Case Report: Post-mortem Histopathological and Molecular Analyses of the Very First Documented COVID-19-Related Death in Europe

Bogdanović, Milenko; Skadrić, Ivan; Atanasijević, Tatjana; Stojković, Oliver; Popović, Vladimir; Savić, Slobodan; Mihailovic, Zoran; Radnic, Bojana; Acimovic, T.; Damjanjuk, Irina; Despotović, Sanja; Barać, Aleksandra

doi:10.3389/fmed.2021.612758

Cited by 14 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Results of our study could be additionally explained by the timing of our survey relative to the onset of the pandemic. Specifically, the index case in Serbia was identified in the first week of March 2020; yet, it is possible that the SARS-CoV2 was circulating in the population in early 2020 or late 2019 [ 32 ]. The current study was conducted during September to December of 2020, which may have allowed enough time for individuals to adjust to the circumstances of the pandemic, such as social distancing and working remotely, so that the experience was not perceived as traumatic at this point in time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validity and reliability of the Serbian COVID Stress Scales

et al. 2021

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This study aimed to generate a linguistic equivalent of the COVID Stress Scales (CSS) in the Serbian language and examine its psychometric characteristics. Data were collected from September to December 2020 among the general population of three cities in Republic of Serbia and Republic of Srpska, countries where the Serbian language is spoken. Participants completed a socio-demographic questionnaire, followed by the CSS and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The CSS was validated using the standard methodology (i.e., forward and backward translations, pilot testing). The reliability of the Serbian CSS was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega coefficients and convergent validity was evaluated by correlating the CSS with PSS. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to examine the construct validity of the Serbian CSS. This study included 961 persons (52.8% males and 47.2% females). The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the Serbian CSS was 0.964 and McDonald’s omega was 0.964. The Serbian CSS with 36 items and a six-factorial structure showed a measurement model with a satisfactory fit for our population (CMIN/DF = 4.391; GFI = 0.991; RMSEA = 0.025). The CSS total and all domain scores significantly positively correlated with PSS total score. The Serbian version of the CSS is a valid and reliable questionnaire that can be used in assessing COVID-19-related distress experienced by Serbian speaking people during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as future epidemics and pandemics.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validity and reliability of the Serbian COVID Stress Scales

et al. 2021

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“…The outbreak of the disease grew very quickly into a pandemic that was officially declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020 [ 2 ]. In April 2020, the epicenter of the pandemic moved from China to the United States (US) and Europe, while the first COVID-19 death case in Europe was recorded one month earlier [ 3 ]. The severity of COVID-19 varies from asymptomatic infection to severe illness accompanied by pneumonia, hyperinflammation, hypoxemic respiratory failure, a prothrombotic state, cardiac dysfunction, substantial mortality, and persistent morbidity in some disease convalescents [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demographic and Clinical Factors Associated with Reactivity of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Serbian Convalescent Plasma Donors

Grujic

Bujandric

Budakov-Obradović

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Passive immunotherapy with convalescent COVID-19 plasma (CCP) is used as a therapeutic procedure in many countries, including Serbia. In this study, we analyzed the association between demographic factors, COVID-19 severity and the reactivity of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (Abs) in Serbian CCP donors. Individuals (n = 468) recovered from confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, and who were willing to donate their plasma for passive immunization of COVID-19 patients were enrolled in the study. Plasma samples were tested for the presence of IgG reactive to SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (S1) and nucleocapsid antigens. Individuals were characterized according to age, gender, comorbidities, COVID-19 severity, ABO blood type and RhD factor. Total of 420 candidates (420/468; 89.74%) reached the levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG that qualified them for inclusion in CCP donation program. Further statistical analysis showed that male individuals (p = 0.034), older age groups (p < 0.001), existence of hypertension (p = 0.008), and severe COVID-19 (p = 0.000) are linked with higher levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 Abs. These findings will guide the selection of CCP donors in Serbia. Further studies need to be conducted to assess the neutralization potency and clinical efficiency of CCP collected from Serbian donors with high anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG reactivity.

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“…After the first registered case in Croatia, February 25, 2020, other countries in the region also began reporting their first cases of infection. Although it has only recently been established that the epidemic in Serbia existed even before the officially reported first case (Bogdanović et al, 2021), March 6, 2020 is considered as the official date of the beginning of the epidemic. In late spring and early summer 2020, Europe recorded a decline in the rate of infection and subsiding of the first wave.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The First Molecular Characterization of Serbian SARS-CoV-2 Isolates From a Unique Early Second Wave in Europe

Miljanovic

Milićević

Lončar³

et al. 2021

Front. Microbiol.

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March 6, 2020 is considered as the official date of the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic in Serbia. In late spring and early summer 2020, Europe recorded a decline in the rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection and subsiding of the first wave. This trend lasted until the fall, when the second wave of the epidemic began to appear. Unlike the rest of Europe, Serbia was hit by the second wave of the epidemic a few months earlier. Already in June 2020, newly confirmed cases had risen exponentially. As the COVID-19 pandemic is the first pandemic in which there has been instant sharing of genomic information on isolates around the world, the aim of this study was to analyze whole SARS-CoV-2 viral genomes from Serbia, to identify circulating variants/clade/lineages, and to explore site-specific mutational patterns in the unique early second wave of the European epidemic. This analysis of Serbian isolates represents the first publication from Balkan countries, which demonstrates the importance of specificities of local transmission especially when preventive measures differ among countries. One hundred forty-eight different genome variants among 41 Serbian isolates were detected in this study. One unique and seven extremely rare mutations were identified, with locally specific continuous dominance of the 20D clade. At the same time, amino acid substitutions of newly identified variants of concern were found in our isolates from October 2020. Future research should be focused on functional characterization of novel mutations in order to understand the exact role of these variations.

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Case Report: Post-mortem Histopathological and Molecular Analyses of the Very First Documented COVID-19-Related Death in Europe

Cited by 14 publications

References 22 publications

Validity and reliability of the Serbian COVID Stress Scales

Validity and reliability of the Serbian COVID Stress Scales

Demographic and Clinical Factors Associated with Reactivity of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Serbian Convalescent Plasma Donors

The First Molecular Characterization of Serbian SARS-CoV-2 Isolates From a Unique Early Second Wave in Europe

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