The Susceptibility of Healthy People to COVID-19 Infection and the Role of ACE2

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehdi Kushkestani ◽  
Mohsen Parvani ◽  
Bakhtyar Tartibian ◽  
Rasoul Eslami
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Normal Subjects ◽  
Definitive Treatment ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Cost Effective Approach ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Physical Activity Levels ◽  
Ace2 Gene

The COVID-19 virus has caused many deaths of people worldwide since the pandemic began. However, no definitive treatment for this infection has been discovered so far. It has been shown that comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases are associated with an increased risk of SARS-COV-2 infection. Interestingly, SARS-COV-2, like SARS-COV, uses the ACE2 gene to enter the host cell. Also, changes or imbalance in ACE2.ACE can affect SARS-COV-2 susceptibility, related outcomes and mortality. Regarding the crucial role of ACE2 protein in COVID-19 infection, the effect of different factors such as age, BMI, physical activity levels, nutritional status, altitude, as well as blood group was assessed on the level of this protein. Further, to our knowledge, no study has been conducted to examine factors that increase or decrease the risk of COVID-19 and its related severity and outcome in normal subjects emphasizing the pivotal role of ACE2. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to investigate the involved mechanisms of ACE2 protein and other risk factors causing infection in different situations and finally, to introduce a safe, accurate, and cost-effective approach to prevent SARS-COV-2 infection and hard clinical outcomes in normal subjects.

scholarly journals Increasing Physical Activity In Older Australians to Reduce Falls: A Program Evaluation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristy Robson ◽  
Nazmul Ahasan ◽  
Carly Barnes ◽  
Kylie Murphy ◽  
Rodney Pope
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Older People ◽  
Falls Prevention ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Risk Of Falling ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Falls Risk ◽  
Physical Activity Levels

Purpose: As people age, they are at greater risk of injurious falls. Falling has a significant impact not only on the individual but also the wider community. Undertaking physical activity is effective in reducing the rate of falls in this population. Therefore, providing targeted education during group-based falls prevention programs may increase the awareness and amount of physical activity older people undertake to assist in reducing their risk of falling. Methods: A longitudinal cohort design involving a pre-post intervention survey was conducted over an eight-month period with community-dwelling older adults who participated in a fall-prevention program. Participants were N = 161 (123 female and 38 male), aged 65 years and over, with the most common age bracket being 75 to 84 years. Demographic information was collected at baseline. It included falls history and self-reported physical activity levels. Immediately post-intervention, self-reported changes in the awareness of the role of physical activity and awareness of falls risks were measured. Six months post-intervention, participants self-reported their physical activity levels and post-program fall history. Results: An increase in awareness of the role of physical activity in reducing falls risk as well as falls risk factors was reported in most participants after completing the program. Despite this, only around a third of participants increased their physical activity levels during the six months after the program even though a decrease in falls rates was noted. Conclusions: The targeted education within the falls prevention program demonstrated an increase in awareness of falls risk factors and the importance of regular physical activity to minimise the risk of falling. However, this awareness did not seem to result in an increase in the amount of physical activity participants undertook after the program, even though falls rates across the participants reduced. Further research is needed to explore why older people who understand the benefits of undertaking regular physical activity did not increase their activity levels.

Impaired fibrinolysis in retinal vein occlusion: a role for genetic determinants of PAI-1 levels

2004 ◽  
Vol 92 (07) ◽  
pp. 54-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rossella Marcucci ◽  
Cinzia Fatini ◽  
Francesca Gensini ◽  
Elena Sticchi ◽  
Andrea Sodi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Multivariate Analysis ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Retinal Vein Occlusion ◽  
Smoking Habit ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Vein Occlusion ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Pai 1

