Health & Corona News For 4/13-4/19 UPDATED DAILY

A closer look at the immunostimulatory effects of ginseng berry polysaccharides

Kyonggi University (South Korea), April 15, 2020

South Korean researchers investigated the effects of polysaccharides from ginseng berry on the activation of natural killer (NK) cells and the inhibition of tumors. Their findings were published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine.

Ginseng root is used in traditional Chinese medicine for the enhancement of immune system function.
To explore the immunostimulatory effects of ginseng berry, the researchers isolated a crude polysaccharide (GBPP) and used gel filtration chromatography to obtain three more fractions, namely, GBPP-I, GBPP-II and GBPP-III.
GBPP-I consisted of mainly galactose (46.9 percent) and arabinose (27.5 percent) and showed a high dose-dependent anti-complementary activity.
GBPP-I stimulation of murine peritoneal macrophages enhanced interleukin (IL)-6, IL-12 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a production.
Meanwhile, oral administration of GBPP-I significantly increased NK cell cytotoxicity in YAC-1 tumor cells and production of granzyme B.
Prophylactic intravenous and oral administration of GBPP-I significantly and dose-dependently inhibited lung metastatic activity in B16-BL6 melanoma cells.
On the other hand, depletion of NK cells after the injection of rabbit anti-asialo GM1 partially abolished the inhibitory effect of GBPP-I on lung metastasis. This suggested that NK cells play an important role in anti-cancer effects.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that GBPP-I has strong-immune-enhancing activity and can prevent cancer metastasis via activation of NK cells and other immune-related cells.

Dance with your grandma (not during COVID-19 of course)

A unique study examines Dance Movement Therapy as a tool to improve mood, promote exercise, and create closeness between grandparents and grandchildren

University of Haifa (Israel), April 17, 2020

Physical fitness and social connection can be difficult to maintain in old age. But new research published in Frontiers in Psychology shows that Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) may promote exercise, improve quality of life and deepen familial ties between grandparents and grandchildren.

In a study at the Kibbutzim College and University of Haifa in Israel, sixteen dance movement therapists met with their grandmothers for three free-form dance sessions. The goal was to determine how these sessions would affect each group, and whether intergenerational bonds might strengthen as a result. The study also wanted to examine a potential low-cost method to treat issues commonly faced by an aging population, such as depressed mood and limited mobility.

“The increase of the proportion of elderly in the population, along with the increase in the age group of adult grandchildren necessitates creativity and innovation in providing diverse resources and support,” says author Dr. Einat Shuper Engelhard.

Shuper Engelhard analyzed taped videos of the sessions, personal diaries, and semi-structured interviews between granddaughters and grandmothers to analyze the effect of DMT. She found that for grandmothers, dancing promoted positive feelings and improved mood. For granddaughters, dancing shifted their perspective of aging and allowed them to process their grandparent’s eventual death. Both groups expressed gratitude and felt their bond was stronger after the sessions.

Dance was chosen as a unique and versatile intervention since it can improve muscle strength, balance, and endurance, prevent anxiety and depression, and aid with dementia — all issues commonly faced among the elderly population. It also offers a model for low-cost and accessible community support.

Each of the three sessions was conducted one week apart and took place in the grandmother’s home for just 10 to 15 minutes. Granddaughters were nervous at first over their ability to provide a meaningful experience, but were instructed to mirror their grandmother’s movements, encourage their abilities, and give them space to rest when needed.

Shuper Engelhard says that familiarity was key to the intervention’s success. The sessions “promoted physical activity even when the body was fatigued and weak,” Shuper Engelhard says. “This emphasizes the significance of the close and familiar relationship as a means to promote new experiences (which can occasionally seem impossible) for the older person.”

The study was limited in its scope as only 32 individuals participated (16 grandmother-granddaughter pairs) and, while the study was open to grandchildren of all genders, all participants were female. Moreover, all granddaughters in this study were dance/movement therapists by design, but Shuper Engelhard would like to see the research replicated in other populations. With an activity as simple and accessible as free-form dancing, aging populations can improve their physical and mental health and also connect with their loved ones.

Small study shows paper towels much more effective at removing viruses than hand dryers

University of Leeds (UK), April 16, 2020

Research due to be presented at this year’s European Congress on Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID)* shows that using paper towels is substantially more effective than jet dryers for removing microbes when still contaminated hands are dried. The study is by Dr Ines Moura, University of Leeds, UK, and colleagues Duncan Ewin and Professor Mark Wilcox, from the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Hand drying is important to minimise the spread of dangerous microbes – including the novel coronavirus – since failure to remove them increases transfer to environmental surfaces and increases the opportunities for transmission and spread. In this study, the authors investigated whether there are differences in extent of virus transmission, according to hand drying method, beyond the toilet/washroom to the hospital environment.

Four volunteers simulated contamination of their hands/gloved hands using a bacteriophage (which is a virus that infects bacteria – and so is harmless to humans). Their hands were not washed after contamination – this was to simulate poorly/inadequately washed hands. Hands were dried using either paper towels (PT) or a jet air dryer (JAD). Each volunteer wore an apron, to enable measurement of body/clothing contamination during hand drying. Hand drying was performed in a hospital public toilet and, after exiting, samples were collected from public and ward areas.

Environmental/surface sites (n=11) were sampled following contact with hands or apron. The sites samples were doors (both push- and pull-type doors), stairs handrails, lift buttons, chairs in public and ward areas, phones, buttons on access intercoms to wards, stethoscope tubing, stethoscope head piece and chest piece, the aprons themselves, and armchairs that had been indirectly in contact with the apron. For the latter, volunteers were asked to cross their arms across their chest while using the apron, before resting on the arms of the chair.

The team found that both JAD and PT methods statistically significantly reduced virus contamination of hands (by ~100 and ~1000 virus units/μl, respectively, see figure in full abstract). For 10 out of 11 surfaces, significantly greater environmental contamination was detected after JAD versus PT use. All surfaces sampled following JAD use showed phage contamination, compared with only 6 surfaces after PT use. Average surface contamination following hand contact was more than 10 times higher after JAD versus PT use (shown by a difference of 1.1 on the log scale: 4.1 vs 3.0 log10 copies/μl). Viral dispersal to apron/clothing was 5-fold higher with JAD compared to PT (3.5 and 2.8 log10 copies/μl, respectively). Phage transfer from apron to the armchairs via the crossed arms was detected only after JAD use (average 3.2 log10 copies/μl). This suggests transference of microbes to environmental surfaces can occur directly from hands that remain contaminated after hand drying, but also indirectly from a person’s body that has itself been contaminated during hand drying.

The authors conclude: “There are clear differences, according to hand drying method, in the residual microbial contamination of the subject’s hands and body. Crucially, these differences in contamination translate into significantly greater levels of microbe contamination after jet air drying versus paper towel use from hands and body beyond the toilet/washroom. As public toilets are used by patients, visitors and staff, the hand drying method chosen has the potential to increase (using jet dryers) or reduce (using paper towels) pathogen transmission in hospital settings.”

They also note their findings have particular importance since there has been a general migration from use of paper towels to hand dryers in many settings and areas of the world, especially within healthcare environments in the UK. Both UK NHS** and WHO hand washing guidelines recommend use of a paper towel to dry hands (and also using a paper towel to turn off the tap).

They conclude: “We believe that our results are relevant to the control of the novel coronavirus that is spreading at pace worldwide. Paper towels should be the preferred way to dry hands after washing and so reduce the risk of virus contamination and spread.”

Caught the Corona Virus Blues? Research Shows That Music Medicine is a Powerful Antidote

GreenMedInfo, April 15th 2020

Research shows that Music Medicine is a Powerful Antidote

English acoustic-physics pioneer, John Stuart Reid, explains how Music Medicine can banish the blues (and fear) associated with the corona virus, while boosting our immune system to help vanquish any pathogen.

It’s natural to have low spirits (the blues) and to feel fear when we sense that our security or way of life may be threatened. Fear is Nature’s way of urging us to take action and, fortunately, Nature has evolved a clever system that engages automatically within us to help save us from threats. There’s just one little stumbling block: the system was designed for acute fear. Nature, it seems, didn’t anticipate chronic fear. The corona virus situation is not the stereotypical sabre-tooth tiger from which we can quickly run and hide. We can’t run or hide from a virus, or protect ourselves from the associated socio-economic repercussions. And while watching or reading the news keeps us informed of the worldwide crisis, it is also likely to keep us in fear of the invisible viral threat, day after day, week after week. Such chronic fear is potentially harmful because it weakens our immune system (aside from many other negative bodily effects), rendering us less able to vanquish viruses or other pathogens. But read on because a simple antidote exists that uses another of Nature’s clever systems, one that banishes low spirits and fear and boosts our immune system. It’s drug free, has no known side effects, and can’t be overdosed.

By way of introducing this magical antidote, it’s important to know that the natural human state of fear causes the release of cortisol from the adrenal glands.1 Cortisol is sometimes called the “stress hormone” because it helps prepare our body for dealing with stressful situations, such as providing extra glucose by tapping into protein stores via gluconeogenesis in the liver.2 Unfortunately, though, cortisol also suppresses our immune system 3 and other bodily systems considered by Nature to be “non-essential” in the short term. By short term I mean that when running from the proverbial sabre tooth tiger there probably isn’t much chance of being invaded by a harmful microscopic organism. Yet, our immune system is literally our only defence against viruses and other pathogens, so its suppression due to feelings of fear should not be ignored, especially if we have an underlying health condition.

The magical antidote that Nature provided for us is music. Not just any music, but music that calms us and brings us joy. Nature’s “music” for our ancient ancestors was provided in a variety of ways, such as psithurism (the sound of the wind in the trees and rustling leaves), the sound of birdsong, bees, or tinkling streams, and the sound of our own humming or singing. Music plays a large part in the human experience, and its basic components–sound and rhythm–have always been present on earth, a fact that was poetically encapsulated by Allan C. Inman:

“I am music, most ancient of the arts. I am more than ancient; I am eternal… Even before life began upon this Earth, I was here–in the winds and waves… [and] when humanity came, I at once became the most delicate, subtle, and powerful medium for the expression of emotions.” 5

Around 40,000 years ago humanity’s innate intelligence provided the ability to fashion the earliest known musical instruments: flutes made from bird bones and mammoth ivory were found in 2008 in a Stone Age cave in southern Germany.6

But returning to the main theme of this article, how to banish corona virus blues; there are many ways to help calm our nerves such as exercise, deep breathing, meditation, all forms of creativity, and dancing. Yet, one of the most powerful antidotes to stress and fear in which we can all engage is listening to our favorite music, or if we are a musician or vocalist, making it ourselves. And nowhere was this message carried better than from the streets of Italy. Quoting from the UK’s Classic FM web site, posted on March 16: “You can’t quarantine music…Italy plays and sings from balconies in locked-down cities. Since the country was completely quarantined last week following the coronavirus outbreak…musicians, singers and music lovers share beautiful performances from their balconies”.

Our favourite music has the ability to lift our spirits and can even evoke a happy memory of a time, place, or event in our lives that can instantly transform our mood, calm us and move our mind (and therefore our body) into a sense of joy. In that joyful state, our brain and Enteric Nervous System (sometimes called “the second brain”) produces dopamine, which boosts our immune system.7, 8 At the same time, our favorite music can naturally cause a reduction in cortisol levels.8 Joy also triggers the pituitary gland in the brain to release endorphins into our bloodstream, hormones that provide a sense of euphoria while suppressing pain. Listening to our favorite music throughout the day, even while engaging in mundane activities such as cleaning house, is one of the best ways to reduce our stress levels and give our immune system a boost.

This simple formula summarises the Music Medicine effect:

Music + Joy = Immune system boost

Stated simply, viruses and other pathogens can be more efficiently eradicated from our body when we move out of fear and into joy.

But there is more good news because the recent research project in which I collaborated with Professor Sungchul Ji, of Rutgers University, along with GreenMedInfo.com and the RoadMusic company, showed that red blood cells that are beginning to lose outer membrane integrity due their age, receive a lifespan extension when they are immersed in music for at least 20 minutes.10

Interestingly, we found that the best results were obtained not with classical music, as we had imagined, but with popular music that contained a prominent bass beat. While more research is needed to identify the biological mechanism that underpins this effect, our preliminary hypothesis is that the rich low frequencies in music, whether popular or classical, produce pressure pulses that increase the oxygen available to hemoglobin molecules in red blood cells, effectively mimicking the pressure pulses of heartbeats. This mechanical pressure, whether created by a heartbeat or by externally generated pressure pulses from music, causes the hemoglobin molecules to uptake the oxygen dissolved in our blood. Drumming music, too, produced excellent results, presumably for the same reason, helping to increase blood oxygen. When more oxygen is available to “old” red blood cells the mechanism may involve regeneration of the proteins in their outer membranes, giving them a new lease of life. Red blood cells carry oxygen to all systems of the body and are essential to the immune system, so this important connection between music and blood health could prove to be an effective “medicine” of the future.

