Probiotics, Nutrition, and the Small Intestine

Can vitamins and/or supplements provide hope against coronavirus?

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2) quickly became a global pandemic and has been responsible, so far, for infecting 5.8 million and claiming the lives of more than 350,000. While certain medications initially garnered attention as potential treatment options, further studies failed to demonstrate great promise but did demonstrate the need to reduce the cytokine storm experienced by patients with this potentially life-threatening virus. Unfortunately, there is no cure on the horizon, but members of the medical community are beginning to evaluate the potential role of vitamins and supplements as potential treatment options or addition to other treatments. The goal of this narrative review is to evaluate current and ongoing clinical trials of vitamins and supplements, alone or in combination with each other or other therapies, for the treatment of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19).

Perspectives on Probiotics and Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic respiratory disease of preterm infants, associated with high morbidity and hospitalization expenses. With the revolutionary advances in microbiological analysis technology, increasing evidence indicates that children with BPD are affected by lung microbiota dysbiosis, which may be related to the illness occurrence and progression. However, dysbiosis treatment in BPD patients has not been fully investigated. Probiotics are living microorganisms known to improve human health for their anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor effects, and particularly by balancing gut microbiota composition, which promotes gut-lung axis recovery. The aim of the present review is to examine current evidence of lung microbiota dysbiosis and explore potential applications of probiotics in BPD, which may provide new insights into treatment strategies of this disease.