Intestinal bacteria linked to severity of the disease, immune response; high mental health toll seen in ICUs

(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 linked to COVID-19 severity, immune response

The microscopic organisms that live in our gut can affect the severity of COVID-19 and the body’s immune response to it, and it can be responsible for persistent symptoms, researchers reported in the journal Gut on Monday. They found that the gut microorganisms in COVID-19 patients are very different from those of uninfected individuals. “COVID patients have no good bacteria from which we can regulate our immune system,” said Dr. Siew Ng of the Chinese University in Hong Kong said. The presence of an abnormal variety of intestinal bacteria, or ‘dysbiosis’, persists after the virus has disappeared and may play a role in the long-term symptoms plaguing some patients, she said. Her team developed an oral formula of live bacteria, known as probiotics, and a special capsule to protect the organisms until they reach the gut. “Compared to patients with standard care, our clinical trial showed that more COVID patients who received our formula for microbiome immunity achieved a complete symptom solution,” Ng said. bacteria in their feces and they have developed neutralizing antibodies against the virus. (bit.ly/3q9u1hb)

Pandemic demands ICU workers’ mental health

Nearly half of staff working in intensive care units (ICUs) in England have severe anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, and some feel they would be better off, 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 professionals in nine ICUs, 45% reached the threshold for probable clinical significance for at least one of four serious mental health disorders: major depression (6%), PTSD (40%), severe anxiety (11%) or problem drinking ( 7%). More than one in eight have regularly reported self-harm or suicidal thoughts over the past two weeks. Poor mental health among ICU staff caring for critically ill and dying COVID-19 patients not only impairs their quality of life, but also impairs 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 professionals. (bit.ly/2LN5SOQ; reut.rs/38GlzAn)

Cooling jackets help COVID-19 nurses tolerate PPE

Nurses in COVID-19 wards wearing cool jackets under their personal protective equipment (PPE) feel less bothered by heat during their shifts, it suggests. Seventeen nurses wore a light cool jacket under their PBT one day, and PPE just another day. On both days, the participants swallowed an electronic capsule that read the body temperature continuously. The vests led to a slight improvement in body temperature, but a much greater improvement in feeling too hot, researchers reported in the journal Temperature. Only 18% of nurses reported thermal discomfort and 35% a slight warm thermal sensation at the end of the day with the vest. This is compared to 81% and 94% respectively on the day without the vest. “PBM is known to cause heat stress, which increases fatigue and sensory dissatisfaction, and that it effectively impairs decision making,” said co-author Thijs Eijsvogels of Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands. The CoolOver vests made by the Dutch company Inuteq are easy to disinfect and reactivate in a refrigerator, and they can extend work tolerance and improve the recovery of clinicians involved in COVID-19. (bit.ly/2K9sXe5)

Diabetes contributes to COVID-19 risks for black patients

Black patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) who become infected with the new coronavirus are at particularly high risk for a life-threatening diabetes known as ketoacidosis, new data show. T1D usually develops in children or young adults and requires daily insulin to survive. Researchers studied 180 patients from across the United States with T1D and COVID-19, including 31% who were black and 26% who were Spanish. 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 have a slightly higher risk than white patients. Blacks and Hispanics were significantly less likely to use new diabetes technologies, such as continuous monitoring of glucose and insulin pumps, and they had significantly lower blood sugar control compared to white patients. Osagie Ebekozien of the non-profit T1D exchange in Boston told Reuters that the higher risk was probably driven by structural and systemic inequality. Especially during the pandemic, healthcare providers should examine patients with T1D for socioeconomic factors that increase their risk of DKA, such as food insecurity, insulin affordability and access to diabetes supplies, the researchers said. (bit.ly/3hWJZs8)

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