COVID-19 sequelae in adults aged less than 50 years: A systematic review

Background There is emerging evidence of long-term sequelae in a considerable proportion of COVID-19 patients after recovery and the spectrum and severity of such sequelae should be systematically reviewed. This review aims to evaluate the available evidence of all intermediate and long-term COVID-19 sequelae affecting formerly healthy adults. Methods A systematic literature search of Embase, WHO, Scopus, Pubmed, Litcovid, bioRxiv and medRxiv was conducted with a cutoff date of the 17th September 2020 according to PRISMA guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020208725). Search terms included “COVID-19”, “coronavirus disease 2019”, “SARS-CoV-2”, “sequelae” and “consequence*”. Publications on adult participants, with a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were included. Elderly (>50 years old) and children (<18 years old) were excluded. Bias assessment was performed using a modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Results A total of 31 papers were included. Study types included prospective and retrospective cohort studies, cross-sectional studies and case reports. Sequelae persistence since infection spanned 14 days to three months. Sequelae included persistent fatigue (39–73% of assessed persons), breathlessness (39–74%), decrease in quality of life (44–69%), impaired pulmonary function, abnormal CT findings including pulmonary fibrosis (39–83%), evidence of peri-/perimyo-/myocarditis (3–26%), changes in microstructural and functional brain integrity with persistent neurological symptoms (55%), increased incidence of psychiatric diagnoses (5.8% versus 2.5–3.4% in controls), incomplete recovery of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction (33–36% of evaluated persons). Conclusions A variety of organ systems are affected by COVID-19 in the intermediate and longer-term after recovery. Main sequelae include post-infectious fatigue, persistent reduced lung function and carditis. Careful follow-up post COVID 19 is indicated to assess and mitigate possible organ damage and preserve life quality

Sequential trypsin and ProAlanase digestions unearth immunological protein biomarkers shrouded by skeletal collagen.

This study investigates the efficacy of proteomic analysis of human remains to identify active infections in the past through the detection of pathogens and the host response to infection. We advance leprosy as a case study due to the sequestering of sufferers in leprosaria and the suggestive skeletal lesions that can result from the disease. Here we present a sequential enzyme extraction protocol, using trypsin followed by ProAlanase, to reduce the abundance of collagen peptides and in so doing increase the detection of non-collagenous proteins. Through our study of five individuals from an 11th to 18th century leprosarium, as well as four from a contemporaneous non-leprosy associated cemetery in Barcelona, we show that samples from 2 out of 5 leprosarium individuals extracted with the sequential digestion methodology contain numerous host immune proteins associated with modern leprosy. In contrast, individuals from the non-leprosy associated cemetery and all samples extracted with a trypsin-only protocol did not. Through this study, we advance a palaeoproteomic methodology to gain insights into the health of archaeological individuals and take a step toward a proteomics-based method to study immune responses in past populations