Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry website (U1111-1148-1066). http://www.ANZCTR.org.au/ACTRN12613001038785.aspx.

No abstract

Coronaviruses (CoVs) is a single single-strand RNA genome approximately 26 - 32 kb in size. Out of the seven coronaviruses, three HCoVs (Human CoVs) have been discovered that causes severe pneumonia such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and recently recognized SARS-CoV-2, which possesses varying degrees of lethality worldwide and happened to be bioterrorism in terms of the recent outbreak through human-to-human transmission from China to all over the world. Epidemiological and Clinical study on SARS-COV-2 have recently been reported world-wide but lack of data on prognosis factors including effective medicine or vaccine are yet to be clinically approved to prevent this infectious disease. Human pathogenic coronaviruses SARS-CoV-2 bind to their target cells through ACE2, which is expressed by epithelial cells of the lung, intestine, kidney, and blood vessels. The difference in distribution, maturation, and functioning of viral receptors could be considered as a possible reason for the genetic heterogeneity of ACE2, and age and sex related difference in the incidence of the disease such as, the positive correlation with ACE2 expression and age including the severity of the infection of SARS-CoV-2. Since the ACE2 location in X chromosome, therefore, the males presumable might have more morbidity and mortality by SARS-CoV-2 than females due to sex-based immunological differences like greater observable circulating level of ACE2 in males or else it may be due to the patterns of life style variables such as prevalence of smoking among the males. Additionally, the Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 1 (ACE1) is characterized by a genetic insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism in intron 16, which is associated with alterations in circulating and tissue concentrations of ACE, where the study reported as D allele is associated with a reduced expression of ACE2. Nevertheless, studies from different states of Indian population on ACE I/D gene polymorphism shows higher frequency of I allele which might explain the lower prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in Indian population and consequently be subject matter of research of SARS-CoV-2 on epidemiological and public health issues.

Background: Hypertension is considered as a major cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world and become a major global burden on public health in many developing countries. Regulation of blood pressure is a complex process. Apart from environmental factors, multiple genes have been responsible for hypertension. The gene-environment and fat patterning interaction in the pathogenesis of hypertension has not been extensively studied in the northeast Indian ethnic groups. Aim: In this context, to best of our knowledge this is a maiden attempt to discern the association between fat patterning, blood pressure and ACE (I/D) gene polymorphism among the two Tibeto-Burman speaking ethnic groups (Chakmas and Tripuris) of North East India (Tripura). Materials and methods: To achieve the purpose, total 293 (Chakma 148 and Tripuri 145) apparently healthy unrelated adult males from Tripura, North East India were incorporated in the present study. Anthropometric variables and physiological variables (blood pressure) have been collected using standard techniques. Extracted genomic DNA from mouthwash was PCR amplified and genotyped to understand ACE gene I/D polymorphism. Results: Examination on the association of fat patterning and hypertension revealed significantly (p<0.05) higher hypertensive individuals and accumulation of central obesity among the Chakmas compared to the Tripuris. ACE (I/D) gene polymorphism demonstrated higher frequency of 'I' allele in the present study groups and the findings of the present study is in agreement with the distributions found in Asiatic populations and also in close corroboration with other Tibeto Burman linguistics groups of North East India. Conclusion: Significantly (p<0.05) higher hypertensive individuals were found among the Chakmas in comparison to the Tripuris. The present study envisaged central adiposity is a major risk factor for hypertension in Chakmas rather than ACE (I/D) polymorphism.

No abstract