Worldwide distribution of genetic factors related to severity of COVID-19 infection.

Background: Genome-wide association studies of COVID-19 severity have been carried out mostly on European or East Asian populations with small representation of other world regions. Here we explore the worldwide distribution and linkage disequilibrium (LD) patterns of genetic variants previously associated with COVID-19 severity.

Methods: We followed up the results of a large Spanish genome-wide meta-analysis on 26 populations from the 1000 Genomes Project by calculating allele frequencies and LD scores of the nine most significant SNPs.

and Polymorphisms in Early HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Patients: Relationship with Response to Neoadjuvant Anti-HER2 Treatment.

The addition to chemotherapy of anti-HER2 drugs such as trastuzumab or pertuzumab has improved outcomes in HER2-positive breast cancer patients. However, resistance to these drugs in some patients remains a major concern. This study examines the possible association between the response to neoadjuvant anti-HER2 treatment in breast cancer patients and the presence of 28 SNPs in 17 genes involved in different cell processes (, , , , , , , , , , chr6 intergenic region, , , , , , and ).

Amplification and Response to Neoadjuvant Anti-HER2 Treatment in Early HER2-Positive Breast Cancer.

HER2-positive breast cancer (BC) is an aggressive subtype that affects 20-25% of BC patients. For these patients, neoadjuvant therapy is a good option that targets a pathological complete response (pCR) and more breast-conserving surgery. In effect, the outcomes of patients with HER2-positive BC have dramatically improved since the introduction of anti-HER2 antibodies such as trastuzumab (TZ) and/or pertuzumab (PZ) added to chemotherapy.

miR-7, miR-10a and miR-143 Expression May Predict Response to Bevacizumab Plus Chemotherapy in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

Purpose: Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody that binds to vascular endothelial growth factor A. It is currently used in combination with chemotherapy to treat metastatic colorectal cancer. This therapy is not equally effective in every patient; in some, mechanisms of resistance arise that remain poorly understood.

Role of Chromodomain-Helicase-DNA-Binding Protein 4 (CHD4) in Breast Cancer.

Chromodomain-helicase-DNA-binding protein 4 (CHD4) is an epigenetic regulator identified as an oncogenic element that may provide a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of breast cancer (BC). CHD4-the core component of the nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase (NuRD) complex-may be mutated in patients with this disease. However, information on mutants that might allow their use as biomarkers of therapeutic success and prognosis is lacking.