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LATEST SCIENCES AND RESEARCH
READ | Fatigue is common in people recovering from Covid-19, regardless of severity
As the Covid-19 outbreak continues, we have learned that people experience the disease differently. Some require hospitalization where the result can be fatal, while others can recover at home.
But according to new research presented at a conference on Covid-19 organized by the European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, there is a key factor that many patients with Covid-19, both mild and severe, experience: persistent fatigue.
As more people recover from Covid-19, some experience post-infection problems, the researchers said.
“Fatigue is a common symptom in those with a symptomatic Covid-19 infection. While the presenting characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been well characterized, the medium and long-term consequences of the infection remain unchanged. explore, “explained Dr Liam Townsend, lead author of the study from St James’s Hospital and Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
“In particular, concerns have been raised that SARS-CoV-2 has the potential to cause persistent fatigue, even after those infected have recovered from Covid-19. In our study, we investigated whether patients who recovered of SARS-CoV-2 infection remained fatigued after their physical recovery, and to see if there was a relationship between severe fatigue and a variety of clinical parameters. We also examined the persistence of disease markers beyond clinical resolution of infection, “said Dr. Townsend.
The researchers used a scale called the Chalder Fatigue Score to investigate fatigue in 128 recovered Covid-19 patients and found that more than half of the patients reported persistent fatigue after their recovery.
READ | Children’s Immune Systems Respond Differently to Covid-19 Than Adults, Research Suggests
Early in the Covid-19 outbreak, evidence showed that children are likely to experience milder Covid-19 symptoms than adults.
A study published in Science Translational Medicine is the first to compare the immune responses of children and adults. This new research found some key differences to explain the phenomenon.
For the research, scientists from the Albert Einstein School of Medicine, Montefiore Children’s Hospital and Yale University investigated cases of 60 adult patients with Covid-19 and 65 child patients (all under 24 years old) between March 13. and on May 17, 2020.
The scientists analyzed the patients’ blood for various types of immune cells, antibody responses, and cytokines produced by the immune cells.
The children’s immune responses looked significantly better than those of the adults. Twenty-two adults required ventilation, compared with just five children, and 17 adults died compared with just two of the pediatric patients.
“Our findings suggest that children with Covid-19 do better than adults because their stronger innate immunity protects them against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes the disease,” said lead co-author, the Dr. Betsy Herold, chief of infectious diseases and vice president of research in the department of pediatrics at Einstein and CHAM.
READ | To what extent is Covid-19 damaging the brain?
Maybe it’s a bad trip, or maybe it’s the “rona”. For one woman, who was hallucinating lions and monkeys in her home and was convinced that her husband was someone else, it turned out to be the latter.
And she is not the only one.
Scientists are struggling to understand the effect of Covid-19 on the brain as more patients develop neurological symptoms. At the beginning of the pandemic, these symptoms were often overlooked, as healthcare workers were more concerned with keeping patients breathing than noticing if they were “seeing things.”
However, scientists have slowly begun to take notice of neurological disorders in Covid-19 patients. In July, a UK study detailed more than 40 cases of patients presenting with brain dysfunctions such as encephalopathy, ischemic stroke and Guillain-Barré syndrome, all of which can cause bleeding and inflammation.
These symptoms were even present in patients with mild Covid-19.
Another study also showed how mini-brains grown in a lab showed that viral replication could take place in their cells, indicating potential long-term brain damage, although the question of how the virus would enter the brain remains unanswered. .
A research article explained that a brain infection can occur in three stages: loss of taste and smell, as it infects the epithelial cells of the nose; blood clots in the system that can lead to strokes; and damage to the blood-brain barrier by the consequent cytokine storm, which makes our most important organ vulnerable to more infections.
PHOTOS | Shocking images show exactly how the Covid-19 virus infects the lungs
The lungs are the organs most commonly affected by Covid-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, and researchers from the UNC School of Medicine have published striking images of cells infected by the virus.
High-powered microscopic images generated by UNC’s Dr. Camille Ehre (performed in collaboration with two other researchers) show high SARS-CoV-2 viral loads on human respiratory surfaces, ready to spread infection in infected individuals and transmit the infection to others.
The images were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
In a laboratory setting, the researchers inoculated the SARS-CoV-2 virus into human bronchial epithelial cells. Using scanning electron microscopy, they examined the cells 96 hours later.
The following images were recolored by UNC medical student Cameron Morrison and indicate the following: hair cells infected with mucus strands (yellow), attached to the tips of cilia (blue).
In their published article, the authors explain that cilia are hair-like structures on the surface of airway epithelial cells that carry mucus (and trapped viruses) from the lungs. The function of the airway epithelium is to moisten and protect the airways.
READ | Do you want a breathable but effective homemade mask? Wear silk, study suggests
As masks are becoming mandatory around the world, authorities have asked people to use homemade cloth masks instead of single-use and N95 surgical masks needed by medical personnel.
Face coverings of all materials and shapes are being used. And while all face coverings offer a measure of protection against both large and small respiratory droplets, a team of researchers at the University of Cincinnati wanted to examine the effectiveness of different household fabrics.
The study, which was published recently in the journal PLOS ONE, wanted to determine which practices would be most effective in practice. The researchers examined cotton, polyester and silk for their resistance to penetration by small and aerosol water droplets.
They also investigated the breathability of the fabrics and how they would fare if they were repeatedly washed. In the lab, they used the materials as an overlay barrier for respirators, as well as face covers. The team then analyzed the penetration and absorption of the droplets, and found that silk was best seen, both as a barrier and in terms of breathability.
“Cotton traps moisture like a sponge. But silk is breathable. It is thinner than cotton and dries very quickly,” said Patrick Guerra, assistant professor of biology at the UC College of Arts and Sciences.
It’s not just the fact that silk is dense and breathable that made the researchers take notice.
LATEST CORONAVIRUS CASES
SA cases update:
The latest number of confirmed cases is 669,498.
According to the latest update, 16,376 deaths have been registered in the country.
There have been 601,818 recoveries.
So far, more than 4.12 million tests have been performed, and 11,359 new tests have been reported.
Global Cases Update:
For the latest global data, follow this interactive map from Johns Hopkins University & Medicine.
As of late Saturday night, positive cases worldwide were nearly 32.71 million, while deaths were more than 991,000.
The United States had the highest number of cases in the world, more than 7.07 million, as well as the highest number of deaths, more than 204,000.
HEALTH TIPS (as recommended by the NICD and WHO)
• Keep your physical distance: stay at least one meter from someone who is coughing or sneezing
• Practice frequent hand washing, especially after direct contact with sick people or their surroundings.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, as your hands touch many surfaces and could transmit the virus.
• Practice respiratory hygiene: cover your mouth with a bent elbow or a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Remember to dispose of the tissue immediately after use.
Image Credit: Getty Images
