Healthcare workers hospitalized due to COVID-19 have no higher risk of death than general population. Data from the Spanish SEMI-COVID-19 Registry

Aim To determine whether healthcare workers (HCW) hospitalized in Spain due to COVID-19 have a worse prognosis than non-healthcare workers (NHCW). Methods Observational cohort study based on the SEMI-COVID-19 Registry, a nationwide registry that collects sociodemographic, clinical, laboratory, and treatment data on patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in Spain. Patients aged 20-65 years were selected. A multivariate logistic regression model was performed to identify factors associated with mortality. Results As of 22 May 2020, 4393 patients were included, of whom 419 (9.5%) were HCW. Median (interquartile range) age of HCW was 52 (15) years and 62.4% were women. Prevalence of comorbidities and severe radiological findings upon admission were less frequent in HCW. There were no difference in need of respiratory support and admission to intensive care unit, but occurrence of sepsis and in-hospital mortality was lower in HCW (1.7% vs. 3.9%; p = 0.024 and 0.7% vs. 4.8%; p<0.001 respectively). Age, male sex and comorbidity, were independently associated with higher in-hospital mortality and healthcare working with lower mortality (OR 0.211, 95%CI 0.067-0.667, p = 0.008). 30-days survival was higher in HCW (0.968 vs. 0.851 p<0.001). Conclusions Hospitalized COVID-19 HCW had fewer comorbidities and a better prognosis than NHCW. Our results suggest that professional exposure to COVID-19 in HCW does not carry more clinical severity nor mortality

Anthropometric profile, cardiorespiratory capacity and pulmonary function in an elite Chilean triathlete: A case study

The objective of this study was to describe the anthropometric profile, cardiorespiratory capacity and lung function in a high-performance Chilean triathlete ranked first in the national ranking. For this, the body composition profile proposed by Kerr, the somatotype according to Carter and Heath, lung volumes with spirometry according to the criteria of the ATS/ERS, the maximum dynamic inspiratory strength (S-index), the maximum inspiratory flow (FMI) and the maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) with a treadmill cardiopulmonary exercise test were evaluated. The results showed 50.30% (30.28 kg) of muscle tissue, 21.46% (12.92 kg) of adipose tissue, a musculoskeletal index of 4.4, and a balanced mesomorphic somatotype (ENDO 2.0 – MESO 5.1 – ECTO 2.3). The VO2max was 77 ml/kg/min, the S-Index was 189 cmH2O, the FIM was 10.1 l/sec, the FEV1 was 4.08 l, maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV) was 153 l and a maximum expiratory flow (FEM) of 584 l. In conclusion, the triathlete has a high level of muscle tissue and optimal percentage of subcutaneous body fat with a balanced physical form towards the muscle component. An outstanding cardiorespiratory capacity, inspiratory strength and lung function represents a great adaptation to the endurance tests that make up triathlon, especially swimming on inspiratory strength. Morphofunctional changes associated with the high-performance sports discipline are observed

Prenylated flavonoids with potential antimicrobial activity: synthesis, biological activity, and in silico study

Prenylated flavonoids are an important class of naturally occurring flavonoids with important biological activity, but their low abundance in nature limits their application in medicines. Here, we showed the hemisynthesis and the determination of various biological activities of seven prenylated flavonoids, named 7–13, with an emphasis on antimicrobial ones. Compounds 9, 11, and 12 showed inhibitory activity against human pathogenic fungi. Compounds 11, 12 (flavanones) and 13 (isoflavone) were the most active against clinical isolated Staphylococcus aureus MRSA, showing that structural requirements as prenylation at position C-6 or C-8 and OH at positions C-5, 7, and 4′ are key to the antibacterial activity. The combination of 11 or 12 with commercial antibiotics synergistically enhanced the antibacterial activity of vancomycin, ciprofloxacin, and methicillin in a factor of 10 to 100 times against drug-resistant bacteria. Compound 11 combined with ciprofloxacin was able to decrease the levels of ROS generated by ciprofloxacin. According to docking results of S enantiomer of 11 with ATP-binding cassette transporter showed the most favorable binding energy; however, more studies are needed to support this result.Fil: Osorio, Mauricio. Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María; ChileFil: Carvajal, Marcela. Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María; ChileFil: Vergara, Alejandra. Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María; ChileFil: Butassi, Estefanía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Departamento de Química Orgánica. Área Farmacognosia; ArgentinaFil: Zacchino, Susana Alicia Stella. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Departamento de Química Orgánica. Área Farmacognosia; ArgentinaFil: Mascayano, Carolina. Universidad de Santiago de Chile; ChileFil: Montoya, Margarita. Universidad de Santiago de Chile; ChileFil: Mejías, Sophia. Universidad de Santiago de Chile; ChileFil: Cortés San Martín, Marcelo. Universidad de Santiago de Chile; ChileFil: Vásquez Martínez, Yesseny. Universidad de Santiago de Chile; Chil

Molecular and Phylogenomic Analysis of a Vancomycin Intermediate Resistance USA300LV Strain in Chile

Antimicrobial resistance is a major global health problem, and, among Gram-positive bacteria, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) represents a serious threat. MRSA causes a wide range of infections, including bacteremia, which, due to the limited use of β-lactams, is difficult to treat. This study aimed to analyze 51 MRSA isolates collected in 2018 from samples of patients with bacteremia from two hospitals of the Metropolitan Health Service of Santiago, Chile, both in their resistance profile and in the identification of virulence factors. In addition, genomic characterization was carried out by the WGS of an isolate that was shown to be the one of greatest concern (N°. 42) due to its intermediate resistance to vancomycin, multiple virulence factors and being classified as ST8 PVL-positive. In our study, most of the isolates turned out to be multidrug-resistant, but there are still therapeutic options, such as tetracycline, rifampicin, chloramphenicol and vancomycin, which are currently used for MRSA infections; however, 18% were PVL positive, which suggests greater virulence of these isolates. It was determined that isolate N°42 is grouped within the USA300-LV strains (ST8, PVL+, COMER+); however, it has been suggested that, in Chile, a complete displacement of the PVL-negative ST5 clone has not occurred