SummaryFew and contrasting data are available on the presence of a thrombophilic state in patients with retinal vein occlusion (RVO), and we have previously demonstrated a role of elevated PAI-1 activity as a risk factor for this condition. The present study was undertaken to investigate whether PAI 4G/5G and ACE I/D polymorphisms are independent risk factors for RVO and whether they account for elevated PAI-1 activity levels. We studied 112 RVO patients (52 males and 60 females; range 18–83 years; median age 60 years) and 112 healthy subjects (52 males and 60 females; range 20–84 years; median age 57 years). PAI-1 activity was determined by a chromogenic assay and ACE I/D and PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphisms by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction length fragment polymorphism (RLFP) methods. Elevated PAI-1 activity (above 95th percentile of the controls) was significantly associated with RVO at multivariate analysis after adjustment for age, sex, traditional cardiovascular risk factors and haemostasis-related risk factors (OR = 4.93, 95% CI 1.70–14.30; p = 0.003).The homozygosity for ACE DD was found to be an independent risk factor for RVO at multivariate analysis (OR = 1.98, 95% CI 1.013.83; p = 0.049), whereas no significant association between homozygosity for PAI-1 4G4G and risk of RVO was observed. Subjects carrying both ACE DD genotype and PAI-1 4G4G genotype showed an increased risk for RVO at multivariate analysis (OR = 4.82, 95% CI 1.89–12.29; p = 0.001). In 45/112 patients without the established risk factors for RVO (hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes) or characteristics known to be associated to increased PAI-1 activity (overweight, hypertriglyceridemia, and smoking habit) the contemporary presence of ACE DD and PAI-1 4G4G genotype was significantly associated with a risk for RVO (OR = 8.26, 95% CI 1.1857.92; p = 0.034). In conclusion, in our study: 1-indicates that ACE DD genotype is a risk factor for RVO in the whole group of patients, and in the subgroup of patients without the established risk factors for RVO or characteristics influencing the PAI-1 activity, when associated to PAI-1 4G4G genotype, and 2-confirms the role of hypofibrinolysis, documented by high levels of PAI-1 activity, in the occurrence of patients with RVO.

Post-Bariatric Abdominoplasty: Analysis of 406 Cases With Focus on Risk Factors and Complications

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torsten Schlosshauer ◽  
Marcus Kiehlmann ◽  
Diana Jung ◽  
Robert Sader ◽  
Ulrich M Rieger
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Wound Healing ◽  
Surgical Technique ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Potential Risk Factors ◽  
Wound Healing Problems ◽  
Bariatric Patients

Abstract Background Post-bariatric patients present a surgical challenge within abdominoplasty because of residual obesity and major comorbidities. In this study, we analyzed complications following abdominoplasty in post-bariatric patients and evaluated potential risk factors associated with these complications. Objectives The authors sought to determine the complications and risk factors following abdominoplasty in post-bariatric patients. Methods A retrospective study of patients who underwent abdominoplasty was performed from January 2009 to December 2018 at our institution. Variables analyzed were sex, age, body mass index (BMI), smoking, surgical technique, operative time, resection weight, drain output, and complications. Results A total of 406 patients were included in this study (320 female and 86 male) with a mean age of 44.4 years and a BMI of 30.6 kg/m2. Abdominoplasty techniques consisted of traditional (64.3%), fleur-de-lis technique (27.3%), and panniculectomy without umbilical displacement (8.4%). Overall complications recorded were 41.9%, the majority of these being wound-healing problems (32%). Minor and major complications were found in 29.1% and 12.8% of patients, respectively. A BMI value of ≥30 kg/m2 was associated with an increased risk for wound-healing problems (P = 0.001). The frequency of total complications was significantly related to age (P = 0.007), BMI (P = 0.004), and resection weight (P = 0.001). Abdominoplasty technique tended to influence total complications. Conclusions This study demonstrates in a fairly large sample of post-bariatric patients (n = 406) that abdominoplasty alone can be performed safely, with an acceptable complication rate. Age, BMI, and resection weight are shown to be significant risk factors for total complications. The role of surgical technique needs to be evaluated further. Level of Evidence: 4

