Usefulness of fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score and metabolic alterations in the prediction of SARS-CoV-2 severity.

Despite vaccination programs, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection remains a public health problem. Identifying key prognostic determinants of severity of the disease may help better focus health resources. The negative prognostic role for metabolic and hepatic alterations is established; however, the interplay among different metabolic comorbidities and their interconnections with the liver have never been explored.

The Interplay between Autonomic Nervous System and Inflammation across Systemic Autoimmune Diseases.

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the immune system are deeply interrelated. The ANS regulates both innate and adaptive immunity through the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches, and an imbalance in this system can determine an altered inflammatory response as typically observed in chronic conditions such as systemic autoimmune diseases. Rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and systemic sclerosis all show a dysfunction of the ANS that is mutually related to the increase in inflammation and cardiovascular risk.