[Fermented milk and probiotic foods are an important part of population diet during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic].

The problem of increasing the population antiviral immunity is of particular importance during the third year of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Concomitant intestinal dysbiosis is known to play an significant role in immune cell dysfunction. Therefore, it is very important to take measures to maintain the gut microbiota using the most affordable nutritional remedies, which include fermented milk and probiotic products designed for mass population consumption and capable of enhancing their immune defence when added to the daily diet. The aim of the study was to analyze scientific evidence highlighting the role of intestinal microbiota in maintaining the macro-organism immunological balance, and to evaluate modern fermented milk and probiotic products in terms of their effect on normalising the gut microbiota and their importance in the prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2. Material and methods. The presented scientific and analytical review analyzed the data of electronic resources of the Global Health platform, scientific libraries eLIBRARY.RU, Cochrane Library and CyberLeninka, the search system Google Academy¼, specialized sites for scientific publications ScienceDirect and Elsevier, bibliographic databases of articles on medical sciences MEDLINE, CDC infection diseases, Embase and PubMed- NCBI. The structural-logical, analytical and axiomatic methods were used. Results. It has been shown that normal intestinal microbiota takes part in maintaining metabolism in the digestive tract, increases the body's immune reactivity and regulates the functioning of all organs and systems. The severity of dysbiotic disorders can determine susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, the severity of this infection course, as well as the level of post-infection and post-vaccination anti-COVID-19 immunity. The high prevalence of gut dysbacteriosis indicates the need to strengthen measures of correcting dysbiotic disorders, including the inclusion of fermented and probiotic products in the daily population diet. Conclusion. Fermented milk and probiotic products, as sources of easily digestible macronutrients, essential micronutrients, biologically active substances and beneficial live microorganisms, should be included in the daily diet during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic to increase the adaptive capacity and immunity of the population.

Correlation of SARS­CoV­2 to cancer: Carcinogenic or anticancer? (Review).

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS­CoV­2) is highly infectious and pathogenic. Among patients with severe SARS­CoV­2­caused by corona virus disease 2019 (COVID­19), those complicated with malignant tumor are vulnerable to COVID­19 due to compromised immune function caused by tumor depletion, malnutrition and anti­tumor treatment. Cancer is closely related to the risk of severe illness and mortality in patients with COVID­19. SARS­CoV­2 could promote tumor progression and stimulate metabolism switching in tumor cells to initiate tumor metabolic modes with higher productivity efficiency, such as glycolysis, for facilitating the massive replication of SARS­CoV­2. However, it has been shown that infection with SARS­CoV­2 leads to a delay in tumor progression of patients with natural killer cell (NK cell) lymphoma and Hodgkin's lymphoma, while SARS­CoV­2 elicited anti­tumor immune response may exert a potential oncolytic role in lymphoma patients. The present review briefly summarized potential carcinogenicity and oncolytic characteristics of SARS­CoV­2 as well as strategies to protect patients with cancer during the COVID­19 pandemic.

Effects of Loigolactobacillus coryniformis K8 CECT 5711 on the Immune Response of Elderly Subjects to COVID-19 Vaccination: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Elderly people are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, with a high risk of developing severe disease and a reduced immune response to the COVID-19 vaccine. A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial to assess the effect of the consumption of the probiotic Loigolactobacillus coryniformis K8 CECT 5711 on the immune response generated by the COVID-19 vaccine in an elderly population was performed. Two hundred nursing home residents >60 yrs that had not COVID-19 were randomized to receive L. coryniformis K8 or a placebo daily for 3 months. All volunteers received a complete vaccination schedule of a mRNA vaccine, starting the intervention ten days after the first dose. Specific IgG and IgA antibody levels were analyzed 56 days after the end of the immunization process. No differences between the groups were observed in the antibody levels. During the intervention, 19 subjects had COVID-19 (11 receiving K8 vs. 8 receiving placebo, p = 0.457). Subgroup analysis in these patients showed that levels of IgG were significantly higher in those receiving K8 compared to placebo (p = 0.038). Among subjects >85 yrs that did not get COVID-19, administration of K8 tended to increase the IgA levels (p = 0.082). The administration of K8 may enhance the specific immune response against COVID-19 and may improve the COVID-19 vaccine-specific responses in elderly populations.

