Mayo Clinic Laboratory and Pathology Research Roundup: June 1

By Samantha Rossi • June 1, 2020

Share this:

The research roundup provides an overview of the past week’s research from Mayo Clinic Laboratories consultants, including featured abstracts and a complete list of published studies and reviews.

Featured Abstract

Neuropathology of COVID-19: A Spectrum of Vascular and Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM)-like Pathology.

We report the neuropathological findings of a patient who died from complications of COVID-19. The decedent was initially hospitalized for surgical management of underlying coronary artery disease. He developed post-operative complications and was evaluated with chest imaging studies. The chest computed tomography (CT) imaging results were indicative of COVID-19 and he was subsequently tested for SARS-CoV-2, which was positive. His condition worsened and he died after more than 2 weeks of hospitalization and aggressive treatment. The autopsy revealed a range of neuropathological lesions, with features resembling both vascular and demyelinating etiologies. Hemorrhagic white matter lesions were present throughout the cerebral hemispheres with surrounding axonal injury and macrophages. The subcortical white matter had scattered clusters of macrophages, a range of associated axonal injury, and a perivascular acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM)-like appearance. Additional white matter lesions included focal microscopic areas of necrosis with central loss of white matter and marked axonal injury. Rare neocortical organizing microscopic infarcts were also identified. Imaging and clinical reports have demonstrated central nervous system complications in patients' with COVID-19, but there is a gap in our understanding of the neuropathology. The lesions described in this case provide insight into the potential parainfectious processes affecting COVID-19 patients, which may direct clinical management and ongoing research into the disease. The clinical course of the patient also illustrates that during prolonged hospitalizations neurological complications of COVID may develop, which are particularly difficult to evaluate and appreciate in the critically ill. Via Acta Neuropathologica.

Read more.

Published to PubMed This Week

• Contribution of Immunoscore and Molecular Features to Survival Prediction in Stage III Colon Cancer.
  JNCI Cancer Spectrum
• Marked Up-Regulation of ACE2 in Hearts of Patients With Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Implications for SARS-CoV-2-Mediated COVID-19.
  Mayo Clinic Proceedings
• Response to SAFFRON Spinal Radiosurgery Comments.
  Radiotherapy and Oncology
• Mutation Prevalence Tables for Hereditary Cancer Derived from Multi-Gene Panel Testing.
  Human Mutations
• Disparities in Objective Sleep Quality as Assessed Through Wrist Actigraphy in Minority Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
  Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Pick's Disease: Clinicopathologic Characterization of 21 Cases.
  Journal of Neurology
• Methodology for Radiochromic Film Analysis Using FilmQA Pro and ImageJ.
  PLos One
• Examining the Effectiveness of Pain Rehabilitation on Chronic Pain and Post-Traumatic Symptoms.
  Journal of Behavioral Medicine
• Volumetric Microsampling of Capillary Blood Spot vs Whole Blood Sampling for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Tacrolimus and Cyclosporin A: Accuracy and Patient Satisfaction.
  Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine
• Utilization of LC-MS to Determine Monoclonal Gammopathy-Associated Granulocyte Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor Antibody and Novel Treatment of Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis.
  Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine

Samantha Rossi

Samantha Rossi is a Digital Marketing Manager at Mayo Clinic Laboratories. She supports marketing strategies for product management and specialty testing. Samantha has worked at Mayo Clinic since 2019.