Analysis of the COVID-19 prevalence among children in Ukraine during the first year of the pandemic

Background. Studying COVID-19 prevalence among children is important for constant monitoring of the epidemiological situation, determination of the most vulnerable categories of children, and planning preventive measures. The aim of our research was a retrospective study of COVID-19 prevalence among children of Ukraine in 2020. Materials and methods. A retrospective study of COVID-19 prevalence among children from diflerent regions of Ukraine was conducted, based on official statistical reports of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. The prevalence of COVI D-19 was measured as the number of cases per 100,000 children. Results. Among the population of Ukraine, children with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection amounted to 0.12 %, and among the children's population of Ukritine - 0.7 %, while the prevalence rate reached 688.64. The incidence ofCOVID-19 among children in 2020 was highest in Kyiv, Chernivtsi, and Zaporizhzhia regions, and the lowest one was recorded in Kirovohrad, Luhansk, and Donetsk regions. In the age structure of Ukrainian children with SARS-CoV-2 infection, adolescents (63.8 %) prevailed. Conclusions. Adolescents were the age group of children most vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 in Ukraine. The relatively low COVID-19 prevalence among children in Ukraine may be evidence of underdiag-nosis due to insufficient coverage of laboratory testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection in the first year of the pandemic. © 2022 Euroasian Entomological Journal. All rights reserved.

The course of COVID-19 in hospitalizef children

Purpose - to study the features of COVID-19 in hospitalized children. Materials and methods. Retrospective multicenter clinical and epidemiological study which includes 328 hospitalized children with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 for the period from January to August 2021. Results, the highest specific weight among all hospitalized children falls on children of the first year (75/328;22.8%), in general, early childhood (up to 3 years) accounted for 43%(141/328) of all hospitalizations of children with COVID-19. Common symptoms of the disease included fever, upper respiratory symptoms, intoxication, diarrhea. In 99/328 (30.1%) hospitalized children pneumonia has developed, 50/99 (50.5%) of which needed oxygen support, 10/99 (10.1%) - mechanical ventilation. Pneumonia was most common in children under 1 year, children of the first 5 years of life accounted for more than a half of all pneumonia cases (53/99;53,5%). 13/328 (3.9%) children were hospitalized to the intensive care unit. Comorbidities including endocrine, oncological, neurological diseases, congenital malformations and others, were noted n 24.6% of hospitalized children. In children with comorbid conditions, pneumonia occurred 2 times more often (relative risk factor RR=1.98, CI 95%), the relative risk of getting into resuscitation RR in the presence of comorbidity is 10.86 (CI 95%). In addition to children with pneumonia, oxygen support or mechanical ventilation required children with obstructive syndrome, pancytopenia, convulsions. The largest proportion of comorbidities in patients hospitalized to the intensive care unit were diseases of the nervous system (congenital malformations of the CNS, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, astrocytoma). Lymphopenia and thrombocytopenia were most commonly associated with severe COVID-19. Conclusions. Children of all ages are susceptible to COVID-19. The main risk factors for severe disease are early age and the presence of comorbid conditions, among which the most relevant are diabetes, obesity, neurological diseases and cancer. The presence of comorbidities in children determines the priority groups for the prevention of coronavirus infection through vaccination. © 2022 by the Author(s).

Relationship between vitamin D status, rs2228570 vitamin D receptor polymorphism genotypes, and cholecalciferol supplementation in school-age children with COVID-19

