ABSTRACT
Increasing evidence points to host genetics as a factor in COVID-19 prevalence and outcome. CCR5 is a receptor for proinflammatory chemokines that are involved in host responses, especially to viruses. The CCR5-delta32 minor allele is an interesting variant, given the role of CCR5 in some viral infections, particularly HIV-1. Recent studies of the impact of CCR5-delta32 on COVID-19 risk and severity have yielded contradictory results. This ecologic study shows that the CCR5-delta32 allelic frequency in a European population was significantly negatively correlated with the number of COVID-19 cases (p=0.035) and deaths (p=0.006) during the second pandemic wave. These results suggest that CCR5-delta32 may be protective against SARS-CoV-2 infection, as it is against HIV infection, and could be predictive of COVID-19 risk and severity. Further studies based on samples from populations of different genetic backgrounds are needed to validate these statistically obtained findings.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/genetics , Mutation , Receptors, CCR5/genetics , SARS-CoV-2/pathogenicity , COVID-19/immunology , COVID-19/mortality , COVID-19/virology , Europe/epidemiology , Gene Frequency , Genetic Predisposition to Disease , Host-Pathogen Interactions , Humans , Phenotype , Prevalence , Protective Factors , Risk Factors , SARS-CoV-2/immunology , Severity of Illness IndexABSTRACT
Multiple sclerosis and lichen ruber planus are clinically and histologically distinct complex disorders of putative autoimmune aetiology that are fairly commonly observed in isolation but rarely found in combination. Only two previous reports have described lichen skin disorders in association with multiple sclerosis. The present report describes the case of a 51-year-old Caucasian woman exhibiting both familial multiple sclerosis and lichen ruber planus. This combination may have occurred by chance or it might imply that these disorders share common mechanisms in their pathogenesis.
Subject(s)
Genetic Predisposition to Disease , Lichen Planus/complications , Lichen Planus/diagnosis , Multiple Sclerosis/complications , Multiple Sclerosis/diagnosis , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Humans , Lichen Planus/genetics , Middle Aged , Multiple Sclerosis/geneticsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity is increased in blood and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). In addition, in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of MS, the blockade of ACE suppresses the disease itself. To analyze the genetic association of the ACE gene with MS, we examined ACE gene insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism in MS patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 313 MS patients from Slovenia and Croatia and 376 healthy controls were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction method. RESULTS: We found statistically significant differences in the distribution of ACE I/D allele frequencies (P < 0.01) and genotypes (P < 0.04) in male patients. ACE DD genotype was associated with MS in men at an odds ratio of 1.86 (95% CI 1.09-3.19, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: DD genotype of ACE gene might contribute to a higher risk of developing MS in men.