Gravedad de COVID-19 atribuible a obesidad según IMC y CUN-BAE Severity of COVID-19 attributable to obesity according to BMI and CUN-BAE

Introducción: La obesidad es considerada un factor de riesgo en casos graves de la COVID-19, habiendo sido analizada mediante el índice de masa corporal (IMC), estimador que no correlaciona adecuadamente con el porcentaje de grasa corporal (GC). El objetivo de este estudio ha sido analizar la fracción atribuible poblacional a la GC en formas graves de COVID-19 atendiendo al IMC y al CUN-BAE. Material y métodos: Estudio multicéntrico observacional de prevalencia. Se recogió información sociodemográfica, antecedentes personales, IMC y CUN-BAE, de casos positivos SARS-CoV-2, de las provincias de León y La Rioja. Mediante modelos de regresión logística se calcularon odds ratio con sus respectivos intervalos de confianza del 95% ajustando por edad y antecedentes personales, así como la fracción atribuible poblacional a la GC. Resultados: Participaron 785 pacientes, 123 (15,7%) fueron graves. Se detectaron como factores de riesgo la edad, la obesidad (tanto por IMC como por CUN-BAE) y los antecedentes personales. Un 51,6% de casos graves podrían ser atribuidos a un exceso de IMC y un 61,4% a exceso GC estimada según CUN-BAE, observándose una mayor infraestimación del riesgo en mujeres. Conclusiones: El exceso de GC, es un factor de riesgo para formas graves de la COVID-19 junto con la edad avanzada y la presencia de enfermedades cardiovasculares, respiratorias crónicas u oncohematológicas. El IMC infraestima el riesgo, especialmente en mujeres, siendo el CUN-BAE el predictor seleccionado por su mejor estimación del porcentaje de GC.

Old zoonotic agents and novel variants of tick-borne microorganisms from Benguela (Angola), July 2017.

BACKGROUND: Ticks and tick-borne diseases constitute a real threat for the livestock industry, which is increasing in Angola. In addition, ticks are vectors of zoonoses of public health concern, and scarce information is available from this country. In an effort to contribute to the prevention of zoonotic infectious diseases affecting humans and animals, the molecular screening of certain tick-related microorganisms collected on cattle in Angola was performed under a 'One Health' scope. METHODS: Ticks collected from cattle in Cubal (Benguela Province, Angola) in July 2017 were analysed in pools using specific PCR assays for bacteria (Rickettsia, Anaplasmataceae, Borrelia, Coxiella and Spiroplasma) and protozoa (Theileria and Babesia) detection. RESULTS: A total of 124 tick specimens were grouped in 25 pools (two Amblyomma variegatum, three Hyalomma truncatum, 16 Rhipicephalus decoloratus, two Rhipicephalus duttoni, one Rhipicephalus evertsi mimeticus and one Rhipicephalus sp.). The amplified microorganisms were (pools): Rickettsia africae (two A. variegatum and one R. decoloratus), Rickettsia aeschlimannii (three H. truncatum), Ehrlichia spp. (six R. decoloratus), Coxiella spp. (all but H. truncatum), Francisella sp. (one H. truncatum), Spiroplasma sp. closely related to Spiroplasma ixodetis (three R. decoloratus), Babesia bigemina (two R. decoloratus) and Babesia spp. (two A. variegatum). The obtained nucleotide sequences from Ehrlichia spp., two Coxiella genotypes (from R. duttoni and Rhipicephalus sp.), Francisella sp. and Babesia spp. (from A. variegatum) reached low identities with known genetically characterized species. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the circulation in Angola of the pathogen R. aeschlimannii and potential novel tick-related microorganisms belonging to Ehrlichia, Coxiella, Francisella, Spiroplasma and Babesia spp. and corroborates the presence of R. africae and B. bigemina. Our results should be considered in developing protocols for the management of fever of unknown origin and for veterinary practices. Further studies are required to evaluate the risk of tick-borne diseases in Angola.

Corrigendum: ACE Gene Variants Rise the Risk of Severe COVID-19 in Patients With Hypertension, Dyslipidemia or Diabetes: A Spanish Pilot Study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.688071.].

