Association of smoking, lung function and COPD in COVID-19 risk: a two-step Mendelian randomization study

Genetically identified mediators associated with increased risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease in individuals with autism spectrum disorder

Growing evidence suggested that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) associated with stroke and cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the causal association between ASD and the risk of stroke and CVD remains unclear. To validate this, we performed two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) and two-step mediation MR analyses, using relevant genetic variants sourced from the largest genome-wide association studies (GWASs). Two-sample MR evidence indicated causal relationships between ASD and any stroke (OR = 1.1184, 95% CI: 1.0302-1.2142, P < 0.01), ischemic stroke (IS) (OR = 1.1157, 95% CI: 1.0237-1.2160, P = 0.01), large-artery atherosclerotic stroke (LAS) (OR = 1.2902, 95% CI: 1.0395-1.6013, P = 0.02), atrial fibrillation (AF) (OR = 1.0820, 95% CI: 1.0019-1.1684, P = 0.04), and heart failure (HF) (OR = 1.1018, 95% CI: 1.0007-1.2132, P = 0.05). Additionally, two-step mediation MR suggested that type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) partially mediated this effect (OR = 1.14, 95%CI: 1.02-1.28, P = 0.03). The mediated proportion were 10.96% (95% CI: 0.58%-12.10%) for any stroke, 11.77% (95% CI: 10.58%-12.97%) for IS, 10.62% (95% CI: 8.04%-13.20%) for LAS, and 7.57% (95% CI: 6.79%-8.36%) for HF. However, no mediated effect was observed between ASD and AF risk. These findings have implications for the development of prevention strategies and interventions for stroke and CVD in patients with ASD.

Human blood metabolites and risk of severe COVID-19: A Mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND

Evidence supports the observational associations of human blood metabolites with the risk of severe COVID-19. However, little is known about the potential pathological mechanisms and the analysis of blood metabolites may offer a better understanding of the underlying biological processes.

METHODS

We applied a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to evaluate relationships between 486 blood metabolites and the risk of severe COVID-19. The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) model was used as the primary two-sample MR analysis method to estimate the causal relationship of the exposure on the outcome. Sensitivity analyses were implemented with Cochran's Q test, MR-Egger intercept test, MR-PRESSO, leave-one-out analysis and the funnel plot.

RESULTS

Four hunderd and eighty six metabolites were included for MR analysis following rigorous genetic variants selection. After MR analyses and sensitivity analysis filtration, we found weak evidence of an association between 3-hydroxybutyrate (odds ratio [OR] = 1.21, 95% CI, 1.07-1.38, p = .0036) and the risk of severe COVID-19. A series of sensitivity analyses have been carried out to confirm the rigidity of the above results.

CONCLUSION

This study suggested a causal relationship between 3-hydroxybutyrate and the severity of COVID-19, thus providing novel insights into biomarkers and pathways for COVID-19 prevention and clinical interventions.

Environmental and occupational risk factors for COPD and its prevalence among miners worldwide: a Mendelian randomization and meta-analysis study

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease and stroke, and its incidence is associated with genetic, environmental, and occupational factors. Miner is high-risk population for COPD, but the global prevalence of COPD in this group is inaccurate. In this study, the environmental and occupational risk factors for COPD were explored comprehensively with a two-sample Mendelian randomization study by combining genome-wide association data from two large global sample sizes of publicly available databases, UK Biobank (n = 503,317) and FinnGen (n = 193,638), as well as the prevalence of COPD among miners was investigated with meta-analysis followed a random-effects model including seven studies (16,033 miners in total). This study found that asthma, smoking, shift work, and workplace dust exposure may increase an individual's risk of COPD. The pooled prevalence of COPD among miners globally was 12% (95% CI: 8%, 18%), with higher prevalence of COPD among ex-smokers and dust-exposed individuals, and was significantly influenced by the method of diagnosis. Our findings suggest that there is currently a lack of practical criteria for diagnosing COPD in the physical examination and screening of miners. The actual prevalence of COPD may be underestimated due to the healthy worker effect and the phenomenon of job switching, and appropriate policies should be favored in the future to reduce the risk of COPD in miner.

