The COVID-19 pandemic has caused more than 3 million deaths worldwide. Recently developed genetically engineered vaccines are the most critical solution for controlling the pandemic. Clinical trials on a large number of participants confirmed their safety and efficacy. However, with the growing number of vaccinated people, new infrequent adverse effects have been reported, not described in the medicinal product characteristics. We would like to report a case of acute pancreatic injury that occurred shortly after administering Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (Comirnaty). The report points out the potential need for close monitoring of patients reporting abdominal pain after vaccination (unresponsive to standard oral painkillers) because such symptom can be associated with acute pancreatitis.

Purpose: Older people are at risk of developing adverse drug reactions, including photosensitivity reactions. Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess the use of potentially photosensitizing medications and photoprotection in the elderly population. Patients and methods: Three hundred and fifty-six respondents (223 [63%] women and 133 [37%] men) aged ≥65 years filled in the original questionnaire concerning photosensitivity reactions to drugs. The diagnosis of drug-induced photosensitivity was based on medical history and clinical examination. Results and conclusion: We found that drugs potentially causing phototoxic/photoallergic reactions comprised more than one fifth of all drugs used by the participants. The most numerous group was patients treated with 3–5 drugs potentially causing phototoxic/photoallergic reactions simultaneously. Of all drugs, ketoprofen was found to cause the highest number of photosensitivity reactions. Cutaneous adverse reactions were also observed for hydrochlorothiazide, atorvastatin, simvastatin, telmisartan, and metformin. Moreover, it was found that the incidence of photosensitivity reactions can be significantly reduced by using proper photoprotection.

Background: Upregulation of the immune system is regarded to play an important role in the etiopathobiology of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). To the best of our knowledge, neopterin (NP) has never been investigated in patients with PAH and CTEPH. Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the concentration of NP in blood in order to examine its impact on outcome and relationship with disease severity in that population. Methods: Serum concentration of NP was analysed prospectively in 50 patients (36 with PAH and 14 with CTEPH vs. 31 healthy controls) and assessed in relation to clinical parameters and outcome. Results: NP concentration in the PAH and CTEPH groups combined was significantly higher than in the control group (8.68, 6.39–15.03 vs. 5.14, 4.16–5.98 nmol/L, p < 0.0000001). During 9 months of follow-up, clinical deterioration occurred in 18 patients (including 8 deaths), and NP concentration in this group was higher when compared to stable patients (15.6, 8.52–25.13 vs. 7.87, 6.18–9.89, p = 0.002). The cutoff value of NP derived from ROC curve analysis was 15.3 nmol/L (p = 0.002, AUC 0.77, p = 0.0004, HR = 4.35, 95% CI 1.43–13.18, log-rank test). On Cox regression analysis, NP predicted clinical deterioration (p = 0.009, 95% CI 1.01–1.06). NP correlated positively with NT-proBNP (p < 0.001), red blood cell distribution width (p < 0.001), and right atrium area (p = 0.002) and inversely with 6-min walking test (p = 0.002) and peak oxygen consumption (p = 0.001). Conclusions: NP concentration is increased in patients with PAH and inoperable CTEPH. Elevated NP concentration is associated with adverse clinical outcomes and correlates with clinical parameters.