(Reuters) – The following is a summary of some of the latest scientific studies on the new coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines against COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
Intestinal bacteria linked to the severity of COVID-19, immune response
Microscopic organisms living in our intestines can influence the severity of COVID-19 and the body’s immune response to it, and could explain persistent symptoms, researchers reported in the journal Gut on Monday. They found that intestinal microorganisms in patients with COVID-19 were very different from those in uninfected individuals. “Patients with COVID do not have certain good bacteria known to regulate our immune system,” said Dr. Siew Ng of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The presence of an abnormal assortment of intestinal bacteria, or “dysbiosis,” persists after the virus has disappeared and could play a role in the long-lasting symptoms affecting some patients, he said. His team has developed an oral formula of live bacteria known as probiotics and a special capsule to protect organisms until they reach the gut. “Compared to patients with standard care, our pilot clinical study showed that more patients with COVID who received our microbiome immunity formula achieved complete resolution of symptoms,” said Ng, who added that those who obtained it had significantly reduced markers of inflammation in the blood, favorably increasing bacteria in the feces, and developed neutralizing antibodies against the virus. (bit.ly/3q9u1hb)
The pandemic affects the mental health of ICU workers
Nearly half of the staff working in England’s intensive care units (ICUs) have severe anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, with the feeling of being better dead, researchers in Occupational Medicine reported on Wednesday. The study was conducted in June and July, before Britain began experiencing its latest increase in hospitalizations. Among more than 700 health workers from nine ICUs, 45% reached the threshold of probable clinical significance for at least one of the four severe mental health disorders: severe depression (6%), PTSD (40%), severe anxiety (11%). ) or drinking problems (7%). More than one in eight reported frequent self-harming or suicidal thoughts during the previous two weeks. The researchers said the poor mental health of ICU staff caring for critically ill and dying COVID-19 patients not only impairs their quality of life, but is likely to affect their ability to work effectively. The results show the urgent need for mental health services to be quickly accessible to all health workers. (bit.ly/2LN5SOQ; reut.rs/38GlzAn)
Cooling vests help COVID-19 nurses tolerate PPE
A small study suggests that nurses in COVID-19 rooms who wear cooling vests under their personal protective equipment (PPE) feel less loaded by heat during their shifts. Seventeen nurses wore a light cooling vest under their PPE one day and PPE only another day. On both days, participants swallowed an electronic capsule that provides a continuous reading of core body temperature. The vests caused a slight improvement in body temperature, but a much greater improvement in the feeling of being too hot, the researchers reported in the journal Temperature. Only 18% of nurses reported thermal discomfort and 35% had a slightly warm thermal sensation at the end of the day with the vest. This compared to 81% and 94%, respectively, on the day without a vest. “PPE is known to induce heat stress, which increases fatigue and sensory distress, and is known to affect effective decision-making,” said study co-author Thijs Eijsvogels of the University’s Medical Center. Radboud, in the Netherlands. CoolOver vests manufactured by Dutch company Inuteq are easy to disinfect and reactivate in the refrigerator, he said, and can extend work tolerance time and improve the recovery of doctors involved in caring for COVID-19. (bit.ly/2K9sXe5)
Diabetes adds to the risks of COVID-19 for black patients
New data show that black patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) who become infected with the new coronavirus have a particularly high risk of complication of the life-threatening diabetes known as ketoacidosis. T1D usually develops in children or young adults and requires daily insulin to survive. The researchers studied 180 patients from across the United States with T1D and COVID-19, including 31% black and 26% Hispanic. Black patients were nearly four times more likely to develop diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) compared to white patients, the researchers reported in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Hispanics had a slightly higher risk than white patients. Blacks and Hispanics were significantly less likely to use new diabetes technology, such as continuous glucose control and insulin pumps, and had significantly worse blood sugar control compared to white patients. This suggested that the highest risk was probably caused by structural and systemic inequality, co-author Osagie Ebekozien of the Boston T1D Exchange non-profit exchange told Reuters. The researchers said that, especially during the pandemic, health care providers should detect patients with T1D to determine if there are socioeconomic factors that increase the risk of developing DKA, such as food insecurity, insulin affordability, and access. to diabetes supplies. (bit.ly/3hWJZs8)
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Reports by Nancy Lapid and Megan Brooks; Edited by Bill Berkrot