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Objective: The affection of both the peripheral (PNS) and central nervous system (CNS) by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been assumed to play a direct role in the respiratory failure of patients with Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) through affection of medullary cardiorespiratory centers resulting in neurological complications and sequelae.Methods: We used a multimodal electrophysiological approach combined with neuropsychological investigations to study functional alteration of both the PNS and CNS in four patients with severe COVID-19.Results: We found electrophysiological evidence for affection of both the PNS and CNS, and particularly affection of brain stem function. Furthermore, our neuropsychological investigations provide evidence of marked impairment of cognition independent of delirium, and outlasting the duration of acute infection with SARS-CoV-2.Conclusion: This case series provides first direct electrophysiological evidence for functional brain stem involvement in COVID-19 patients without evident morphological changes supporting the notion of the brain stem contributing to respiratory failure and thus promoting severe courses of the disease. Moreover, sustained neuropsychological sequelae in these patients may be of particular psychosocial and possibly also economic relevance for society.

During hospital stay, about 20% of adult patients experience an episode of acute kidney injury (AKI), which is characterized by a rapid decrease in kidney function. Diagnostic tools regarding early diagnosis of kidney dysfunction prior to AKI and markers of renal recovery are not available. Additionally, there is no therapeutic option for the treatment of AKI. Thus, better and more specific diagnostic and therapeutic options are urgently needed in daily clinical practice. NoncodingRNAs (ncRNAs) have come into focus of research in the context of AKI in the last decade. The best characterized group of ncRNAs are microRNAs (miRNAs). An increasing body of literature has shown that miRNAs are involved in the pathogenesis of AKI and that they are promising future tools in the diagnosis and therapy of AKI. However, there are obstacles to be overcome before miRNAs can be transferred to patient care. This review will give an overview of our current knowledge of miRNA involvement in the context of AKI while critically evaluating their diagnostic and therapeutic potential.