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Introduction We hypothesized that the geographic distributions of COVID-19 and alpha-1 antitrypsin alleles prevalence are similar. We investigate whether there is a relationship between the geographical density of the COVID-19 pandemic and the distributions of alpha-1 antitrypsin alleles. Methods This research is a cross-sectional study. Alpha-1 antitrypsin PI*MS, PI*MZ, PI*SS, PI*SZ, and PI*ZZ genotypes frequencies of European countries were compared with the case and death data related to the COVID-19 pandemic as of March 1, 2022. Results A significant relationship was found between the rates of COVID-19 cases and the rates of individuals with alpha-1 antitrypsin PI*MS, PI*MZ, PI*SS, PI*SZ, and PI*ZZ genotypes allele in European countries. Conclusions The findings showed that the prevalence distribution of the alleles of the gene defect that causes alpha-1 antitrypsin insufficiency is related to the prevalence of COVID-19 pandemic data.
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INTRODUCTION: In recent years, there has been a surge in research focusing on the link between smoking and insulin resistance in the context of obesity and diabetes. In this study, our objective was to investigate the relationship between smoking and insulin resistance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a case-control study. The case and control groups were formed using the hospital patient information database and clinically randomized using data obtained, including age, gender, height, and weight. The case group for this study consisted of smokers, whereas the control group consisted of non-smokers. Chi-square tests were used to compare numbers and rates, and independent sample t-tests were used for the averages. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed between the case and control groups. RESULTS: According to logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio for non-smokers was 0.59 (0.31-1.14). The risk of insulin resistance is decreased by 41% non-significantly in non-smokers. The odds ratio for age was 1.03 (1.01-1.05). When the age variable increases by one unit, the risk of insulin resistance increase by 1.03 times. CONCLUSION: Our study found no significant relationship between smoking and insulin resistance in healthy individuals. The relationship between smoking and insulin resistance, as reported in the scientific literature, may be suggestive of an association in which smoking exacerbates insulin resistance as a result of other contributing factors rather than serving as a direct causal factor. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the potential mechanisms underlying this association fully.