Patients' characteristics and 30-day mortality for those undergoing elective surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the surgical practice throughout the world, including elective surgical care. This study investigated the characteristics of patients undergoing elective surgery, the prevalence of COVID-19 infection, the surgical procedures performed, and 30-day mortality in general and pediatric surgical settings in selected tertiary-level hospitals in Bangladesh from November 2020 to August 2021.

METHODS

This serial cross-sectional study included 264 patients scheduled for elective surgeries during the study period. All patients underwent COVID-19 real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing within 24 hours before surgery. Data on age, sex, common comorbidities, surgical procedures, and 30-day mortality were collected and analyzed. Furthermore, comparisons were made between COVID-19 positive and negative patients.

RESULTS

The prevalence of COVID-19 infection among patients was 10.6%. Older age, a history of major surgery within the last three months, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus were significantly associated with COVID-19 infection. All COVID-19-negative patients underwent surgery, while only 46.4% of COVID-19-positive patients underwent surgery. The most common surgical procedures were related to the digestive system, breast, and urinary system. Only one patient (0.4%) died within 30 days after surgery among the COVID-19-negative patients, whereas two patients (7.1%) died among the COVID-19-positive patients: one before surgery and one after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides valuable insights into the characteristics, burden of COVID-19 infection, and 30-day mortality of patients undergoing elective surgery in tertiary care centers in Bangladesh during the pandemic.

Prognosis Predictive Markers in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and COVID-19

Some studies have reported that chronic respiratory illnesses in patients with COVID-19 result in an increase in hospitalization and death rates, while other studies reported to the contrary. The present research aims to determine if a predictive model (developed by combing different clinical, imaging, or blood markers) could be established for patients with both chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and COVID-19, in order to be able to foresee the outcomes of these patients. A prospective observational cohort of 165 patients with both diseases was analyzed in terms of clinical characteristics, blood tests, and chest computed tomography results. The beta-coefficients from the logistic regression were used to create a score based on the significant identified markers for poor outcomes (transfers to an intensive care unit (ICU) for mechanical ventilation, or death). The severity of COVID-19, renal failure, diabetes, smoking status (current or previous), the requirement for oxygen therapy upon admission, high lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and C-reactive protein level (CRP readings), and low eosinophil and lymphocyte counts were all identified as being indicators of a poor prognosis. Higher mortality was linked to the occurrence of renal failure, the number of affected lobes, the need for oxygen therapy upon hospital admission, high LDH, and low lymphocyte levels. Patients had an 86.4% chance of dying if their mortality scores were -2.80 or lower, based on the predictive model. The factors that were linked to a poor prognosis in patients who had both COPD and COVID-19 were the same as those that were linked to a poor prognosis in patients who had only COVID-19.

Relationship between periodontitis and COVID-19: A bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study

Background and Aims

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a major danger to world health and has been linked to periodontitis in a number of epidemiological observational studies. However, it is unclear whether COVID-19 causes periodontitis. COVID-19's causal influence on periodontitis was determined using bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR).

Methods

Large-scale COVID-19 and periodontitis genome wide association study data were analyzed. Inverse variance weighting, MR-Egger, weighted median, and MR-PRESSO were used to estimate causal effects. Sensitivity studies were conducted using the Cochran's Q test, the MR-Egger intercept test, the MR-PRESSO, and the leave-one-out (LOO) analysis. Further investigation of potential mediating factors was performed using risk factor analysis.

Results

The MR presented no causal relationship between periodontitis and hospitalization for COVID-19 (odds ratio [OR] = 0.97, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.78-1.20; p = 0.76), vulnerability to COVID-19 (OR = 1.04, 95% CI 0.88-1.21; p = 0.65), COVID-19 disease severity (OR = 1.01, 95% CI 0.92-1.11; p = 0.81). Meanwhile, a noncausal effect of genetic hospitalization for COVID-19, illness severity, and vulnerability to periodontitis was detected. Other MR methods yielded identical results to inverse variance weighting. According to sensitivity analysis, horizontal pleiotropy is unlikely to affect causal estimation.

Conclusion

Periodontitis had no link to the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization, susceptibility, or severity. However, the substance in COVID-19 that is responsible for this effect must be studied further.

