Background. Patients on kidney replacement therapy comprise a vulnerable population and may be at increased risk of death from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Currently, only limited data are available on outcomes in this patient population. Methods. We set up the ERACODA (European Renal Association COVID-19 Database) database, which is specifically designed to prospectively collect detailed data on kidney transplant and dialysis patients with COVID-19. For this analysis, patients were included who presented between 1 February and 1 May 2020 and had complete information available on the primary outcome parameter, 28-day mortality. Results. Of the 1073 patients enrolled, 305 (28%) were kidney transplant and 768 (72%) dialysis patients with a mean age of 60 ± 13 and 67 ± 14 years, respectively. The 28-day probability of death was 21.3% [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 14.3–30.2%] in kidney transplant and 25.0% (95% CI 20.2–30.0%) in dialysis patients. Mortality was primarily associated with advanced age in kidney transplant patients, and with age and frailty in dialysis patients. After adjusting for sex, age and frailty, in-hospital mortality did not significantly differ between transplant and dialysis patients [hazard ratio (HR) 0.81, 95% CI 0.59–1.10, P = 0.18]. In the subset of dialysis patients who were a candidate for transplantation (n = 148), 8 patients died within 28 days, as compared with 7 deaths in 23 patients who underwent a kidney transplantation <1 year before presentation (HR adjusted for sex, age and frailty 0.20, 95% CI 0.07–0.56, P < 0.01). Conclusions. The 28-day case-fatality rate is high in patients on kidney replacement therapy with COVID-19 and is primarily driven by the risk factors age and frailty. Furthermore, in the first year after kidney transplantation, patients may be at increased risk of COVID-19-related mortality as compared with dialysis patients on the waiting list for transplantation. This information is important in guiding clinical decision-making, and for informing the public and healthcare authorities on the COVID-19-related mortality risk in kidney transplant and dialysis patients.

The underrepresentation of non-Europeans in human genetic studies so far has limited the diversity of individuals in genomic datasets and led to reduced medical relevance for a large proportion of the world's population. Population-specific reference genome datasets as well as genome-wide association studies in diverse populations are needed to address this issue. Here we describe the pilot phase of the GenomeAsia 100K Project. This includes a whole-genome sequencing reference dataset from 1,739 individuals of 219 population groups and 64 countries across Asia. We catalogue genetic variation, population structure, disease associations and founder effects. We also explore the use of this dataset in imputation, to facilitate genetic studies in populations across Asia and worldwide.

Background COVID-19 has exposed hemodialysis patients and kidney transplant recipients to an unprecedented life-threatening infectious disease raising concerns about kidney replacement therapy (KRT) strategy during the pandemic. The present study investigated the association of type of KRT with COVID-19 severity adjusting for differences in individual characteristics. Methods Data on kidney transplant recipients and hemodialysis patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between February 1st and December 1st 2020 were retrieved from ERACODA. Cox regression models adjusted for age, sex, frailty and comorbidities were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) for 28-day mortality risk in all patients and in the subsets who were tested because of symptoms Results In total, 1,670 patients (496 functional kidney transplant and 1,174 hemodialysis) were included. 16.9% of kidney transplant and 23.9% of hemodialysis patients died within 28 days of presentation. The unadjusted 28-day mortality risk was 33% lower in kidney transplant recipients compared with hemodialysis patients (HR: 0.67, 95%CI: 0.52-0.85). In a fully adjusted model, the risk was 78% higher in kidney transplant recipients (HR: 1.78, 95%CI: 1.22-2.61) compared with hemodialysis patients. This association was similar in patients tested because of symptoms (fully adjusted model HR: 2.00, 95%CI: 1.31-3.06). This risk was dramatically increased during the first post-transplant year. Results were similar for other endpoints (e.g. hospitalization, ICU admission, mortality beyond 28 days) and across subgroups. Conclusions Kidney transplant recipients had a greater risk of a more severe course of COVID-19 compared with hemodialysis patients; they therefore require specific infection mitigation strategies.

Preeclampsia is one of the most severe gestational complications which is one of the leading causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. A growth in the incidence of severe and combined forms of the pathology has been observed in recent years. According to modern concepts, inadequate cytotrophoblast invasion into the spiral arteries of the uterus and development of the ischemia-reperfusion syndrome in the placental tissue play the leading role in the development of preeclampsia, which is characterized by multipleorgan failure. In this regard, our work was aimed at studying the patterns of placental tissue transcriptome that are specific to females with PE and with physiological pregnancy, as well as identifying the potential promising biomarkers and molecular mechanisms of this pathology. We have identified 63 genes whose expression proved to differ significantly in the placental tissue of females with PE and with physiological pregnancy. A cluster of differentially expressed genes (DEG) whose expression level is increased in patients with preeclampsia includes not only the known candidate genes that have been identified in many other genome-wide studies (e.g., LEP, BHLHB2, SIGLEC6, RDH13, BCL6), but also new genes (ANKRD37, SYDE1, CYBA, ITGB2, etc.), which can be considered as new biological markers of preeclampsia and are of further interest. The results of a functional annotation of DEG show that the development of preeclampsia may be related to a stress response, immune processes, the regulation of cell-cell interactions, intracellular signaling cascades, etc. In addition, the features of the differential gene expression depending on preeclampsia severity were revealed. We have found evidence of the important role of the molecular mechanisms responsible for the failure of immunological tolerance and initiation of the pro-inflammatory cascade in the development of severe preeclampsia. The results obtained elaborate the concept of the pathophysiology of preeclampsia and contain the information necessary to work out measures for targeted therapy of this disease. ;

Представлена вторая версия руководства по интерпретации данных последовательности ДНК человека, полученных методами массового параллельного секвенирования. Первая версия руководства была опубликована в журнале «Медицинская генетика» в 2017 г. Она основана на рекомендациях и руководяcтвах по интерпретации результатов массового параллельного секвенирования (MPS), разработанных в Европе и США ACMG, CAP, ESHG и FDA. Обсуждение документа было проведено на профильных научных мероприятиях в течение 2017-2018 гг. Поступившие замечания и поправки к документу отражены в его текущей версии. This is a second version of guidelines for the interpretation of massive parallel sequencing (MPS) variants. First version was published in Medical Genetics journal in 2017. They were based on ACMG, CAP, ESHG and FDA guidelines and recommendations. Leading authorities on medical genetics and bioinformatics updated and finalized them. First version of guidelines was presented and discussed on all Russian conference «NGS in medical genetics» and all Russian conference «New technologies for diagnosing hereditary diseases». All members of these conferences and members of Russian Society of Medical Genetics could introduce amendments and give comments. Current version include reviewed notes and comments.