD (P = .04), PD (P = .008) and ACKD patients (P = .0009). In KT patients, levels increased (P = .04) between 15D and 3M, although they were low at both time points. T-cell responses were detected in HD patients in 37 (80%) at baseline, 35 (70%) at 15D and 41 (91%) at 3M. In PD patients, T-cell responses appeared in 8 (67%) at baseline, 13 (93%) at 15D and 9 (100%) at 3M. In KT patients, T-cell responses were detected in 12 (41%) at baseline, 22 (84%) at 15D and 25 (96%) at 3M. In ACKD patients, T-cell responses were detected in 13 (46%) at baseline, 20 (80%) at 15D and 17 (89%) at 3M. None of healthy controls showed T-cell response at baseline, 10 (67%) at 15D and 8 (89%) at 3M. Conclusions. Most HD, PD and ACKD patients develop SARS-CoV-2-S antibody responses comparable to that of healthy controls, in contrast to KT recipients. Antibody waning at 3M was faster in HD, PD and ACKD patients. No differences in SARS-CoV-2 T-cell immunity responses were noticed across study groups.

After 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to face vital challenges stemming from SARS-CoV-2 variation, causing changes in disease transmission and severity, viral adaptation to animal hosts, and antibody/vaccine evasion. Since the monitoring, characterization, and cataloging of viral variants are important and the existing information on this was scant for Sicily, this pilot study explored viral variants circulation on this island before and in the growth phase of the second wave of COVID-19 (September and October 2020), and in the downslope of that wave (early December 2020) through sequence analysis of 54 SARS-CoV-2-positive samples. The samples were nasopharyngeal swabs collected from Sicilian residents by a state-run one-health surveillance laboratory in Palermo. Variant characterization was based on RT-PCR amplification and sequencing of four regions of the viral genome. The B.1.177 variant was the most prevalent one, strongly predominating before the second wave and also as the wave downsized, although its relative prevalence decreased as other viral variants, particularly B.1.160, contributed to virus circulation. The occurrence of the B.1.160 variant may have been driven by the spread of that variant in continental Europe and by the relaxation of travel restrictions in the summer of 2020. No novel variants were identified. As sequencing of the entire viral genome in Sicily for the period covered here was restricted to seven deposited viral genome sequences, our results shed some light on SARS-CoV-2 variant circulation during that wave in this insular region of Italy which combines its partial insular isolation with being a major entry point for the African immigration.

In May 2022, the UK International Health Regulations National Focal Point notified World Health Organization of 176 cases of severe acute hepatitis of unknown etiology in children under 10 years of age. From that moment on, cases of severe acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children began to be reported in several countries. As of June 17, 2022, a total of 991 cases had been reported in 35 countries worldwide, 50 children needed a liver transplant and 28 patients died. According to information published by ECDC, 449 cases have been detected in 21 EU countries. The children were between 1 month and 16 years of age. Adenovirus was detected in 62.2% of the analyzed samples. So far, the cause of these cases is unknown and many hypotheses remain open, but hepatitis A–E viruses and COVID-19 vaccines have been ruled out. A possible hypothesis has been published to explain the cause of these cases of severe hepatitis, according to which it could be a consequence of adenovirus infection in the intestine in healthy children previously infected with SARS-CoV-2. No other clear epidemiological risk factors have been identified to date. Thus, at this time, the etiology of the current cases of hepatitis remains under active investigation.

Animals have been involved in the three known outbreaks of severe respiratory syndromes due to coronaviruses (years 2005, 2012, and 2019). The pandemic nature of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak increases the likelihood of infection from humans of susceptible animal species that, thus, could become secondary viral hosts and even disease reservoirs. We present evidence of spillover infection of wild mustelids by reporting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a Eurasian river otter found near a water reservoir in the Valencian Community (Spain). We detected the virus using two different commercial RTqPCR assays on RNA extracted from the nasopharynx (swabbing) and from lung tissue and mediastinal lymph node homogenates. The corresponding samples from two additional otters from distant sites tested negative in identical assays. The diagnosis in the positive otter was confirmed by two-tube RT-PCR assay in which RNA was first retrotranscribed, and then specific regions of the spike (S), nucleocapsid (N), and ORF10 genes were separately amplified from the produced cDNA, followed by electrophoretic visualization and Sanger sequencing. The sequences of the amplified products revealed some non-synonymous changes in the N and ORF10 partial sequences, relative to the consensus sequence. These changes, identified already in human patient samples, point to human origin of the virus, although their specific combination was unique. These findings, together with our previous report of SARS-CoV-2 infection of feral American mink, highlight the need for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance of wild or feralmustelids to evaluate the risk that these animals could become SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs.

Background: Studies of patients with cancer a ected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are needed to assess the impact of the disease in this sensitive population, and the influence of di erent cancer treatments on the COVID-19 infection and seroconversion. Material and Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients hospitalized with RT-PCR positive for COVID-19 in our region to assess the prevalence of cancer patients and describe their characteristics and evolution (Cohort 1). Concurrently, a transversal study was carried out in patients on active systemic cancer treatment for symptomatology and seroprevalence (IgG/IgM by ELISA-method) against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Cohort 2). Results: A total of 215 patients (Cohort 1) were admitted to hospital with a confirmed COVID-19 infection between February 28 and April 30, 2020, and 17 died (7.9%). A medical record of cancer was noted in 43 cases (20%), 6 of them required Intensive care unit ICU attention (14%), and 7 died (16%). There were thirty-six patients (83%) who tested IgG/IgM positive for SARS-CoV-2. Patients on immunosuppressive therapies presented a lower ratio of seroconversion (40% vs. 8%; p = 0.02). In Cohort 2, 166 patients were included in a symptoms-survey and tested for SARS-CoV-2. Any type of potential COVID-19-related symptom was referred up to 67.4% of patients (85.9% vs. 48.2% vs. 73.9%, for patients on chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapies respectively, p < 0.05). The seroprevalence ratio was 1.8% for the whole cohort with no significant di erences by patient or treatment characteristics. Conclusion: Patients with cancer present higher risks for hospital needs for COVID-19 infection. The lack of SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion may be a concern for patients on immunosuppressive therapies. Patients receiving systematic therapies relayed a high rate of potentially COVID-19-related symptoms, particularly those receiving chemotherapy. However, the seroconversion rate remains low and in the range of general population.