Another important connection between music and the immune system was reported in a 2019 study by Augusta University, USA. The researchers found that when mice were subjected to low frequency sound vibrations, macrophages in their bloodstream proliferated significantly.11 Macrophages are the largest type of T-cell that engulf viruses and other types of pathogen. Although this effect has not yet been proven advantageous for humans, it seems likely that our blood will respond in a similar way, particularly since our blood experiments demonstrated the positive effect of low frequencies on red blood cells in human blood.

In summary, there are many ways to calm our nerves and become joyful, but perhaps none carry the universal appeal of listening to music. Our favorite music has the almost magical ability to calm frazzled nerves, transport us in our imagination to special places and times, and banish the blues, while boosting our immune system, helping to vanquish viruses and other pathogens. In the words of Plato, “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.”

High glucose levels may explain why some flu patients have more severe symptoms

Wuhan University (China), April 16, 2020

A team of researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in China and one in Germany has found evidence that suggests high glucose levels may explain why some flu patients have worse symptoms than others. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes their work with mouse models and flu patients and what they learned from it.

As the global pandemic has unfolded, medical workers and researchers have noted that patients who have diabetes tend to have worse outcomes than people with no underlying health issues—the same has been found to be true for patients with influenza infections. In this new effort, the researchers sought to better understand why such patients are more susceptible to an inflammatory response that can lead to pneumonia and death.

Prior research has shown that when the influenza virus (or the SARS-CoV-2 virus) makes its way into the human body, the immune system responds by sending immune cells to the site to combat the threat. Cytokines are produced as part of the response. Their job is to handle cell-to-cell communications. In some people, though, the body produces too many cytokines, resulting in a cytokine storm, which can lead to very serious problems such as pneumonia or organ failure. Unfortunately, medical scientists have not been able to figure out why they occur in some patients but not others. In this new effort, the researchers suspected that heightened levels of glucose in the bloodstream might play a role. The researchers injected flu-infected test mice with glucosamine to see if it resulted in an increased chance of cytokine storms and report that it did.

Another part of the study involved analyzing blood samples drawn from 119 influenza patients at two hospitals in Wuhan, China, prior to the outbreak of the pandemic. The team then compared what they found with blood drawn from healthy people as part of normal blood drives. They focused their efforts on both cytokine and blood glucose levels to see if they could find a pattern. They found that those patients with higher glucose levels were more likely to undergo a cytokine storm. They suggest their findings explain why patients with diabetes are more likely to experience cytokine storms and to have worse outcomes with flu (and possibly COVID-19) infections.

Scientists explore the healing effects of Gua Sha therapy on patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy

Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, April 16, 2020

In this open-label, randomized controlled study, Chinese researchers examined the effect of gua sha therapy in the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Gua sha is a natural, alternative therapy that involves scraping the skin with a massage tool to improve your circulation and to move energy or chi around the body..Their results were published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice.

A total of 119 subjects were recruited by the researchers, 60 were assigned to the gua sha group and 59 were assigned to the usual care (control) group.
The treatment involved 12 consecutive sessions of gua sha that occurred once a week.
Outcome measures for the study included Toronto Clinical Scoring System (TCSS), Vibration Perception Threshold (VPT), Ankle Brachial Index (ABI), and fasting plasma glucose (FPG).
The researchers reported that after the first cycle of gua sha treatment, they found statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of the performance of sensory function (VPT) and symptoms of peripheral artery disease (ABI).
Total TCSS scores and FPG levels, on the other hand, were not different.
At the eighth and 12th week of post-intervention assessment, gua sha therapy significantly reduced the severity of neuropathy symptoms, improved the performance of sensory function, reduced peripheral artery disease and regulated plasma glucose levels.
Changes in the mean scores for TCSS, VPT, ABI and plasma glucose levels in the gua sha group were significant from baseline to week 12, suggesting that gua sha therapy induced progressive improvement of DPN symptoms, sensory function peripheral artery disease and blood glucose levels.
Both groups reported no serious adverse events.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that gua sha therapy is a safe, effective and well-tolerated treatment that reduces DPN symptoms.

How exercise supports your mental fitness: Current recommendations

University of Basel (Switzerland), April 17, 2020

A healthy body is home to a healthy mind: sporting activity can improve your cognitive performance. However, there are numerous different types of sports and a wide range of exercise and training. Which type and how much exercise will keep your mind in top shape? This is the question that has been explored by researchers at the University of Basel and their colleagues at the University of Tsukuba in Japan through a large-scale analysis of the scientific literature. They have used this analysis to derive recommendations that they recently published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.

Coordinated sports are particularly effective

The research group with the participation of Dr. Sebastian Ludyga and Professor Uwe Pühse evaluated 80 individual studies to identify a few key characteristics. Endurance training, strength training or a mix of these components seem to improve cognitive performance. However, coordinated and challenging sports that require complex movement patterns and interaction with fellow players are significantly more effective. “To coordinate during a sport seems to be even more important than the total volume of sporting activity,” explains Ludyga.

A higher total extent of activity does not necessarily lead to a correspondingly higher level of effectiveness for mental fitness. Longer duration per exercise unit promises a greater improvement of cognitive performance only over a longer period of time.

All age groups benefit

Just like our physical condition, cognitive performance changes over the course of our lives. There is great for potential for improvement during childhood (cognitive development phase) and during old age (cognitive degradation phase). However, the research group of the Department of Sport, Exercise and Health (DSBG) at the University of Basel was unable to find an indicator of different levels of effectiveness of sporting activities within the varying age groups.

Furthermore, sporting activities from primary school age to later age do not have to be fundamentally different in order to improve cognitive performance. Different age groups can thus be combined for a common goal during sports. “This is already being implemented selectively with joint exercise programs for children and their grandparents,” says Pühse. Such programs could thus be further expanded.

Intense sports sessions for boys and men

The same volume of sports activity has a different effect on physical fitness for men and women, as we are already aware. However, the research group has now been able to verify this for mental fitness. Men accordingly benefit more from sporting activity.

Differences between the sexes are particularly evident in the intensity of movement, but not in the type of sport. A hard workout seems to be particularly worthwhile for boys and men. Paired with a gradual increase in intensity, this leads to a significantly greater improvement in cognitive performance over a longer period of time.

In contrast, the positive effect on women and girls disappears if the intensity is increased too quickly. The results of the research suggest that they should choose low to medium intensity sporting activities if they want to increase their cognitive fitness.

Vitamin A deficiency increases the risk of gastrointestinal comorbidity and exacerbates core symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder

Chongqing Medical University (China), April 15, 2020

According to news originating from Chongqing, People’s Republic of China, research stated, “Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, and many individuals with ASD have gastrointestinal (GI) comorbidities. Vitamin A (VA) is an essential micronutrient that plays an important role in brain development and GI function.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, “A total of 323 children with ASD and 180 control children were enrolled in this study. Symptoms of ASD were assessed with the Child Autism Rating Scale (CARS), the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC). Caregivers of the children completed questionnaires about GI symptoms. Serum retinol levels were detected with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Children with ASD and with GI comorbidity and constipation had considerably lower serum VA levels than autistic children without these symptoms. VA level was associated with CARS, SRS, and ABC scores, whereas GI symptoms were associated some SRS and ABC scores. The interaction of VAD and GI symptoms appeared to aggravate some of the core symptoms of children with ASD. VAD exacerbates core symptoms in children with ASD, and ASD children with GI comorbidities also have more serious core symptoms than ASD children without GI comorbidities. VAD comorbid with GI symptoms aggravates autistic children’s core symptoms.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “VAD exacerbates core symptoms in children with ASD.ASD children with GI comorbidities have more serious core symptoms than ASD children without GI comorbidities.VAD comorbid with GI symptoms aggravates autistic children’s core symptoms.We speculate that VAD might be related to a subtype of ASD that involves GI comorbidities.We believe that our findings will be of fundamental importance to the scientific community.”

Gastrointestinal symptoms common in COVID-19 patients, study reports

Stanford University, April 16, 2020

Fever, cough and shortness of breath are the classic symptoms of COVID-19, but there may be gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea and diarrhea, that are getting missed, according to a new Stanford Medicine study.

Researchers found that, in addition to upper respiratory symptoms, a significant number of those sick with the new virus also suffered from loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

The study, one of the earliest on U.S. patients with the coronavirus, was published online April 10 in Gastroenterology. Gastroenterology fellows George Cholankeril, MD, and Alexander Podboy, MD, share lead authorship. Aijaz Ahmed, MD, professor of gastroenterology and hepatology, is the senior author.

“COVID-19 is probably not just respiratory symptoms like a cough,” Podboy said. “A third of the patients we studied had gastrointestinal symptoms. It’s possible we may be missing a significant portion of patients sick with the coronavirus due to our current testing strategies focusing on respiratory symptoms alone.”

Unique situation

As the coronavirus pandemic hit the San Francisco Bay Area in early March, hospitals began canceling elective surgeries and postponing nonemergency patient visits to make room for a surge of coronavirus patients. With their clinics closed and other projects on hold, a group of gastroenterology fellows had time to work together on a project, Podboy said.

“George recognized early on that since Stanford was among the first hospitals to get COVID-19 patients in the U.S., that any type of early experience would be important,” he said. “We were in a unique position to look into this subject of gastrointestinal symptoms among coronavirus patients at Stanford.”

The researchers were aware of a growing body of research out of China and Singapore that showed a prevalence of GI symptoms in COVID-19 patients, but could find no data on the topic from patients in the United States. They decided to conduct their own study by examining the charts of the earliest group of patients treated for the virus at Stanford Health Care.

Study results

Researchers analyzed data collected from 116 patients who tested positive for the coronavirus at Stanford Health Care from March 4-24. The majority were treated and released from a hospital emergency room or a clinic. A total of 33 were hospitalized, eight of those in an intensive care unit. The median age of the patients was 50, and 53% of them were men. Only one death was reported within the group.

Gastrointestinal symptoms were reported by 31.9% of the patients. The majority of that group described the symptoms as mild. Twenty-two percent said they experienced loss of appetite, 22% had nausea and vomiting, and 12% had diarrhea, the study said.

“We also noticed that 40% of patients had elevated levels of an abnormal liver enzyme, and that those with high levels required more hospitalization,” Cholankeril said.

Testing recommended

The researchers suggest that while this data is early and from only a single institution, the results do raise the possibility that people exposed to the coronavirus who are experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms—not just those with respiratory symptoms—should also be tested.

“In our current cohort of patients, all patients had respiratory symptoms prior to the development of gastrointestinal symptoms,” Podboy said. “No patients had gastrointestinal symptoms prior to the development of respiratory symptoms or as their only manifestation of COVID-19.”

He added, “However, that may be a product of who we were testing. Currently, testing is only offered for patients that meet specific criteria—criteria that often require the presence of pulmonary symptoms.”

The researchers plan to study the role of GI symptoms in COVID-19 and their implication on disease severity and hospitalization outcomes, Cholankeril said. They also plan to continue working as a team.

“We had six fellows working together and we were able to go through these charts pretty quickly,” Cholankeril said. “It was a terrific collaboration between colleagues to be able to join forces to study this new disease. We think that by looking at patients here at Stanford, it can help improve our understanding of this emerging disease.”

Mindful yoga reduces testosterone by 29% in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, April 14, 2020

Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) should consider adopting a mindful yoga practice to help ease symptoms and improve androgen levels. Researchers found a one-hour mindful yoga class, done three times a week, reduced testosterone levels by 29% over a three-month period.

Other androgen levels, like DHEA, were also reduced, and depression and anxiety levels improved by 55% and 21%, respectively, according to the study in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

“There are effective pharmacologic options for managing PCOS. However, they come with the potential for some significant side effects,” says Diana Speelman, PhD, Associate Professor of Biochemistry at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and lead author on this study.

“Mindful yoga appears to be a promising option for treating PCOS in a way that can improve several aspects of the disorder.”

PCOS is a common hormonal disorder that affects reproductive, metabolic and psychological health. It is estimated PCOS affects between 5 and 15% of reproductive-age women, and it is the most common cause of anovulatory infertility.

Women with PCOS may experience irregular menstrual cycles, hirsutism, acne, male-pattern hair loss, subfertility and higher incidence of miscarriage. Reducing androgen levels, including testosterone and DHEA, is key to managing these symptoms. Weight loss, where appropriate, can also help in the management of symptoms.

Researchers recruited women with PCOS aged 22-43 and randomly assigned them into a group, either with no intervention or one in which they would participate in mindful yoga practice for three months. The latter group was given a course in practicing mindfulness one week before beginning the 3-month mindful yoga practice.

