Intestinal bacteria related to the severity of the disease, the immune response; the high rate of mental health observed in intensive care

(Reuters) – The following is a summary of some of the latest scientific studies on the new coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

Intestinal bacteria related 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 Monday in the journal Gut. They found that intestinal microorganisms in patients with COVID-19 were very different from those in uninfected people. “Patients with COVID lack certain well-known bacteria 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 disappears and could play a role in the long-lasting symptoms that affect some patients, she said. Her team developed an oral formula of live bacteria known as probiotics and a special capsule to protect organisms until they reach the gut. “Compared to standard treated patients, our pilot clinical study showed that more patients with COVID who received our microbiome immunity formula achieved a complete resolution of symptoms,” Ng said, adding that those who received significantly reduced markers of inflammation in their blood, favorably increased stool bacteria and developed neutralizing antibodies against the virus. (bit.ly/3q9u1hb)

The pandemic is affecting the mental health of ICU workers

Nearly half of the staff working in intensive care units (ICUs) in England have severe anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, with some feeling that they would be better off, researchers reported in Occupational Medicine on Wednesday. The study was conducted in June and July – before the UK began the latest increase in hospitalizations. Of the more than 700 health workers in nine ICUs, 45% reached the threshold for probable clinical significance for at least one of the four serious mental health disorders: severe depression (6%), PTSD (40%), anxiety severe (11%) or drinking problems (7%). More than one in eight have reported frequent thoughts of self-harm or suicide in the past two weeks. Poor mental health among ICU staff caring for critically ill patients and dying from COVID-19 patients not only harms their quality of life, but also likely affects their ability to work effectively, the researchers said. The findings show an urgent need for mental health services to be immediately accessible to all health workers. (bit.ly/2LN5SOQ; reut.rs/38GlzAn)

Cooling vests help COVID-19 nurses tolerate PPE

Nurses in COVID-19 wears cooling vests under their personal protective equipment (PPE) feel less burdened by heat during their shift, a small study suggests. Seventeen nurses wore a light cooling vest under the PPE one day, and the PPE only the other day. On both days, participants swallowed an electronic capsule that provides a continuous reading of body temperature. The news led to 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% a slightly warm thermal sensation at the end of the day with the vest. That’s compared to 81% and 94%, respectively, on the day without the vest. “PPE is known to induce heat stress, which increases fatigue and sensory dissatisfaction, and is known to affect effective decision-making,” said study co-author Thijs Eijsvogels of Radboud University Medical Center 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 clinicians involved in COVID-19 care. (bit.ly/2K9sXe5)

Diabetes adds to the risks of COVID-19 for black patients

Black patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) who become infected with the new coronavirus face a particularly high risk of a life-threatening diabetes complication, known as ketoacidosis, new data show. T1D usually develops in children or young adults and requires daily insulin to survive. The researchers studied 180 patients in the United States with T1D and COVID-19, including 31% who were black and 26% Hispanic. Black patients were almost 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 monitoring and insulin pumps, and had significantly weaker blood sugar control compared to white patients. This suggested that the higher risk was probably due to structural and systemic inequalities, co-author Dr. Osagie Ebekozien of the non-profit organization T1D Exchange in Boston told Reuters. Especially during the pandemic, healthcare providers need to examine patients with T1D for socioeconomic factors that increase their risk of DKA, such as food insecurity, insulin accessibility and access to diabetes, the researchers said. (bit.ly/3hWJZs8)

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