Pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and nitric oxide (NO) are believed to play an important role in the severity of chronic disease. When evaluated in 71 patients who were seropositive for Trypanosoma cruzi and 50 apparently healthy controls, the mean (S.D.) serum concentrations of both TNF [7.65 (1.32) nu. 4.24 (1.53) ng/ml; P<0.001] and NO [114 (40) nu. 74 (21) microM; P<0.0001] were found to be significantly higher in the patients than in the controls. In addition, patients with chronic, symptomatic disease affecting their hearts--eight with dilated cardiomyopathy [8.82 (1.47) ng TNF/ml; 142 (45) microM NO] and 17 others with electrocardiographic alterations [8.37 (1.26) ng TNF/ml; 134 (53) microM NO]--had significantly higher serum concentrations of these cytokines than 34 patients who were in the asymptomatic, indeterminate phase of the disease [6.38 (1.35) ng TNF/ml; 99 (28) microM NO]. In those infected with T. cruzi, it therefore appears that serum concentrations of TNF and NO correlate with disease severity, indicating that these cytokines play some role in the pathogenesis of chronic Chagas disease.

C-peptide is a strong indicator of MetS. Since C-peptide has recently emerged as a biomolecule with significant importance for inflammatory diseases, monitoring C-peptide levels will aid clinicians in preventing MetS.

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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a common comorbidity observed in patients with COVID-19 that is associated with increased severity and mortality. However, the effects of biological sex on CVD associated mortality in COVID-19 patients is poorly established particularly among Hispanic/Latin Americans. We examined the association of preexisting CVD with COVID-19 mortality in hospitalized Latin American men and women. This multicenter study included hospitalized Mexican patients with a positive diagnosis of COVID-19. The main outcome was in-hospital mortality. Multivariable regression analyses were used to calculate the adjusted odd ratios with 95% confidence interval for mortality in women and men. Of 81,400 patients with a positive diagnosis for SARS-CoV-2 infection, 28,929 (35.54%) hospitalized patients were evaluated. Of these, the 35.41% (10,243) were women. In-hospital death was higher in men than in women. In relation to CVD between the sexes, women had a higher incidence of CVD than men (4.69% vs 3.93%. P=0.0023). The adjusted logistic regression analyses showed that CVD was significantly associated with COVID-19 mortality in women but not men. We then stratified by sex according to age <52 and ≥52 years old. Similar significant association was also found in pre-specified analysis in women ≥52 years old but not in men of similar age. We conclude that CVD's effect on mortality among COVID-19 hospitalized patients is dependent on biological sex and age in this Latin American cohort. These results suggest that therapeutic strategies for Latin American women with CVD and COVID-19 should include particular attention to their cardiovascular health.