Para-infectious brain injury in COVID-19 persists at follow-up despite attenuated cytokine and autoantibody responses

To understand neurological complications of COVID-19 better both acutely and for recovery, we measured markers of brain injury, inflammatory mediators, and autoantibodies in 203 hospitalised participants; 111 with acute sera (1–11 days post-admission) and 92 convalescent sera (56 with COVID-19-associated neurological diagnoses). Here we show that compared to 60 uninfected controls, tTau, GFAP, NfL, and UCH-L1 are increased with COVID-19 infection at acute timepoints and NfL and GFAP are significantly higher in participants with neurological complications. Inflammatory mediators (IL-6, IL-12p40, HGF, M-CSF, CCL2, and IL-1RA) are associated with both altered consciousness and markers of brain injury. Autoantibodies are more common in COVID-19 than controls and some (including against MYL7, UCH-L1, and GRIN3B) are more frequent with altered consciousness. Additionally, convalescent participants with neurological complications show elevated GFAP and NfL, unrelated to attenuated systemic inflammatory mediators and to autoantibody responses. Overall, neurological complications of COVID-19 are associated with evidence of neuroglial injury in both acute and late disease and these correlate with dysregulated innate and adaptive immune responses acutely

Composição física da carcaça e qualidade da carne de novilhos jovens e superjovens de diferentes grupos genéticos Carcass physical composition and meat quality of steers and young steers of different genetic groups

Objetivou-se, com este estudo, avaliar a composição física da carcaça e as características qualitativas da carne de novilhos jovens (abatidos aos 22,8 meses de idade) e superjovens (abatidos aos 15,2 meses de idade) dos grupos genéticos 5/8 Charolês (CH) 3/8 Nelore (NE) e 5/8NE 3/8CH e a relação entre as variáveis estudadas. Os animais foram terminados em confinamento até atingirem 430 kg. A dieta alimentar continha relação volumoso:concentrado de 60:40 (base na matéria seca), com 10,25% de proteína bruta e 3,18 Mcal de energia digestível/kg de matéria seca. O delineamento experimental foi o inteiramente casualizado, com seis repetições, em arranjo fatorial 2 x 2 (duas categorias x dois grupos genéticos). Animais jovens apresentaram carcaças com maior porcentagem e quantidade total de músculo (66,45% e 153,93 kg vs 60,27% e 141,00 kg), maior relação músculo:gordura (3,64 vs 2,45) e menor porcentagem e quantidade total de gordura (18,59% e 43,59 kg vs 24,78% e 58,07 kg) e carne com menor grau de marmoreio (6,25 vs 8,42 pontos), menor suculência (6,83 vs 7,34 pontos) e menor teor de lipídios (1,01 vs 1,76%) que os superjovens. Animais jovens apresentaram similaridade para cor (4,42 pontos) e maciez da carne, avaliada tanto pelo painel (6,53 e 6,92 pontos) como pela força de cisalhamento (3,84 e 4,22 kgf/cm&sup3;), que os superjovens. Animais 5/8NE 3/8CH apresentaram carcaças com maior percentagem de gordura (22,43 vs 20,95). O grupo genético dos animais não influenciou a qualidade da carne. A maciez da carne foi positivamente correlacionada com a porcentagem (r = 0,27) e quantidade total (r = 0,31) de gordura na carcaça e com a quantidade de marmoreio (r = 0,28). A suculência da carne também correlacionou-se positivamente com o percentual (r = 0,45) e quantidade total (r = 0,47) de gordura na carcaça. A maciez e suculência da carne correlacionaram-se negativamente com a quebra ao descongelamento da carne (r = -0,23 e -0,31, respectivamente).<br>The objective of this trial was to evaluate the carcass physical composition and meat qualitative characteristics of males of two categories, steers (slaughtered at 22.8 months old) and young steers (slaughtered at 15.2 months old), from two genetic groups, 5/8 Charolais (CH) 3/8 Nellore (NE) and 5/8NE 3/8CH, and to evaluate the relationship among the variables studied. The animals were fedlot finished until reaching 430 kg. The diet, roughage:concentrate ratio of 60:40 (dry matter basis), contained 10.25% crude protein and 3.18 Mcal of digestible energy/kg of dry matter. The experiment was analyzed as a complete randomized design with six replicates, according to a 2 x 2 (two categories x two genetic groups) factorial scheme. Steers showed carcasses with higher percentage and total quantity of muscle (66.45% and 153.93 kg vs. 60.27% and 141.00 kg), higher muscle:fat ratio (3.64 vs. 2.45), carcasses with lower percentage and total quantity of fat (18.59% and 43.59 kg vs. 24.78% and 58.07 kg), meat with less marbling (6.25 vs. 8.42 points), less juiciness (6.83 vs. 7.34 points) and lipid content (1.01 vs. 1.76%) than young steers. Steers showed equal meat color (4.42 points) and similar meat tenderness, evaluated by the test panel (6.53 and 6.92 points) and shear force (3.84 and 4.22 kgf/cm&sup3;) in relation to young steers. The 5/8NE 3/8CH animals showed carcasses with higher fat percentage (22.43 vs. 20.95). Meat quality characteristics were not influenced by genetic group. Meat tenderness was positively correlated with percentual (r = 0.27) and total (r = 0.31) carcass fat, and with marbling score (r = 0.28). Meat juiciness showed positive correlation with percentual (r = 0.45) and total (r = 0.47) carcass fat. The two last ones were negatively associated with thawing loss (r = - 0.23 and -0.31, respectively)