Scientists from the UGR have demonstrated that patients with lupus who follow a Mediterranean diet experience improvements in the clinical evolution of the disease, have a lower incidence of being overweight or obese, and present a lower cardiovascular risk

Scientists from the University of Granada (UGR) have demonstrated the multiple benefits of the Mediterranean diet for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), one of the most common systemic autoimmune diseases.

Their study, published in the journal Rheumatology, has revealed that lupus patients who follow a Mediterranean diet have a lower incidence of being overweight or obese, present a lower cardiovascular risk, and experience improvements in the clinical evolution of the disease (that is, lower disease activity rates and organ damage accrual).

The researchers also observed that the consumption of certain foods is beneficial for these patients. The combination of consuming anti-inflammatory foods characteristic of the Mediterranean diet (such as olive oil, fruits, vegetables, fish, and homemade vegetarian sautés) and avoiding foods outside of that diet pattern (such as processed meat products, high-sugar foods, and factory-baked pastries) was strongly associated with lower disease activity and organ damage among lupus patients.

Cardiovascular problems

Doctor Gabriela Pocovi Gerardino, dietician–nutritionist and first author of this work, explains: “The exact cause of lupus is still unknown, but we do know that it stems from the interaction of various factors such as a genetic predisposition, certain environmental factors (exposure to UV rays and toxins, lifestyle factors) or hormonal changes, among others”. This complex interaction gives rise to an autoimmune response that triggers inflammation and damage in many different organs and tissues. Lupus sufferers also carry an increased risk of cardiovascular problems.

In recent years, researchers have begun to highlight the possible role of diet in the development and evolution of autoimmune diseases, as in other chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, or cancer.
Since 2017, this UGR research group, led by Norberto Ortego Centeno, together with the Biohealth Research Institute in Granada (ibs.GRANADA), has been investigating the impact of diet on autoimmune diseases and particularly on lupus. As part of the LyDIMED Research Project “Lupus and Mediterranean Diet” (Pl-0523-2016 Department of Health, Junta de Andalucía), research has been conducted on the influence of diet and, specifically, the Mediterranean diet, on chronicity, severity, and cardiovascular risk in this autoimmune disease.

They have carried out a descriptive cross-sectional study in which the patient’s general lifestyle (dietary intake, body composition, level of physical activity, unhealthy habits) and adherence to the Mediterranean diet were assessed. A group of 300 patients with lupus from various hospitals in Andalusia (“San Cecilio” University Hospital, Granada; Jaén University Hospital Complex, Jaén; and “Poniente-El Ejido” Hospital, Almería) participated in the study.

Bearing in mind that most of the systemic autoimmune diseases, including lupus, are chronic and degenerative pathologies for which there is no cure, and that their treatment consists of symptom-control, “these results are highly relevant and could have a major impact. They lead us to advise that, together with medical treatment, nutritional support could be very useful for improving the evolution of lupus and its comorbidities”, concludes Dr. Pocovi-Gerardino.

Image caption:

Some of the members of the research team (Blanca Mª Rueda-Medina, Norberto Ortego-Centeno, Gabriela Pocovi-Gerardino, and María Correa-Rodríguez) at the presentation of the doctoral thesis related to this study

Bibliography:

Gabriela Pocovi-Gerardino, María Correa-Rodríguez, José-Luis Callejas- Rubio, Raquel Ríos-Fernández, María Martín-Amada, María-Gracia Cruz-Caparro, Blanca Rueda-Medina, Norberto Ortego-Centeno (2021), “Beneficial effect of Mediterranean diet on disease activity and cardiovascular risk in systemic lupus erythematosus patients: A cross-sectional study”, Rheumatology, Jan 5, 60(1):160–9,
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32594173/

Media enquiries:

Norberto Ortego Centeno
Department of Medicine, University of Granada
Tel.: +34 958 244054 / 958 249021
Email: nortego@ugr.es

An international team of scientists, led by UGR researcher Antonio Hernández, has analysed the safety of the Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca vaccines

An international study, headed by Antonio Hernández, Professor of the Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology of the University of Granada (UGR), has reviewed the assessment reports of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) regarding the Coronavirus vaccines produced by Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca.

The UGR scientists paid particular attention to the safety information from pre-clinical (animal) and clinical (phase-3 trials) dosing studies. They also considered the results of the mass vaccination campaigns in Spain and the United Kingdom to date.

Should we be concerned about the on-going vaccination drive? The principal investigator of this study, Antonio Hernández, clarifies the situation: “For our part, as the researchers, the answer is that we should not worry because the risk/benefit balance of implementing COVID-19 vaccination on a mass scale in the European Union is favourable. The benefits far outweigh the potential complications and long-term effects of actually having the disease”, he explains.

This conclusion is also valid even in light of the more serious incidents reported in the case of some vaccines, such as the blood clots associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine, “which are extraordinarily rare, while similar thrombotic complications are much more frequent among those who contract the disease,” he continues.

