COVID-19 fatality and DALYs, and associated metabolic disorders and ambient air pollutants in pre-Omicron era of the pandemic: an international comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Air pollution and a number of metabolic disorders have been reported to increase the risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes. This study explored the association between severe COVID-19 outcomes, metabolic disorders and environmental air pollutants, at regional level, across 38 countries. METHODS: We conducted an ecological study using COVID-19 data related to countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), with an estimated population of 1.4 billion. They were divided into 3 regions: 1. Europe & Middle east; 2. Americas (north, central & south America); 3. East-Asia & West Pacific. The outcome variables were: COVID-19 case-fatality rate (CFR) and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) at regional level. Freely accessible datasets related to regional DALYs, demographics and other environmental pollutants were obtained from OECD, WHO and the World in Data websites. Generalized linear model (GLM) was performed to determine the regional determinants of COVID-19 CFR and DALYs using the aggregate epidemiologic data (Dec. 2019-Dec. 2021). RESULTS: Overall cumulative deaths were 65,000 per million, for mean CFR and DALYs of 1.31 (1.2)% and 17.35 (2.3) years, respectively. Globally, GLM analysis with adjustment for elderly population rate, showed that COVID-19 CFR was positively associated with atmospheric PM2.5 level (beta = 0.64(0.0), 95%CI: 0.06-1.35; p < 0.05), diabetes prevalence (beta = 0.26(0.1), 95%CI: 0.12-0.41; p < 0.001). For COVID-19 DALYs, positive associations were observed with atmospheric NOx level (beta = 0.06(0.0), 95%CI: 0.02-0.82; p < 0.05) and diabetes prevalence (beta = 0.32(0.2), 95%CI: 0.04-0.69; p < 0.05). At regional level, adjusted GLM analysis showed that COVID-19 CFR was associated with atmospheric PM2.5 level in the Americas and East-Asia & Western Pacific region; it was associated with diabetes prevalence for countries of Europe & Middle east and East-Asia & Western Pacific region. Furthermore, COVID-19 DALYs were positively associated with atmospheric PM2.5 and diabetes prevalence for countries of the Americas only. CONCLUSION: These findings confirm that diabetes and air pollution increase the risk of disability and fatality due to COVID-19, with disparities in terms of their impact. They suggest that efficient preventive and management programs for diabetes and air pollution countermeasures would have curtailed severe COVID-19 outcome rates.

Modulatory Effects of NBF1, an Algal Fiber-Rich Bioformula, on Adiponectin and C-Reactive Protein Levels, and Its Therapeutic Prospects for Metabolic Syndrome and Type-2 Diabetes Patients.

An unhealthy diet can lead to the development of metabolic disorders. C-reactive protein (CRP) has been reported to be an inflammatory component of metabolic disorders. Additionally, reduced adiponectin (APN) levels is known as a predictor of metabolic disorders. We report on the beneficial effects of NBF1, an algal fiber-rich formula, on CRP, APN, and diabetes markers. Additionally, associations between dietary nutrients, CRP, and APN were investigated. A dietary survey that used a brief self-administered diet history questionnaire, a validated 58-item fixed-portion-type questionnaire, and a 4-week placebo-controlled dietary intervention were carried out. The latter consisted of a twice daily intake of 3 g of sujiaonori alga-based powder as a supplement (NBF1, n = 16), whereas the placebo group received the same amount of corn starch powder (n = 15). CRP and APN levels were assayed by ELISA. Clinical cases comprising three subjects with metabolic disorders treated with NBF1, including two type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and one subject with hypercholesterolemia, are also reported. They received 2.1g NBF1 once daily for 12 weeks. Intakes of algal fiber and n-3 PUFA were positively associated with the increase of APN, and n-3PUFA intake was inversely associated with CRP. All cases had improved metabolic health profile.

Pneumonie à l'infection à Coronavirus (COVID-19) : défis, opportunités et quelles solutions à envisager en Afrique subsaharienne ?

En décembre 2019, la ville de Wuhan en Chine a déclaré des cas de pneumonie virale à SARS-CoV-2, dénommée plus tard par l'Organisation mondiale de la Santé (OMS), COVID19. En quelques mois cette nouvelle entité est devenue une pandémie. Elle concerne à ce jour, 185 pays, atteignant plus de trois millions de personnes et a occasionné plus de 225 000 décès. Cette pandémie a perturbé et déséquilibré tous les systèmes de santé des pays concernés. Ces différents pays ont mis en œuvre des moyens conséquents pour y faire face.Les pays de l'Afrique sub-saharienne (ASS) en général et la République Démocratique du Congo (RDC) en particulier, doivent saisir cette opportunité pour s'organiser, former le personnel soignant, équiper les hôpitaux et améliorer l'accès aux soins des populations susceptibles de contracter cette maladie. La COVID-19 pouvant entraîner des complications graves chez certains patients, les unités des soins intensifs devraient être équipées pour apporter de l'oxygénothérapie de façon optimale, de l'assistance respiratoire par des moyens non invasifs ou invasifs et la suppléance d'autres organes afin d'améliorer le pronostic de ces patients graves. Voilà autant des défis à relever pour sécuriser la prise en charge des patients en ASS et en RDC