mTOR-Inhibition and COVID-19 in Kidney Transplant Recipients: Focus on Pulmonary Fibrosis

Kidney transplant recipients are at high risk of developing severe COVID-19 due to the coexistence of several transplant-related comorbidities (e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetes) and chronic immunosuppression. As a consequence, a large part of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients have been managed with a reduction of immunosuppression. The mTOR-I, together with antimetabolites, have been often discontinued in order to minimize the risk of pulmonary toxicity and to antagonize pharmacological interaction with antiviral/anti-inflammatory drugs. However, at our opinion, this therapeutic strategy, although justified in kidney transplant recipients with severe COVID-19, should be carefully evaluated in asymptomatic/paucisymptomatic patients in order to avoid the onset of acute allograft rejections, to potentially exploit the mTOR-I antiviral properties, to reduce proliferation of conventional T lymphocytes (which could mitigate the cytokine storm) and to preserve Treg growth/activity which could reduce the risk of progression to severe disease. In this review, we discuss the current literature regarding the therapeutic potential of mTOR-Is in kidney transplant recipients with COVID-19 with a focus on pulmonary fibrosis

Synthesis and photo-physical properties of a series of BODIPY dyes

A series of 39 boron-dipyrrolylmethenes (BODIPYs) have been synthesized and characterized. Their spectroscopic properties, degree of lipophilicity, chemical stability under irradiation, and singlet-oxygen generation rate have also been studied. These compounds differ in the presence of ethyl groups (group A), hydrogens (group B) or iodines (group C) on the 2,6 positions; these appendices confer particular characteristics to each group. The presence of an aromatic substituent or hydrogen on the indacene 8 position produces 13 different molecules of each group. Besides the effects exerted by the group or atom on the 2,6 positions, the substituent on the 8 position exerts a further effect on the physico-chemical parameters, thus the desired properties of BODIPYs, concerning fluorescence, lipophilicity, and singlet oxygen production can be modulated accordingly

Is Long COVID Syndrome a Transient Mitochondriopathy Newly Discovered: Implications of CPET.

The new outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has an impact worldwide, primarily as a medical emergency. Even that the total constellation is considered as a pandemic of acute respiratory disease, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) gives rise to dysfunction in multiple organs (e.g., brain, lungs, heart, muscles) that impairs cardiopulmonary (CP) function. Parallel to the CP consequences of COVID-19 is a significant reduction in physical activity. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is daily used in clinical practice to define prognosis, provide risk stratification and treatment strategy. As such, the significance of CPET is crucial concerning clinical assessments of COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, new studies aim at understanding the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection in long term. Multiple studies have investigated the cardiopulmonary function and impairment of exercise endurance in such patients, as well as a possible prolonged physical impairment. With this review, we summarize the COVID-19-associated pathophysiology for the Long COVID (LC) syndrome as well as the importance of performing CPET