Search

Background A description of individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection comparing the first and second waves could help adapt health services to manage this highly transmissible infection. Objective We aimed to describe the epidemiology of individuals with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection, and the characteristics of patients with a positive test comparing the first and second waves in Catalonia, Spain. Methods This study had 2 stages. First, we analyzed daily updated data on SARS-CoV-2 infection in individuals from Girona (Catalonia). Second, we compared 2 retrospective cohorts of patients with a positive reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction or rapid antigen test for SARS-CoV-2. The severity of patients with a positive test was defined by their admission to hospital, admission to intermediate respiratory care, admission to the intensive care unit, or death. The first wave was from March 1, 2020, to June 24, 2020, and the second wave was from June 25, 2020, to December 8, 2020. Results The numbers of tests and cases were lower in the first wave than in the second wave (26,096 tests and 3140 cases in the first wave versus 140,332 tests and 11,800 cases in the second wave), but the percentage of positive results was higher in the first wave than in the second wave (12.0% versus 8.4%). Among individuals with a positive diagnostic test, 818 needed hospitalization in the first wave and 680 in the second; however, the percentage of hospitalized individuals was higher in the first wave than in the second wave (26.1% versus 5.8%). The group that was not admitted to hospital included older people and those with a higher percentage of comorbidities in the first wave, whereas the characteristics of the groups admitted to hospital were more alike. Conclusions Screening systems for SARS-CoV-2 infection were scarce during the first wave, but were more adequate during the second wave, reflecting the usefulness of surveillance systems to detect a high number of asymptomatic infected individuals and their contacts, to help control this pandemic. The characteristics of individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection in the first and second waves differed substantially; individuals in the first wave were older and had a worse health condition.

Guidelines recommend routine screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) in asymptomatic adults starting at age 50. The most extensively used noninvasive test for CRC screening is the fecal immunochemical test (FIT), which has an overall sensitivity for CRC of approximately 61.0%-91.0%, which drops to 27.0%-67.0% for advanced adenomas. These figures contain a high false-positive rate and a low positive predictive value. This work aimed to develop a new, noninvasive CRC screening tool based on fecal bacterial markers capable of decreasing FIT false-positive rates in a FIT-positive population. We defined a fecal bacterial signature (RAID-CRC Screen) in a proof-of-concept with 172 FIT-positive individuals and validated the obtained results on an external cohort of 327 FIT-positive subjects. All study participants had joined the national CRC screening program. In the clinical validation of RAID-CRC Screen, a sensitivity of 83.9% and a specificity of 16.3% were obtained for the detection of advanced neoplasm lesions (advanced adenomas and/or CRC). FIT 20 μg/g produced 184 false-positive results. Using RAID-CRC Screen, this value was reduced to 154, thus reducing the false-positive rate by 16.3%. The RAID-CRC Screen test could be implemented in CRC screening programs to allow a significant reduction in the number of colonoscopies performed unnecessarily for FIT-positive participants of CRC screening programs JGG, XA, MSP, MS SRP, JA, LO, MM are employees from GoodGut, a company that has received private and public funding: RTC-2016-5017-1 (Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitivity (MINECO)); SNEO-20151529 (Neotec)

Background Genotypic distribution and epidemiology of HCV infection in Western Europe countries has changed over the last decades. Aim To establish the local genotypic profile and characterize the associated demographic variables. Material and method All the genotyping from 1988 to 2015 were considered. Associated demographic variables were included in logistic regression models. Genotyping was carried out with updated commercial kits. Results Genotype 1b was the most prevalent (42.4%) followed by 1a (22.5%), 3 (18.6%), 4 (10.6%) and 2 (4.6%). The prevalence of 1a was higher in males, in patients younger than 45 and in intravenous drug users (IDU). 1b was more frequent in older than 45, with transfusion-associated and parenteral/nosocomial infections and in immigrants from Eastern Europe. Genotype 2 was highly prevalent in the postransfusional route (54.9%). Genotype 3 prevalence was high in males, in patients younger than 45, in IDU (69.3%) and in Asian and Eastern European immigrants. Genotype 4 was high in males, in patients younger than 45, and in IDU (63.5%). 1a, 3, 4 were the most prevalent genotypes in HIV-coinfected patients. There was a significant decline in genotype 1b and an increase in genotypes 3 and 4 over time. Conclusions There has been a decline of genotype 1b, associated with transfusion or parenteral/nosocomial infections, and increases in the prevalence of genotypes 1a, 3 and 4 associated with male gender and IDU, now the most prevalent infection route. Immigration contributed with genotype 2 infections from Africa and genotype 1b and 3 infections from Eastern Europe and Asia.

The minor allele (C) of the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs11212617, located near the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) gene, has been associated with an increased likelihood of treatment success with metformin in type 2 diabetes. We herein investigated whether the same SNP would predict clinical response to neoadjuvant metformin in women with early breast cancer (BC). Methods: DNA was collected from 79 patients included in the intention-to-treat population of the METTEN study, a phase 2 clinical trial of HER2-positive BC patients randomized to receive either metformin combined with anthracycline/taxane-based chemotherapy and trastuzumab or equivalent regimen without metformin, before surgery. SNP rs11212617 genotyping was assessed using allelic discrimination by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: Logistic regression analyses revealed a significant relationship between the rs11212617 genotype and the ability of treatment arms to achieve a pathological complete response (pCR) in patients (odds ratio [OR]genotype×arm = 10.33, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.29–82.89, p = 0.028). In the metformin-containing arm, patients bearing the rs11212617 C allele had a significantly higher probability of pCR (ORA/C,C/C = 7.94, 95%CI: 1.60–39.42, p = 0.011). Conversely, no association was found between rs11212617 and clinical response in the reference arm (ORA/C,C/C = 0.77, 95%CI: 0.20–2.92, p = 0.700). After controlling for tumor size and hormone receptor status, the rs11212617 C allele remained a significant predictor of pCR solely in the metformin-containing arm. Conclusions: If reproducible, the rs11212617 C allele might warrant consideration as a predictive clinical biomarker to inform the personalized use of metformin in BC patients This work was supported by grants from the Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad (EC10-125, Ayudas para el Fomento de la Investigación Clínica Independiente to BM-C). Work in the Menendez laboratory is supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación [Grant SAF2016-80639-P, Plan Nacional de l+D+I, founded by the European Regional Development Fund (EU FEDER), Spain] and by an unrestricted research grant from the Fundació Oncolliga Girona (Lliga catalana d’ajuda al malalt de càncer, Girona)