New York: People with congenital heart defect hospitalised with Covid-19 infection could be at higher risk for severe illness or death than those without a heart defect, according to new research.
Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect, and more than a dozen types result when the heart, or blood vessels near the heart don't develop normally before birth.
Researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)found that people with a congenital heart defect who contracted Covid were also more likely to require treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) or need a ventilator.
The analysis found that the patients with a heart defect had at least one other health condition. The risk was highest among men above 50, revealed the study published in the peer-reviewed journal Circulation.
Ace Data comparing Covid-19 outcomes among individuals with and without congenital heart defects has been limited," said lead author Karrie Downing, epidemiologist at the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities and the Covid-19 Response Team at the US CDC.
The team examined data on 235,638 people, aged 1 to 64 years old, hospitalised with Covid patients from March 2020 to January 2021. Of the hospitalised patients, 421 had a congenital heart defect.
About 54 per cent of patients with a congenital heart defect were admitted to the ICU; 24 per cent required a ventilator to breathe and 11 per cent died during hospitalisation.
Ace people with heart defects should be encouraged to receive the Covid-19 vaccines and boosters," Downing said.
She recommended them to continue practicing additional preventive measures, such as mask-wearing and physical distancing.
According to the American Heart Association's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics-2022 Update, congenital heart defects are the most common birth defect worldwide, with a global prevalence of 157 per 100,000 in 2017.
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New York- Cow milk contains proteins with virus inhibiting properties that can help prevent Covid-19 from replicating in a person's body and cause infection, according to a study.
The protein lactoferrin is found in the milk of most mammals.
Researchers from the University of Michigan found that bovine lactoferrin, from cow milk, has bioactive characteristics against many microbes, viruses, and other pathogens.
It has also been found to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection under experimental conditions by blocking the ability of the virus to enter target cells, as well as by supporting cells' antiviral defence mechanisms.
"Bovine lactoferrin has shown antiviral activity in human clinical trials," said lead investigator Jonathan Sexton, from the varsity's Department of Internal Medicine.
"For example, orally administered bovine lactoferrin has been shown to improve the severity of viral infections, including rotavirus and norovirus. Given the broad antiviral efficacy and safety, minimal side effects, and commercial availability of bovine lactoferrin, several review papers have suggested using it as a preventive or post-exposure treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection," he added.
The findings are detailed in the Journal of Dairy Science.
With the goal of improving clinical relevance and translatability, the team tested bovine lactoferrin against some of the most common SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern from around the world, including the WA1 variant representative of the US outbreak in 2020, the B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1 variants, and the Delta variant.
"Each of these variants includes modifications to the SARS-Cov-2 spike protein that reduce the efficacy of newly produced vaccines. Furthermore, each of these strains shows reduced neutralisation by vaccination sera," Sexton explained.
A key benefit of the broad antiviral efficacy of lactoferrin is its potential for the prevention or treatment of emerging diseases.
"This is especially important when there are limited treatment options, or when the treatment options are too costly for widespread use. An orally available therapeutic that covers emerging strains would be ideal for treating SARS-CoV-2 in areas without widespread vaccination or if new strains escape the vaccine," Sexton said. (Agency)
Healthy lungs bring vitality (Prana), that’s why Ayurveda refers respiratory system as Prana vaha strotas. Lungs are constantly working to provide healthy oxygen to the body for its proper functioning.
Just like other systems of the body, even the respiratory system is prone to wear and tear due to the increasing pollutants, toxins, and respiratory infections like COVID 19.
Role of Ayurveda to maintain healthy lungs:
Nasya
This therapy includes the installation of herbal medication through the nostrils. You can do Nasya therapy on an empty stomach an hour before or after a shower or exercise. One should lie down with the head tilted back and put 5 drops of Nasya oil in each nostril. Nasya prevents nasal respiratory allergies, improves eye health, relieves fatigue, and alleviates Vata Dosha.
Gandusha/ Oil pulling
Humans may breathe through their nose and mouth as well. The nose has a filtering mechanism in preventing pollutants that entering the respiratory system.
But in case of mouth breathing, Gandusha or oil pulling helps to maintain a healthy oral cavity and acts as a barrier to prevent the entry of pollutants and toxins through the mouth.
Gandusha involves holding medicated oil in the mouth for 10-15 minutes and then spitting it out. It cleans the harmful toxins and bacteria and strengthens the mucous lining of the mouth and oral cavity.
Ura Abhyanga/ Massage
Ura abhyanga includes the application of medicated oils or sesame oil on the chest and back followed by hot fomentation or hot water bath. It helps to loosen the toxins and sticky adherent Kapha dosha in the lungs and expel them out thus maintain healthy lungs.
Swedana
Facial steam with medicinal herbs helps to liquefy and melt adherent doshas and pollutants and expel them out an inefficient manner thus removing pollutants and toxins from the respiratory system. Facial steam can be taken by adding eucalyptus oil, camphor, and tulsi drops to cleanse and strengthen the nasal and oral cavity.
Diet
Follow Kapha reducing diet- avoid oily fatty foods, heavy to digest, dense foods, and fried foods. Consume warm water throughout the day. Avoid curd, cold drinks, ice-creams. Do not overeat or drink in excess, have light to digest and freshly prepared food and regular meals in time. Include herbs like cardamon, holy basil, pippali, liquorice, turmeric, etc in the diet to strengthen the respiratory and immune system.
