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Background: Previous evidence showed that persons experiencing post‐COVID‐19 with "brain fog" were characterized by abnormal resting‐state electroencephalographic (rsEEG) rhythms reflecting vigilance dysfunctions. In the present exploratory study, we tested the hypothesis that in post‐COVID persons with normal cognitive status, abnormalities in those rhythms (and vigilance function) may be related to fatigue. Method: We enrolled post‐COVID participants about one year after their infection, which claimed "brain fog." They underwent clinical/neuropsychological assessment and 61‐channel‐EEG recordings. Matched controls (never COVID‐19 affected) were included. Using eLORETA freeware, regional neural current densities were estimated in the rsEEG cortical sources at individual delta, theta, and alpha bands and at beta and gamma fixed bands. Clinical and instrumental data were evaluated in the long COVID‐19 patients as a function of fatigue symptoms over the controls. Result: The post‐COVID patients had no cognitive deficits at the group level. Those patients showed lower posterior rsEEG alpha source activities than the controls. Notably, this effect was more significant with the long COVID‐19 patients experiencing fatigue symptoms than those without (Fig. 1). Conclusion: In post‐COVID patients with normal cognition, abnormal rsEEG alpha source activation may indicate a significant relationship between vigilance dysfunction and fatigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Several persons experiencing post-covid-19 (post-COVID) with "brain fog" (e.g., fatigue, cognitive and psychiatric disorders, etc.) show abnormal resting-state electroencephalographic (rsEEG) rhythms reflecting a vigilance dysfunction. Here, we tested the hypothesis that in those post-COVID persons, abnormal rsEEG rhythms may occur even when cognitive and psychiatric disorders are absent., Methods: The experiments were performed on post-COVID participants about one year after hospitalization for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Inclusion criteria included a "brain fog" claim, no pre-infection, and actual organic chronic disease. Matched controls (no COVID) were also enrolled. All participants underwent clinical/neuropsychological assessment (including fatigue assessment) and rsEEG recordings. The eLORETA freeware estimated regional rsEEG cortical sources at individual delta (<4 Hz), theta (4-7 Hz), and alpha (8-13 Hz) bands. Beta (14-30 Hz) and gamma (30-40 Hz) bands were pre-fixed., Results: More than 90% of all post-COVID participants showed no cognitive or psychiatric disorders, and 75% showed ≥ 2 fatigue symptoms. The post-COVID group globally presented lower posterior rsEEG alpha source activities than the Control group. This effect was more significant in the long COVID-19 patients with ≥ 2 fatigue symptoms., Conclusions: In post-COVID patients with no chronic diseases and cognitive/psychiatric disorders, "brain fog" can be associated with abnormal posterior rsEEG alpha rhythms and subjective fatigue., Significance: These abnormalities may be related to vigilance and allostatic dysfunctions., (Copyright © 2024 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Although useful in the time-race against COVID-19, CPAP cannot provide oxygen over the physiological limits imposed by severe pulmonary impairments. In previous studies, we reported that the administration of the SLAB51 probiotics reduced risk of developing respiratory failure in severe COVID-19 patients through the activation of oxygen sparing mechanisms providing additional oxygen to organs critical for survival., Methods: This "real life" study is a retrospective analysis of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients with hypoxaemic acute respiratory failure secondary to COVID-19 pneumonia undergoing CPAP treatment. A group of patients managed with ad interim routinely used therapy (RUT) were compared to a second group treated with RUT associated with SLAB51 oral bacteriotherapy (OB)., Results: At baseline, patients receiving SLAB51 showed significantly lower blood oxygenation than controls. An opposite condition was observed after 3 days of treatment, despite the significantly reduced amount of oxygen received by patients taking SLAB51. At 7 days, a lower prevalence of COVID-19 patients needing CPAP in the group taking probiotics was observed. The administration of SLAB51 is a complementary approach for ameliorating oxygenation conditions at the systemic level., Conclusion: This study proves that probiotic administration results in an additional boost in alleviating hypoxic conditions, permitting to limit on the use of CPAP and its contraindications.

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) hospitalization has been related to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Available information is limited by insufficient follow-up and lack of longitudinal studies. Baseline factors (e.g., sex; obesity) have been related to PTSD, but post-hospitalization factors have not been studied. Objective: This study aimed to analyse prevalence, baseline, post-discharge factors and possible clinical courses of PTSD after hospitalization for COVID-19. Method: 109 patients (94.7% of the original sample) completed a programme of three follow-up telephone assessments during the year following hospitalization. Data included clinical and sociodemographic factors as well as psychometric tools assessing PTSD, social support, and perception of threat to life (PTL). Mixture model analysis was performed to study the longitudinal course of PTSD symptoms. Chronic (>6 months) PTSD predictors were also analysed. Results: 1-year PTSD period prevalence was 23.9%, peaking at six months; 11% of the patients suffered chronic PTSD. Pre- and post-hospitalization factors influenced the onset and course of PTSD over time. These included working status, PTL, and lack of social support. Interestingly, obesity, pulmonary diseases and family cluster infection seem specifically related to PTSD following COVID-19. Inversely, clinical interventions, older age and male gender were protective. Conclusions: PTSD following COVID-19 hospitalization is common. The analysed demographic, social, clinical, and psychological factors predict PTSD symptomatology over time and can modify odds of a chronic course. Clinicians could better identify cases at risk of a chronic PTSD course. Finally, treatment as usual appeared related to a better outcome and should be proposed to patients with PTSD.