Mindful yoga sessions were an hour long and took place three times a week, over three months. The benefits of improved androgen levels, as well as reduced depression and anxiety, occurred in the absence of weight loss.

Some participants also reported fewer acne breakouts and improved menstrual regularity, following the mindful yoga intervention.

“Yoga has so many benefits,” says Speelman. “One of its best qualities is that it is accessible to such a wide array of ages and fitness levels.”

Diet may help preserve cognitive function

National Eye Institute, April 14, 2020

According to a recent analysis of data from two major eye disease studies, adherence to the Mediterranean diet – high in vegetables, whole grains, fish, and olive oil – correlates with higher cognitive function. Dietary factors also seem to play a role in slowing cognitive decline. Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, led the analysis of data from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) and AREDS2. They published their results today in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

“We do not always pay attention to our diets. We need to explore how nutrition affects the brain and the eye” said Emily Chew, M.D., director of the NEI Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications and lead author of the studies.

The researchers examined the effects of nine components of the Mediterranean diet on cognition. The diet emphasizes consumption of whole fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, fish, and olive oil, as well as reduced consumption of red meat and alcohol.

AREDS and AREDS2 assessed over years the effect of vitamins on age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which damages the light-sensitive retina. AREDS included about 4,000 participants with and without AMD, and AREDS2 included about 4,000 participants with AMD. The researchers assessed AREDS and AREDS2 participants for diet at the start of the studies. The AREDS study tested participants’ cognitive function at five years, while AREDS2 tested cognitive function in participants at baseline and again two, four, and 10 years later. The researchers used standardized tests based on the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination to evaluate cognitive function as well as other tests. They assessed diet with a questionnaire that asked participants their average consumption of each Mediterranean diet component over the previous year.

Participants with the greatest adherence to the Mediterranean diet had the lowest risk of cognitive impairment. High fish and vegetable consumption appeared to have the greatest protective effect. At 10 years, AREDS2 participants with the highest fish consumption had the slowest rate of cognitive decline.

The numerical differences in cognitive function scores between participants with the highest versus lowest adherence to a Mediterranean diet were relatively small, meaning that individuals likely won’t see a difference in daily function. But at a population level, the effects clearly show that cognition and neural health depend on diet.

The researchers also found that participants with the ApoE gene, which puts them at high risk for Alzheimer’s disease, on average had lower cognitive function scores and greater decline than those without the gene. The benefits of close adherence to a Mediterranean diet were similar for people with and without the ApoE gene, meaning that the effects of diet on cognition are independent of genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

Electrospun manuka honey nanofibrous wound dressings

Shinshu University (China), April 14, 2020

As instances of antibiotic resistance increase in the medical field, scientists are reexamining natural materials for their potential use in medicine. Honey has been used for thousands of years, from the time of Pharaohs for their effectiveness in treating wounds and burns.

Manuka is honey made by bees out of the pollen of Leptospermum scoparium, a type of tea tree native to southeast Australia and New Zealand. Manuka is the Maori name for the flowering tea tree plant. Manuka honey contains multiple bioactive ingredients including hydrogen peroxide, methylglyoxal (MGO), polyphenols, sucrose and maltose that aid in healing.

All types of honey contain peroxide which kills bacteria on contact, however peroxide is also damaging to human cells. What makes the hydrogen peroxide in honey special is that it is produced slowly, enough to keep the bacterial growth at bay while being gentle on human cells. What makes manuka honey more sought after than other honeys is that it contains MGO which inhibits bacterial growth by limiting the swarming and swimming mobility of bacterial strains. Even the sugars in honey contributes to healing! Sucrose and maltose can be direct sources of energy for cells on the wound surface.

Dressings provide a shield between pathogens in the environment and the open wound. Appendages must be robust enough to protect the body from the outside elements, but also gentle on healing flesh. Researchers at Shinshu University lead by Azeem Ullah decided to produce a novel wound dressing comprised of manuka honey using electrospun cellulose acetate nanofiber.

Cellulose is used to make paper and is 90% of what makes cotton. Cellulose acetate is a hydrophilic biodegradable material with high tensile strength, biocompatible and suitable for protecting susceptible wounds.

Electrospinning is a technique in fiber engineering that uses electrostatic repulsion to counteract surface tension and dispel the “dope” or fiber mixture to spin nano-sized fibers made of desirable ingredients. It is often used when producing fibers made of complex polymers, in this case with the added ingredient of manuka honey.

Corresponding author of this study, Professor Ick Soo Kim of Shinshu University’s Institute for Fiber Engineering stated that it was difficult to “prepare a spinning dope for electrospinning. As we used cellulose acetate as a polymer carrier for our bioactive ingredient, it was very important to determine an amount of manuka honey which should show its bioactivity in the composite nanofiber mats without altering the electrospinning dope properties.” So, the balance of adding the manuka honey with enough anti-bacterial properties without changing the electrospinning mixture properties needed tinkering and proved to be the key to the success of this research.

The research successfully showed that the composite nanofibrous mats demonstrated antimicrobial activity against the Gram-positive S. aureus and Gram-negative E. coli bacterial strains. The cellulose acetate manuka honey nanofibrous mats also are breathable and promote wound healing in vitro.

The scientists were happy to discover that including the honey in the nanofiber mats decreased the water contact angle which helps the proliferation and migration of cells during the healing process. This property of the nanofiber mats can also be used for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

New study indicates exercise can help prevent liver cancer

Exercise retards development of liver cancer by direct effects independent of weight control in an animal model that closely resembles humans with fatty liver disease

Australian National University, April 14, 2020 –

Liver cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer death worldwide and is growing rapidly due to the “diabesity pandemic.” A new study reported in the Journal of Hepatology, published by Elsevier, provides strong evidence that voluntary exercise could help prevent the most common type of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and identifies the molecular signaling pathways involved.

Fatty liver disease is common with obesity and diabetes and contributes to rapidly increasing rates of liver cancer throughout the world. More than 800,000 people worldwide are diagnosed with this cancer each year. It is also a leading cause of cancer deaths, accounting globally for more than 700,000 deaths each year.

“As yet there are very few effective therapies for liver cancer (the death rate approximates the incidence), so approaches to prevent liver cancer are greatly needed,” explained lead investigator Geoffrey C. Farrell, MD, Liver Research Group, ANU Medical School, Australian National University at The Canberra Hospital, Garran, ACT, Australia. “Some population data suggest that persons who exercise regularly are less likely to develop liver cancer but, studies addressing whether this has a real biological basis, and, if so, identifying the molecular mechanism that produces such a protective effect, are few and the findings have been inconclusive.”

Investigators studied whether exercise reduces the development of liver cancer in obese/diabetic mice. Mice genetically driven to eat so that they become obese and develop type 2 diabetes as young adults were injected early in life with a low dose of a cancer-causing agent. Half of the mice were allowed regular access to a running wheel; the other half were not and remained sedentary. The mice ran up to 40 kilometers a day as measured by rotations of the exercise wheel. This slowed down the weight gain for three months, but at the end of six months of experiments even the exercising mice were obese. At six months, most of the sedentary mice had liver cancer while none of the exercising mice had developed it.

This research shows that exercise can stop development of liver cancer in mice that have fatty liver disease related to obesity and type 2 diabetes. Specifically, while nearly all obese mice injected with a low dose of a cancer-causing agent developed liver cancer within six months, mice that regularly exercised failed to do so. They were completely protected against liver cancer development in the timeframe of these experiments. Weight control did not mitigate the development of liver cancer.

Investigators also carried out detailed mechanistic studies that partly clarified how exercise can prevent liver cancer. They showed that the beneficial effects of voluntary exercise were exerted via molecular signaling pathways, two of which were identified as tumor suppressor gene p53 and the stress-activated protein kinase JNK1.

The investigators first demonstrated JNK1 activation to be a key factor that can be “switched off” by exercise and proved its involvement by separate studies in obese mice lacking JNK1. They also demonstrated that activated p53, known as “guardian of the cell” and “policeman of the oncogenes,” is important for regulation of the cell cycle inhibitor, p27, thereby stopping the persistent growth of altered cells destined to become cancerous.

“Exercise has already been shown to improve some outcomes for patients with cirrhosis. If the present studies in an animal model that closely resembles humans with fatty liver disease can be replicated in patients, it is likely that exercise could delay onset of liver cancer and mitigate its severity, if not completely prevent it – thereby greatly improving patient outcomes,” commented Dr. Farrell. “Also, knowing the molecular pathways involved points to ways that drugs or pharmaconutrients could be employed to harness the powerful protective effect of exercise to lower risk of liver cancer in overweight people with diabetes.”

New study finds that obesity is the single biggest “chronic” factor in hospitalizations for COVID-19 in NYC

New York University, April 14, 2020

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent data, the “prevalence of obesity was 42.4 percent” in our population in 2017-2018, increasing from 30.5 percent in the years 1999-2000.

The demographics with the highest rates of obesity are non-Hispanic blacks (49.6 percent) and Hispanics 44.8 percent).

Why are these statistics important? Because now, obesity is responsible for sickening and killing more of us but not in the usual way — via heart disease and diabetes.

Rather, a major new study has found that obesity is the leading “chronic” condition that has led to hospitalizations for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) in New York City, according to ZDNet.

While age is still the largest determining factor, obesity is the biggest co-morbidity, scientists at New York University have discovered.

“The chronic condition with the strongest association with critical illness was obesity, with a substantially higher odds ratio than any cardiovascular or pulmonary disease,” write lead author Christopher M. Petrilli of the NYU Grossman School and colleagues in a paper, “Factors associated with hospitalization and critical illness among 4,103 patients with COVID-19 disease in New York City.”

ZDNet notes further:

Among other things, the presence of obesity in the study points to a potentially important role of heightened inflammation in patients — a phenomenon that has been a topic of much speculation in numerous studies of the disease.

Petrilli and colleagues at the Grossman School, along with doctors at the NYU Langone Health center, studied the electronic patient records of 4,103 individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 in the New York City healthcare system between March 1 and April 2.

It’s “the largest case series from the United States to date,” the authors write.

A national epidemic has now fallen prey to a global pandemic

They added that they were motivated by their desire to understand “which patients are most at risk for hospitalization,” which they note is, of course, “crucial for many reasons,” such as how to triage COVID patients and anticipate future medical requirements.

Now, the fact that blacks are the most obese, per capita, matters as well because recent reports state that coronavirus is disproportionately affecting that demographic — which, naturally, Democrats and their Left-wing media propagandists have turned into an issue of racism (like a virus has the ability to understand such concepts).

NBC News reported:

Last week the racial disparities that have accompanied the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. became a major story. Officials in St. Louis, Detroit and a large swath of states reported that African American populations had been hit especially hard by the virus.

A look at the data helps explain why. Behind the well-known daily numbers of the pandemic — the cases, hospitalizations and deaths — a mix of geography, socioeconomics and health factors make COVID-19, the disease associated with the virus, particularly dangerous for some minority groups.

The network went on to concentrate mostly on the racial component and the ‘socioeconomic status’ of blacks — how they don’t have as much health insurance, good jobs, etc.

But the science says those components have little to do with the fact that obesity plays a major factor in hospitalizations. That isn’t ‘racist’ and it has nothing to do with ‘socioeconomic’ status; most everyone who is obese, no matter their ethnicity, isn’t starving to death, that’s for sure. They just have poorer eating habits.

In any event, a national epidemic has now fallen prey to a global pandemic, as the research shows. If this doesn’t spur people to start living healthier lives, no matter who they are, then nothing will.

Evidence for benefit of omega-3 fatty acids in ocular surface diseases

University of Bologna (Italy), April 13, 2020

According to news originating from Bologna, Italy, research stated, “Dry eye disease (DED) is a multifactorial disease of the ocular surface system whose chore mechanisms are tear film instability, inflammation, tear hyperosmolarity and epithelial damage. In recent years, novel therapies specifically targeting inflammation and oxidative stress are being investigated and used in this field.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University of Bologna, “Therefore, an increasing body of evidence supporting the possible role of different micronutrients and nutraceutical products for the treatment of ocular surface diseases is now available. In the present review, we analyzed in detail the effects on ocular surface of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A, B12, C, D, selenium, curcumin and flavonoids. Among these, the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in ameliorating DED signs and symptoms is supported by robust scientific evidence.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Further long-term clinical trials are warranted to confirm the safety and efficacy of the supplementation of the other micronutrients and nutraceuticals.”

The Big Lie: The Stench of Mainstream Corporate Media

Richard Gale and Gary Null PhD

Progressive Radio Network, April 14, 2020

The liberal media — New York Times and Washington Post, CNN and MSNBC, The Daily Beast, Alternet, Mother Jones, Daily Kos and others—has in Chris Hedge’s words, “betrayed the core values they [liberals] use to define themselves—the rule of law, the safeguarding of civil liberties, the protection of unions, the preservation of social welfare programs, environmental accords, financial regulation, a defiance of unjust war and torture, and the abolition of drone wars.” On the flip side, the conservative media such Fox, Sinclair and the Christian broadcasting networks, equally forsakes the most basic principles of human decency and compassion.

