Mendelian randomization analysis provides causality of smoking on the expression of ACE2, a putative SARS-CoV-2 receptor

Background: To understand a causal role of modifiable lifestyle factors in ACE2 expression (a putative SARS-CoV-2 receptor) across 44 human tissues/organs, and in COVID-19 susceptibility and severity, we conducted a phenome-wide two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study. Methods: More than 500 genetic variants were used as instrumental variables to predict smoking and alcohol consumption. Inverse-variance weighted approach was adopted as the primary method to estimate a causal association, while MR-Egger regression, weighted median and MR-PRESSO were performed to identify potential horizontal pleiotropy. Results: We found that genetically predicted smoking intensity significantly increased ACE2 expression in thyroid (β=1.468, p=1.8 10-8); and increased ACE2 expression in adipose, brain, colon and liver with nominal significance. Additionally, genetically predicted smoking initiation significantly increased the risk of COVID-19 onset (odds ratio=1.14, p=8.7 10-5). No statistically significant result was observed for alcohol consumption. Conclusions: Our work demonstrates an important role of smoking, measured by both status and intensity, in the susceptibility to COVID-19. Funding: Dr. Jiang is supported by research grants from the Swedish Research Council (VR-2018-02247) and Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (FORTE-2020-00884).

4948Irregular eating behavior and incidence of cardiovascular disease: results from a Swedish 60-year-old cohort of men and women

Background Irregular meals may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) but knowledge is limited. We aimed to investigate this association in men and in women, respectively, in a Swedish cohort followed-up for 11 years for incident CVD. Methods 4,232 participants (54% women) aged 60, randomly selected from Stockholm County in 1997–1998 were followed regarding incident CVD (coronary heart disease or ischemic stroke) up to 2009. Using national registers, 375 incident CVD cases (135 in women) were identified in subjects free from prior CVD events. Self-reported habit of seldom or sometimes having regular meals was compared to reports of often or always having regular meals. Cox proportional models were employed to estimate hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Results The habit of having irregular meals was associated with increased risk of CVD in men (HR: 1.70 95% CI: 1.19; 2.43) but not in women (HR: 0.64 95% CI: 0.33; 1.22) in a model adjusted for civil status. Adjustments for smoking, physical activity, obesity and occasional intake of fruits and vegetables did not affect these relationships. Conclusions Our results show a clear association between irregular meal patterns and increased risk of CVD in men but not in women. Further studies are needed to confirm these gender specific results and elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms. Acknowledgement/Funding The Stockholm County Council, The Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, The Swedish Research Council for Longitudinal Research, The Swedish Research Council

Epistemology, Activism, and Entanglement - Rethinking Knowledge Production

Nina Lykke is Professor Emerita at the Unit of Gender Studies, Linköping University, Sweden.She has been an engaged feminist researcher, educator, and activist since the 1970s, duringwhich time she has developed important critiques of epistemologies in science and technology.She has covered topics as diverse as the space race, reproductive technologies, cancer, and death.Lykke has published widely in both Scandinavia and internationally within the field of feministcultural studies of technoscience. Her most well-known publications within the area include themonographies Cosmodolphins (2000) co-authored with Mette Bryld, and Kønsforskning (2008)(in Engl: Feminist Studies (2010)), as well as the edited volumes Between Monsters, Goddessesand Cyborgs (1996) co-edited with Rosi Braidotti, Bits of Life (2008) with Anneke Smelik, andAssisted Reproduction Across Borders (2017) with Merete Lie. She has been pivotal in establishingthe Unit of Gender Studies at Linköping University, with which she has been affiliated sincethe unit’s inauguration in 1999. She has played a major role in the development of the PhDprogramme in interdisciplinary gender studies at Linköping University, which has a strong profilewithin feminist STS. In 2007, she started the Center of Gender Excellence GEXcel, initiallyfunded by The Swedish Research Council, Vetenskapsrådet, and later by the participating Universities,Linköping University, Örebro University, and Karlstad University, Sweden. She has alsobeen the director of the Nordic Research School in Interdisciplinary Gender Studies 2004-2009,and from 2008-2017 she was the director of InterGender, the Swedish-International ResearchSchool in Interdisciplinary Gender Studies. We met with Nina Lykke in Copenhagen, in orderto let her unfold how her own interest in Feminist STS/Feminist Technoscience Studiesemerged, and how she has put feminist cultural studies of technoscience to work from the1980’s until today, through research, teaching, and activism.