Oral booster probiotic bifidobacteria in SARS-COV-2 patients.

Oral booster-single strain probiotic bifidobacteria could be a potential strategy for SARS-CoV-2. This study aims to evaluate the role of oral probiotic Bifidobacterium on moderate/severe SARS-CoV-2 inpatients. In this single-center study, we analyzed data of 44 moderate/severe inpatients with diagnosed COVID-19 in Istanbul Maltepe University Medical Faculty Hospital, 2020 from 1 November 2020 to 15 December 2020. Clinical and medication features were compared and analyzed between patients with or without probiotic. In result, 19 of the 44 patients (43.18%) who were administrated with oral booster-single strain probiotic were discharged with the median inpatient day of 7.6 days which were significantly shorter than those of patients without probiotic. There were significant differences in inpatient days, radiological improvement at day 6 and week 3, and reduction in interleukin-6 levels in those receiving oral probiotic therapy. Although the mortality rate was 5% in the probiotic group, it was 25% in the non-probiotic group. Booster-single strain probiotic bifidobacteria could be an effective treatment strategy for moderate/severe SARS-CoV-2 inpatients to reduce the mortality and length of stay in hospital.

Probiotic Supplements: Their Strategies in the Therapeutic and Prophylactic of Human Life-Threatening Diseases.

Chronic diseases and viral infections have threatened human life over the ages and constitute the main reason for increasing death globally. The rising burden of these diseases extends to negatively affecting the economy and trading globally, as well as daily life, which requires inexpensive, novel, and safe therapeutics. Therefore, scientists have paid close attention to probiotics as safe remedies to combat these morbidities owing to their health benefits and biotherapeutic effects. Probiotics have been broadly adopted as functional foods, nutraceuticals, and food supplements to improve human health and prevent some morbidity. Intriguingly, recent research indicates that probiotics are a promising solution for treating and prophylactic against certain dangerous diseases. Probiotics could also be associated with their essential role in animating the immune system to fight COVID-19 infection. This comprehensive review concentrates on the newest literature on probiotics and their metabolism in treating life-threatening diseases, including immune disorders, pathogens, inflammatory and allergic diseases, cancer, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal dysfunctions, and COVID-19 infection. The recent information in this report will particularly furnish a platform for emerging novel probiotics-based therapeutics as cheap and safe, encouraging researchers and stakeholders to develop innovative treatments based on probiotics to prevent and treat chronic and viral diseases.

Interactions between the Gut Microbiome, Lung Conditions, and Coronary Heart Disease and How Probiotics Affect These.

The importance of a healthy microbiome cannot be overemphasized. Disturbances in its composition can lead to a variety of symptoms that can extend to other organs. Likewise, acute or chronic conditions in other organs can affect the composition and physiology of the gut microbiome. Here, we discuss interorgan communication along the gut-lung axis, as well as interactions between lung and coronary heart diseases and between cardiovascular disease and the gut microbiome. This triangle of organs, which also affects the clinical outcome of COVID-19 infections, is connected by means of numerous receptors and effectors, including immune cells and immune-modulating factors such as short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and trimethlamine-N-oxide (TMAO). The gut microbiome plays an important role in each of these, thus affecting the health of the lungs and the heart, and this interplay occurs in both directions. The gut microbiome can be influenced by the oral uptake of probiotics. With an improved understanding of the mechanisms responsible for interorgan communication, we can start to define what requirements an 'ideal' probiotic should have and its role in this triangle.

Covid 19: Diet Composition and Health.

The virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes the disease coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The cumulative number of cases reported globally is now nearly 197 million and the number of cumulative deaths is 4.2 million (26 July to 1 August 2021). Currently we are focusing primarily on keeping a safe distance from others, washing our hands, and wearing masks, and the question of the effects of diet and diet-dependent risk factors remains outside the center of attention. Nevertheless, numerous studies indicate that diet can play an important role in the course of COVID-19. In this paper, based on select scientific reports, we discuss the structure and replication cycle of SARS-CoV-2, risk factors, dietary standards for sick patients, and the roles of the microbiome and dietary components supporting the immune system in preventing COVID-19.

