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OBJECTIVE Type 2 diabetes may affect the humoral immune response after vaccination, but data concerning coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) vaccines are scarce. We evaluated the impact of diabetes on antibody response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination in older residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs) and tested for differences according to antidiabetic treatment. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS For this analysis, 555 older residents of LTCFs participating in the GeroCovid Vax study were included. SARS-CoV-2 trimeric S immunoglobulin G (anti-S IgG) concentrations using chemiluminescent assays were tested before the first dose and after 2 and 6 months. The impact of diabetes on anti-S IgG levels was evaluated using linear mixed models, which included the interaction between time and presence of diabetes. A second model also considered diabetes treatment: no insulin therapy (including dietary only or use of oral antidiabetic agents) and insulin therapy (alone or in combination with oral antidiabetic agents). RESULTS The mean age of the sample was 82.1 years, 68.1% were women, and 25.2% had diabetes. In linear mixed models, presence of diabetes was associated with lower anti-S IgG levels at 2 (β = −0.20; 95% CI −0.34, −0.06) and 6 months (β = −0.22; 95% CI −0.37, −0.07) after the first vaccine dose. Compared with those without diabetes, residents with diabetes not using insulin had lower IgG levels at 2- and 6-month assessments (β = −0.24; 95% CI −0.43, −0.05 and β = −0.30; 95% CI −0.50, −0.10, respectively), whereas no differences were observed for those using insulin. CONCLUSIONS Older residents of LTCFs with diabetes tended to have weaker antibody response to COVID-19 vaccination. Insulin treatment might buffer this effect and establish humoral immunity similar to that in individuals without diabetes.

We investigated whether the C9orf72 repeat expansion is associated with specific clinical features, comorbidities, and prognosis in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). A cohort of 1417 ALS patients, diagnosed between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2013 by 13 Italian ALS Referral Centers, was screened for the C9orf72 repeat expansion, and the analyses were performed comparing patients carrying this expansion (ALS-C9Pos) to those negative for this and other explored ALS-related mutations (ALS without genetic mutations, ALSwoGM). Compared to the ALSwoGM group, ALS-C9Pos patients (n = 84) were younger at disease onset, at the first clinical observation and at diagnosis (p < 0.001). After correcting for these differences, we found that ALS-C9Pos patients had higher odds of bulbar onset, diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and family history of ALS, FTD, and Alzheimer's disease and had lower odds of spinal onset, non-invasive ventilation, hypertension and psychiatric diseases than ALSwoGM patients. Among these variables, those related to shorter survival time were: bulbar onset, presence of FTD, hypertension, psychiatric disease, and family history of ALS (p < 0.05). Cox proportional hazards regression multivariate analysis suggested that carrying the C9orf72 repeat expansion was an independent factor negatively impacting on survival time in men (HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.07-2.33, p = 0.021), but not in women (p > 0.05) as well as in the whole sample (p > 0.05). When compared to ALSwoGM, ALS-C9Pos showed an earlier disease onset, no significant diagnostic delay and a higher odds of bulbar onset, FTD and family history of ALS and dementia. Moreover, male sex drove the negative effect of expanded variant on survival, confirming the hypothesis that sex is likely to be a crucial factor in the biology of C9orf72-related disease.

Summary Background & aims To date, studies assessing the relationship between sarcopenia and delirium, two of the most common geriatric syndromes, are lacking. We sought to explore this association by investigating the co-occurrence of these two conditions and the independent association between them in a population of hospitalized older adults. Methods Cross-sectional multicenter analysis of older adults consecutively admitted to 12 acute geriatric units (AGUs). Sarcopenia was assessed upon admission by evaluating the presence of low skeletal mass index (kg/m 2 ), and either low handgrip strength or low walking speed (European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People, EWGSOP criteria). Skeletal muscle mass was estimated using bioimpedance analysis. Participants underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment upon admission; information concerning demographics, cognition (Short Portable Status Mental Questionnaire, SPMSQ) functional (Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, IADL and Basic-Activities of Daily Living, BADL), and health status (Charlson Index and specific diseases) was evaluated. The presence of delirium upon admission was ascertained as an explicit clinical diagnosis recorded by the researcher of each centre on the data form. All association estimates were reported as Prevalence Ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), using a Cox hazard proportional regression model with robust variance and constant time. Results Of the 588 analyzed patients (mean age = 80.9 ± 6.8, 53.2% females), 199 (33.8%) had sarcopenia upon admission to the AGU. According to a multivariable Cox regression, delirium upon admission (PR 1.66, 95% CI: 1.12–2.45), IADL total score (PR 0.93, 95% CI: 0.87–0.98), Body Mass Index values (BMI) ranging from 18.5 to 25.0 (PR 1.70, 95% CI: 1.33–2.18), BMI values >18.5 (PR 2.53, 95% CI: 1.81–3.53), previous stroke (PR 1.51, 95% CI: 1.10–2.07) and chronic heart failure (CHF) (PR 1.31, 95% CI: 1.02–1.68) were significantly and independently associated with sarcopenia upon admission to the AGU. Conclusion The study, carried out in a population of hospitalized older patients, shows that a diagnosis of delirium upon admission to the AGU was more frequent in those with sarcopenia than in others. Furthermore, the study found that delirium was independently associated with the risk of being sarcopenic upon admission to the AGU. Future studies are needed to confirm this association.

