Hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a supportive therapy for COVID-19 patients: a narrative review.

The Coronavirus illness 2019 (COVID-19) was first observed to induce fever, dry cough, pneumonia, and dyspnea in the lower respiratory tract. Atypical manifestations, including digestive problems and cardiac symptoms, were also observed. The rate of mortality in the older population is greater than in the younger group, as well as in individuals suffering from comorbidities. Oxygen supplementation through a facemask, non-invasive ventilation, mechanical ventilation, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation ECMO are some of the available supportive techniques. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) is thought to boost tissue oxygenation by increasing plasma soluble oxygen levels. HBOT also reduces inflammatory responses in COVID-19 patients, minimizing the negative impacts of the cytokine storm. Because the existing data on the efficacy of HBOT in COVID-19 patients is limited, the purpose of this article is to review the possible mechanisms of HBO, as well as data available on potential advantages, side effects and uses in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic on University Students: A cross-sectional study

Objectives: This study is an attempt to detect the psychological impact of (COVID-19) among Taif University students. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Taif University students using Google Forms questionnaire in the period from May to December 2020. The questionnaire was designed to assess psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic at the time of the lockdown and curfew. 619 participants age ranged from 18-30 years were eligible to participate in this study. This study was carried out using well-structured electronic questionnaire contain socio-demographic characteristics and psychological health parameters (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21)). Results: This study revealed a significant correlation between age and depression;age 18-21 years old showed higher frequency of mild to moderate and severe to very severe depression than age 22-30 years old (p>0.003). Similarly, there was a significant correlation between age and stress among participants;age 18-21 years old, showed higher frequency of severe to very severe stress and anxiety compared to aged 22-30 years (p > 0.05). On the other hand, there was no significant correlation between gender, nationality and marital status. Regarding the type of education, there was a significant correlation between medical students and depression (p > 0.06). Conclusion: According to the obtained results, it can be concluded that there was a significant association between age, depression and stress and non- significant relation between gender, nationality and marital status, while there was a significant correlation between medical students and depression.