Background: COVID-19 has spread rapidly around the world. It is necessary to study lung tissue of postmortem COVID19 patients to determine the molecular alteration particularly the role of IL-6 and IL-17 in causing fatality. Objective: This study aims to determine the differences in the expressions of IL-6 and IL-17 in lung tissue of post-mortem COVID-19 patients compared to non-COVID-19 patients. This study also aimed to analyze the correlation between the expressions of IL-6 and IL-17 in lung tissue of post-mortem COVID-19 patients. Methods: This research is an observational analytic study with crosssectional approach. The samples were 15 paraffin blocks of post-mortem lung tissue biopsy of COVID-19 patients, and 15 paraffin blocks of inflammatory lung tissue biopsy or surgery of non-COVID-19 patients. IL-6 and IL-17 expressions were evaluated by immunohistochemical procedure. Result: There was a significant difference in the expression of IL-6 in the COVID-19 group and the non-COVID-19 group with a p-value = 0.001 (p < 0.05). There was a significant difference in the expression of IL-17 in the COVID-19 group and the non-COVID-19 group with p-value = 0.001 (p < 0.05). There was a significant correlation between the expressions of IL-6 and IL-17 in the COVID-19 group, with the Spearman coefficient value (rs) of 0.548 with p = 0.034 (p < 0.05). Conclusion: There are differences in the expression of IL-6 and IL-17 between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 lung tissue. There is a significant correlation between the expressions of IL-6 and IL-17 in post-mortem lung tissue of COVID-19 patients.

Background: Survival rates of severe COVID-19 has increased. Despite that COVID-19 appears to leave sequelae, hence the need of critical care and mortality after prolonged treatment. There were not many studies which investigated critically ill post COVID-19 patients. This study aimed to analyze clinical profiles and their relationship to outcomes of critically ill post-COVID-19 patients in a regular (non COVID-19) ICU at a tertiary hospital in Indonesia. Materials and methods: This single-centre, retrospective study was conducted at Dr. Soetomo General Hospital, Indonesia between March 1st and October 31st, 2021 with total sampling method. Subjects were post COVID-19 patients from the COVID-19 ICU and ward who have been declared RT-PCR negative twice but require further intensive care in the regular ICU. Bivariate analysis was performed using chi-square, Mann-Whitney, and independent t-test. Multivariate analysis was carried out by logistic regression. The results were considered significant when p<0.05. Results:The study included 76 critically ill patients who had completed their COVID-19 treatment in the COVID-19 ward or COVID-19 ICU and required further intensive care. Bivariate analysis shwed obesity (p 0.047), CNS disease (p 0.038), complications in the form of sepsis (p 0.002), secondary infection (p 0.001), and the presence of MDRO (p 0.017) were significantly associated with mortality. Multivariate analysis showed risk factors of mortality were complications that were AKI, cardiac complications, secondary infection, sepsis and non COVID-19 ICU LOS. Conclusion: Complications AKI, cardiac complications, sepsis, and secondary infection were risk factors for mortality in critically ill post COVID-19 patients in the ICU.