During the early decades of the twentieth century, these ideals and causes would have been a standard platform that defined the progressive agenda from a liberal and humanist perspective. Modern progressivism’s roots began with La Follette’s Weekly, a publication founded by Senator Robert La Follette in 1909. Still in print, but known as The Progressive, it remains a leading voice against war, militarism, oligarchic rule, and corporate interests that have hijacked and increasingly control Congress and the White House. When we consider the mainstream media networks and publications — left and right — how many have publicly expressed opposition to the escalation of America’s wars and regime changes, greenhouse gas emissions, and the lobbying of Big Pharma, the agro-chemical and fossil fuel industries, and Wall Street? Such corporate media outlets can’t be found because in a full blown oligarchy they are the both the government’s and its private financiers’ partners in laying the foundation for a totalitarian nation.

The media is incapable of reporting to Americans the true state of the country’s domestic and cultural affairs and the harsh decline back to a developing nation. Both conservative and liberal media have failed to create a believable story that reflects the actual economic and social conditions of average Americans because it has not been able to move beyond the Red-Blue divide.

All of our institutions today are bereft of ethical and spiritual substance. The right suffers from pre-rational superstition and anti-intellectualism that has turned the US into a laughing stock among developed countries. The left suffers from a highbrow intellect and a poverty of spirit that was once, and could be again, a moral and revolutionary force to relieve suffering and fight on behalf of peace and human and civil rights.

Although most alternative liberal media disagree on particular policies, when election time arrives, all realistic principles are abandoned. Given the ease with which the liberal media betrays its stated ideals, we must call into question the integrity of the entire political establishment altogether and ask whether it is wise to compromise.

If you have bought into the mainstream media and support either of the two parties now dominating Washington, then by extension this is what you have been condoning:

Across the board the government and corporate America continue to deny the severity of climate change and global warming threats and therefore accept there is no urgency to take drastic measures to curb the rate of greenhouse gas emissions;
Failure to cover the actual human and environmental risks of hydrofracking, tar sand oil and pipelines and instead only focusing on the spectacle of Standing Rock protests;
Support the construction of new nuclear power reactors, believing in the myth and propaganda of clean coal, condoning indiscriminate hydrofracking in environmentally sensitive areas and allowing these industries to be subsidized by the taxpayer;
Has shown to tolerate illegal wiretapping and a systematic surveillance of Americans by government intelligence agencies in allegiance with private cyber-security corporations;
By ignoring the government’s regressive surveillance efforts it is being complaint with violating privacy laws so that no citizen is protected from monitoring email, mobile phones, the internet, etc, because every citizen in the government’s eyes is a potential threat to the country’s national security
By completely ignoring the end of the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 by the Obama administration and now expanded upon by Trump, which forbids the US military from being deployed on domestic soil and acting against American citizens, the media is further advancing the military policing of the populace;
The media’s silence permits the US to transform into a police state as state, county and township police departments are increasingly militarized by the US armed forces and become extensions of the Department of Defense;
Rarely does a federal or intelligence whistleblower ever appear on mainstream media. Its negligence in fact supports the silencing and prosecution of whistleblowers in government who come forth publicly to warn about criminal activities and corruption in government agencies;
As our civil court system is being transformed into a military court model, it erodes the legal rights of citizens against government tyranny upon which our legal system is based;
Ignoring the corruption and funding behind the entire private prison system that relies upon an infinite growth model of inmates, and the criminalization of poverty;
Consistently acts against the rights of workers and unions, favoring treaties such as NAFTA, GATT and the forthcoming Trans Pacific and Trans Atlantic partnerships that further sell out American workers in return to greater profits to be overseas for the 1 percent;
Gives preferential treatment to the medical insurance industry, which contributes nothing to the prevention and treatment of disease, and is silent about the private medical establishment writing the healthcare laws for the country;

Completely complicit in advancing the pharmaceutical agenda that vaccines are effective and safe and should be mandated nationally;
Allowing the private agro-chemical industry headed by Monsanto and Dupont to write the agricultural laws in the country so that genetically modified crops and organisms are wrongfully considered safe for human and animal consumption and carry no risk to the environment;
Denying the Federal Reserve’s role in demolishing America’s middle class and protecting the Wall Street oligarchy’s control over the Fed and US Treasury at the public’s expense;
Judging Wall Street banks more worthy of forgiveness to receive debt relief and assistance from taxpayers than debt forgiveness to Americans who are underwater in their mortgages, credit, student loans and small business debts;
Gross failure to independently analyze the adverse effects on the domestic economy and society from trillion dollar bailouts to Wall Street and mega-corporations;
Increasing America’s military budget at home and abroad rather than feeding the nation’s starving children and dealing with the growing number of homeless who have suffered at the hands of the government’s compliance with Wall Street disaster capitalists;
Ignoring the need for independent investigations and hearings into the current and past four administrations into the invasions of sovereign countries and covert efforts to fuel regime change;
Ignoring the thousands of homicides and suicides committed by American soldiers and veterans who have been abused and forgotten by the US government since the launch of the war against terror and failing to make the association that the fundamental problem is war and the US’s imperial ambitions;
Failure to criticize despotic regimes that the US supports with dismal human rights records such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Israel’s apartheid of Palestine, Brazil, Colombia, India;
Launching sanctions against Iran that are responsible for untold suffering of Iranian citizens and children without any international proof that Iran poses either a regional or nuclear threat;

From the perspective of universal values and higher spiritual ethics, these are among both Democrats’ and Republicans’ many faults. Many might perceive these charges as indicators of progress. However, since the captured pundits pretend to align themselves with faux and disingenuous progressive values, the media must be held accountable for its blind ignorance in giving voice to the Deep State and thereby undermining Constitutional rights and personal freedoms.

Until Americans summon the courage to stand up and demand an end to the Deep State’s corporate and intelligence stranglehold on our institutions of power, we are almost guaranteed to head further towards a complete cultural and economic collapse.

Traditional vegetable diet lowers the risk of premature babies

University of Queensland (Australia), April 14, 2020

It turns out we should follow our parent’s advice when we’re thinking about becoming parents ourselves, with a study finding eating the traditional ‘three-veggies’ regularly before pregnancy lowers the risk of a premature birth.

University of Queensland Ph.D. candidate Dereje Gete analyzed the diets of nearly 3500 women and found high consumption of carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkin, cabbage, green beans and potatoes before conception helped women reach full term pregnancy.

“Traditional vegetables are rich in antioxidants or anti-inflammatory nutrients, which have a significant role in reducing the risk of adverse birth outcomes,” Mr Gete said.

“Women depend on certain stored nutrients such as calcium and iron before conception, which are critical for placenta and fetus tissue development.

“Starting a healthier diet after the baby has been conceived may be too late, because babies are fully formed by the end of the first trimester.”

Professor Gita Mishra said the study suggested dietary intervention and strategies to change behavior might be helpful when women start thinking about having a baby.

“People born prematurely face a greater risk of metabolic and chronic diseases in adulthood, as well as poor cognitive development and academic performance,” Professor Mishra said.

Premature births, which are births before 37 weeks of gestation, are the leading cause of death in Australian children and affect 8.5 percent of births each year, a figure which is trending upwards.

The research was part of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health, a large ongoing population-based study of more than 57,000 women investigating the role of socio-demographic, biological, physical, environmental and behavioral factors on health and well-being.

The study is published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Low vitamin K associated with poor bone quality in women

Nagasaki University (Japan), April 13 2020.

A study published on April 10, 2020 in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology reported the findings of researchers at Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences of reductions in measures of bone qualities in association with higher levels of serum undercarboxylated osteocalcin, an indicator of vitamin K status.

“Vitamin K is a liposoluble vitamin discovered in 1929, and its name derived from the German word koagulation,” Natsumi Tanaka and colleagues wrote. “Clinical intervention studies suggested that
vitamin K supplementation might contribute to preventing bone loss in postmenopausal women.”

The study included 358 men and 503 women aged 40 years and older. Heel bone qualities were measured using quantitative ultrasound, a method of examination that provides more information concerning bone strength than dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Blood samples were evaluated for serum undercarboxylated osteocalcin, a protein secreted by osteoblasts that becomes carboxylated in the presence of vitamin K. Undercarboxylated osteocalcin is not absorbed by bone matrix and is released into the blood, thereby indicating a lack of sufficient vitamin K.

Undercarboxylated osteocalcin levels were significantly higher among men who were 80 years of age or older in comparison with those aged 40 to 49, 50 to 59 and 60 to 69 years. In women, levels were higher among those aged 50 to 59 and 60 to 69 years compared to those aged 40 to 49 and began to decline somewhat after the age of 69. Higher undercarboxylated osteocalcin levels were significantly associated with declines in ultrasound parameters in women but not in men.

“Our results suggest that elevated serum undercarboxylated osteocalcin concentrations (vitamin K deficiency) contribute to increased porosity and decreased elasticity,” the authors wrote. “Further study is necessary to assess the mechanism of gender difference in the function of vitamin K.”

The number of steps per day, not speed, is linked to mortality rate

An observational study found a benefit as steps added up for women and men

National Cancer Institute, April 1, 2020

However you can fit some steps in your day, keep it up — and the more, the better.

A new study of nearly 5,000 people finds an association between the total number of steps per day and the risk of dying for any reason. Among the 655 participants who took fewer than 4,000 steps per day, the mortality rate was 76.7 per 1,000 people per year. (In distance, 4,000 steps is roughly 3 kilometers.) But among the 1,727 people who managed 4,000–7,999 steps per day, the death rate plummeted to 21.4 per 1,000 people.

It got even better for the next group: Among the 1,539 people taking 8,000 to just under 12,000 daily steps, the annual death rate was 6.9 per 1,000 people, researchers report online March 24 in JAMA.

Study participants, who were at least 40 years old, wore accelerometers that tracked their steps for up to a week. Researchers collected the data from 2003 to 2006 as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and then followed the participants an average of 10 years, during which time 1,165 of them died.

While there was a link between the number of steps per day and the risk of dying, the researchers did not find that the intensity of the steps — the number of steps per minute — was associated with mortality risk in the study.

Exercise restores youthful properties to muscle stem cells of old mice in Stanford study

Stanford University, April 13, 2020

A nightly jaunt on the exercise wheel enhances muscle-repair capabilities in old mice, according to a new study by researchers at Stanford School of Medicine.

Only older mice saw this benefit, which the researchers found is due to the rejuvenation of the animals’ muscle stem cells.

“The effect in old animals is very significant,” said Thomas Rando, MD, PhD, professor of neurology and neurological sciences and director of Stanford’s Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging. “We found that regular exercise restores youthfulness to tissue repair. Their muscle stem cells start to look and behave like those of much younger animals.”

The researchers also identified a molecular pathway involved in turning back the clock on the cells. Drugs that manipulate the pathway might be an effective substitute for exercise, they suggest.

Rando is the senior author of the study, which will be published April 13 in Nature Metabolism. Medical student Jamie Brett, PhD, postdoctoral scholar Marina Arjona, PhD, and visiting scholar Mika Ikeda, PhD, are the lead authors.

Unlike embryonic or induced pluripotent stem cells, which can give rise to any tissue in the body, tissue-specific stem cells are restricted in their potential. Muscle stem cells wait in the wings along the muscle fibers in a resting state known as quiescence until called upon to repair damage.

“Studies conducted by us and others have shown that tissue regeneration decreases with age, and that this is due to declining function in adult stem cells,” Rando said. “Many researchers are looking for a way to restore youthfulness.”

Benefits of lifestyle adjustments

While no researchers have discovered a reliable fountain of youth, it’s well known that certain lifestyle adjustments can be beneficial.

“Exercise is known to reduce the risk of a wide variety of age-related problems, including cardiovascular disease, cancer and perhaps even Alzheimer’s disease,” Rando said. “There’s a lot of interest in understanding how exercise confers these health benefits.”

In particular, the researchers wanted to know whether and how voluntary exercise affects the function of muscle stem cells in mice. They gave mice that were about 20 months old, the equivalent of being 60-70 years old in humans, and mice that were 3 to 4 months old, the equivalent of 20- to 30-year-old humans, access to an exercise wheel and allowed them to run at will. Young mice averaged about 10 kilometers each night, and the older mice covered about 5 kilometers. Two other groups of young and old mice were given wheels that didn’t rotate to serve as controls.

“The animals were exercising at the intensity levels at which they were comfortable,” Rando said, “much like what people do for their own health. This is a less stressful situation than resistance training or intense endurance exercise, which may themselves affect muscle stem cell function.” Subsequent analysis showed that the muscle stem cells of the exercising animals remained quiescent, and that the animals did not develop significant numbers of new muscle fibers in response to the exercise.