Could Probiotics and Postbiotics Function as "Silver Bullet" in the Post-COVID-19 Era?

We are currently experiencing the realities of the most severe pandemic within living memory, with major impacts on the health and economic well-being of our planet. The scientific community has demonstrated an unprecedented mobilization capability, with the rapid development of vaccines and drugs targeting the protection of human life and palliative measures for infected individuals. However, are we adequately prepared for ongoing defense against COVID-19 and its variants in the post-pandemic world? Moreover, are we equipped to provide a satisfactory quality of life for individuals who are recovering from COVID-19 disease? What are the possibilities for the acceleration of the recovery process? Here, we give special consideration to the potential and already-demonstrated role of probiotics and traditional medical approaches to the management of current and potential future encounters with our major virus adversaries.

Probiotics potentials in mitigating coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Despite the adoption and use of different infection prevention and control measures, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic keeps surging on with globally increasing morbidities and mortalities. The lack of a specific therapeutic intervention against COVID-19 warrants the use of non-conventional potent alternatives. In recent times, probiotics have shown to mitigate numerous health challenges, including animal and human infectious diseases through competitive exclusion or antagonism of pathogens, modulation of host-microbiota, secretion of antimicrobial compounds and stimulation of immune responses. The presentation of COVID-19 as severe respiratory distress leading to gastrointestinal tract involvement could be mitigated through probiotics administration which beneficially modulates the microbiota and immune responses with an attendant reduction in morbidities, hence curtailing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Potential beneficial role of probiotics on the outcome of COVID-19 patients: An evolving perspective.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Probiotics can support the body's systems in fighting viral infections. This review is aimed to focus current knowledge about the use of probiotics as adjuvant therapy for COVID-19 patients. METHODS: We performed an extensive research using the PubMed-LitCovid, Cochrane Library, Embase databases, and conducting manual searches on Google Scholar, Elsevier Connect, Web of Science about this issue. RESULTS: We have found several papers reporting data about the potential role of probiotics as well as contrasting experimental data about it. CONCLUSIONS: Most data show good results demonstrating that probiotics can play a significant role in fighting SARS-CoV-2 infection, also compared with their use in the past for various diseases. They seem effective in lowering inflammatory status, moreover in patients with chronic comorbidities such as cancer and diabetes, improving clinical outcomes.

Dual and mutual interaction between microbiota and viral infections: a possible treat for COVID-19.

All of humans and other mammalian species are colonized by some types of microorganisms such as bacteria, archaea, unicellular eukaryotes like fungi and protozoa, multicellular eukaryotes like helminths, and viruses, which in whole are called microbiota. These microorganisms have multiple different types of interaction with each other. A plethora of evidence suggests that they can regulate immune and digestive systems and also play roles in various diseases, such as mental, cardiovascular, metabolic and some skin diseases. In addition, they take-part in some current health problems like diabetes mellitus, obesity, cancers and infections. Viral infection is one of the most common and problematic health care issues, particularly in recent years that pandemics like SARS and COVID-19 caused a lot of financial and physical damage to the world. There are plenty of articles investigating the interaction between microbiota and infectious diseases. We focused on stimulatory to suppressive effects of microbiota on viral infections, hoping to find a solution to overcome this current pandemic. Then we reviewed mechanistically the effects of both microbiota and probiotics on most of the viruses. But unlike previous studies which concentrated on intestinal microbiota and infection, our focus is on respiratory system's microbiota and respiratory viral infection, bearing in mind that respiratory system is a proper entry site and residence for viruses, and whereby infection, can lead to asymptomatic, mild, self-limiting, severe or even fatal infection. Finally, we overgeneralize the effects of microbiota on COVID-19 infection. In addition, we reviewed the articles about effects of the microbiota on coronaviruses and suggest some new therapeutic measures.

Ozone as adjuvant support in the treatment of COVID-19: A preliminary report of probiozovid trial.