Carlos Ríos,1 Génessis Maldonado,2 Carlos Paredes,2 Christian Ferro,3 Mario Moreno,4 Claudia Vera,3 Sara Vargas,5 Wendy Calapaqui,5 Carlos Vallejo6 1Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Center, Clinical Research Department, Guayaquil, Ecuador; 2Espíritu Santo University, Rheumatology Department, Samborondón, Ecuador; 3Santiago de Guayaquil Catholic University, Rheumatology Department, Guayaquil, Ecuador; 4Luis Vernaza Hospital, Rheumatology Service, Guayaquil, Ecuador; 5Ecuadorian Society of Rheumatology, Clinical Research Department, Guayaquil, Ecuador; 6Pontificia Catholic University of Ecuador, Rheumatology Department, Quito, Ecuador Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune inflammatory disease, wherein late diagnosis and treatment leads to deformities and disability.Objective: The aim of the study was to assess and describe the clinical and immunological characteristics, activity status of the disease, and functional capacity in a cohort of Ecuadorian patients with RA.Methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted on a population of patients with prediagnosed RA from public and private Ecuadorian rheumatology clinics. This study investigated 400 patients with a mean age of 50 years, 353 (82.25%) of which were female.Results: The study showed that 44.3%, 83.5%, 60.3%, 41.8%, 37.5%, and 11.5% had an acute onset of the disease, symmetrical polyarthritis, morning stiffness exceeding 1 h, dry eyes, dry mouth, and rheumatoid nodules, respectively. A total of 89.7% presented with positive rheumatoid factor, and 96.5% were anti-citrullinated protein antibody positive.Conclusion: This is the largest Ecuadorian cohort of patients with RA; clinical features are similar to those of other Latin American populations. Keywords: rheumatoid arthritis, epidemiology, Ecuador

Resumen Introducción: La depresión es una importante comorbilidad en pacientes con artritis reumatoide; diversos factores como la actividad de la enfermedad, el dolor y la discapacidad contribuyen a su desarrollo. Materiales y métodos: Se realizó un estudio transversal en pacientes con artritis reumatoide para determinar la prevalencia de depresión, utilizando el cuestionario Patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9) y su relación con la actividad de la enfermedad mediante DAS-28 y la discapacidad funcional mediante HAQ-DI. Resultados: El 42,9% de los pacientes presentaron depresión. Se encontró una asociación entre depresión con DAS-28 y HAQ-DI, ya que el 70% de los pacientes con alta actividad de la enfermedad y el 38% de los pacientes con discapacidad funcional presentaron depresión de moderada a grave. El número de articulaciones dolorosas y tumefactas fue mayor en los pacientes con depresión grave que en aquellos con depresión leve. Los pacientes con mayor depresión referían un dolor más intenso según la escala visual del dolor. Abstract Introduction: Depression is significant comorbidity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with many factors, such as disease activity, pain, and disability determining its development. Materials and method: A cross-sectional study including patients with rheumatoid arthritis was conducted to determine prevalence of depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and its relationship with disease activity using DAS-28. The HAQ-DI was used to determine functional disability and the number of painful and swollen joints. Results: Depression was observed in 42.9% of the patients. An association was found between depression, DAS-28 and HAQ-DI. It was also found that 70% of the patients with high activity disease and 38% of the patients with functional disability had moderate-severe depression. The number of painful and swollen joints was greater in patients with severe depression than in patients with mild depression. Patients with greater depression referred to more intense pain according to the visual analogue pain scale.