After three weeks of nightly aerobics for the active groups, the researchers compared the ability of the animals to repair muscle damage. They found that, as expected, the aged, sedentary mice were significantly less able to repair muscle damage than younger sedentary mice. However, the older animals that had exercised regularly were significantly better at repairing muscle damage than were their counterparts that did not exercise. This exercise benefit was not observed in the younger animals.

Similar results were obtained when muscle stem cells from older mice that had exercised were transplanted into younger mice. The stem cells from the exercising animals contributed more to the repair process than did those from their sedentary peers.

Benefit of young blood

The researchers also showed that injecting blood from an old mouse that had exercised into an old mouse that hadn’t conferred a similar benefit in stem cell function, suggesting that exercise simulates the production of some factors that then circulate in the blood and enhance the function of older stem cells.

“That’s really fascinating,” Rando said, noting that the result mirrors those from earlier studies jointly conducted by him and Tony Wyss-Coray, PhD, a professor of neurology and neurological sciences at the School of Medicine, indicating that blood from a young mouse appears to somehow enhance the tissue-specific stem cells in an older animal.

Further studies indicated that the exercise-induced rejuvenation observed by the researchers could be mimicked by increasing the expression of a signaling molecule called cyclin D1, which is involved in rousing resting muscle stem cells in response to damage. The discovery suggests that it may one day be possible to artificially activate this pathway to keep aging muscle stem cells functioning at their youthful best.

“If we could develop a drug that mimics this effect, we may be able to experience the benefit without having to do months of exercise,” Rando said.

Low carbohydrate diets containing soy protein and fish oil slow the growth of established NNK-induced lung tumors

British Columbia Cancer Agency, April 10, 2020

According to news reporting originating from Vancouver, Canada, research stated, “We recently found that a diet composed of 15% of total calories as carbohydrate (CHO), primarily as amylose, 35% soy protein and 50% fat, primarily as fish oil (FO), (15%Amylose/Soy/FO) was highly effective at preventing lung nodule formation in a nicotine-derived nitrosamine ketone (NNK)-induced lung cancer model. We asked herein whether adopting such a diet once cancers are established might also be beneficial.”

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from BC Cancer Agency, “To test this, NNK-induced lung nodules were established in mice on a Western diet and the mice were then either kept on a Western diet or switched to various low CHO diets. Since we previously found that sedentary mice develop more lung nodules than active mice, we also compared the effect of exercise in this cancer progression model. We found that switching to a 15%Amylose/Soy/FO diet reduced lung nodules and slowed tumor growth with both ‘active’ and ‘sedentary’ mice. Ki67, cleaved caspase 3 and TUNEL assays suggested that the efficacy of the 15%Amylose/Soy/FO in lowering tumor nodule count and size was not due to a reduction in tumor cell proliferation, but to an increase in apoptosis. The 15%Amylose/Soy/FO diet also significantly lowered liver fatty acid synthase and 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 3 expression, pointing to a global metabolic switch from glycolysis to fatty acid oxidation. Mice fed the 15%Amylose/Soy/FO diet also had significantly reduced plasma levels of IL-1b, IL-6, and TNFa.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “These results suggest that the 15%Amylose/Soy/FO diet may slow tumor growth by suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokines, inducing a metabolic switch away from glycolysis and inducing apoptosis in tumors.”

Mindfulness just as effective as cognitive behavioral therapy for a broad range of psychiatric symptoms

Lund University (Sweden), April 13, 2020

Mindfulness group therapy has an equally positive effect as individual CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) for the treatment of a wide range of psychiatric symptoms in patients with depression, anxiety and stress-related disorders. Researchers made the finding in a new study from the Center for Primary Healthcare Research (CPF) in Malmö, which is a collaboration between Lund University in Sweden and Region Skåne.

The need for psychotherapy in primary healthcare is on the increase for patients who are suffering with a variety of mental health problems. However, individual therapy is costly and the supply does not meet the demand. Group therapy with mindfulness can be a viable alternative treatment, which at the same will free up resources in healthcare to be used more efficiently.

“Our new research shows that mindfulness group therapy has the equivalent effect as individual CBT for a wide range of psychiatric symptoms that are common among this patient group,” says Professor Jan Sundquist, who led the research group in the study which has been published in European Psychiatry.

He adds, “We have shown in a previous study that mindfulness group therapy is just as effective as individual CBT for the treatment of typical depression and anxiety symptoms; something we also observed in the new study.”

The study group included 215 patients with depression, anxiety and stress-related disorders. Patients were recruited from 16 different healthcare centres across Scania in southern Sweden for the eight-week randomised controlled trial. Researchers studied a broad range of psychiatric symptoms (measured by several types of questionnaires, e.g. Symptom Checklist-90, SCL-90) and how these symptoms changed during the treatment, either with mindfulness in group therapy or individual CBT.

The results showed that the average score for all 15 different subscales/indexes in the various questionnaires decreased significantly in both scales. The various scales measured, among others, symptoms of depression, general anxiety, stress and somatization, obsessive-compulsive disorder, interpersonal sensitivity, aggression, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation and psychoticism. There was no difference in treatment effect between the two groups.

“As mental illnesses are increasing at a very fast rate it is absolutely essential to expand the treatment alternatives for this patient group in primary healthcare. Our view is that the scarce resources should be partly reallocated to mindfulness group therapy so that the limited availability of individual psychotherapy can be utilised in an optimal fashion,” concludes Professor Sundquist.

Meta-analysis concludes association between higher circulating vitamin D and lower risk of liver cancer

Qingdao University (China), April 13, 2020

According to news originating from Qingdao, People’s Republic of China, research stated, “The association between circulating vitamin D and liver cancer risk has been controversial on the basis of epidemiological studies. The aim of this study was to quantitatively evaluate this association with prospective studies.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, “A systematic literature search was implemented in PubMed and Scopus databases up to June 2019. Using a random-effects model, the multivariate-adjusted relative risks (RRs) with corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were pooled for the highest versus lowest category. Trend estimation was conducted with a two-stage dose-response meta-analysis. Six independent prospective studies (992 liver cancer events and 60,811 participants) were included for data synthesis. The summary estimate showed that a higher circulating vitamin D was associated with lower risk of liver cancer (Summary RR=0.78; 95% CI: 0.63, 0.95; I2=53.6%, p=0.035). Dose-response analysis indicated that liver cancer was associated with 8% (95% CI: 0.89, 0.95) lower risk with a 10 nmol/L increment of circulating vitamin D concentration.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “The present study provides substantial evidence that a higher concentration of circulating vitamin D would have conferred protection against liver cancer.”

‘Bad’ air may impact ‘good’ cholesterol increasing heart disease risk

University of Washington, April 13, 2020

Traffic-related air pollution may increase cardiovascular disease risk by lowering levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), commonly known as “good” cholesterol, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.

Scientists have long known that air pollution increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis and heart failure, but are uncertain how the two are connected. The connection may be explained by a reduction in the number of small, cholesterol-depleted HDL particles, leaving the average amount of cholesterol in HDL particles higher on a per-particle basis. Recent evidence suggests that the number and functionality of HDL particles may be a better gauge of HDL’s heart-healthy effects than their cholesterol content, said lead author Griffith Bell, Ph.D., M.P.H., from the University of Washington School of Public Health in Seattle.

In a study of 6,654 middle-aged and older U.S. adults from diverse ethnic backgrounds, participants living in areas with high levels of traffic-related air pollution tended to have lower HDL levels.

Researchers found:

Higher exposure to black carbon (a marker of traffic-related pollution) averaged over a one year period was significantly associated with a lower “good” cholesterol level.
Higher particulate matter exposure over three months was associated with a lower HDL particle number.
Men and women responded to air pollutants differently: HDL was lower at higher pollution exposure for both sexes, but the magnitude was greater in women.

The lower levels of HDL observed with high levels of air pollution “may put individuals at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease down the line,” Bell said.

Changes in HDL levels may already appear after brief and medium-length exposures to air pollution, the authors noted.

The findings are part of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, an ongoing U.S. study examining the lifestyle factors that predict development of cardiovascular disease. This study follows a large, diverse population and unlike many previous studies on the health effects of air pollution that assumed individuals living in the same city have the same level of air pollution exposure, this study used cohort-focused monitoring campaigns looking at time and place to estimate air pollution exposure for each study participant, Bell said. It is also the first large cohort study to examine associations between air pollution and HDL particle number, he added.

However, HDL particle numbers were measured only once in this analysis, so “we were unable to examine whether they changed over time,” Bell noted. Continuing to track how HDL levels change with extent of exposure to traffic air pollution and investigating how air pollution interferes with HDL’s activity in the body will help confirm and understand the role of HDL, Bell added. Nonetheless, “our study helps strengthen the biological plausibility of the link between traffic-related air pollution and cardiovascular disease,” he said. “We’re slowly beginning to understand some of the biology of how that link works.”

JAMA Study Provides Further Support for Spinal Manipulation for Acute Low Back Pain

American Chiropractic Association, April 13, 2020

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) adds to a growing body of recent research supporting the use of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) as a first line treatment for acute low back pain, according to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA).

The review examined randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews and other published research since 2011 to determine the effectiveness and safety of SMT for low back pain patients. Researchers found that spinal manipulation was associated with statistically significant improvements in pain and function for up to six weeks with no serious adverse side effects. The JAMA study, published April 11, comes on the heels of new low back pain treatment guidelines by the American College of Physicians (ACP) that recommend first using non-invasive, non-drug treatments, including spinal manipulation, before resorting to drug therapies.

“As the nation struggles to overcome the opioid crisis, research supporting non-drug treatments for pain should give patients and health care providers confidence that there are options that help avoid the risks and dependency associated with prescription medications,” said ACA President David Herd, DC.

Just last month, ACA’s House of Delegates formally approved a resolution to adopt ACP’s low back pain treatment guidelines, in conjunction with chiropractic-specific guidelines from the Clinical Compass. The Clinical Compass guidelines focus on the management or co-management of low-back pain patients within a chiropractic office.

“By identifying and adopting guidelines that ACA believes reflect best practices based on the best available scientific evidence on low back pain, we hope not only to enhance outcomes but also to create greater consensus regarding patient care among chiropractors, other health care providers, payers and policy makers,” added Dr. Herd.

According to a 2016 Gallup survey, more than 35 million people visit a chiropractor annually. Widely known for their expertise in spinal manipulation, chiropractors practice a hands-on, drug-free approach to health care focused on disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Chiropractors are trained to diagnose and manage cases of back pain and refer patients to appropriate medical specialists when necessary.

Can Natural Botanical Herbs and Supplements Impact Coronavirus?

A Scientific Look at Botanical Plants and Supplements Against Coronavirus

Richard Gale and Gary Null PhD

Progressive Radio Network, March 10, 2020

In recent weeks, the coronavirus pandemic has dominated the news at the expense of everything else that is critical and urgent in our lives. As panic increases and more cases are reported daily, health-minded people are eager or even desperate to know whether there are ways to strengthen the body’s immune system to offer some protection from this specific upper respiratory infection.

There are six known strains of coronavirus, four which are associated with the common cold or moderate respiratory infections. Everyone has likely had a coronavirus infection at some time in their lives. However, two strains — Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or SARS and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) — are much more severe. Between the years 2002-2004 and 2014-2018 these strains respectively were observed to be lethal. However, during this periods, total deaths were less than one thousand. SARS has the ability to infect the lower respiratory system as well. The current strain being called Cov19 is a new mutation that is being recognized as a novel SARS. As of this writing, the current coronvirus has been attributed to over 4,000 deaths, the large majority among the elderly. In a recent press conference the Surgeon General remarked that the average age of deaths was 80.

Compared to other viral infections that target the respiratory tract, especially influenza, there has been far less research either to understand the pathway of infection and the drugs or natural substances to battle the virus. It remains uncertain how long immunity, if any, lasts after infection. Seemingly, immunity wanes quickly. Consequently, since coronavirus is most often responsible for a flu-like common cold, recommended prevention and treatment protocols are largely similar to the flu.

During a recent coronavirus task force meeting, Trump asked whether the flu vaccine would protect against the coronavirus. The flu vaccine is not only influenza-specific, it is also flu strain specific. It offers absolutely no protection to any other viruses. Nevertheless we are going to likely witness a sharp rise in propaganda recommending flu vaccines to fight the coronavirus scare. The belief is that increasing national flu vaccination compliance will not only reduce the risks of flu infection but will also help divert money away from flu infections to better deal with the rising coronavirus cases.

But there is a caveat. A very serious caveat.

