Acute estradiol and progesterone therapy in hospitalized adults to reduce COVID-19 severity: a randomized control trial.

COVID-19 outcomes are less severe in women than men suggesting that female sex is protective. The steroids estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) promote anti-inflammatory immune responses and their therapeutic use for COVID-19 has been under investigation. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of a short systemic E2 and P4 combination in mitigating COVID-19 severity in hospitalized men and women. In a phase 2, single center, double blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial, ten male and female participants hospitalized for COVID-19 with scores 3-5 on the 9-point WHO ordinal scale were randomized to receive either (1) E2 cypionate (5 mg, IM) and micronized P4 (200 mg, PO), or (2) placebo-equivalent, in addition to standard of care (SOC). The primary outcome was the proportion of patients whose WHO scores improved to 1-2 on the day of discharge. Secondary outcomes included length of hospital stay (LOS), days on oxygen therapy (DOT), readmission rates (RR), adverse events (AEs), and change in circulating biomarkers using untargeted proteomics and cytokine profiling. There were no significant changes between the groups in primary outcome, LOS, DOT, RR or AEs. The E2P4 group exhibited a decrease in biomarker pathways of respiratory and gastrointestinal disease inflammation, infection by coronavirus, and immune cell trafficking and inflammatory response. A short-term E2P4 treatment in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 decreases biomarkers of inflammation. Considering the availability, low cost, and safety of E2 and P4, our results warrant additional studies to explore their effects in mitigating other viral pandemics. Clinical Trial Registration NCT04865029, ClinicalTrials.gov; (First trial registration 29/04/2021).

Stability and transitions in posttraumatic growth trajectories among cancer patients: LCA and LTA analyses.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the current study were to identify (a) different post cancer treatment adaptation profiles; (b) factors that predict these adaptation profiles; and (c) transitions in post cancer-treatment adaptation profiles and trajectories in a sample (N = 198) of female breast cancer patients over a 2-year period. METHOD: Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to idenitfy profiles of post cancer treatment adaptation, based on a combined pattern of responses to observable indicators of distress, coping strategies, and posttraumatic growth. latent transition analysis (LTA) was used to track trajectories, based on the probabilities of transitions among latent classes. RESULTS: Four postcancer treatment adaptation profiles were found: (a) distressed, (b) resistant, (c) constructive growth, and (d) struggling growth. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of transitions between different adaptation profiles occurred between 6 and 12 months after treatment. These findings offer theoretical and practice implications regarding posttraumatic growth in breast-cancer patients by distinguishing between profiles of adaptation and highlights a previously unidentified profile-struggling growth. These results contribute to the theoretical understanding of the complex relationship between growth, distress, and coping. (PsycINFO Database Record

Alcohol use among Hispanic early adolescents in the United States: an examination of behavioral risk and protective profiles.

Few studies have examined the behavioral and protective correlates of alcohol use among young Hispanics. Using a national sample (N = 7,606), logistic regression and latent profile analysis (LPA) are employed to examine the relationships between alcohol use, psychosocial factors, and externalizing behavior among Hispanics during early adolescence. Early drinkers are more likely to report truancy, fighting, smoking, and drug use. LPA results revealed a three class solution. Classes identified included: psychosocial risk (41.11%), moderate protection (39.44%), and highly religious (19.44%). Alcohol use is clearly associated with externalizing behavior; however, an important degree of psychosocial and behavioral heterogeneity nevertheless exists.