<b><i>Background:</i></b> A meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the association of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and acute kidney injury (AKI) with the clinical prognosis of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). <b><i>Methods:</i></b> The PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, medRxiv, Social Science Research Network, and Research Square databases (from December 1, 2019 to May 15, 2020) were searched to identify studies that reported the associations of CKD/AKI and disease severity/mortality. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated and meta-regression was performed. <b><i>Results:</i></b> In total, 42 studies enrolling 8,932 participants were included in this meta-analysis. The quality of most included studies was moderate to high. Compared with patients without previously diagnosed CKD, those with CKD had a significantly increased risk of progressing to a severe condition (OR 2.31, 95% CI 1.64–3.24) or death (OR 5.11, 95% CI 3.36–7.77). Similarly, compared with patients without AKI, those with AKI had a significantly increased risk of progressing to a severe condition (OR 11.88, 95% CI 9.29–15.19) or death (OR 30.46, 95% CI 18.33–50.59). Compared with patients with previously diagnosed CKD, those with AKI were more likely to progress to a severe condition (<i>p</i>_group &#x3c; 0.001, <i>I</i>² = 98.3%) and even to death (<i>p</i>_group &#x3c; 0.001, <i>I</i>² = 96.5%). Age had a significant impact on the association between CKD and disease severity (<i>p</i> = 0.001) but had no impact on the associations between AKI and disease severity (<i>p</i> = 0.80), between CKD and mortality (<i>p</i> = 0.51), or between AKI and mortality (<i>p</i> = 0.86). Four important complications (cardiac injury, shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and liver injury) did not significantly affect the associations between CKD/AKI and disease severity/mortality, indicating that CKD/AKI may be independent clinical prognostic indicators for patients with COVID-19. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> In COVID-19 patients, CKD/AKI was associated with worse outcomes compared with those without CKD/AKI. AKI was associated with higher risks of severity and mortality than CKD.

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Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent angiogenic factor that plays a critical role in the development, metastasis, and recurrence of tumors. This study aims to determine the correlation of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the VEGF gene with the prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The VEGF –460T/C gene polymorphisms in the genomic DNA of the blood samples of 338 patients with NPC were investigated through polymerase chain reaction and direct DNA sequencing. Results showed a significant association between the –460C-allele carriers and the aggressive forms of NPC as defined by stages N2–3 (odds ratio =1.820, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.118–2.962, P=0.015). Furthermore, the VEGF –460T/C polymorphism was significantly associated with 3-year overall survival (OS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and progression-free survival (PFS) (T/C + C/C vs T/T: 3-year OS 78.8% vs 95.1%, P=0.003; 3-year DMFS 80.2% vs 90.6%, P=0.036; 3-year PFS 73.9% vs 86.7%, P=0.042) but was not associated with the local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) of the patients. The multivariate analysis indicated that the VEGF –460C-allele carrier was an independent significant prognostic factor for OS (hazard ratio [HR] 4.096, 95% CI: 1.333–12.591, P=0.014). N classification was an independent significant prognostic factor for DMFS in patients with locoregionally advanced NPC (HR 3.674, 95% CI: 1.144–11.792, P=0.029). However, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) was not superior to CCRT alone in terms of the 3-year OS, LRFS, DMFS, and PFS of patients with VEGF –460T/C polymorphism. In conclusion, the VEGF –460T/C gene polymorphism may negatively affect the clinical outcomes of patients with NPC and may be considered a potential prognostic factor for this disease.