Sometimes the universe has an unusual way of providing warnings that we have an opportunity to either heed or disregard to our benefit or detriment. On December 31, 2019 in order to usher in the New Year, China reported the first case of an “unusual pneumonia” in its port city of Wuhan. A week later on January 7th, the pathogen was identified as a novel strain of coronavirus. That same month, the prestigious journal Vaccine, published a study conducted by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Researchers investigated viral interference due to receiving the flu shot; in other words, does the flu vaccine make a recipient more susceptible to other non-influenza respiratory viral infections? The study’s conclusions state “Vaccine derived virus interference was significantly associated with coronavirus and human metapneumovirus.”

This is not the first time that viral interference from the flu vaccine has been associated with an increase in non-influenza respiratory infections. A much more thorough study, an actual clinical trial, was conducted by the University of Hong Kong in 2012. The double blind randomized controlled trial followed a group of flu-vaccinated versus placebo-vaccinated children between 6 and 15 years of age over the course of nine months to determine infection rates from 19 other respiratory viruses. The study found “no statistically significant difference in the risk of confirmed seasonal influence influenza infection between recipients of the [influenza vaccine] or placebo.” However, it was the dramatic number of incidences of non-influenza infections found in the flu-vaccinated group (105 cases), which included coronavirus, as opposed to 54 cases among those who received a placebo. In other words, the results suggest that receiving the flu shot may increase one’s risk of contracting another infectious virus by almost 100 percent.

A recent analysis out of China reviewing rates of infection, targeted populations and mortality reported that the worst hit group is older people, particularly those who have immune-compromised conditions: cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, chronic respiratory illnesses, etc. Taking this statistic into account, we may note that the majority of American adults have some type of chronic condition. It is estimated that 60% of American adults have at least one underlying health condition and 40% have two or more. For example, 33 million have diabetes and an estimated 84 million are pre-diabetic; heart disease affects 121 million and there are approximately 1.7 million new cancer diagnoses annually. All of these people, therefore, have either a mild to severe compromised immune system.

A Swiss study noted that the SARS coronavirus and influenza share two of the same proteases in targeted cells — TMPRSS2 and HAT. These are responsible for activating the spread of the virus at the point of infection and contribute to their pathogenesis in an infected cell. Therefore it may be partially conjecture on our part to suggest that natural supplements and botanical remedies that have been shown in the scientific literature to be effective against influenza may more or less effective against coronavirus as well. In fact, last month a study was released by Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University in the Journal of Medical Virology recommending that patients’ nutritional status should be evaluated before any conventional treatment. – The hospital recommended a regimen that included Vitamins A, B, C, D, E, Omega-3, Selenium, Zinc, gammaglobulin A administered intravenously and Chinese traditional medicine

Therefore we have scoured the peer-reviewed literature on the National Institutes of Health’s Library of Medicine database to identify compelling studies that may warrant vitamin, antioxidant, and botanical supplementation as a means to protect ourselves from coronavirus and other viral infections. These have been shown to either have strong antiviral properties in general or have known biomolecular effects to strengthen the immune system against microbial infection. We are not offering prescriptions. This is just a summary of some important scientific information for you to make better informed decisions for protecting yourself while the coronavirus wends its course.

BOTANICALS

Astragulus

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), coronaviral infections belong to a specific epidemic disease category. Astragulus is not only a very popular plant used in TCM, but it is also one of the most researched and promising botanical plants shown to have antiviral properties. In both TCM and Ayruveda medicinal formulas astrugulus has been prescribed for centuries because of its effectiveness against infections and over-stressed respiratory conditions. Compounds, notably saponins, found in astragulus have been well researched and found to hinder influenza proliferation. The US Department of Agriculture’s Avian Disease and Oncology Laboratory found it inhibits avian flu viruses.

Jinlin Academy of Agricultural Sciences in China conducted a study published in the journal Microbiological Pathology that concluded

“Astragulus exhibits antiviral properties that can treat infectious bronchitis caused by [avian] coronavirus”

In China, which has a large poultry industry, avian coronaviruses are a serious threat to chicken farmers. Chinese farmers will often use astragulus in feed to protect the birds from infection as well as pig feed to ward off porcine circovirus.

Two weeks ago, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine completed an analysis of previous research looking at the benefits of Chinese herbal formulas against the SARS coronavirus and H1N1 flu (swine flu). In 3 studies, among participants who took formulas against SARS, none contracted the illness. Nor did any contract H1N1 influenza in four additional studies. A primary ingredient in these formulas’ was astragulus.

Earlier in February, researchers at Beijing Children’s Hospital at the Capital Medical University provided a thorough overview of recommended diagnostic procedures and treatments for specific symptoms witnessed in the current Cov19 infections that included both allopathic and traditional Chinese medicine. In cases where there are signs of severe weakness and stress observed in the lungs and spleen, a formula called Liu Jun Zi is being prescribed, which includes astragulus and ginseng as two primary botanicals.

Last week, the prestigious journal Science published a review out of Yun-nan Academy of Agricultural Sciences in China that investigated the great disparities in infection and mortality rates between different provinces – Wuhan being the most severe. In the provinces with the lowest infection rates, there was between an 84% to 98% use of TCM formulas. Again, two of the main ingredients were Astragulus and Ginseng.

Licorice Root (Glycyrrhizin Acid)

In traditional medicine licorice root has been used to relieve and treat ulcers, sore throats, bronchitis, coughs, adrenal insufficiencies and allergic diseases. Ancient manuscripts from China, India and Greece all include licorice for treating respiratory tract infections and hepatitis. In China and Japan licorice’s main antiviral compounds are known as glycyrrhizins (GL). For 20 years glycyrrhizins have been used intravenously to treat chronic hepatitis B and C infections with very rare side effects. It has also been shown to induce apoptosis in lymphoma cells and Karposi sarcoma related to herpesvirus. Therefore it was an unexpected surprise to discover that there is notable research on glycyrrihizin’s effectiveness against coronavirus and in particular SARS.

The above research was later replicated at Sun Yat Sen University in China and published in the Chinese journal Bing Du Xue Bao. The researchers identified several derivatives of glycyrrhizin as primary molecules with antiviral properties. In addition to being effective against the SARS coronavirus, they also found it may be effective against herpes, HIV, hepatitis and influenza.

Earlier in 2005, a team of scientists from Goethe University in Germany and the Russian Academy of Sciences had already identified the antiviral activity of GL against SARS coronavirus. The molecule showed a ten-fold increase in anti-SARS activity compared to other potential treatments tested. One conjugate of GL had a 70-fold increase. That study was published in the Journal of Medical Chemistry. During that same year, the Chinese Academy of Sciences screened over 200 botanical plants used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to find those with the strong potency SARS coronavirus. Four botanicals stood out. One of the four was licorice’s glycyrrhizin

Extract of licorice root is the most effective and glycyrrhizin is also available as a separate botanical supplement.

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra)

Elderberry has become a popular supplement for relieving symptoms of the common cold and flu infections. It is found wild worldwide and is part of many of the world’s indigenous pharmacopias. There are many species of elderberry; the species Sambucus nigra seemingly has been shown to have the most medicinal qualities. When purchasing Elderberry or Sambucus, it is recommended to note it is Sambucus nigra. It is better to use a prepared formula rather than try to make it on your own from fresh berries and flowers. Elderberries contain cyangenic glycosides that can be poisonous and cause nausea, vomiting, cramps, diarrhea and weakness.

Most research has focused on elderberry’s therapeutic value against influenza.

Hadassah University Hospital in Israel found that elderberry was effective in vitro against 10 different influenza strains. Cytokine activity for IL-1, TNF-a, IL-6 and IL-8 all significantly increased thereby confirming its anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties.

Another Israeli study by Hebrew University in Jerusalem and published in the Journal of Internal Medical Research found that participants enrolled with existing flu like symptoms who took 15 ml of elderberry syrup 4 times a day recovered four days earlier than those on medications or a placebo.

Finally, a more recent 2019 study by the University of Sydney observed that certain compounds in elderberry inhibit the flu virus’s entry and replication in human cells.

However, there is also research showing elderberry’s positive impact on coronavirus infections.

In 2014, researchers at Emory University noted that elderberry extract inhibited coronavirus virility at the point of infection. The scientists hypothesized that elderberry rendered the virus non infectious.

One of the better studies came out of National Sun Yat Sen University and the China Medical University Hospital in Taiwan in 2019. The researchers used an ethanol extract of Sambucus stem (not the berry) and observed its potential against coronavirus strain NL63

It is important to remember that deaths being attributed to the coronavirus are more often than not complicated by secondary infections that are often bacterial such as pneumonia. In addition to its antiviral properties, elderberry is also effective against pathogenic bacteria. Under laboratory conditions at Justus Liebig University in Germany, elderberry was shown to be very effective against several bacteria that are responsible for pneumonia during flu-like infections, and against Influenza A and B viruses in particular

Echinacea

A systematic review of the existing research before 2011 by the University of British Columbia and published in the journal Pharmaceuticals, concluded:

“all strains of human and avian influenza viruses tested (including a Tamiflu-resistant strain), as well as herpes simplex virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and rhinoviruses, were very sensitive to a standardized Echinacea purpurea preparation”

There are different species of Echinacea. The species Echinacea purpurea has been shown to be most effective and targets the most infectious pathogens. When purchasing echinacea, be certain it is the purpurea strain.

One of the largest placebo double blind studies on echinacea was conducted by Cardifff University in the UK. The study followed participants for four months and confirmed the safety of long term echinacea supplementation. It also observed a statistically significant decrease in cold episodes in the echinacea group.

There are no strong studies showing echinacea’s effectiveness against coronavirus. Up until 2014, only one study looked at its bioactivities against coronavirus and that was a mouse model which required high doses of the plant extract.

In 2012, Griffith University in Australia undertook one notable double blind study to determine whether echinacea provided protection to air travelers. The study concluded:

“Supplementation with standardized Echinacea tablets, if taken before and during travel, may have preventive effects against the development of respiratory symptoms during travel involving long-haul flights.”

As a piece of consumer advice, a Cornell University study looked at the medicinal properties throughout different parts of the echinicea plant: leaves, stems, bark, roots, etc. The scientists noted that only echinacea extracts that contain the root showed significant antiviral properties. Echinacea appears to modify the clinical course of flu-like respiratory infection by acting upon IL-8, IL-10 and IFN cytokine activity beneficially.

Olive Leaf

Oleuropein (OLE) is the most important biomolecule in the olive tree that contributes to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherogenic, anti-cancer, antimicrobial and antiviral activities and effects. One advantage of olive leaf is that it is highly bioavailable to the body’s cells.

There are almost 10,000 studies in the National Institutes of Health literature database referring to OLE, olive leaf, and olive oil, most with respect to its strong antioxidant and anticancer properties. According to analysis conducted by the Regina Elena National Cancer Institute in Rome of the oleuropein content in different parts of the olive plant, extracts made from buds and flowers showed the greatest strength and potency.

Olive leaf has not been shown to be particularly effective against viral upper respiratory infections; however there is considerable evidence to support olive leaf’s ability to strengthen the immune system against other infectious viral diseases in addition to possessing many anti-inflammatory qualities.

There are only a few studies showing olive leaf’s effectiveness against respiratory viruses. One randomized trial performed by the University of Auckland in New Zealand suggests olive leaf can contribute to treating respiratory illnesses, including coronavirus. A 2001 study out of the University of Hong Kong identified 6 separate antiviral agents in olives that were effective against parainfluenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Olive leaf is also effective against bacterial pathogens. Most bacterial pneumonias are gram-positive. According to a joint study by Arab American University and the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, OLE worked best against gram-positive pathogens but gram-negative organisms appeared to be resistant to OLE (eg, E coli, Salmonellas, etc.).

But OLE does possess notable anti-viral properties. The current Cov19 pandemic appears to utilize the host cell’s ACE2 receptor. This same receptor is also activated in HIV infections. This is one reason why patients infected with this new coronavirus strain are being prescribed HIV drugs. Therefore might olive leaf extract contribute to the treatment for this new coronavirus strain?

New York University biochemists identified olive leaf extract’s anti-HIV activity to modulate the host cell gene expression due to HIV infection. In fact, olive leaf extracts reversed HIV-1 infections. This was published in Journal of Biochemical and Biophysical Research. The conclusions state, “Treatment with OLE reverses many of these HIV-1 infection-associated changes.” Another joint study by NYU and Harvard Medical School concluded that OLE from olive leaf is “a unique class of HIV-1 inhibitors” and is “effective against viral fusion and integration.”

Oregano Oil

Oregano possesses a compound called carvacrol that has been shown to be antiviral. Although it has been tested on several influenza and flu-like respiratory viruses, it does not appear to have been tested against coronavirus.

A University of Putra Malaysia meta-analysis of existing research of different plant essential oils reported oregano was strongest against the flu-like viruses adenovirus and coxsackie virus.

A 2010 randomized double blind study study published in Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine suggested oregano was beneficial as a throat spray and showed significant and immediate improvement of upper respiratory infectious ailments.