Major depressive disorder plays a vital role in the pathway from gastroesophageal reflux disease to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a Mendelian randomization study

Background: Observational studies have shown a bidirectional association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), but it is not clear whether this association is causal. In our previous study, we found that depression was a hot topic of research in the association between COPD and GERD. Is major depressive disorder (MDD) a mediator of the association between COPD and GERD? Here, we evaluated the causal association between COPD, MDD, and GERD using Mendelian randomization (MR) study. Methods: Based on the FinnGen, United Kingdom Biobank, and Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) databases, we obtained genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics for the three phenotypes from 315,123 European participants (22,867 GERD cases and 292,256 controls), 462,933 European participants (1,605 COPD cases and 461,328 controls), and 173,005 European participants (59,851 MDD cases and 113,154 controls), respectively. To obtain more instrumental variables to reduce bias, we extracted relevant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for the three phenotypes from published meta-analysis studies. Bidirectional MR and expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL)-MR were performed using the inverse variance weighting method to assess the causal association between GERD, MDD, and COPD. Results: There was no evidence of a causal effect between GERD and COPD in the bidirectional MR analysis [forward MR for GERD on COPD: odds ratios (OR) = 1.001, p = 0.270; reverse MR for COPD on GERD: OR = 1.021, p = 0.303]. The causal effect between GERD and MDD appeared to be bidirectional (forward MR for GERD on MDD: OR = 1.309, p = 0.006; reverse MR for MDD on GERD: OR = 1.530, p < 0.001), while the causal effect between MDD and COPD was unidirectional (forward MR for MDD on COPD: OR = 1.004, p < 0.001; reverse MR for COPD on MDD: OR = 1.002, p = 0.925). MDD mediated the effect of GERD on COPD in a unidirectional manner (OR = 1.001). The results of the eQTL-MR were consistent with those of the bidirectional MR. Conclusion: MDD appears to play a vital role in the effect of GERD on COPD. However, we have no evidence of a direct causal association between GERD and COPD. There is a bidirectional causal association between MDD and GERD, which may accelerate the progression from GERD to COPD.

Pregnancy Outcomes, Immunophenotyping and Immunohistochemical Findings in a Cohort of Pregnant Patients with COVID-19-A Prospective Study

(1) Background: SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy could determine important maternal and fetal complications. We aimed to prospectively assess placental immunohistochemical changes, immunophenotyping alterations, and pregnancy outcomes in a cohort of patients with COVID-19; (2) Methods: 52 pregnant patients admitted to a tertiary maternity center between October 2020 and November 2021 were segregated into two equal groups, depending on the presence of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Blood samples, fragments of umbilical cord, amniotic membranes, and placental along with clinical data were collected. Descriptive statistics and a conditional logistic regression model were used for data analysis; (3) Results: Adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm labor and neonatal intensive care unit admission did not significantly differ between groups. The immunophenotyping analysis indicated that patients with moderate-severe forms of COVID-19 had a significantly reduced population of T lymphocytes, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells (only numeric), CD4+/CD8+ index, B lymphocytes, and natural killer (NK) cells. Our immunohistochemistry analysis of tissue samples failed to demonstrate positivity for CD19, CD3, CD4, CD8, and CD56 markers; (4) Conclusions: Immunophenotyping analysis could be useful for risk stratification of pregnant patients, while further studies are needed to determine the extent of immunological decidual response in patients with various forms of COVID-19.

Association of gut microbiota with COVID-19 susceptibility and severity: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study

