Frequency of HLA alleles among COVID-19 infected patients: Preliminary data from Saudi Arabia.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Naemi FMA
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8100873 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:IntroductionHuman leukocyte antigen (HLA) variability has been demonstrated to be associated with susceptibility/severity of COVID-19. High-resolution HLA genotyping to identify alleles associated with severe COVID-19 in an Indian cohort was performed.MethodsQuantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction-confirmed SARS-CoV-2-positive patients with mild/moderate/severe disease (n = 54) and asymptomatic (n = 42) were recruited and genotyped for 11-HLA loci on MiSeq using NGSgo®-MX11-3 and analyzed (NGSengine; GenDx).ResultsA significant difference in alleles between the groups was identified for HLA-C*04:01:01:01, HLA-DRB5*01:01:01:02, HLA-DQA1*03:01:01:01, HLA-DPB1*04:01:01:41, and HLA-DPA1*01:03:01:02. Alleles namely, HLA-C*04:01:01:01 (OR: 5.71; 95% CI: 1.2-27.14; p = .02), HLA-DRB5*01:01:01:02 (OR: 2.94; 95% CI: 1.1-7.84; p = .03), DQA1*03:01:01:01 (OR: 22.47; 95% CI: 1.28-393.5; p = .03), HLA-DPB1*04:01:01:41 (OR: 9.44; 95% CI: 0.5-175.81; p = .13), and HLA-DPA1*01:03:01:02 (OR: 8.27; 95% CI: 2.26-30.21; p = .001) were associated with severe COVID-19.ConclusionGenotyping for these alleles will enable identification of individuals at risk of severe disease and stratification for preferential vaccination.
| S-EPMC8426675 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:The first case of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia was confirmed on March 3, 2020. Saudi Arabia, like many other countries worldwide, implemented lockdown of most public and private services in response to the pandemic and established population movement restrictions nationwide. With the implementation of these strict mitigation regulations, technology and digital solutions have enabled the provision of essential services. OBJECTIVE:The aim of this paper is to highlight how Saudi Arabia has used digital technology during the COVID-19 pandemic in the domains of public health, health care services, education, telecommunication, commerce, and risk communication. METHODS:We documented the use of digital technology in Saudi Arabia during the pandemic using publicly available official announcements, press briefings and releases, news clips, published data, peer-reviewed literature, and professional discussions. RESULTS:Saudi Arabia's government and private sectors combined developed and launched approximately 19 apps and platforms that serve public health functions and provide health care services. A detailed account of each is provided. Education processes continued using an established electronic learning infrastructure with a promising direction toward wider adoption in the future. Telecommunication companies exhibited smooth collaboration as well as innovative initiatives to support ongoing efforts. Risk communication activities using social media, websites, and SMS text messaging followed best practice guides. CONCLUSIONS:The Saudi Vision 2030 framework, released in 2017, has paved the path for digital transformation. COVID-19 enabled the promotion and testing of this transition. In Saudi Arabia, the use of artificial intelligence in integrating different data sources during future outbreaks could be further explored. Also, decreasing the number of mobile apps and merging their functions could increase and facilitate their use.
| S-EPMC7473704 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background: COVID-19 virus has been reported as a pandemic in March 2020 by the WHO. Having a balanced and healthy diet routine can help boost the immune system, which is essential in fighting viruses. Public Health officials enforced lockdown for residents resulting in dietary habits change to combat sudden changes. Design and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the eating habits, quality and quantity of food intake among adults in Saudi Arabia. SPSS version 24 was used to analyze the data. Comparison between general dietary habits before and during COVID-19 for ordinal variables was performed by Wilcoxon Signed Rank test, while McNemar test was performed for nominal variables. The paired samples t-test was used to compare the total scores for food quality and quantity before and during COVID-19 periods. Results: 2706 adults residing in Riyadh completed the survey. The majority (85.6%) of the respondents reported eating homecooked meals on a daily basis during COVID-19 as compared to 35.6% before (p<0.001). The mean score for the quality of food intake was slightly higher (p=0.002) before the COVID-19 period (16.46±2.84) as compared to the during period (16.39±2.79). The quantity of food mean score was higher (p<0.001) during the COVID-19 period (15.70±2.66) as compared to the before period (14.62±2.71). Conclusion: Dietary habits have changed significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic among Riyadh residents. Although some good habits increased, the quality and the quantity of the food was compromised. Public Health officials must focus on increased awareness on healthy eating during pandemics to avoid negative consequences. Future research is recommended to better understand the change in dietary habits during pandemics using a detailed food frequency questionnaire. Significance for public health Since pandemics come unannounced affecting public’s safety, it is important to understand the changes that occur in a community. This study focuses on the dietary habits’ changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Coronavirus has been a threatening matter on a global level. It is tremendously crucial to consider various aspects of human health during pandemics including dietary habits, food quality and quantity as such factors play an important role in improving the immune system and overall health. Increasing the community’s awareness on the importance of healthy food intake during COVID-19 pandemic is extremely necessary. Public health’s role is to understand people’s reactions during pandemics and establish guidelines to improve health and prevent diseases. Dietary habits change during COVID-19 is a major health threat that needs immediate Public Health Officials’ attention. Maximizing awareness about healthy eating habits during quarantine requires attention to improve the overall health of the population.