University of Arizona published a paper in the Journal of Applied Microbiology investigating oregano’s antiviral properties when used as a sanitizer. The study focused on one flu-like virus, novovirus. If sprayed on surfaces, carvacrol will kill the virus within 15 minutes of exposure. The most recent research into Cov19’s surface life — living outside of animal host — is 9 days.

Other Botanicals

Saikosaponins is an important family of compounds found in the Bupleurum plant, which has been shown to have possible anti-coronavirus properties.

Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan examined many of the derivatives of saikosaponins and observed it has very potent anti-coronaviral activity that interferes with the early stage of the virus’ replication. Several companies offer Bupleurum online

University College Dublin and Sichuan Agricultural University conducted a systematic meta-review of the existing medical literature on Chinese herbs that may prevent and treat viral respiratory infections. Among the most promising herbs against SARS coronavirus were panax ginseng, glycyrrhizin from licorice, and Isatis tinctoria, commonly known as woad or Asp of Jerusalem. Isatis is also available online.

Houttuynia cordata also known as fish mint, rainbow plant, fish wort, bishop’s weed is indigenous to Southeast Asia. This botanical directly inhibits coronavirus’ protease and blocks the viral RNA polymerase activity. A study out of Tsinghua University in Beijing found it significantly reduces fevers, sore throat and coughs due to the SARS virus. Tinctures of this plant are available online.

SUPPLEMENTS

Vitamin C

Unlike the US, most of the world, especially in Asia and continental Europe, recognizes Vitamin C as an important anti-viral agent. It is also a remarkable antioxidant shown to ward off infections. At this moment, China is conducting several clinical trials with intravenous Vitamin C to treat patients infected with the Cov19 strain. The city government of Shanghai is now actively treating patients with intravenous Vitamin C. A trial at Zhongnan Hospital in Wuhan is using 24,000 mg per day intravenously. The Wuhan study can be viewed on the US National Library of Medicine’s website here: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04264533

Until recently, Vitamin C has not been tested against coronavirus. There was one study performed to see whether the vitamin protected chick embryo organs from infection by avian coronavirus — a very common infection in fowl. That study showed the vitamin positively increased embryo resistance against the virus. Otherwise, Vitamin C has only been well studied against other viral infections, especially influenza.

Seoul National University College of Medicine concluded that Vitamin C is an essential factor for anti-viral immune responses at the early stage of Influenza A infection.

An early randomized double blind trial to investigate Vitamin C’s ability to protect elderly hospitalized patients from acute respiratory infections was conducted at Hudderfield University in the UK. The study relied on a very low dose of 200 mg per day. Nevertheless, those who received the vitamin faired significantly better than those taking placebo.

Finally, there was another early controlled placebo study involving 715 students between the ages 18-32 taking 1000 mg four times daily. The test group had an 85% decrease in flu and cold symptoms compared to the control.

Vitamin D

Barely a week goes by without another study appearing in the peer-reviewed literature that looks at either Vitamin D’s therapeutic characteristics or the risks of Vitamin D deficiency. A high number of otherwise healthy adults have been reported to have low levels of vitamin D, mostly at the end of the Winter season. Deficiency rates vary between 42% for the entire population to 82% for Black Americans and 63% for Latinos. People who are housebound, institutionalized and those who work night shifts are most likely to be vitamin D deficient. This includes many elderly people who receive limited exposure to sunlight.

Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital in conjunction with a global collaborative study to follow up on a Cochrane analysis of 25 randomized controlled trials involving 11,000 participants confirmed that vitamin D. taken daily or weekly significantly cut the risk of respiratory infections in half

Jikei University School of Medicine in Japan conducted a randomized double blind placebo trial to measure the rate that Vitamin D reduced seasonal influenza A. Almost twice as many participants in the placebo group came down with the flu compared to the Vitamin D group. The Japanese scientists also observed that people with a history of asthma were best protected.

For children, a Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia meta review identified 13 of 18 studies confirming that Vitamin D deficiency was associated with increased incidences of acute lower respiratory infection.

N-Acetyl Cysteine

Oxidative stress is a well known pathway for microbial infections such as viruses and bacterial pneumonia, especially in the lungs.

When the lungs are subject to serious oxidative stress, there is an increase in inflammatory cytokines, especially IL-1, IL-8 and Tumor necrosis factor or TNF. Each of these cytokines have been shown repeatedly in clinical research to play a role in different respiratory infections including influenza, coronavirus, echovirus, adenovirus, coxsackie virus and others. Therefore, certain antioxidants can alleviate lung damage due to oxidative stress.

N-acetyl cysteine is one of these extremely important antioxidants. It exhibits both direct and indirect antioxidant properties. The indirect benefit is that it increases the concentration of another important antioxidant, glutathione, in the lung cells.

There is no confirmatory evidence that NAC directly targets flu or flu-like viral infections; however it has been shown to significantly reduce the rate of clinical symptoms.

Johann Goethe University Department of Virology observed that NAC inhibits the replication of seasonal human influenza A viruses by decreasing several these pro-inflammatory molecules. The scientists recommend that NAC should be included as an additional treatment option in the case of an influenza A pandemic.

An Italian randomized placebo study conducted at the University of Genoa found that subjects who were already suspected of having contact with the H1N1 flu virus who were placed under NAC treatment had a 25% rate of experiencing symptoms compared to 79% in the placebo group.

Certain cytokines, especially tumor necrosis factor and IL-6, have been associated with the pathogenesis of influenza and can increase the risk of mortality. In a mouse study, Italian researchers at Zambon Research Center gave NAC to flu-infected mice with a significant decrease in mortality.

Colloidal Silver

Nanoparticle or colloidal silver has been studied extensively for its anti-bacterial properties but less so for infectious viruses. Most studies for silver’s antiviral activities have focused on HIV-1, Hepatitis B, herpesvirus and respiratory syncytial virus or RSV.

There are studies showing silver’s efficacy against respiratory viruses. One large study by Japan’s National Defense Medical College Research Institute, published in the Journal of Molecular Sciences, recommended that Japanese healthcare workers take nanosilver to protect them from viruses including coronavirus.

In 2010, the University of Naples measured silver nanoparticles’ capabilities to reduce and prevent infection from the parainfluenza type 3 virus. The scientists hypothesized that the silver may block the virus’ interaction with the cell. Then a joint study by Deakin University in Australia and Osaka University in Japan found that colloidal silver significantly protected cells from H3N2 flu infection and prevented viral growth in the lungs

Finally, colliodal or nanoparticle gold has also been shown to inhibit the flu virus’ binding capaticity to a cell’s plasma membrane. That research was carried out by Freie University in Germany.

Conclusion

Yes, we should be concerned about the coronavirus’ high infectious rate. At the moment, the primary solutions being sought to handle the crisis is to spend billions of dollars to develop an effective vaccine and an accurate diagnostic kit. Additionally, according to a study out of Johns Hopkins University’s School of Public Health, the incubation period is estimated at 5.1 days for being infected and capable of infecting others without displaying symptoms. But there is no mention in the medical community nor the mainstream media about what we can do to strengthen our immune system.

Yes, a high quality 99% barrier mask is important, especially if worn in a crowded environment. Repeated washing of our hands for a full minute with soap water. Rub surfaces with alcohol at home and work and allow it to sit for 30 seconds. Likewise, wipe down door handles and telephone receivers. Quarantining people who have been exposed is important until they test negative. Closing schools is prudent. And if a vaccine is eventually developed and shown to be safe and effective that is another recourse. However none of the above protects the immune system in the event of coming into contact with the virus. We believe that the recommended natural solutions shared above, since it is supported in the peer reviewed scientific literature, is something everyone can do. Besides, it is safe and not expensive. Therefore these natural solutions too should be considered as a viable and effective recourse to lessen this pandemic’s fatal effects.

Lessons from the Fear of Coronavirus

Richard Gale and Gary Null, PhD

The worldwide coronavirus pandemic has provided an opportunity for everybody to take stock of their lives and reevaluate their priorities. It is also forcing us to pay attention to the fundamental basics for becoming responsible for our own health. These very basic principles are the same ones that may have saved countless lives in the past from avoidable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and other infectious disease outbreaks. Hopefully as a people and as a nation we will emerge wiser and act more proactively in the future from the lessons learned during this crisis.

However, our ability to evolve beyond our limited perceptions of ourselves, our personal health and the successes and failures of America’s health system are dependent upon the information we receive. If what we are being told by those in authority is inaccurate or patently false, such as Donald Trump’s chloroquine drug as “a gift from God” to treat coronavirus infections or prescribing HIV retroviral drugs without clearly stating these drugs’ serious health warnings, then the citizenry remains in a daze of ignorance and uninformed. Worse, the nation becomes further deluded, and, as we are observing, this leads to panic and fear. Panic in turn brings forth its own set of economic, social and personal problems.

As we follow the events unfolding both in the US and globally, it is understandable that the medical community continues to be very perplexed on many issues. It is not a good sign when Oxford University made the decision to cease relying on the World Health Organization’s coronavirus data because of the consistency in errors. Throughout the world, nations’ health ministries rely on WHO’s reports to develop their own strategies. Stanford University biomedical data scientist Dr. John Ioannidas recently warned that we sorely “lack reliable evidence on how many people have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 or who continue to become infected,” and the data collected so far is “utterly unreliable.” Many countries, which include the US, Ioannidas says are consequently adopting “draconian countermeasures” to deal with the spread of the virus. He also called the WHO’s data and “reported case fatality rates” as “meaningless.” Due to our failure to properly confront the virus, death rates are “buried within the noise of the estimate of deaths from influenza-like illness.”

Although coronavirus is a common infection and there are dozens of strains, this is a novel strain that has only been with us for less than 5 months. We know it is highly infectious. There is evidence that it may be more contagious via contact with surfaces rather than from airborne particles between persons. For example the CDC discovered that COVID-19 viral RNA was found on the surfaces of a cruise ship for 17 days after the passengers departed. And infectious rates appear to be quite erratic. Some countries have been very successful to contain its spread, while others including Italy, Spain and the US are not doing very well.

During a recent interview, one of our greatest intellectuals Noam Chomsky remarked that our nation’s intrastructure has taken on “a third world character.” But it is not only our crumbling roads and bridges and our banana republic transportation system that has become a disgrace for a wealthy nation that claims to be exceptional. “Our healthcare,” Chomsky continues, “is an international scandal.” It too is part of America’s infrastructure but has become “unbelievably backwards.” Healthcare workers and nurses are pleading for essential supplies such as effective face masks. Hospitals have shortages of hospital beds and respirators. There are insufficient chemicals on hand to manufacture enough diagnostic tests; and this is critical to properly monitor the spread of the virus. Unlike other countries, notably South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and even China, our healthcare system has been reduced to “economy and efficiency”; we only produce what we require at the moment and give no forethought towards the future. Prevention has never been one of America’s stronger skills. We do nothing until the next tsunami or Katrina moment hits us unexpectedly. In the wake of our habitual unpreparedness, numerous people suffer.

So as the nation applauds Dr. Anthony Fauci at the CDC and continues to drink the kool aid served by the mainstream press to have us believe our federal health agencies are heroically on top of the situation, we must ask why the US was so far behind the eight ball in the first place. And in the absence of a federal health system that should be worthy of a developed nation, how can people better protect their personal health from infection and potential inflammatory complications?

Aside from all the uncertainty and confusion, even among our top health experts, one thing we can feel certain about: those at greatest risk have other pre-existing medical conditions. Unfortunately, our health officials have not provided any clear demographic statistics of those who have died in the US so far. What percent had pre-existing health conditions such as cardiovascular or autoimmune illnesses? The condition of a person’s immune system is critical for fighting any infectious disease, not just the coronavirus. The vitality of the immune system can mean life or death. The Italian government, on the other hand, provided such a report. Over 99 percent (99.2%) of Italians who died from either the virus or a subsequent co-infection such pneumonia, had a pre-existing health condition. Almost 50 percent had three or more conditions, the most common being high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. The median age of infection is 63 years old and 79.5 years is the median for the mortality rate. All those who had died under 40 years of age were “males with serious existing medical conditions.”

However, in the US and parts of Europe, the crisis seems to be unfolding differently. Fauci recently stated during a White House meeting, “Now we have to look at the young people who are getting seriously ill from the European cohort and make sure that it isn’t just driven by that they have underlying conditions because… all bets are off no matter how young you are if you have an underlying, serious medical condition.” For example, in both Italy and Spain where infection rates are inordinately high, approximately 30 percent of males smoke. In the US, recent data shows that 40 percent of hospitalized cases are between 20 and 54 and 12 percent of persons in intensive care are between 20 and 44 years of age. Furthermore according to the CDC, 78 percent of Americans over 55 have a chronic condition and over 47 percent have two. American children are some of the sickest in the developed world — 27 percent had a chronic illness a decade ago not including obesity. Much of the cause of American’s chronically ill children is due to environmental reasons. Many of these conditions would be preventable if we had a satisfactory healthcare system.

