Combinatorial analysis of ACE and ACE2 polymorphisms reveals protection against COVID-19 worsening: A genetic association study in Brazilian patients.

Since angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, ACE2, was identified as the receptor for SARS-CoV-2 and considering the intense physiological interplay between the two angitensinases isoforms, ACE and ACE2, as counter-regulatory axis of the renin-angiotensin system, we proposed the evaluation of polymorphisms in these two key regulators in relation to COVID-19 severity. A genetic association study involving 621 COVID-19 hospitalized patients from Brazil was performed. All subjects had a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 via RT-PCR. Patients were categorized into two groups: the "mild" group (N = 296), composed of individuals hospitalized in ward beds who progressed to cure, and the "severe" group (N = 325), composed of individuals who required hospitalization in an intensive care unit (ICU), or who died. Blood samples were genotyped for ACE I/D polymorphism and ACE2 G8790A polymorphism by real-time PCR via TaqMan assay. The analysis of combined polymorphisms revealed a protective role for genotypic profile II/A_ (ORA = 0,26; p = 0,037) against the worsening of COVID-19 in women. The results indicate a protection profile to COVID-19 progression, in which the II/A_ carriers have almost four times less chance of a severe outcome. It is proposed that a decreased activity of ACE (deleterious effects) in conjunction with an increased ACE2 activity (protective effects), should be the underlying mechanism. The findings are unprecedented once other studies have not explored the genotypic combination analysis for ACE and ACE2 polymorphisms and bring perspectives and expectations for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic based on definitions of genetically-based risk groups within the context of personalized medicine.

Long-Term Symptoms after Mild Coronavirus Disease in Healthy Healthcare Professionals: A 12-Month Prospective Cohort Study.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the course of human history and killed millions of people worldwide. Its long-term consequences remain uncertain. This study aimed to describe the short- and long-term symptoms of COVID-19 among individuals in Goiás, central Brazil, who experienced acute mild or non-symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection during the first wave of the pandemic. This prospective cohort study included 110 healthcare workers, 18 safety workers, and 19 administrative support workers, who were followed up for 12 months after the onset of COVID-19. Most participants were healthy adult female healthcare professionals. At the onset of infection, the major symptoms were headache, myalgia, nasal congestion, cough, coryza, anosmia, ageusia, sore throat, fatigue, diarrhea, and dyspnea. Furthermore, 20.3% of the participants had three or more COVID-19 symptoms that persisted for at least 12 months. These included coryza, congestion, hair loss, sore throat, headache, myalgia, cough, memory loss, anosmia, and fatigue. This study revealed a high prevalence of persistent symptoms of COVID-19 in healthy individuals from central Brazil, which may present an additional burden on healthcare services. Further studies are required to investigate the sequelae of COVID-19 over periods greater than 12 months.

Gender-specific histopathological response in guppies Poecilia reticulata exposed to glyphosate or its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid.

Ecotoxicity of glyphosate (GLY) and its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) was investigated in guppies, Poecilia reticulata. We tested the effects of these chemicals on the gills and liver of both male and female guppies using qualitative and quantitative histopathological analyses associated with histopathological condition indexes. Both genders showed similar median lethal concentration (LC50 ) at 96 h for GLY (68.78 and 70.87 mg l-1 ) and AMPA (180 and 164.32 mg l-1 ). However, the histopathological assessment of both fish organs exposed to sublethal concentrations of GLY (35 mg l-1 ) and AMPA (82 mg l-1 ) for 96 h showed a tissue- and gender-specific histopathological response. In both exposure assays, fish presented mainly progressive changes, such as proliferation of the interlamellar epithelium, partial and total fusion of secondary lamellae. The liver showed mainly regressive changes, such as steatosis, pyknotic nuclei and high distribution of collagen fibers. Unusually large hepatocytes as degenerated cells were also detected. Histopathological changes in gills were similar for the males and females, but the liver response was different between the genders. The hepatic inflammatory changes were more common in males. The increase in the area of hepatocyte vacuoles is gender dependent with higher values in the male compared to the female guppies exposed to GLY and AMPA. Multiparametric analysis indicated that the male guppies are more sensitive than females, particularly in the presence of AMPA. Our study shows that the histopathological assessment associated with gender-specific response can be successfully used in ecotoxicological assessment of GLY and the metabolite AMPA. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.