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Copyright of Medicina Fluminensis is the property of Croatian Medical Association, Rijeka Branch & Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: Synthetic anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS), compounds mimicking the action of endogenous testosterone in enhancing training performance, have been extensively studied during the last century. AAS abuse has become a major public health concern with an estimated worldwide lifetime prevalence of 1–5%1 . Long-term administration of AAS in supraphysiological doses may have detrimental effects on the cardiovascular system, presumably through direct action on cardiac myocyte androgen receptors. In severe cases, life-threatening conditions such as myocardial infarction, aortic dissection or cardiomyopathy, particularly dilated cardiomyopathy as the most common form, may occur. Hereby, we report a rare case of AAS-induced cardiomyopathy with an emphasis on the multidisciplinary approach. Case report: 46-year-old male bodybuilder presented with exercise intolerance unrelated to maximum training load and post-workout water retention 6 weeks before the visit. History revealed previous administration of testosterone enanthate 500 mg every 8 to 12 days during the period of 4 years. After a month-long cessation, he started taking testosterone undecanoate 1000 mg in 6-week intervals. The cardiorespiratory part of the physical examination showed normal findings and blood pressure of 125/80 mmHg. The patient was of athletic build with no signs of increased hairiness and no palpable testicular mass. An electrocardiogram showed a normal electrical axis and sinus bradycardia. Laboratory assessment (Table 1) was followed by echocardiography which was in accordance with the diagnosis of AAS-induced cardiomyopathy (Figure 1). Further diagnostic assessment of osteoporosis, hepatic, renal and psychological complications was performed. Conclusion: Long-term administration of AAS with unknown pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties should be considered as a cause of newly diagnosed cardiomyopathy, especially in previously healthy individuals with an athletic background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Medicina Fluminensis is the property of Croatian Medical Association, Rijeka Branch & Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Medicina Fluminensis is the property of Croatian Medical Association, Rijeka Branch & Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Medicina Fluminensis is the property of Croatian Medical Association, Rijeka Branch & Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Memory CD8 T cells play an important role in the protection against breakthrough infections with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Whether the route of antigen exposure impacts these cells at a functional level is incompletely characterized. Here, we compare the memory CD8 T cell response against a common SARS-CoV-2 epitope after vaccination, infection, or both. CD8 T cells demonstrate comparable functional capacity when restimulated directly ex vivo , independent of the antigenic history. However, analysis of T cell receptor usage shows that vaccination results in a narrower scope than infection alone or in combination with vaccination. Importantly, in an in vivo recall model, memory CD8 T cells from infected individuals show equal proliferation but secrete less tumor necrosis factor (TNF) compared with those from vaccinated people. This difference is negated when infected individuals have also been vaccinated. Our findings shed more light on the differences in susceptibility to re-infection after different routes of SARS-CoV-2 antigen exposure. [Display omitted] • Infection and vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 both favor CD8 T EMRA differentiation • Ex vivo functionality of memory T cells is similar after infection and vaccination • The scope of memory CD8 T cells is larger after infection than after vaccination • Vaccination-induced memory generates secondary effectors with superior functionality Kavazović et al. compare SARS-CoV-2-specific memory CD8 T cells from people after infection, vaccination, or both. Infection induces a more clonally diverse memory pool than vaccination, but these cells produce less TNF after in vivo recall. Subsequent vaccination negates differences, stressing the importance of boosting irrespective of antigenic history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]