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The consequences of past COVID-19 infection for personal and population health are emerging, but accurately identifying distant infection is a challenge. Anti-spike antibodies rise after both vaccination and infection and anti-nucleocapsid antibodies rapidly decline. We evaluated anti-membrane antibodies in COVID-19 naïve, vaccinated, and convalescent subjects to determine if they persist and accurately detect distant infection. We found that anti-membrane antibodies persist for at least a year and are a sensitive and specific marker of past COVID-19 infection. Thus, anti-membrane and anti-spike antibodies together can differentiate between COVID-19 convalescent, vaccinated, and naïve states to advance public health and research.

ContextAcute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), an AML subtype, is characterized morphologically by abnormal promyelocytes. Molecular studies show three possible bcr isoforms of PML-RARα fusion gene. This study undertakes analysis of PML-RARα bcr isoforms and their correlation with haematological parameters and response to treatment in Indian patients.AimsTo study different PML-RARα bcr isoforms in Indian patients and to find any correlation with various haematological parameters and response to treatmentSettings and DesignPatients diagnosed as APL on morphology or flowcytometry and confirmed by RQ PCR were included in the study. Treated APL patients or patients with relapse and on follow-up were excluded from the study.Methods and MaterialTwenty patients over thirty one months period were included. The clinical, haematological & morphological features were analysed, the latter using routine & special cytochemical stains on blood and bone marrow. Flow cytometric evaluation using 4-color Beckman Coulter FC 500 and molecular studies using RT PCR Fusion Quant® kits for bcr-1, bcr-2 and bcr-3 of PML-RARα bcr isoforms on the instrument Rotor Gene™ 3000 were performed.Statistical analysis usedStudent t test was applied to correlate different bcr isoforms with various haematological parameters and response to treatment.ResultsIn our study, M:F ratio was 1.5:1 with median age 42 years, Hb - 8.0 g/dl, TLC-7900/μl, and platelet – 35000/μl and varied clinical presentation. Four patients were microgranular variants, and the rest were hypergranular. MPO and CAE positivity were100% and for NSE it was 33.33%. Molecular analysis revealed PML-RARα isoforms of bcr1 in 42.85%, bcr2 in 14.28% and bcr3 in 38.09% patients. No correlation was found between PML-RARα bcr isoforms, different haematological parameters and response to treatment.ConclusionsHigher incidence of PML-RARα bcr-1 isoform was found in Indian APL patients with no significant correlation between different haematological parameters and response to treatment.