Evidence supports the observational associations of gut microbiota with the risk of COVID-19; however, it is unclear whether these associations reflect a causal relationship. This study investigated the association of gut microbiota with COVID-19 susceptibility and severity. Data were obtained from a large-scale gut microbiota data set (n = 18 340) and the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative (n = 2 942 817). Causal effects were estimated with inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger, and weighted median, and sensitivity analyses were implemented with Cochran's Q test, MR-Egger intercept test, MR-PRESSO, leave-one-out analysis, and funnel plots. For COVID-19 susceptibility, IVW estimates suggested that Gammaproteobacteria (odds ratio [OR] = 0.94, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.89-0.99, p = 0.0295] and Streptococcaceae (OR = 0.95, 95% CI, 0.92-1.00, p = 0.0287) had a reduced risk, while Negativicutes (OR = 1.05, 95% CI, 1.01-1.10, p = 0.0302), Selenomonadales (OR = 1.05, 95% CI, 1.01-1.10, p = 0.0302), Bacteroides (OR = 1.06, 95% CI, 1.01-1.12, p = 0.0283), and Bacteroidaceae (OR = 1.06, 95% CI, 1.01-1.12, p = 0.0283) were associated with an increased risk (all p < 0.05, nominally significant). For COVID-19 severity, Subdoligranulum (OR = 0.80, 95% CI, 0.69-0.92, p = 0.0018), Cyanobacteria (OR = 0.85, 95% CI, 0.76-0.96, p = 0.0062), Lactobacillales (OR = 0.87, 95% CI, 0.76-0.98, p = 0.0260), Christensenellaceae (OR = 0.87, 95% CI, 0.77-0.99, p = 0.0384), Tyzzerella3 (OR = 0.89, 95% CI, 0.81-0.97, p = 0.0070), and RuminococcaceaeUCG011 (OR = 0.91, 95% CI, 0.83-0.99, p = 0.0247) exhibited negative correlations, while RikenellaceaeRC9 (OR = 1.09, 95% CI, 1.01-1.17, p = 0.0277), LachnospiraceaeUCG008 (OR = 1.12, 95% CI, 1.00-1.26, p = 0.0432), and MollicutesRF9 (OR = 1.14, 95% CI, 1.01-1.29, p = 0.0354) exhibited positive correlations (all p < 0.05, nominally significant). Sensitivity analyses validated the robustness of the above associations. These findings suggest that gut microbiota might influence the susceptibility and severity of COVID-19 in a causal way, thus providing novel insights into the gut microbiota-mediated development mechanism of COVID-19.

Proteome-wide Mendelian randomization implicates nephronectin as an actionable mediator of the effect of obesity on COVID-19 severity

Obesity is a major risk factor for Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) severity; however, the mechanisms underlying this relationship are not fully understood. As obesity influences the plasma proteome, we sought to identify circulating proteins mediating the effects of obesity on COVID-19 severity in humans. Here, we screened 4,907 plasma proteins to identify proteins influenced by body mass index using Mendelian randomization. This yielded 1,216 proteins, whose effect on COVID-19 severity was assessed, again using Mendelian randomization. We found that an s.d. increase in nephronectin (NPNT) was associated with increased odds of critically ill COVID-19 (OR = 1.71, P = 1.63 × 10-10). The effect was driven by an NPNT splice isoform. Mediation analyses supported NPNT as a mediator. In single-cell RNA-sequencing, NPNT was expressed in alveolar cells and fibroblasts of the lung in individuals who died of COVID-19. Finally, decreasing body fat mass and increasing fat-free mass were found to lower NPNT levels. These findings provide actionable insights into how obesity influences COVID-19 severity.

Health-Risk Behaviors among Chinese Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study analyzed archived data from a previous large-scale survey study on multiple health-risk behaviors among Chinese adults in Hong Kong between 21 June and 31 August 2021. In addition, this study examined participants' perceptions of the risks associated with their behaviors, their attitudes toward adopting healthy behaviors, and the impact of COVID-19 on their health-risk behaviors. A total of 4605 participants who had at least one health-risk behavior were included in the analysis. The results showed that about half of the participants were unaware that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) can be caused by health-risk behaviors such as tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, physical inactivity, and an unhealthy diet. More than half of the participants did not have regular body checkups or monitor their physical health at home. Many participants paid more attention to their health due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but few made changes to their unhealthy habits or adopted a healthier lifestyle. Of the 704 smokers, 60.9% did not realize that smoking increases the risk of transmitting COVID-19 to others. Only 32.2% and 11.9% smokers had the intention to quit smoking and reduced their cigarette consumption, respectively. Additionally, 13.6% reported that their daily cigarette consumption had increased, and 78.8% changed their smoking behavior during the pandemic. Healthcare professionals must educate the public about the association between health-risk behaviors and NCDs and between COVID-19 and NCDs. The government should formulate a long-term plan to strengthen the primary healthcare system and address the challenges posed by the rising prevalence of NCDs.