Immunity Boosters
Chyavanprash, Ayush Kwatha, and various other Ayurvedic medicines if taken as per the Ayurveda Physician’s advice can help to strengthen the respiratory and immune system and maintain healthy lungs and avoid respiratory infections and diseases.
These Ayurveda tips will not only help prevent illness but also help nurture and maintain healthy lungs so that they can perform to their utmost capacity each and every day.
Also, Read► Lung Cancer - Causes, Symptoms & Ayurvedic Treatment
Kolkata: Extract from the bark of the neem tree, indigenous to India, may help treat and reduce the spread of coronavirus, a team of international researchers found.
Neem, used for over thousands of years, is known for its pesticidal, insecticidal, and medicinal properties.
The bark extract has helped treat malaria, stomach and intestinal ulcers, skin diseases and many other diseases. People also use it in hair and dental products.
The study, led by a team from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, shows that components of neem bark may target a wide range of viral proteins, suggesting its potential as an antiviral agent against emerging variants of coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2.
The Indian researchers tested it in animal models and showed that it had antiviral properties against coronavirus.
Using computer modeling, the researchers predicted that Neem bark extract will bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein at various locations, preventing virus entry to host cells.
Further, a team at University of Colorado, US, tested the Neem bark extract in SARS-CoV-2 human lung cells. It proved as effective as a preventive drug for infection and also decreased virus replication and spread after infection. The findings are reported in the journal Virology.
"The goal of this research is to develop a Neem-based medication that can reduce the risk of serious illness when someone is infected with coronaviruses," said study co-author Maria Nagel, research professor in the department of neurology and ophthalmology at the varsity's School of Medicine.
"We hope that scientists won't have to continuously develop new therapies every time a new SARS-CoV-2 variant emerges.
"Just like how we take penicillin for strep throat, we envision taking the Neem-based drug for Covid, allowing us to resume our normal lives without fear of hospitalisation and death," Nagel said.
The scientists believe this research could guide new antiviral therapeutic efforts to combat the ongoing pandemic, while holding out the promise for treating new coronavirus strains. (agency)
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भारतीय प्रौद्योगिकी संस्थान, कानपुर (आईआई-के) के शोधकर्ताओं ने भविष्यवाणी की है कि देश में 22 जून के आसपास कोविड-19 की चौथी लहर लौट सकती है। अध्ययन के अनुसार, भारत में जून के मध्य में चौथी कोविड लहर देखने की संभावना है और वृद्धि लगभग चार महीने तक जारी रहने की संभावना है।
अध्ययन में कहा गया है कि हालांकि, लहर की गंभीरता नए रूपों के उद्भव, टीकाकरण की स्थिति और बूस्टर खुराक के प्रशासन पर निर्भर करेगी।
अनुसंधान का नेतृत्व आईआईटी कानपुर के गणित विभाग के शलभ, सबरा प्रसाद राजेशभाई और सुभ्रा शंकर धार ने किया था, जिसमें जिम्बाब्वे के आंकड़ों के आधार पर गाऊसी वितरण के मिश्रण का उपयोग किया गया था।
यह आईआईटी-के अध्ययन मेडआरजिव में प्री-प्रिंट के रूप में प्रकाशित किया गया है और इसकी सहकर्मी-समीक्षा की जानी बाकी है।
शोधकर्ताओं के अनुसार, डेटा इंगित करता है कि भारत में कोविड की चौथी लहर 30 जनवरी 2020 की प्रारंभिक डेटा उपलब्धता तिथि से 936 दिनों के बाद आएगी।
अध्ययन में कहा गया है, "इसलिए, चौथी लहर 22 जून, 2022 से शुरू हो सकती है, जो 23 अगस्त, 2022 को अपने चरम पर पहुंच सकती है और इसके 24 अक्टूबर, 2022 को समाप्त होने का अनुमान है। (एजेंसी)
यह भी पढ़े► पुरानी दवाओं के इस्तेमाल से कोविड का उपचार संभव
London: Severe Covid-19 in pregnancy may increase the risk of pre-labour caesarean birth, a very or extreme preterm birth, stillborn birth, and the need for admission to a neonatal unit, finds a new study.
The study, published in the journal Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, indicated that certain pregnant women with Covid-19 who are hospitalised stand a higher risk of developing serious disease.
"This new analysis shows that certain pregnant women admitted to a hospital with Covid-19 face an elevated risk of severe disease," said senior author Marian Knight, FMedSci, of the University of Oxford.
"However, it shows once again the strong protective effect of vaccination against severe disease and adverse outcomes for both mother and baby," Knight added.
For the study, the research team included 4,436 pregnant women hospitalised in the UK with symptomatic Covid-19 from March 1, 2020 to October 31, 2021 (13.9 per cent of whom had severe Covid-19).
In addition to having increased risks of adverse pregnancy-related outcomes, women with severe infection were more likely to be aged around 30 years, being overweight or obese, be of mixed ethnicity, or have gestational diabetes compared with those with mild or moderate infection, the study said.
"This study emphasizes the importance of ensuring that interventions to promote vaccine uptake are particularly focused towards those at highest risk," Knight said. (agency)
Read More► Covid Vax During Pregnancy Not Linked to Preterm Birth: US CDC
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