Quantitative Selection of Variation Reduction Plans

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna C. Thornton
Keyword(s):  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Variation Reduction ◽  
Multiple Quality Characteristics ◽  
Cost Effective Approach ◽  
Manufacturing Performance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Manufacturing Variation ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract Quality has been a rallying call in the design and manufacturing world for the last two decades. One way to improve quality is to reduce the impact of manufacturing variation. Variation risk mitigation is challenging especially when a product has multiple quality characteristics and complex production and assembly. It is common wisdom that companies should identify and mitigate the risk associated with variation throughout the design process. As yield problems are identified, they should be mitigated using the most cost effective approach. One approach to variation risk mitigation is variation reduction (VR). VR targets reduction of variation introduced by existing manufacturing processes using tools such as Design of Experiments (DOE) and robust design. Many companies have specialized groups that specialize in these methods. VR teams have the role of improving manufacturing performance; however, these teams are limited in their resources. In addition, no tools exist to quantitatively determine where a VR team’s efforts are most effectively deployed. This paper provides a mathematical and optimization model to best allocate VR resources in a complex product.

scholarly journals Association between Risk Factors for Vascular Dementia and Adiponectin

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juhyun Song ◽  
Won Taek Lee ◽  
Kyung Ah Park ◽  
Jong Eun Lee
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Signal Transduction ◽  
Vascular Dementia ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Case Control Studies ◽  
Insulin Signal Transduction ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Brain

Vascular dementia is caused by various factors, including increased age, diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and stroke. Adiponectin is an adipokine secreted by adipose tissue. Adiponectin is widely known as a regulating factor related to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Adiponectin plasma levels decrease with age. Decreased adiponectin increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Adiponectin improves hypertension and atherosclerosis by acting as a vasodilator and antiatherogenic factor. Moreover, adiponectin is involved in cognitive dysfunction via modulation of insulin signal transduction in the brain. Case-control studies demonstrate the association between low adiponectin and increased risk of stroke, hypertension, and diabetes. This review summarizes the recent findings on the association between risk factors for vascular dementia and adiponectin. To emphasize this relationship, we will discuss the importance of research regarding the role of adiponectin in vascular dementia.

Abstract WP164: Role of Risk Factors in the Paradoxical Effect of Smoking on Peri-procedural Stroke in SAMMPRIS

Stroke ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine A Holmstedt ◽  
Tanya N Turan ◽  
Michael J Lynn ◽  
Bethany F Lane ◽  
Jean Montgomery ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Odds Ratio ◽  
Multivariate Analyses ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Active Form ◽  
Intracranial Stenosis ◽  
Contributory Factor ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Never Smokers

Background: A previous SAMMPRIS analysis of patients randomized to stenting showed that peri-procedural ischemic infarcts were significantly associated with diabetes, basilar stenosis, age, and smoking status with never smokers having a higher risk (odds ratio = 8.8, p< 0.001). We sought to determine if this finding could be due to a higher burden of other risk factors in never smokers. Method: Baseline features in 213 patients undergoing stenting in SAMMPRIS were compared between never smokers vs. former and current smokers in univariate and multivariate analyses. Logistic regression was used to determine the effect of smoking on peri-procedural ischemic infarcts after adjusting for factors related to smoking. Data: Univariate results are shown in Table 1. Never smokers were significantly (P<0.05) more likely to be female, diabetic, hypertensive, and have another intracranial stenosis, but in multivariate analyses only hypertension and another intracranial stenosis remained significantly (P<0.05) associated with smoking status. In a multivariate model that incorporated hypertension and another intracranial stenosis along with smoking status, diabetes, basilar stenosis, and age, smoking status remained significant with an increased risk among patients who never smoked (odds ratio = 5.3, p = 0.005). Conclusion: While never smokers had significantly higher rates of some risk factors compared to active or previous smokers, these risk factors do not explain all the increased risk of early stroke in never smokers after stenting in SAMMPRIS. Another contributory factor may be that smoking accelerates the conversion of clopidogrel to its active form.

Childhood trauma and being at-risk for psychosis are associated with higher peripheral endocannabinoids

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (11) ◽  
pp. 1862-1871 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Appiah-Kusi ◽  
R. Wilson ◽  
M. Colizzi ◽  
E. Foglia ◽  
E. Klamerus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Childhood Trauma ◽  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Peripheral Blood ◽  
Endocannabinoid System ◽  
History Of Childhood ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
History Of

