Gut flora is associated with the severity of the disease and the immune response. Victims of high mental health seen in ICU

(Reuters)-The following is a summary of some of the latest scientific research on the new coronavirus and efforts to find cures and vaccines for the virus-induced disease COVID-19.

COVID-19 severity, enterobacteria associated with immune response

Microorganisms that live in our gut can affect the severity of COVID-19 and the body’s immune response to it, which can lead to prolonged symptoms, researchers said on Monday. Reported in Gut magazine. They found that the gut flora of COVID-19 patients was very different from that of uninfected individuals. “COVID patients lack certain good bacteria that are known to regulate our immune system,” said Dr. Siew Ng of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. An abnormal combination of gut flora, or the presence of “dysbiosis,” can persist after the virus is gone and contribute to the long-term symptoms that plague some patients. She said. Her team has developed an oral formula for live bacteria known as probiotics and special capsules to protect the organism until it reaches the intestines. “Our pilot clinical studies have shown that more COVID patients who received our microbiome immunoprescription achieved complete symptom resolution compared to patients receiving standard treatment.” Ng said, the patients who got it significantly reduced the markers of inflammation in their blood, and the bacteria in their stool and they developed neutralizing antibodies against the virus. ((()

Pandemics hurt the mental health of ICU workers

Researchers say that nearly half of the staff working in the British Intensive Care Unit (ICU) have severe anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorders and feel they should die. Reported in occupational medicine on Wednesday. The survey was conducted in June and July, before the UK began experiencing a recent surge in hospitalizations. Of the more than 700 healthcare professionals in the nine ICUs, 45% have severe depression (6%), PTSD (40%), severe anxiety (11%), or problematic drinking (7). %). More than one in eight reported frequent self-harm or suicidal ideation in the last two weeks. Researchers say that poor mental health of ICU staff caring for severely dying COVID-19 patients is likely to impair not only quality of life but also their ability to work effectively. Said. The findings indicate an urgent need to ensure that all healthcare professionals have quick access to mental health services. (((; reut.rs/38GlzAn)

Cooling vest helps COVID-19 nurses tolerate PPE

A small study suggests that nurses in the COVID-19 ward, who wear cooling vests under personal protective equipment (PPE), feel less burdened by heat during the shift. Seventeen nurses wore a lightweight cooling vest underneath the PPE one day and only the PPE the other day. On both days, participants swallowed an electronic capsule that provided a continuous reading of core body temperature. The vest provided 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 at the end of the day at best, and 35% reported a slightly warmer or colder sensation. This is compared to 81% and 94% on days without the best, respectively. “PPE is known to induce heat stress, increase fatigue and sensory discomfort, and is known to impair effective decision-making,” said Radboud, co-author of the study. Thijs Eijsvogels of the University Medical Center said. Manufactured by the Dutch company Inuteq, the CoolOver vest can be easily disinfected and reactivated in the refrigerator, extending work tolerance and improving the recovery of clinicians involved in COVID-19 care. He said. ((()

Diabetes increases the risk of COVID-19 in black patients

New data show that black patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) infected with the new coronavirus are at particularly high risk for a life-threatening diabetic complication known as ketoacidosis. T1D usually affects children or young adults and requires daily insulin to survive. Researchers used T1D and COVID-19 to study 180 patients from across the United States. Of these, 31% were black and 26% were Hispanic. Researchers reported in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism that black patients are almost four times more likely to develop diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) than white patients. Hispanics had a slightly higher risk than white patients. Blacks and Hispanics were significantly less likely to use new diabetes techniques such as continuous glucose monitoring and insulin pumps, and had significantly worse glycemic control than white patients. Dr. Osagie Ebekozien, co-author of Boston’s non-profit T1D exchange, tells Reuters that higher risks are likely caused by structural and systematic inequality. Researchers say healthcare providers need to screen T1D patients for socio-economic factors that increase the risk of DKA, such as food insecurity, affordable insulin, and access to diabetic products, especially during pandemics. It was. ((()

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