Association of the COVID-19 pandemic with changes in objectively measured sedentary behaviour and adiposity.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have reported that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has increased sedentary behaviour and obesity; however, these analyses used self-reported data, and the association between sedentary behaviour and visceral fat and adipocytokines during the COVID-19 pandemic remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the association of the COVID-19 pandemic with objectively measured sedentary behaviour and these obesity-related factors. METHODS: Longitudinal analysis was conducted on 257 Japanese participants who underwent health check-ups in 2018 before and in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. For both time points, sedentary behaviour was measured using an accelerometer for at least 7 days, visceral fat area (VFA) was measured using abdominal bioelectrical impedance analysis, and blood adiponectin level was measured using latex agglutination turbidimetric immunoassay. Multiple linear regression was performed to determine the association between sedentary behaviour and these outcomes. RESULTS: Compared with data in 2018, sedentary behaviour and VFA were significantly increased (P < 0.001, P = 0.006) whereas adiponectin level was significantly decreased (P < 0.001) in 2020. Increased sedentary behaviour was significantly associated with an increase in VFA (ß = 3.85, 95% CI 1.22-6.49, P = 0.004) and a decrease in adiponectin level (ß = -0.04, 95% CI -0.06 to -0.01, P = 0.005). However, the association of sedentary behaviour with adiponectin level was not significant after considering the effects of VFA. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with objectively measured sedentary behaviour and obesity-related factors in Japanese adults. Additionally, an increase in sedentary behaviour was associated with an increase in VFA, whereas the association of sedentary behaviour with adiponectin was partly mediated by VFA. These results suggest that avoiding increasing sedentary time is important to prevent visceral adiposity thereby ameliorating adiponectin, especially during behavioural limitations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Association between visceral fat and influenza infection in Japanese adults: A population-based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have reported that obesity is associated with influenza infection; however, the role of visceral fat remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between visceral fat and influenza infection in community-dwelling Japanese adults. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed using data from an annual community-based health check-up conducted from May to June in 2019. In total, 1,040 Japanese adults aged 20-89 years were enrolled in this study. Influenza infection status was determined by participants' responses to a self-administered questionnaire. The visceral fat area (VFA) was measured using a bioimpedance-type visceral fat meter. Participants were classified into four groups using the following cut-off points: VFA < 100 cm2 was set as the reference category according to the Japanese criteria, 100 ≤ VFA < 150 cm2, 150 ≤ VFA < 200 cm2, and 200 cm2 ≤ VFA. Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between VFA and influenza infection. RESULTS: In total, 119 participants had influenza infections in the past year. In the multivariate adjusted model, a higher VFA was significantly associated with increased influenza infection; the adjusted odds ratio for 200 cm2 ≤ VFA was 5.03 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07-23.6], that for 150 ≤ VFA < 200 cm2 was 1.97 (95% CI: 0.71-5.45), and that for 100 ≤ VFA < 150 cm2 was 1.62 (95% CI: 0.84-3.12), compared with that for VFA < 100 cm2 (p for trend = 0.049). These findings were confirmed in the same cohort the following year. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that visceral fat accumulation is associated with influenza infection. Large-scale prospective studies using diagnostic information for influenza infection are required to confirm this association.

Acute Onset of Remitting Seronegative Symmetrical Synovitis With Pitting Edema (RS3PE) Two Weeks After COVID-19 Vaccination With mRNA-1273 With Possible Activation of Parvovirus B19: A Case Report With Literature Review.

Remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema (RS3PE) is a rare clinical entity characterized by "remitting," "seronegative," and "symmetrical" synovitis with pitting edema on the dorsum of the hands and feet. Although rheumatic or malignant diseases are diseases that are known to coexist with RS3PE, other factors such as medication, infection, and vaccination have been reported to be associated with RS3PE. Here, we present a case of RS3PE syndrome that satisfied all four diagnostic criteria of RS3PE (pitting edema in the limbs, acute onset, age ≥ 50 years, and/or rheumatoid factor negativity) after mRNA-1273 SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.