Common mtDNA variations at C5178a and A249d/T6392C/G10310A decrease the risk of severe COVID-19 in a Han Chinese population from Central China

Background:Mitochondria have been shown to play vital roles during severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)infection and coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)development.Currently,it is unclear whether mitochondrial DNA(mtDNA)variants,which define mtDNA haplogroups and determine oxidative phosphorylation performance and reactive oxygen species production,are associated with COVID-19 risk.Methods:A population-based case-control study was conducted to compare the distribution of mtDNA variations defining mtDNA haplogroups between healthy controls(n=615)and COVID-19 patients(n=536).COVID-19 patients were diagnosed based on molecular diagnostics of the viral genome by qPCR and chest X-ray or computed tomography scanning.The exclusion criteria for the healthy controls were any history of disease in the month preceding the study assessment.MtDNA variants defining mtDNA haplogroups were identified by PCR-RFLPs and HVS-I sequencing and determined based on mtDNA phylogenetic analysis using Mitomap Phylogeny.Student’s t-test was used for continuous variables,and Pearson’s chi-squared test or Fisher’s exact test was used for categorical variables.To assess the independent effect of each mtDNA variant defining mtDNA haplogroups,multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to calculate the odds ratios(OR)and 95%confidence intervals(CI)with adjustments for possible confounding factors of age,sex,smoking and diseases(including cardiopulmonary diseases,diabetes,obesity and hypertension)as determined through clinical and radiographic examinations.Results:Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that the most common investigated mtDNA variations(>10%in the control population)at C5178 a(in NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 gene,ND2)and A249 d(in the displacement loop region,D-loop)/T6392 C(in cytochrome c oxidase I gene,CO1)/G10310 A(in ND3)were associated with a reduced risk of severe COVID-19(OR=0.590,95%CI 0.428–0.814,P=0.001;and OR=0.654,95%CI 0.457–0.936,P=0.020,respectively),while A4833 G(ND2),A4715 G(ND2),T3394 C(ND1)and G5417 A(ND2)/C16257 a(D-loop)/C16261 T(D-loop)were related to an increased risk of severe COVID-19(OR=2.336,95%CI 1.179–4.608,P=0.015;OR=2.033,95%CI 1.242–3.322,P=0.005;OR=3.040,95%CI 1.522–6.061,P=0.002;and OR=2.890,95%CI 1.199–6.993,P=0.018,respectively).Conclusions:This is the first study to explore the association of mtDNA variants with individual’s risk of developing severe COVID-19.Based on the case–control study,we concluded that the common mtDNA variants at C5178 a and A249 d/T6392 C/G10310 A might contribute to an individual’s resistance to developing severe COVID-19,whereas A4833 G,A4715 G,T3394 C and G5417 A/C16257 a/C16261 T might increase an individual’s risk of developing severe COVID-19.

Effects of shear-thinning/thickening nature on the stability of Couette-like flow with uniform crossflow

The linear stability of wall-injected pressure- driven Couette-like flow in power-law fluids is studied. Previous study on this kind of flow for Newtonian fluids by Nicoud and Angilella [Phys. Rev. E 56, 3000 （1997）] was extended to power-law fluids to understand the effects of shear-thinning/thickening nature on the flow stability. A related expression between the critical crossflow Reynolds number for Newtonian fluids and that for power-law fluids is obtained as the streamwise Reynolds number is large enough based on numerical computations, and verified theoretically in the case of a limiting condition with the power-law index.