GWAS-Identified Loci are Associated with Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Patients with Severe COVID-19.

Background: Comorbidities such as obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have emerged as critical risk factors exacerbating the severity and mortality of COVID-19. Meanwhile, numerous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with increased susceptibility to severe COVID-19.

Aim: This study investigated whether SNPs previously identified by GWAS as risk factors for severe COVID-19 also correlate with common comorbidities-obesity and T2DM-in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19.

GWAS-significant loci and severe COVID-19: analysis of associations, link with thromboinflammation syndrome, gene-gene, and gene-environmental interactions.

Objective: The aim of this study was to replicate associations of GWAS-significant loci with severe COVID-19 in the population of Central Russia, to investigate associations of the SNPs with thromboinflammation parameters, to analyze gene-gene and gene-environmental interactions.

Materials And Methods: DNA samples from 798 unrelated Caucasian subjects from Central Russia (199 hospitalized COVID-19 patients and 599 controls with a mild or asymptomatic course of COVID-19) were genotyped using probe-based polymerase chain reaction for 10 GWAS-significant SNPs: rs143334143 , rs111837807 , rs17078346 , rs17713054 , rs7949972 , rs61882275 , rs12585036 , rs67579710 , rs12610495 , rs9636867 .

Results: SNP rs17713054 was associated with increased risk of severe COVID-19 in the entire group (risk allele A, OR = 1.

Colon mucus in colorectal neoplasia and beyond.

Little was known about mammalian colon mucus (CM) until the beginning of the 21 century. Since that time considerable progress has been made in basic research addressing CM structure and functions. Human CM is formed by two distinct layers composed of gel-forming glycosylated mucins that are permanently secreted by goblet cells of the colonic epithelium.

The presence of polymorphisms in genes controlling neurotransmitter metabolism and disease prognosis in patients with prostate cancer: a possible link with schizophrenia.

Polymorphisms of neurotransmitter metabolism genes were studied in patients with prostate cancer (PC) characterized by either reduced or extended serum prostate-specific antigen doubling time (PSADT) corresponding to unfavorable and favorable disease prognosis respectively. The 'unfavorable prognosis' group (40 cases) was defined by PSADT ≤ 2 months, whereas patients in the 'favorable prognosis' group (67 cases) had PSADT ≥ 30 months. The following gene polymorphisms known to be associated with neuropsychiatric disorders were investigated: a) the STin2 VNTR in the serotonin transporter gene; b) the 30-bp VNTR in the monoamine oxidase A gene; c) the Val158Met polymorphism in the catechol-ortho-methyltransferase gene; d) the promoter region C-521T polymorphism and the 48 VNTR in the third exon of the dopamine receptor gene.

[Protocol of cone beam computed tomography analysis for patients with craniomandibular dysfunction].

The article presents a detailed protocol of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), which includes not only the classic analysis of dentoalveolar and skeletal disorders, but diagnosis of cranial patterns (craniocervical cephalometric analysis by M. Rocabado, cephalometric diagnosis by Sassouni PLUS), analysis of transverse jaw sizes (Penn analysis) and measuring the volume of the airway for screening of obstructive sleep apnea. The literature review was conducted using the PubMed in the Scopus and Medline electronic databases through April 2020.