Are inflammatory bowel diseases associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 susceptibility and severity? A two-sample Mendelian randomization study

Background: Due to inconsistent findings in observational studies regarding the relationship between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), encompassing ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), and COVID-19, our objective is to explore a potential causative correlation between IBD and COVID-19 susceptibility and its severity using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. Methods: Using summary data from genome-wide association studies, IBD, including UC and CD, were used as exposure instruments, while COVID-19 susceptibility, hospitalization, and very severe illness were employed as the outcome. The five analysis methods were adopted to evaluate the causal relationship between two diseases, with the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method being the most important. Also, sensitivity analyses were done to make sure that the main results of the MR analyses were reliable. Results: In the analysis using five methods, all p-values were higher than 0.05. There was no association between IBD and COVID-19 susceptibility, hospitalization, and severity in our MR study. The random-effect model was applied due to the existence of heterogeneity. MR-Egger regression revealed no indication of directional pleiotropy, and sensitivity analysis revealed similar relationships. Conclusion: This MR study found no evidence to support that IBD (which includes UC and CD) increases the risk of COVID-19 susceptibility or severity. Our result needs further confirmation through larger epidemiological studies.

The causal effect of physical activity intensity on COVID-19 susceptibility, hospitalization, and severity: Evidence from a mendelian randomization study

The protection of physical activity (PA) against COVID-19 is a rising research interest. However, the role of physical activity intensity on this topic is yet unclear. To bridge the gap, we performed a Mendelian randomization (MR) study to verify the causal influence of light and moderate-to-vigorous PA on COVID-19 susceptibility, hospitalization, and severity. The Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) dataset of PA (n = 88,411) was obtained from the UK biobank and the datasets of COVID-19 susceptibility (n = 1,683,768), hospitalization (n = 1,887,658), and severity (n = 1,161,073) were extracted from the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative. A random-effect inverse variance weighted (IVW) model was carried out to estimate the potential causal effects. A Bonferroni correction was used for counteracting. The problem of multiple comparisons. MR-Egger test, MR-PRESSO test, Cochran's Q statistic, and Leave-One-Out (LOO) were used as sensitive analysis tools. Eventually, we found that light PA significantly reduced the risk of COVID-19 infection (OR = 0.644, 95% CI: 0.480-0.864, p = 0.003). Suggestive evidence indicated that light PA reduced the risks of COVID-19 hospitalization (OR = 0.446, 95% CI: 0.227 to 0.879, p = 0.020) and severe complications (OR = 0.406, 95% CI: 0.167-0.446, p = 0.046). By comparison, the effects of moderate-to-vigorous PA on the three COVID-19 outcomes were all non-significant. Generally, our findings may offer evidence for prescribing personalized prevention and treatment programs. Limited by the available datasets and the quality of evidence, further research is warranted to re-examine the effects of light PA on COVID-19 when new GWAS datasets emerge.

Does ACE2 mediate the detrimental effect of exposures related to COVID-19 risk: A Mendelian randomization investigation

OBJECTIVES

Adiposity, smoking, and lower socioeconomic position (SEP) increase COVID-19 risk while the association of vitamin D, blood pressure, and glycemic traits in COVID-19 risk were less clear. Whether angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the key receptor for SARS-CoV-2, mediates these associations has not been investigated. We conducted a Mendelian randomization study to assess the role of these exposures in COVID-19 and mediation by ACE2.

METHODS

We extracted genetic variants strongly related to various exposures (vitamin D, blood pressure, glycemic traits, smoking, adiposity, and educational attainment [SEP proxy]), and ACE2 cis-variants from genome-wide association studies (GWAS, n ranged from 28 204 to 3 037 499) and applied them to GWAS summary statistics of ACE2 (n = 28 204) and COVID-19 (severe, hospitalized, and susceptibility, n ≤ 2 942 817). We used inverse variance weighted as the main analyses, with MR-Egger and weighted median as sensitivity analyses. Mediation analyses were performed based on product of coefficient method.

RESULTS

Higher adiposity, lifetime smoking index, and lower educational attainment were consistently associated with higher risk of COVID-19 phenotypes while there was no strong evidence for an association of other exposures in COVID-19 risk. ACE2 partially mediates the detrimental effects of body mass index (ranged from 4.3% to 8.2%), waist-to-hip ratio (ranged from 11.2% to 16.8%), and lower educational attainment (ranged from 4.0% to 7.5%) in COVID-19 phenotypes while ACE2 did not mediate the detrimental effect of smoking.

CONCLUSIONS

We provided genetic evidence that reducing ACE2 could partly lower COVID-19 risk amongst people who were overweight/obese or of lower SEP.

