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The development of COVID-19 vaccines has been a triumph of biomedical research. However, there are still challenges, including assessment of their immunogenicity in high-risk populations, including PLWH. In the present study, we enrolled 121 PLWH aged >18 years, that were vaccinated against COVID-19 in the Polish National Vaccination Program. Patients filled in questionnaires regarding the side effects of vaccination. Epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory data were collected. The efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines was evaluated with an ELISA that detects IgG antibodies using a recombinant S1 viral protein antigen. The interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) was applied to quantitate interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) to assess cellular immunity to SARS-CoV-2. In total, 87 patients (71.9%) received mRNA vaccines (BNT162b2-76 (59.5%), mRNA-1273- 11 (9.1%)). A total of 34 patients (28.09%) were vaccinated with vector-based vaccines (ChAdOx Vaxzevria- 20 (16.52%), Ad26.COV2.S- 14 (11.6%)). A total of 95 (78.5%) of all vaccinated patients developed a protective level of IgG antibodies. Only eight PLWH (6.6%) did not develop cellular immune response. There were six patients (4.95%) that did not develop a cellular and humoral response. Analysis of variance proved that the best humoral and cellular response related to the administration of the mRNA-1273 vaccine. COVID-19 vaccines were found to be immunogenic and safe in PLWH. Vaccination with mRNA vaccines were related to better humoral and cellular responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression, anxiety, and aggression accompany neuropathic pain. Effective treatment of these comorbidities enhances the outcomes of pain management. Therefore, the study was designed to analyze the relationship between the intensity of depression, anxiety, and aggression and the pharmacotherapy applied in the daily practice of treating neuropathic pain. The aim of the study was to evaluate the frequency of using antidepressants (ADs), benzodiazepine anxiolytics (BDAs), and hypnotics, and the influence of administering these on the intensity of depression, anxiety, and aggression in patients diagnosed with neuropathic pain. A multi-center survey was conducted among 421 patients. An evaluation of the severity of depression, anxiety, and aggression was made using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale—Modified Version (HADS-M). Among the patients treated due to neuropathic pain, ADs are used much more often than BDAs and hypnotics. Depression was well controlled, while anxiety was identified as a possible uncontrolled therapeutic problem in these patients, despite the correlation between the frequency of AD and hypnotics usage and the severity of anxiety. We also found that women show a higher level of intensity in both anxiety and depression, but this does not influence the frequency of their being administered ADs, BDAs, and hypnotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]