In general, the most commonly-reported adverse effects following the administration of the vaccines involved local reactions at the injection site (discomfort in the arm and erythema), followed by non-specific systemic effects that occurred shortly after vaccination and resolved themselves within a few days, such as myalgia, chills, fatigue, headache, and fever.

Long-term studies

However, the study points to the continued paucity of information, on several fronts: long-term studies, interaction with other vaccines; the use of COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy or breastfeeding; and their use in immunocompromised patients, as well as in subjects with comorbidities or autoimmune or inflammatory disorders.

“There is a need for detailed follow-up and monitoring assessments for continued vaccine safety surveillance, to determine the potential risks of the aforementioned adverse incidents or diseases,” says Hernández.

“It is important to bear in mind that the marketing authorisation granted by the EMA is only conditional, as long-term studies have yet to be carried out on animals or humans due to the need to develop and administer the vaccines urgently”, he notes.

Therefore, the EMA authorisation has given the green light to use these vaccines for emergency use and rapid roll-out only, since the authorities understand the benefits to outweigh the possible long-term risks.

Under the terms of the conditional marketing authorisation, long-term vaccine safety studies are mandatory, and these are currently in progress. Once finalised, the pharmaceutical companies must submit the results to the EMA for evaluation.

Bibliography:
Hernández, A.F., Calina, D., Poulas, K., Docea, A.O., and Tsatsakis, A.M. (2021), “Safety of COVID-19 vaccines administered in the EU: Should we be concerned?”, Toxicol Rep. 8: 871–9. doi: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2021.04.003. Epub 2021 Apr 20. PMID: 33898273; PMCID: PMC8055532.

Media enquiries:
Antonio Hernandez Jerez
Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology
School of Medicine, University of Granada
University of Granada
Tel.: +34 958 24 99 27
Email: ajerez@ugr.es

Scientists from the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Granada have demonstrated that the waters and aerosols from the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Granada Province, in which the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus has been detected, do not generate a notable incidence of the virus among WWTP workers

Researchers analyzing 134 workers from 76 WWTPs in Granada Province have identified the same level of antibodies (IgG and IgM) against Coronavirus as that generally observed in the general population

Researchers from the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Granada (UGR) have demonstrated that the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus is not transmitted via wastewater, suggesting that there is no faecal–oral transmission of the disease (the process whereby a disease is transmitted through the faeces of an infected person).

In a study published in the International Journal of Water Resources Development, the scientists show that the waters and aerosols from the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Granada Province, in which the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus has been detected, do not generate a notable incidence of the virus among WWTPworkers.

“This indicates that both WWTP workers and the populations living close to the plants do not carry any additional risk of catching the virus, because the sample registered an incidence of antibodies (both IgG and IgM) no higher than the level observed in the general population,” explains Maximino Manzanera Ruiz of the UGR’s Department of Microbiology, the main author of this work.

During the treatment of wastewater, the nucleic acids of SARS-CoV-2 have been detected. Together with the aerosols that are generated, these represented, in theory, a high risk for WWTPworkers and for residents of the areas surrounding the plants.

Through a comparative seroprevalence study during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, the UGR researchers identified the same level of Coronavirus antibodies (IgG and IgM) among 134 workers from 76 WWTPs in Granada Province as in the rest of the population.

This analysis included all the WWTPs in the province (except those of the City of Granada), where the greatest incidence of the virus was associated with those areas with the highest population density (such as the Costa Tropical and the Baza-Guadix area). This phenomenon is in line with the results observed in the Spanish national seroprevalence study.

Useful information for vaccination

“These results indicate that the risk of infection through the faecal–oral route is almost nil, under the conditions we studied” observes Manzanera. “These types of studies make it possible to prioritize which professional sectors should be vaccinated before others, because of the greater risk of contagion they face. On the other hand, our research enables the pandemic to be monitored via wastewater without the need to use high bio-safety facilities (such as level 3 or 4 laboratories), which means we can work at a greater number of laboratories and thus achieve better monitoring of incidence levels.” The study also suggests that the virus detected in the wastewater is inactive, perhaps due to the presence of certain other particles.

This study has benefited from the collaboration of: the Junta de Andalucía regional government (and its aid programme in the fight against COVID under project CV20-01559, via the Department for Economy, Knowledge, Business and University); the UGR; the Granada Provincial Council; and private companies Aqualia, Aguas y Servicios de la Costa Tropical de Granada, and VitaNtech Biotechnology.

This research team, together with lecturers from the UGR’s School of Civil Engineering and the company Gis4Tech, is currently designing a more effective method of identifying infected persons through the water sanitation network.

Bibliography:

Muñoz-Palazon, P.R., Bouzas, J., González-López, & M. Manzanera (2021) “Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 associated with wastewater treatment: A seroprevalence study”, International Journal of Water Resources Development, DOI: 10.1080/07900627.2021.1910935

For direct access to the article, click here.

Media enquiries:

Maximino Manzanera Ruiz
Department of Microbiology, University of Granada
Tel.: +34 958 248 324
Email: manzanera@ugr.es