Associations of changes in smoking-related practices with quit attempt and smoking consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed-methods study

INTRODUCTION

How changes in smoking routine due to COVID-19 restrictions (e.g. refraining from smoking outdoors and stockpiling tobacco products) influence smoking behaviors remains understudied. We examined the associations of changes in smoking-related practices with quit attempts and smoking consumption in current smokers using a mixed-methods design.

METHODS

In a community-based telephone survey conducted between the second and third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong, 659 smokers (87.1% male; 45.2% aged 40-59 years) were asked about quit attempts and changes in cigarette consumption and five smoking-related practices since the COVID-19 outbreak. Logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratio (AOR), adjusting for sex, age, education level, chronic disease status, heaviness of smoking (HSI), psychological distress (PHQ-4) and perceived danger of COVID-19. A subsample of 34 smokers provided qualitative data through semi-structured interviews for thematic analyses.

RESULTS

Favorable changes in smoking-related practices, including having avoided smoking on the street (prevalence: 58.9%) and reduced going out to buy cigarettes (33.5%), were associated with a quit attempt (AOR: 2.09 to 2.26; p<0.01) and smoking reduction (AOR: 1.76 to 4.97; p<0.05). Avoiding smoking with other smokers (50.5%) was associated with smoking reduction (AOR=1.76; p<0.05) but not quit attempt (AOR=1.26; p>0.05). Unfavorable changes, including having increased smoking at home (25.0%) and stockpiled tobacco products (19.6%), were associated with increased smoking (AOR: 2.84 to 6.20; p<0.05). Low HSI (0-2) was associated with favorable changes (p<0.01), while high HSI score (3-6) was associated with unfavorable changes (p<0.01). Qualitative interviews revealed a double-edged effect of staying at home on smoking consumption and that pandemic precautionary measures (e.g. mask-wearing) reduced outdoor smoking.

CONCLUSIONS

Amid the pandemic, favorable changes in smoking-related practices in smokers were mostly associated with quit attempts and smoking reduction, while unfavorable changes were associated with increased smoking. Smokers with higher nicotine dependence were more negatively impacted.

Potential Bias in Assessing the Tobacco/Nicotine-COVID-19 Association-How to Improve Our Level of Understanding

The causative agents of COVID-19 are the variants of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) [...].

The way forward to achieve high COVID-19 vaccination and revaccination coverage in a city amid a period of tranquility

Background

Amid the current COVID-19 pandemic, there is an urgent need for both vaccination and revaccination ("boosting"). This study aims to identify factors associated with the intention to receive a booster dose of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine among individuals vaccinated with two doses and characterize their profiles in Hong Kong, a city with a low COVID-19 incidence in the initial epidemic waves. Among the unvaccinated, vaccination intention is also explored and their profiles are investigated.

Methods

From December 2021 - January 2022, an online survey was employed to recruit 856 Hong Kong residents aged 18 years or over from an established population-based cohort. Latent class analysis and multivariate logistic regression modeling approaches were used to characterize boosting intentions.

Results

Of 638 (74.5%) vaccinated among 856 eligible subjects, 42.2% intended to receive the booster dose. Four distinct profiles emerged with believers having the highest intention, followed by apathetics, fence-sitters and skeptics. Believers were older and more likely to have been vaccinated against influenza. Older age, smoking, experiencing no adverse effects from a previous COVID-19 vaccination, greater confidence in vaccines and collective responsibility, and fewer barriers in accessing vaccination services were associated with higher intentions to receive the booster dose. Of 218 unvaccinated, most were fence-sitters followed by apathetics, skeptics, and believers.

Conclusion

This study foretells the booster intended uptake lagging initial vaccination across different age groups and can help refine the current or future booster vaccination campaign. Given the fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose may be offered to all adults, strategies for improving boosting uptake include policies targeting young adults, individuals who experienced adverse effects from previous doses, fence-sitters, apathetics, and the general public with low trust in the health authorities.

Causal relationship between physical activity, leisure sedentary behaviors and COVID-19 risk: a Mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND

The 2019 coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19) poses an enormous threat to public health worldwide, and the ensuing management of social isolation has greatly decreased opportunities for physical activity (PA) and increased opportunities for leisure sedentary behaviors (LSB). Given that both PA and LSB have been established as major influencing factors for obesity, diabetes and cardiometabolic syndrome, whether PA/LSB in turn affects the susceptibility to COVID-19 by disrupting metabolic homeostasis remains to be explored. In this study, we aimed to systematically evaluate the causal relationship between PA/LSB and COVID-19 susceptibility, hospitalization and severity using a Mendelian randomization study.

