ObjectiveWe sought to determine the extent of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and the factors associated with seroprevalence across a diverse cohort of healthcare workers.DesignObservational cohort study of healthcare workers, including SARS-CoV-2 serology testing and participant questionnaires.SettingsA multisite healthcare delivery system located in Los Angeles County.ParticipantsA diverse and unselected population of adults (n=6062) employed in a multisite healthcare delivery system located in Los Angeles County, including individuals with direct patient contact and others with non-patient-oriented work functions.Main outcomesUsing Bayesian and multivariate analyses, we estimated seroprevalence and factors associated with seropositivity and antibody levels, including pre-existing demographic and clinical characteristics; potential COVID-19 illness-related exposures; and symptoms consistent with COVID-19 infection.ResultsWe observed a seroprevalence rate of 4.1%, with anosmia as the most prominently associated self-reported symptom (OR 11.04, p<0.001) in addition to fever (OR 2.02, p=0.002) and myalgias (OR 1.65, p=0.035). After adjusting for potential confounders, seroprevalence was also associated with Hispanic ethnicity (OR 1.98, p=0.001) and African-American race (OR 2.02, p=0.027) as well as contact with a COVID-19-diagnosed individual in the household (OR 5.73, p<0.001) or clinical work setting (OR 1.76, p=0.002). Importantly, African-American race and Hispanic ethnicity were associated with antibody positivity even after adjusting for personal COVID-19 diagnosis status, suggesting the contribution of unmeasured structural or societal factors.Conclusion and relevanceThe demographic factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among our healthcare workers underscore the importance of exposure sources beyond the workplace. The size and diversity of our study population, combined with robust survey and modelling techniques, provide a vibrant picture of the demographic factors, exposures and symptoms that can identify individuals with susceptibility as well as potential to mount an immune response to COVID-19.
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a common cause of mortality in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). Inflammatory crosstalk from the kidney to the lung has been shown to contribute to lung injury after AKI, but anti-inflammatory therapies have not been proven beneficial in human studies. Recently, AKI was shown to alter mitochondria and related metabolic pathways in the heart, but the impact of AKI on lung metabolism has not been investigated to our knowledge. In this study, we evaluated the metabolomic profile of the lung following renal ischemia and reperfusion to identify novel pathways that may be modifiable. We randomized C57BL/6 mice to 20 minutes of bilateral renal arterial clamping or sham operation under ketamine/xylazine anesthesia. At 4 hours after reperfusion, we found a significant increase in markers of lung injury, as well as significant metabolomic changes across lung, kidney, plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) compared to shams. Comparative analyses revealed that the fatty acid oxidation pathway was the most significantly altered metabolic pathway, a finding which is consistent with mitochondrial dysfunction systemically and in the lung. These metabolomic changes correlated with the extracellular accumulation of the mitochondrial damage associated molecular patterns (mtDAMPs), mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and transcription factor A, mitochondria (TFAM). Finally, we found that intraperitoneal injection of renal mtDAMPs caused metabolomic changes consistent with mitochondrial dysfunction in the lung in vivo. Mitochondrial function and mtDAMPs warrant further investigation as potential therapeutic targets in preventing lung injury due to AKI.
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