The evaluation of new therapeutic resources against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represents a priority in clinical research considering the minimal options currently available. To evaluate the adjuvant use of systemic oxygen-ozone administration in the early control of disease progression in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. PROBIOZOVID is an ongoing, interventional, randomized, prospective, and double-arm trial enrolling patient with COVID-19 pneumonia. From a total of 85 patients screened, 28 were recruited. Patients were randomly divided into ozone-autohemotherapy group (14) and control group (14). The procedure consisted in a daily double-treatment with systemic Oxygen-ozone administration for 7 days. All patients were treated with ad interim best available therapy. The primary outcome was delta in the number of patients requiring orotracheal-intubation despite treatment. Secondary outcome was the difference of mortality between the two groups. Moreover, hematological parameters were compared before and after treatment. No differences in the characteristics between groups were observed at baseline. As a preliminary report we have observed that one patient for each group needed intubation and was transferred to ITU. No deaths were observed at 7-14 days of follow up. Thirty-day mortality was 8.3% for ozone group and 10% for controls. Ozone therapy did not significantly influence inflammation markers, hematology profile, and lymphocyte subpopulations of patients treated. Ozone therapy had an impact on the need for the ventilatory support, although did not reach statistical significance. Finally, no adverse events related to the use of ozone-autohemotherapy were reported. Preliminary results, although not showing statistically significant benefits of ozone on COVID-19, did not report any toxicity.

Probiotics Against Viruses; COVID-19 is a Paper Tiger: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Probiotics can improve immune function leading to the prevention and management of viral infections like SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19 disease). METHODS: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Scopus, and Web of Science up to May 2020 to identify interventional & observational studies documenting the effects of probiotics on incidence, severity, duration, and other clinical manifestations of viral infections, especially SARS-CoV-2-induced. RESULTS: From a total of 91 records, 24 studies were obtained and classified into three domains based on the efficacy of probiotics on 1) shortening the period and severity of infections (n=9), 2) incidence (n=6), and 3) other clinical complications that may be followed by viral disorders (n=9). Identified probiotics have positive effects on the mentioned domains. CONCLUSION: Based on the evidence, some probiotic strains may be useful in SARS-CoV-2 infection; randomized trials are needed to show the facts.

Targeting the gut-lung microbiota axis by means of a high-fibre diet and probiotics may have anti-inflammatory effects in COVID-19 infection.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 1 is a 2019 novel coronavirus, which only in the European area has led to more than 300,000 cases with at least 21,000 deaths. This manuscript aims to speculate that the manipulation of the microbial patterns through the use of probiotics and dietary fibers consumption may contribute to reduce inflammation and strengthen the immune system response in COVID-19 infection. The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.

Enhancing immunity in viral infections, with special emphasis on COVID-19: A review.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Balanced nutrition which can help in maintaining immunity is essential for prevention and management of viral infections. While data regarding nutrition in coronavirus infection (COVID-19) are not available, in this review, we aimed to evaluate evidence from previous clinical trials that studied nutrition-based interventions for viral diseases (with special emphasis on respiratory infections), and summarise our observations. METHODS: A systematic search strategy was employed using keywords to search the literature in 3 key medical databases: PubMed®, Web of Science® and SciVerse Scopus®. Studies were considered eligible if they were controlled trials in humans, measuring immunological parameters, on viral and respiratory infections. Clinical trials on vitamins, minerals, nutraceuticals and probiotics were included. RESULTS: A total of 640 records were identified initially and 22 studies were included from other sources. After excluding duplicates and articles that did not meet the inclusion criteria, 43 studies were obtained (vitamins: 13; minerals: 8; nutraceuticals: 18 and probiotics: 4). Among vitamins, A and D showed a potential benefit, especially in deficient populations. Among trace elements, selenium and zinc have also shown favourable immune-modulatory effects in viral respiratory infections. Several nutraceuticals and probiotics may also have some role in enhancing immune functions. Micronutrients may be beneficial in nutritionally depleted elderly population. CONCLUSIONS: We summaries possible benefits of some vitamins, trace elements, nutraceuticals and probiotics in viral infections. Nutrition principles based on these data could be useful in possible prevention and management of COVID-19.

Short Report - Medical nutrition therapy for critically ill patients with COVID-19.

No Abstract Available.