METHODS

Data were obtained from a large-scale PA dataset (N = 377,000), LSB dataset (N = 422,218) and COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative (N = 2,586,691). The causal effects were estimated with inverse variance weighted, MR-Egger, weighted median and MR-PRESSO. Sensitivity analyses were implemented with Cochran's Q test, MR-Egger intercept test, MR-PRESSO, leave-one-out analysis and the funnel plot. Risk factor analyses were further conducted to investigate the potential mediators.

RESULTS

Genetically predicted accelerometer-assessed PA decreased the risk for COVID-19 hospitalization (OR = 0.93, 95% CI 0.88-0.97; P = 0.002), while leisure television watching significantly increased the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization (OR = 1.55, 95% CI 1.29-1.88; P = 4.68 × 10-6) and disease severity (OR = 1.85, 95% CI 1.33-2.56; P = 0.0002) after Bonferroni correction. No causal effects of self-reported moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), accelerometer fraction of accelerations > 425 milligravities, computer use or driving on COVID-19 progression were observed. Risk factor analyses indicated that the above causal associations might be mediated by several metabolic risk factors, including smoking, high body mass index, elevated serum triglyceride levels, insulin resistance and the occurrence of type 2 diabetes.

CONCLUSION

Our findings supported a causal effect of accelerometer-assessed PA on the reduced risk of COVID-19 hospitalization as well as television watching on the increased risk of COVID-19 hospitalization and severity, which was potentially mediated by smoking, obesity and type 2 diabetes-related phenotypes. Particular attention should be given to reducing leisure sedentary behaviors and encouraging proper exercise during isolation and quarantine for COVID-19.

Cancers and COVID-19 Risk: A Mendelian Randomization Study

Simple Summary

During the COVID-19 pandemic, cancer patients are regarded as a highly vulnerable population. Given the unavoidable bias and unmeasured confounders in observational studies, the causal effects of cancers on COVID-19 outcomes are largely unknown. In the study, we tried to evaluate the causal effects of cancers on COVID-19 outcomes using the Mendelian randomization (MR) approach. No strong evidence was observed to support a causal role of cancer in COVID-19 development. Previous observational correlations between cancers and COVID-19 outcomes were likely confounded. Large and well-conducted epidemiological studies are required to determine whether cancers causally contribute to increased risk of COVID-19.

Abstract

Observational studies have shown increased COVID-19 risk among cancer patients, but the causality has not been proven yet. Mendelian randomization analysis can use the genetic variants, independently of confounders, to obtain causal estimates which are considerably less confounded. We aimed to investigate the causal associations of cancers with COVID-19 outcomes using the MR analysis. The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was employed as the primary analysis. Sensitivity analyses and multivariable MR analyses were conducted. Notably, IVW analysis of univariable MR revealed that overall cancer and twelve site-specific cancers had no causal association with COVID-19 severity, hospitalization or susceptibility. The corresponding p-values for the casual associations were all statistically insignificant: overall cancer (p = 0.34; p = 0.42; p = 0.69), lung cancer (p = 0.60; p = 0.37; p = 0.96), breast cancer (p = 0.43; p = 0.74; p = 0.43), endometrial cancer (p = 0.79; p = 0.24; p = 0.83), prostate cancer (p = 0.54; p = 0.17; p = 0.58), thyroid cancer (p = 0.70; p = 0.80; p = 0.28), ovarian cancer (p = 0.62; p = 0.96; p = 0.93), melanoma (p = 0.79; p = 0.45; p = 0.82), small bowel cancer (p = 0.09; p = 0.08; p = 0.19), colorectal cancer (p = 0.85; p = 0.79; p = 0.30), oropharyngeal cancer (p = 0.31; not applicable, NA; p = 0.80), lymphoma (p = 0.51; NA; p = 0.37) and cervical cancer (p = 0.25; p = 0.32; p = 0.68). Sensitivity analyses and multivariable MR analyses yielded similar results. In conclusion, cancers might have no causal effect on increasing COVID-19 risk. Further large-scale population studies are needed to validate our findings.