16 NEW and RECENT STUDIES SHARED TODAY,
all compiled into one comprehensive megathread🧵
The goal is to provide you with easy access to the studies that pique your interest, all of which have been summarized and illustrated for your convenience.
2) This study estimated the burden of long COVID in California using a mathematical model. It looked at the impact on quality of life, measured in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) lost.
3) The model accounted for different levels of long COVID symptom severity (mild, moderate, severe) and age groups.
Key findings:
- Most QALYs lost were in adults 18-49, despite this group mostly having mild long COVID.
How the GUT MICROBIOME is ALTERED in COVID PATIENTS ?
"Gut colonization of Enterococcus species is associated with COVID-19 disease ..." medrxiv.org/content/10.110…
2) This study examined the gut microbiomes of COVID-19 patients and healthy individuals in Uganda.
It found that COVID-19 patients had less diverse gut bacteria compared to healthy people. COVID-19 patients also had overgrowths of certain bacteria like Enterococcus and ...
3) ...Eggerthella, which were rarely seen in healthy people. These changes in the gut microbiome may either be a result of COVID-19 infection or make people more susceptible to severe COVID-19 disease.
The primary CONCERN for the FUTURE, is the CO-INFECTION involving SARS-CoV-2 and other PATHOGENS
"Developing a Coccidioides posadasii (Valley fever) and SARS-CoV-2 Co-infection Model ... " nature.com/articles/s4385…
2) This study examined how COVID-19 and Valley fever (a fungal infection) interact when they infect mice one after the other. The researchers found that mice infected with the COVID-19 virus first had worse outcomes - they were more likely to die ...
3) ... lost more weight, and had higher levels of both the virus and the fungus in their bodies. The immune responses also differed between the groups. Mice infected with the fungus first seemed to fare better.
Emerging signs of ALZHEIMER'S-LIKE PATHOLOGY in the BRAIN of INDIVIDUALS who had RECOVERED from COVID-19, even though no direct SARS-CoV-2 invasion was detected
2) This study found signs of Alzheimer's-like brain changes in people who had recovered from COVID-19, even though the virus was not directly detected in the brain regions examined. The researchers observed increased levels of a protein called tau that ...
3) ...becomes abnormally twisted in Alzheimer's disease. This suggests COVID-19 may raise the risk of developing Alzheimer's later on. The study also found prolonged inflammation and activation of certain brain cells in the post-COVID-19 period.
2) This study looked at the immune responses of healthcare workers (HCWs) with different COVID-19 infection histories - some had never been infected, some had asymptomatic infections, and some had frequent symptomatic infections despite being vaccinated.
3) The key finding was that HCWs with frequent infections had lower levels of two important immune cells, IFNγ and IL-2, when exposed to SARS-CoV-2 variants. This was different from the asymptomatic group, who had higher levels of these cells.
How DAMAGE to the BLOOD VESSELS plays a CENTRAL ROLE in the DEVELOPMENT and ONGOING SYMPTOMS of Long COVID ?
A fantastic review with @ArneauxK @DavidJoffe64 @PutrinoLab @dbkell @DrGrahamLJ @doctorasadkhan @SalamonSMD and Jaco Laubscher
2) In the acute stage of COVID-19, there is widespread dysfunction and clotting within the blood vessels, especially in the lungs. This vascular damage persists in Long COVID, leading to continued symptoms and problems with various organs.
3) Key factors driving this include:
- Ongoing dysfunction of the endothelial cells that line the blood vessels
- The presence of abnormal blood clots
- Dysregulation of the body's normal clotting mechanisms.