| S-EPMC7512943 | biostudies-literature
Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC7158937 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The COVID-19 pandemic damaged crude oil markets and amplified the consequences of uncertainty stemming from the Russia-Saudi Arabia oil price war in March-April of 2020. We investigate the impacts of the oil price war on global crude oil markets. By doing so, we use the daily futures and spot prices in three major crude oil markets - West Texas Intermediate, European Brent, and Oman - to perform a systematic analysis of the impacts of the oil price war on them. The event study method, a well-established analytical tool to measure the impacts of a given event on markets, is used in this study. The results indicate that information leakage plays an important role in the impacts of the price war. The outbreak of and truce following the price war have asymmetrical impacts on the markets; negative impacts generated by information leakage during the outbreak are generally more durable than the positive ones it generated during the truce. Furthermore, the magnitude of the impacts on futures markets is negatively correlated with the time-to-maturity of futures. Finally, negative crude oil prices affect West Texas Intermediate crude oil markets the most. Our findings generally show that market participants could perceive and assimilate market changes and adjust their expectations, which restrained the impacts that should have occurred within the oil price war.
| S-EPMC8652835 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAfter recovery from acute infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), many patients experience long-term symptoms in different body systems. The aim of the present study was to identify these symptoms, their severity, and their duration as a first step in building a system to classify post-recovery long-term symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).MethodsAn online-based cross-sectional survey was administered between September and October 2020. Data regarding the severity of post-recovery symptoms and their duration were collected using an Arabic questionnaire divided into six categories encompassing the 20 most prevalent symptoms.ResultsA total of 979 patients recovered from COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia in the study period, of whom 53% were male and 47% were female. The most common symptoms included general fatigue and weakness (73% each), with moderate severity of neurological symptoms including mood changes (41%) and insomnia (39%). Among the special senses, loss of smell and taste of marked severity were reported by 64% and 55% among respiratory symptoms, cough of mild severity (47%), and dyspnea of moderate severity (43%). Loss of appetite of moderate severity was reported in 42%, and diarrhea, abdominal pain, and nausea of mild severity were reported by 53%, 50%, and 44% of respondents, respectively.ConclusionsLong-term symptoms after recovery from COVID-19 warrant patient follow-up. The authors propose a classification system as a starting point to guide the identification and follow-up of long-term symptoms post-recovery, and recommend larger-scale studies to broaden the definition of recovery from COVID-19, which appears to have two phases, acute and chronic.
| S-EPMC8654233 | biostudies-literature
Project description:AimTo minimize the spread of COVID-19, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) enforced a nationwide lockdown. We aimed to explore whether the manner in which Saudi patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) manage their disease has changed during this unparalleled lockdown.MethodsAn online survey exploring the effect of lockdown on T1D outcomes was distributed among T1D patients residing in KSA during lockdown.ResultsA total of 1010 patients responded to the survey. Around 40% reported communicating with their physicians during lockdown. Age, level of education, residence, previous visits to diabetes education clinics, last HbA1c value, and average monthly income were all significantly associated with communication with the treating physician (p = 0.008, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.002, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively). Age, level of education, and average monthly income were significantly associated with experiencing severe hypoglycemia (p = 0.036, p = 0.03, and p < 0.001, respectively), while average monthly income and level of education were significantly associated with experiencing diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) (p < 0.001 and p = 0.0039, respectively); during lockdown. Patients who communicated with their physicians reported lower rates of severe hypoglycemia compared to those who did not (25.2% vs 30.7%, respectively).ConclusionAge and level of education were significantly associated with communication with the treating physician, and experiencing severe hypoglycemia and DKA; in patients with T1D during the lockdown period in Saudi Arabia. Keeping two-way virtual communication channels between physicians and their T1D patients should be encouraged.