Purpose - to study the features of vitamin D status and the effect of vitamin D3 supplementation on 25(OH)D in the serum of school-age children with COVID-19, taking into account the genotype of the rs2228570 polymorphism of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene. Materials and methods. The pilot, prospective, open-lapel study included 36 schoolchildren aged 9-16 who experienced asymptomatic (12 children) and mild / moderate (24 children) COVID-19. In all children were studied the content of 25(OH)D in blood serum and its dynamics underthe influence of supplementation of 10001U per day for 12 weeks, taking into account the genotypes and frequency of distribution of alleles of the rs2228570 polymorphism of the VDR gene (26 children). Results. Children with asymptomatic COVID-19 were characterized by normal values of 25(OH)D (32.68+2.12 ng/ml). Children who underwent mild / moderate COVID-19 were probably more (41.7%) likely to have a state of hypovitaminosis vitamin D (27.36+2.12 ng/ml) and fewer children (58.3%) with an optimal level of 25(OH)D than children with asymptomatic disease. In 80.7% of the examined children, the genotype was determined by the rs2228570 polymorphism of the VDR gene, which includes the G allele with greater transcriptional activity of the VDR receptor. Supplementation of 1000 IU of cholecalciferol per day, regardless of 25(OH)D status and genotype for this polymorphism probably increased the supply of vitamin D in examined children with a tendency to increase 25(OH)D in children with genotype by polymorphism rs2228570 VDR gene, which includes allele G. Conclusions. Vitamin D deficiency can be considered as a risk factor for the symptomatic course of COVID-19 in children, which requires monitoring and correction of vitamin D status, the effectiveness of which can be determined bythe genotype of the rs2228570 polymorphism of the VDR gene. Further studies of the role of vitamin D/VDR complex in the development and severity of COVID-19 in children will significantly expand the understanding of the pathogenetic relationship, to suggest and predict the effectiveness of personalized vitamin D supplementation regimens. © 2022 by the Author(s).

Analysis of Relative Average Length of Telomeres in Leukocytes of Women with COVID-19.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an acute infectious disease of the respiratory tract caused by a new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. A global vaccination program against SARS-CoV-2 continues, and the incidence of COVID-19 worldwide is significantly decreasing. However, among millions of those who survived COVID-19, numerous groups will need assistance due to increased clinical consequences after COVID-19. Currently, there is a need to search for molecular biomarkers for monitoring the onset and progression of post-COVID syndrome. For this purpose, the relative average length of chromosome regions was studied in the groups of women of reproductive age: in the group of patients (n = 64) recovered from COVID-19 and in the control group (n = 42) of women of the same age. The analysis was carried out using a method of multiplex monochrome quantitative real-time PCR on DNA samples isolated from the peripheral blood leukocytes. According to the results of the study, it was established that the relative average length of chromosomes in the peripheral blood leukocytes was statistically significantly lower in the group of patients with COVID-19 than in the control group (p < 0.05). The results obtained allow one to state that the observed shortening of the relative average length of telomeres in the group of patients that recovered from COVID-19 can indicate that SARS-CoV-2 infection can directly cause the erosion of telomeres in the blood cells, particularly, in leukocytes. Thus, the determination of the relative average length of telomeres can be an informative prognostic marker for estimating the risk of the severity of COVID-19 disease and the development of post-COVID syndrome.

Comparative characteristics of the third wave of coronavirus disease in children with previous outbreaks

