COVID-19 as a worldwide selective event and bitter taste receptor polymorphisms: An ecological correlational study.

Background: Given the observed olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in patients with COVID-19 and recent findings on taste receptors possible important activities in the immune system, we elected to estimate the correlation between COVID-19 mortality and polymorphism of a particular type of bitter taste receptor gene called TAS2R38, in a worldwide epidemiological point of view.

Methods: Pooled rate of each of the rs713598, rs1726866, rs10246939, and PAV/AVI polymorphisms of the TAS2R38 gene was obtained in different countries using a systematic review methodology and its relationship with the mortality of COVID-19. Data were analyzed by the comprehensive meta-analysis software and SPSS.

Worldwide ACE (I/D) polymorphism may affect COVID-19 recovery rate: an ecological meta-regression.

With the emergence of the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), researchers worldwide have started detecting the probable pathogenesis of the disease. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and angiotensin-converting enzymes have received a good deal of attention as possible pathways involved in 2019-nCoV pathogenesis. As the experiments seeking to find potential medications acting on these pathways are being conducted in the early phases, having an ecological worldview on the relationship between the prevalence of COVID-19 disease and the genetic differences in the genes involved in the RAS system could be valuable for the field.