“Inverse type” apple-peel syndrome is associated with type III colonic atresia in a neonate with gastroschisis

The colon is an unusual site of intestinal atresia. Colonic atresia is subdivided into three phenotypes. Type III is the most common phenotype, where the proximal and distal blind sacs are not connected. Here, we report on the presence of colonic atresia with an “inverse apple-peel” appearance in a neonate with gastroschisis. The lack of mesenteric fixation of the entire small intestine, including the proximal colon, and the twisting around the vascular axis of the superior mesenteric artery led to intrauterine volvulus and hemorrhagic infarction of the ileocolic bowel at 34 weeks of gestation. According to the current nomenclature for small bowel atresia, we introduce type IIIB into the current colonic atresia classification. The occurrence of type IIIB has been mentioned in the literature, but no single cases have been reported until now. Patients with this type of atresia are predisposed to the loss of the ileocecal region

Hypoechogenicity of brainstem raphe in long-COVID syndrome - less common but independently associated with depressive symptoms

$\bf Objective$ Long coronavirus disease (Long-COVID) syndrome is a hitherto poorly understood phenomenon with a broad spectrum of symptoms, including depression and anxiety. Depressive symptoms have been associated with brainstem raphe (BR) alterations in transcranial sonography (TCS) that might reflect dysfunction of the serotonergic system. The primary aim was to investigate the connection of BR alterations with depressive and anxiety symptoms in patients with Long-COVID syndrome. $\bf Methods$ In a cross-sectional study design, we included outpatients fulfilling the criteria of Long-COVID syndrome. All patients were examined by TCS in the axial plane with focus on BR signal alterations. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to test for symptoms of anxiety and depression. $\bf Results$ We included $\it n$ = 70 patients with Long-COVID syndrome, of which 28.6% ($\it n$ = 20) exhibited a reduced echogenicity of BR in the TCS examination. Patients with hypoechogenic BR had higher subscores for anxiety and depression compared to normoechogenic patients (HADS depression: median 8 versus 5.5, $\it p$ = 0.006; HADS anxiety: median 9 versus 6.5, $\it p$ = 0.006). After adjustment for reasonable confounders, only the odds ratio (OR) for relevant depressive symptoms was higher among Long-COVID patients with hypoechogenic raphe (adjusted OR 3.884, 95% CI 1.244–12.123). $\bf Discussion$ Hypoechogenic BR alterations are independently associated with depressive symptoms in Long-COVID patients but are not highly frequent. Future studies should investigate whether the hypoechogenicity of the BR is a direct consequence or whether it reflects a priori a higher susceptibility to depressive symptoms after COVID-19, thus enabling to identify COVID-19 patients at higher risk of developing Long-COVID depressive symptoms

Cross-sectional analysis of clinical aspects in patients with long-COVID and post-COVID syndrome

$\bf Objective:$ Regarding pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, at-risk individuals, and diagnostic methods for stratifying patients for therapeutic approaches, our understanding of post-COVID syndrome is limited. Here, we set out to assess sociodemographic and clinical aspects in patients with the long-COVID and post-COVID syndrome. $\bf Methods:$ We performed a cross-sectional analysis of patients presenting at our specialized university hospital outpatient clinic. We assessed patients' clinical presentation, fatigue, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and impairment of smell. $\bf Results:$ A total of 101 patients were included (73.3% female), of whom 78.2% had a mild course of COVID-19. At presentation, 93.1% suffered from fatigue, 82.2% from impaired concentration, and 79.2% from impaired memory, 53.5% had impaired sleep. The most common secondary diagnosis found in our cohort was thyroid disease. Fatigue analysis showed that 81.3% of female and 58.8% of male patients had severe combined fatigue. Female gender was an independent risk factor for severe fatigue (severe cognitive fatigue OR = 8.045, $\it p$ = 0.010; severe motor fatigue OR = 7.698, $\it p$ = 0.013). Males suffered from more depressive symptoms, which correlated positively with the duration of symptom onset. 70.3% of patients with anamnestic smell impairment had hyposmia, and 18.9% were anosmic. $\bf Interpretation:$ Most long-COVID patients suffered from severe fatigue, with the female sex as an independent risk factor. Fatigue was not associated with symptoms of depression or anxiety. Patients with long-COVID symptoms should receive an interdisciplinary diagnostic and therapeutic approach depending on the clinical presentation