ACE Gene Variants Rise the Risk of Severe COVID-19 in Patients With Hypertension, Dyslipidemia or Diabetes: A Spanish Pilot Study.

Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection continues to scale and threaten human health and public safety. It is essential to identify those risk factors that lead to a poor prognosis of the disease. A predisposing host genetic background could be one of these factors that explain the interindividual variability to COVID-19 severity. Thus, we have studied whether the rs4341 and rs4343 polymorphisms of the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene, key regulator of the renin-aldosterone-angiotensin system (RAAS), could explain the different outcomes of 128 COVID-19 patients with diverse degree of severity (33 asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, 66 hospitalized in the general ward, and 29 admitted to the ICU). We found that G allele of rs4341 and rs4343 was associated with severe COVID-19 in hypertensive patients, independently of gender (p<0.05). G-carrier genotypes of both polymorphisms were also associated with higher mortality (p< 0.05) and higher severity of COVID-19 in dyslipidemic (p<0.05) and type 2 diabetic patients (p< 0.01). The association of G alleles with disease severity was adjusted for age, sex, BMI and number of comorbidities, suggesting that both the metabolic comorbidities and the G allele act synergistically on COVID-19 outcome. Although we did not find a direct association between serum ACE levels and COVID-19 severity, we found higher levels of ACE in the serum of patients with the GG genotype of rs4341 and rs4343 (p<0.05), what could explain the higher susceptibility to develop severe forms of the disease in patients with the GG genotype, in addition to hypertension and dyslipidemia. In conclusion, our preliminary study suggests that the G-containing genotypes of rs4341 and rs4343 confer an additional risk of adverse COVID-19 prognosis. Thus, rs4341 and rs4343 polymorphisms of ACE could be predictive markers of severity of COVID-19 in those patients with hypertension, dyslipidemia or diabetes. The knowledge of these genetic data could contribute to precision management of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients when admitted to hospital.

Circulating Levels of Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Are Lower in COVID-19 Patients.

BACKGROUND: To better understand the biology of COVID-19, we have explored the behavior of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), an angiogenic, vasodilating, and immune modulating peptide, in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 positive patients. METHODS: Levels of CGRP in the serum of 57 COVID-19 patients (24 asymptomatic, 23 hospitalized in the general ward, and 10 admitted to the intensive care unit) and healthy donors (n = 24) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In addition, to better understand the physiological consequences of the observed variations, we investigated by immunofluorescence the distribution of receptor activity modifying protein 1 (RAMP1), one of the components of the CGRP receptor, in autopsy lung specimens. RESULTS: CGRP levels were greatly decreased in COVID-19 patients (P < 0.001) when compared to controls, and there were no significant differences due to disease severity, sex, age, or comorbidities. We found that COVID-19 patients treated with proton pump inhibitors had lower levels of CGRP than other patients not taking this treatment (P = 0.001). RAMP1 immunoreactivity was found in smooth muscle cells of large blood vessels and the bronchial tree and in the airways´ epithelium. In COVID-19 samples, RAMP1 was also found in proliferating type II pneumocytes, a common finding in these patients. CONCLUSIONS: The lower levels of CGRP should negatively impact the respiratory physiology of COVID-19 patients due to vasoconstriction, improper angiogenesis, less epithelial repair, and faulty immune response. Therefore, restoring CGRP levels in these patients may represent a novel therapeutic approach for COVID-19.

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in pets living with COVID-19 owners diagnosed during the COVID-19 lockdown in Spain: A case of an asymptomatic cat with SARS-CoV-2 in Europe.

Pets from COVID-19 owners were screened for SARS-CoV-2 (April-May 2020). From 23 pets, an asymptomatic cat showed positive RT-qPCRs results from oropharyngeal swab (negative rectal swab). Remaining pets were negative. This suggests that cats can contract the virus from their infected owners and may act as potential hosts for SARS-CoV-2. Their role in carrying live or infectious viruses and disseminating them needs more investigation.