Purpose - to compare the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in inpatients during the third wave of the disease with previous outbreaks, to study the course of COVID-19 in children depending on the predicted variant of the virus and timely prevention of possible disease. Materials and methods. 861 case histories of children who were hospitalized at the Kyiv City Children's Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital (Kyiv, Ukraine) were analyzed for coronavirus disease during three outbreaks of the disease. During the observation of the pandemic, the following periods were identified: 1st wave - from June to November 2020 (340 cases);2ndwave - from February to May 2021 (190 cases);3d- August - December 2021 (331 cases) and divided children by age into five categories: from birth to 1 month, 1-12 months, 1-5 years, 6-10 years and over 10 years. For calculations and statistical analysis, a statistical package was used using descriptive statistics methods, namely: logistic regression models were built, with the definition of Chi-square criterion, odds ratio (OR), probable interval (95% CI) and ROCcurve multifactor model with the definition of the area under the curve (AUC). The median (M), interquartile interval (IQR, 1st-3rdquartile) was also determined in the work. Fisher's test, Mann-Whitney test and Kruskal-Wallis test were used. Results. In the analysis of the observation of the dependence of coronavirus infection in children on the period of morbidity, using the method of logistic regression models, interrelated factors were identified: D-dimer (decreased (p=0.05) indicator for 3 waves, OR=7.47 (95% CI: 0,56-1));radiological changes (decreased risk (p=0.005) during 3 waves, OR=1.66 (95% CI: 0.0009-2.86)) and procalcitonin (increased risk of elevated procalcitonin levels (p=0.07) during 3 waves, OR=4.27 (95% CI: 0.41-4.5)). Conclusions. The third wave of COVID-19 was characterized by a more severe course and a higher incidence of complicated cases (p<0.001). Among hospitalized pediatric patients, the proportion of patients with concomitant pathology progressively increased (p=0.0005). The research was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. The study protocol was approved by the Local ethics committee of all participating institutions. © 2022 Modern Pediatrics. Ukraine. All rights reserved.

MEDICAL and SOCIAL FACTORS of the POSSIBILITY of SPREADING CORONAVIRUS INFECTION among FERTILE AGED WOMEN

Research objective: to determine the risk factors for the spread of coronavirus infection among women of fertile age. Materials and methods. Authors analyzed the medical records (case histories and questionnaires) of 60 women of fertile age who were treated for coronavirus disease. After analysis of medical and social factors women were divided into age groups. Analysis of risk factors for coronavirus disease was determined by calculating the odds ratio according to Wald at p < 0.05. Results. Evaluation of the odds ratio of the COVID-19 chances depending on the nature of work of women of different ages showed that with intense work the risk of disease increases 2.5 times in the age group up to 30 years, which also confirms the analysis of previous indicators, that younger women with moderate workloads have more opportunities to attend mass events and crowds. In the structure of extragenital diseases in women with coronavirus disease, the chances of disease increased 2.6 times in those women who had a history of chronic tonsillitis. Among the history of infectious diseases, the chance ratio of coronavirus disease was increased in women over 30 years of age who had pertussis. Such data may indicate a similar mechanism of development of these diseases, because the causative agent of pertussis also penetrates the upper respiratory tract and may be accompanied by neurological symptoms – the appearance of seizures and bronchospasm. Conclusions. The data obtained in this way allow us to separate a narrower cohort of women of fertile age who may develop coronavirus disease. This will further allow developing proposals for a more efficient distribution of vaccines among the female population of Ukraine and reduce the prevalence of coronavirus infection.

Relationship between the Prevalence of ACE1 I/D Polymorphism Genotype II and Covid-19 Morbidity, Mortality in Ukraine and in Some Europe Countries.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which was first recorded in China in December 2019, quickly spread to other countries and in a short period of time, the local outbreak escalated into a pandemic. There are significantly more cases of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in European countries than in East Asia, where the disease was first detected. Such population differences are unique, especially for SARS-CoV-2 and are due to both socio-behavioral differences and features of the gene pool of the population of different countries. For infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, an important point is the genetic characteristics of individuals, which can determine its resistance or susceptibility to infection. Therefore, studies of the factors of hereditary predisposition to SARS-CoV-2 infection, as well as severity and mortality are extremely relevant. After genotyping among the healthy population of Ukraine and collecting relevant data from some European countries, we determined the correlation between morbidity, mortality from COVID-19 and the prevalence of genotype II (ACE1, I/D polymorphism) in the populations of Ukraine and several European countries. There was a negative correlation between the carrier of genotype II and susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection per one million population (R = -0.53, p < 0.05), so individuals with genotype II can be considered more resistant to infection SARS-CoV-2. Further study of the role of allelic variants of the ACE1 gene in the development of severity and complications affected patients of COVID-19, are promising for identified of genetic markers for development of personalized therapy.