AbstractBackgroundEvidence has been accumulating regarding alterations in components of the endocannabinoid system in patients with psychosis. Of all the putative risk factors associated with psychosis, being at clinical high-risk for psychosis (CHR) has the strongest association with the onset of psychosis, and exposure to childhood trauma has been linked to an increased risk of development of psychotic disorder. We aimed to investigate whether being at-risk for psychosis and exposure to childhood trauma were associated with altered endocannabinoid levels.MethodWe compared 33 CHR participants with 58 healthy controls (HC) and collected information about previous exposure to childhood trauma as well as plasma samples to analyse endocannabinoid levels.ResultsIndividuals with both CHR and experience of childhood trauma had higher N-palmitoylethanolamine (p < 0.001) and anandamide (p < 0.001) levels in peripheral blood compared to HC and those with no childhood trauma. There was also a significant correlation between N-palmitoylethanolamine levels and symptoms as well as childhood trauma.ConclusionsOur results suggest an association between CHR and/or childhood maltreatment and elevated endocannabinoid levels in peripheral blood, with a greater alteration in those with both CHR status and history of childhood maltreatment compared to those with either of those risks alone. Furthermore, endocannabinoid levels increased linearly with the number of risk factors and elevated endocannabinoid levels correlated with the severity of CHR symptoms and extent of childhood maltreatment. Further studies in larger cohorts, employing longitudinal designs are needed to confirm these findings and delineate the precise role of endocannabinoid alterations in the pathophysiology of psychosis.

scholarly journals Surgical prehabilitation using mobile health coaching in patients with obesity: A pilot study

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 373-380
Author(s):  
Kasia Kulinski ◽  
Natalie A Smith
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Elective Surgery ◽  
Text Message ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
Morbidity And Mortality ◽  
Perioperative Morbidity ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Patient Health

Many patients spend months waiting for elective procedures, and many have significant modifiable risk factors that could contribute to an increased risk of perioperative morbidity and mortality. The minimal direct contact that usually occurs with healthcare professionals during this period represents a missed opportunity to improve patient health and surgical outcomes. Patients with obesity comprise a large proportion of the surgical workload but are under-represented in prehabilitation studies. Our study piloted a mobile phone based, multidisciplinary, prehabilitation programme for patients with obesity awaiting elective surgery. A total of 22 participants were recruited via the Wollongong Hospital pre-admissions clinic in New South Wales, Australia, and 18 completed the study. All received the study intervention of four text messages per week for six months. Questionnaires addressing the self-reported outcome measures were performed at the start and completion of the study. Forty percent of participants lost weight and 40% of smokers decreased their cigarette intake over the study. Sixty percent reported an overall improved health score. Over 80% of patients found the programme effective for themselves, and all recommended that it be made available to other patients. The cost was A$1.20 per patient per month. Our study showed improvement in some of the risk factors for perioperative morbidity and mortality. With improved methods to increase enrolment, our overall impression is that text message–based mobile health prehabilitation may be a feasible, cost-effective and worthwhile intervention for patients with obesity.

scholarly journals Venous Thrombosis: The Role of Genes, Environment, and Behavior

Hematology ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frits R. Rosendaal
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Venous Thrombosis ◽  
Protein S ◽  
Behavioral Risk ◽  
Antithrombin Deficiency ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Environment And Behavior ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Subsequent Identification

Abstract Over the last decade we have witnessed an avalanche of newly identified risk factors for venous thrombosis. This has advanced our knowledge of its etiology, because more determinants have been described and because the underlying concepts have received a new and broader understanding. Venous thrombosis is a common multicausal disease occurring as the result of interacting genetic, environmental and behavioral risk factors. Some of these have been known since medieval times, such as the increased risk of thrombosis during immobilization in pregnancy and after childbirth (although retained milk of the breast-feeding mother was seen as the primary cause for the latter). Pregnancy and puerperium still cause thrombosis, as do exogenous hormones in oral contraceptives and hormonal replacement therapy. Furthermore, the immobilization in the puerperium of the old days translates directly to situations of immobilization in current times, such as prolonged travel in airplanes or excessive electronic gaming. While pedigrees with abundant thrombosis were observed in the early 1900s, the first cause of heritable thrombophilia (antithrombin deficiency) was discovered in 1965, with the subsequent identification of deficiencies of protein C and protein S in the early 1980s. These were uncommon and strong risk factors, whereas the more recently discovered genetic variants are common and weak, and cause disease only in the presence of other factors.

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