| S-EPMC8282990 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a rapidly spreading global pandemic. The clinical characteristics of COVID-19 have been reported; however, there is limited research investigating the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in the Middle East. This study aims to investigate the clinical, radiological and therapeutic characteristics of patients diagnosed with COVID19 in Saudi Arabia. METHODS:This study is a retrospective single-centre case series study. We extracted data for patients who were admitted to the Al-Noor Specialist Hospital with a PCR confirming SARS-COV-2 between 12th and 31st of March 2020. Descriptive statistics were used to describe patients' characteristics. Continuous data were reported as mean ± SD. Chi-squared test/Fisher test were used as appropriate to compare proportions for categorical variables. RESULTS:A total of 150 patients were hospitalised for COVID-19 during the study period. The mean age was 46.1 years (SD: 15.3 years). The most common comorbidities were hypertension (28.8%, n = 42) and diabetes mellitus (26.0%, n = 38). Regarding the severity of the hospitalised patients, 105 patients (70.0%) were mild, 29 (19.3%) were moderate, and 16 patients (10.7%) were severe or required ICU care. CONCLUSION:This case series provides clinical, radiological and therapeutic characteristics of hospitalised patients with confirmed COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia.
| S-EPMC7410246 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic resulted in quarantine/lockdown measures in most countries. Quarantine may create intense psychological problems including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) especially for the vulnerable critically developing children/adolescents. Few studies evaluated PTSD associated with infectious disasters but no Saudi study investigated PTSD associated with COVID-19 in children/adolescents. This study was undertaken to screen for PTSD in children/adolescent in Saudi Arabia to identify its prevalence/risk factors during COVID-19 pandemic and its quarantine.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted after 2 months form start of quarantine for COVID-19 pandemic utilizing the original English version and an Arabic translated version for the University of California at Los Angeles Brief COVID-19 Screen for Child/Adolescent PTSD that can be parent-reported or self-completed by older children/adolescents. Participants (Saudi citizens/non-Saudi residents) were approached online via social media.ResultsFive hundred and thirty seven participants were enrolled. The participants were 262 boys and 275 girls with a mean age of 12.25±3.77 years. Symptoms of no, minimal, mild and potential PTSD were identified in 15.5%, 44.1%, 27.4% and 13.0% of children/adolescents, respectively. The age, gender, school grade, and residence were not predictive of PTSD symptoms. Univariate analysis of risk factors for PTSD revealed that work of a close relative around people who might be infected was significantly different between groups of PTSD symptoms, but this difference disappeared during multivariate analysis. Children/adolescents of Saudi citizens had significantly lower median total PTSD score than children/adolescents of expatriate families (p = 0.002).ConclusionPTSD associated with the COVID-19 and its resultant quarantine shouldn't be overlooked in different populations as it is expected in a considerable proportion of children/adolescents with variable prevalence, risk factors and severity. Parents/healthcare providers must be aware of PTSD associated with COVID-19 or similar disasters, so, they can provide children/adolescent with effective coping mechanisms.
| S-EPMC8336789 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is still on-going worldwide. The available information regarding the seasonal influenza vaccine (SIV) coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on SARS-CoV-2 spread are limited. Moreover, it is argued that SIV may or may not lessen the COVID-19 severity. No previous studies have been revealed SIV coverage among COVID-19 patients and its association with COVID-19 spread and severity, especially in Saudi Arabia. Hence, this study aimed to estimate the influenza vaccine uptake in confirmed COVID-19 patients and investigate its impact on COVID-19 spread and severity. Accordingly, 1734 COVID-19 confirmed patients were included from three government hospitals in Saudi Arabia (SA). The data were collected electronically through a newly formed, self-administrated questionnaire. Among those patients, 335 were covered with SIV (19.31%), and the coverage rate of females and males was 23.4% and 15.8%, respectively. Severe COVID-19 cases were less in vaccinated patients than in non-vaccinated (2.69% vs. 3.5%, respectively). Additionally, the results showed a significant decrease in getting infected by SARS-CoV-2 after receiving SIV (P = 0.022). Even with the tremendous efforts to promote SIV uptake among the general population and high-risk groups, the SIV coverage in SA is not optimal yet. Nevertheless, there is a significant decrease in the probability of getting infected with SARS-CoV-2 after receiving SIV. Such findings with the continuous progression of the COVID-19 pandemic call for a novel approach regarding vaccination policies to increase SIV and COVID-19 vaccine uptake.
| S-EPMC8629771 | biostudies-literature