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Aims: To assess the clinical relevance of a history of atrial fibrillation (AF) in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Methods and Results: We enrolled 696 consecutive patients (mean age 67.4 ± 13.2 years, 69.7% males) admitted for COVID-19 in 13 Italian cardiology centres between 1 March and 9 April 2020. One hundred and six patients (15%) had a history of AF and the median hospitalization length was 14 days (interquartile range 9-24). Patients with a history of AF were older and with a higher burden of cardiovascular risk factors. Compared to patients without AF, they showed a higher rate of in-hospital death (38.7% vs. 20.8%; P < 0.001). History of AF was associated with an increased risk of death after adjustment for clinical confounders related to COVID-19 severity and cardiovascular comorbidities, including history of heart failure (HF) and increased plasma troponin [adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 1.73; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06-2.84; P = 0.029]. Patients with a history of AF also had more in-hospital clinical events including new-onset AF (36.8% vs. 7.9%; P < 0.001), acute HF (25.3% vs. 6.3%; P < 0.001), and multiorgan failure (13.9% vs. 5.8%; P = 0.010). The association between AF and worse outcome was not modified by previous or concomitant use of anticoagulants or steroid therapy (P for interaction >0.05 for both) and was not related to stroke or bleeding events.Conclusion: Among hospitalized patients with COVID-19, a history of AF contributes to worse clinical course with a higher mortality and in-hospital events including new-onset AF, acute HF, and multiorgan failure. The mortality risk remains significant after adjustment for variables associated with COVID-19 severity and comorbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: There is lack of age-specific seroprevalence surveys and identification of factors associated with herpes simplex virus type-2 seropositivity (HSV-2) in rural populations in Colombia. A random sample of 869 women was interviewed about socio-demographic aspects, sexual and reproductive history. Antibodies to HSV-2 were determined by a specific type immunoenzymatic technique (ELISA). Participants had a mean age of 38±16.1 years, 67% were married, 60% monogamous and 47% reported use of condoms. HSV-2 seroprevalence was 19.1% (95% CI: 16.6–21.9) and it was strongly associated with increasing age (P trend <0.001). In the logistic regression analysis, women who reported between two or three lifetime sexual partners (OR=2.4; 95% CI: 1.5–3.7), >31 years of sexual activity with regular or occasional sexual partners (OR=4.3; 95% CI: 1.2–15.7) and not using condoms with regular sexual partners (OR=2.1; 95% CI: 1.4–3.3) were more likely to be HSV-2 seropositive. The overall seroprevalence rate of women of Pueblorrico, Colombia, is lower than that reported in other Latin American countries especially in women >45 years. The difference may be explained by higher prevalence of condom use in this population or lower exposure to herpes infection in male as well as females in the past. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The majority of knowledge about the role of cytokines and chemokines in controlling Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection mainly derives from animal models. In humans, this knowledge is still mainly limited to the blood compartment or accessible lymphoid organs, such as tonsils. Here, we studied cytokine and chemokine production and their modulation by M. tuberculosis antigens in mononuclear cells from human blood, spleen and hilar lung lymph nodes. Results show that the kinetics and magnitude of cytokine and chemokine production varied according to the tissue of cell origin. Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens enhanced cytokine and chemokine production in blood, but the enhancement was restricted in spleen and hilar lung lymph node cells. We show, for the first time in humans, differences in cytokine and chemokine microenvironments according to lymphoid tissues, and suggest that these differences may affect the way cells respond to M. tuberculosis infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]