Nevertheless, the Italian message is clear. In addition to the conventional preventative measures being undertaken — quarantine, social distancing, reducing face to face encounters, properly cleaning surfaces, protective gloves and masks — people need to be educated in ways to strengthen their immune systems. This requires convincing people to be more conscious about the risks of poor diets and unhealthy lifestyle habits. However, changing the consciousness of a society is extraordinarily difficult. And so far, our government and state health officials have been completely ignoring this critical factor as one solution to lessen the serious viral infections.

So if the World Health Organization warns that the US “may become the next center for the coronavirus pandemic,” should we be that surprised? Yet we mustn’t permit fear to overwhelm us into complacency. Catastrophes, crises and tragedies are often a necessary trumpet blasts to wake up, review our lives, our habits and false assumptions. The coronavirus pandemic is such a time.

Earlier we released an article about the preventative measures we can take to both support our immune system to lessen the impact of viral infections, such as the coronavirus and flu, or to recover more rapidly in the event we experience symptoms. Since then we have learned about other natural approaches to further protect ourselves.

Recently Zhejiang University School of Medicine, one China’s oldest and most prestigious universities, publicly released its “Handbook of CoVid-19 Prevention and Treatment” worldwide. Having been the first on the front lines against the new strain, and having gone through the deadly SARS coronavirus epidemic over a dozen years ago, it is one of the most concise documents for healthcare measures to prevent and contain the spread of the virus. The medical researchers identify many important clues that are barely found in English speaking literature. For example the report notes the importance of nutrition and the use of probiotics to strengthen infected patients’ microbiome. According to the report, “the intestinal microecological balance is broken in COVID-19 patients…. Intestinal microecological imbalance may lead to bacterial translocation and secondary infection.” Therefore, the Chinese scientists conclude that it is important to maintain a balance in the body’s microecology through nutritional support.

The report is also clear in warning about Trump’s erroneous claims about chloroquine’s safety and lists the adverse effects including cardiac arrest and ocular toxicity. In China chloroquine is not being prescribed unless a patient has had an electrocardigram performed. None of this was noted during Trump’s press conference.

In addition to conventional treatments, the Zheijiang scientists list herbal formulas based upon Traditional Chinese Medicine studies.

Therefore we are summarizing what we presented earlier along with additional new information.

SUPPLEMENTS

Vitamin C

Unlike the US, most of the world, especially in Asia and continental Europe, recognizes Vitamin C as an important anti-viral agent. It is also a remarkable antioxidant shown to ward off infections. There is a large body of research to support Vitamin C’s efficacy during cold seasons. At this moment, China is conducting several clinical trials with intravenous Vitamin C to treat patients infected with the Covid19 strain. The city government of Shanghai is now actively treating patients with intravenous Vitamin C. A trial at Zhongnan Hospital in Wuhan is using 24,000 mg per day intravenously. The Wuhan study can be viewed on the US National Library of Medicine’s website here: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04264533

In 2017 the University of Helsinki reviewed 148 studies that indicated Vitamin C may alleviate or prevent infections caused by bacteria and viruses. The most extensive indication studied was the common cold. Among people who are physically active, Vitamin C was most beneficial. However, many studies relied on very low Vitamin C doses, which likely contributed to the minor benefits observed. Some of these were as low as 100 mg daily. In addition, the studies showed that colds’ duration was frequently shorter and less severe among people with sufficient Vitamin C levels. An early randomized double blind trial to investigate Vitamin C’s ability to protect elderly hospitalized patients from acute respiratory infections was conducted at Hudderfield University in the UK. The study relied on a very low dose of 200 mg per day. Nevertheless, those who received the vitamin fared significantly better than those taking placebo. There was another controlled placebo study involving 715 students between the ages 18-32 taking 1000 mg four times daily. The test group had an 85% decrease in flu and cold symptoms compared to the control.

Vitamin D

It has been shown that Vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increase risk in autoimmunity illnesses and greater susceptibility to infection. It also boosts up the body’s mucosal defenses which are critical for protecting ourselves from infectious respiratory viruses Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital in conjunction with a global collaborative study to follow up on a Cochrane analysis of 25 randomized controlled trials involving 11,000 participants confirmed that vitamin D. taken daily or weekly significantly cut the risk of respiratory infections in half. For children, a Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia meta review identified 13 of 18 studies confirming that Vitamin D deficiency was associated with increased incidences of acute lower respiratory infection.

Melatonin

There is strong evidence that severe coronavirus cases and deaths are also associated with cytokine storms besides secondary infections. One cytokine in particular, NLRP3, was earlier discovered to be associated with SARS-CoV infections. Since children’s melatonin levels are at their peak up until puberty , this may be one reason why coronvirus infections in children under 9 are typically very mild or show no symptoms at all. Is this perhaps a reason why infected pregnant mothers admitted to Wuhan University’s hospital gave birth to babies free of the virus? As we increasingly age, the more rapidly our natural melatonin levels drop off. Melatonin has the unique property of inhibiting NLRP3 elevations after viral infection. For this reason, the amino acid can prevent NLRP3 cytokine storms contributing to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and acute lung injury (ALI) that are characteristic with severe COVID-19 cases.

Nitric Oxide

Nitric oxide is an important signaling molecule found throughout the body that has been associated with improved vasodilatation, the regulation of cellular life and death, and to strengthen the immune system’s responses. Like melatonin, newborns have very high levels of nitric oxide in their paranasal passages which provides added immunity unseen in the large majority of adults. Nitric oxide moreover inhibits NLRP3 cytokine activation. This is another reason why Vitamin C supplementation is so important because the vitamin supports the body’s production of nitric oxide. There is also evidence that nitric oxide is very effective against coronavirus. Dr. Sara Akerstrom and colleagues at the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control and the Karolinska Institute discovered that nitric oxide “specifically inhibits the replication cycle of SARS CoV, most probably during the early stages of infection.” An earlier study conducted by the University of Leuven in Belgium noticed nitric oxide inhibited SARS coronavirus cell infection in vitro.

The best source for increasing our body’s nitric oxide levels is through foods. Beets are particularly effective and can boost NO levels within 45 minutes. Other excellent NO sources are dark chocolate, rhubarb (which has the highest levels of nitrates), leafy greens, pomegranate and foods high in Vitamin C.

Zinc

Many of us are already aware that zinc supplements can ward off and reduce the onset of colds and flu-like symptoms. According to a Cochrane Database mega-analysis of zinc’s potential to reduce the length and severity of non-influenza flu-like colds, the scientific evidence is quite conclusive to support zinc’s effectiveness. In addition, many of these studies show strong low risk of bias, which supports their legitimacy. A 2010 in vitro study by scientists at Leiden University’s Center for Infectious Diseases in The Netherlands, concluded that zinc will block the replication of coronvirus and arterivirus. Another study published in the prestigious journal The Lancet by researchers at University College London, recommended that zinc formulas be used alongside conventional anti-viral drug therapies that specifically target COVID-19, thereby acknowledging zinc’s antiviral properties.

N-Acetyl Cysteine

Oxidative stress is a well known pathway for microbial infections such as viruses and bacterial pneumonia, especially in the lungs. When the lungs are subject to serious oxidative stress, there is an increase in inflammatory cytokines that play a role in different respiratory infections including influenza, coronavirus, echovirus, adenovirus, coxsackie virus and others. Therefore, certain antioxidants can alleviate lung damage due to oxidative stress.

Colloidal Silver

In a 2005 issue of the Journal of Nanotechnology, the University of Texas and Mexico University observed that silver nanoparticles could kill HIV-1 within 3 hours, and they suspected that this may be true for many other viruses as well. However, this conclusion may be too premature and more research is necessary. There are studies showing silver’s efficacy against respiratory viruses. One large study by Japan’s National Defense Medical College Research Institute, published in the Journal of Molecular Sciences, recommended that Japanese healthcare workers take nanosilver to protect them from viruses including coronavirus. Then a joint study by Deakin University in Australia and Osaka University in Japan found that colloidal silver significantly protected cells from H3N2 flu infection and prevented viral growth in the lungs

BOTANICALS

Astragulus

Jinlin Academy of Agricultural Sciences in China conducted a study published in the journal Microbiological Pathology that concluded

“Astragulus exhibits antiviral properties that can treat infectious bronchitis caused by [avian] coronavirus”

A month ago, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine completed an analysis of previous research looking at the benefits of Chinese herbal formulas against the SARS coronavirus and H1N1 flu (swine flu). In 3 studies, among participants who took formulas against SARS, none contracted the illness. Nor did any contract H1N1 influenza in four additional studies. A primary ingredient in these formulas’ was astragulus. Earlier in February, researchers at Beijing Children’s Hospital at the Capital Medical University provided a thorough overview of recommended diagnostic procedures and treatments for specific symptoms witnessed in the current Covid19 infections that included both allopathic and traditional Chinese medicine. In cases where there are signs of severe weakness and stress observed in the lungs and spleen, a formula called Liu Jun Zi is being prescribed, which includes astragulus, skullcap and ginseng as the primary botanicals.

Licorice Root (Glycyrrhizin Acid)

In traditional medicine licorice root has been used to relieve and treat ulcers, sore throats, bronchitis, coughs, adrenal insufficiencies and allergic diseases. Licorice’s main antiviral compounds are known as glycyrrhizins (GL).

Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Disease reported GL’s effectiveness against coronavirus and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) as well as Epstein Barr virus and human cytomegalovirus. After the deadly SARS outbreak in 2012, virologists at Frankfurt University Medical School investigated several antiviral compounds to treat patients admitted with SARS coronavirus infections. Of all the compounds tested, licorice’s GL was the most effective. The scientists concluded that “Our findings suggest that glycyrrhizin should be assessed for treatment of SARS.” The above research was later replicated at Sun Yat Sen University in China and published in the Chinese journal Bing Du Xue Bao. The researchers identified several derivatives of glycyrrhizin as primary molecules with antiviral properties. In addition to being effective against the SARS coronavirus, they also found it may be effective against herpes, HIV, hepatitis and influenza.

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra)

Elderberry has become a popular supplement for relieving symptoms of the common cold and flu infections. It is found worldwide and is part of many of the world’s indigenous pharmacopias. There are many species of elderberry; the species Sambucus nigra seemingly has been shown to have the most medicinal qualities. When purchasing Elderberry or Sambucus, it is recommended to note it is Sambucus nigra. It is better to use a prepared formula rather than try to make it on your own from fresh berries and flowers. Elderberries contain cyangenic glycosides that can be poisonous and cause nausea, vomiting, cramps, diarrhea and weakness.

Most research has focused on elderberry’s therapeutic value against influenza. However, there is also research showing elderberry’s positive impact on coronavirus infections. In 2014, researchers at Emory University noted that elderberry extract inhibited coronavirus virility at the point of infection. The scientists hypothesized that elderberry rendered the virus non infectious. One of the better studies came out of National Sun Yat Sen University and the China Medical University Hospital in Taiwan in 2019. The researchers used an ethanol extract of Sambucus stem (not the berry) and observed its potential against coronavirus strain NL63

Echinacea

A systematic review of the existing research before 2011 by the University of British Columbia and published in the journal Pharmaceuticals, concluded:

Echinicea does present limitations depending upon the severity of an infection. Once a cold caused by any one of the various cold viruses, including coronavirus, more deeply infects the bronchia and the lower lung, echinacea does not appear to be helpful. It is more effective with upper respiratory tract infections. One of the largest placebo double blind studies on echinacea was conducted by Cardifff University in the UK. The study followed participants for four months and confirmed the safety of long term echinacea supplementation. It also observed a statistically significant decrease in cold episodes in the echinacea group.

Olive Leaf

There are almost 10,000 studies in the National Institutes of Health literature database referring to OLE, olive leaf, and olive oil, most with respect to its strong antioxidant and anticancer properties. There are only a few studies showing olive leaf’s effectiveness against respiratory viruses. One randomized trial performed by the University of Auckland in New Zealand suggests olive leaf can contribute to treating respiratory illnesses, including coronavirus. A 2001 study out of the University of Hong Kong identified 6 separate antiviral agents in olive that were effective against parainfluenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

OLE may possess notable anti-viral properties. The current Covid19 pandemic utilizes the host cell’s ACE2 receptor. This same receptor is also activated in HIV infections. This is one reason why patients infected with this new coronavirus strain are being prescribed HIV drugs. Therefore might olive leaf extract contribute to the treatment for this new coronavirus strain?

Oregano Oil

Soochow University in China and the University of Oklahoma published a study in the BMC Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine focusing on oregano’s antiviral properties against influenza viruses. Although oregano did not kill the virus it nevertheless inhibited the virus’ ability to translate proteins responsible for the viral binding to cells. A 2010 randomized double blind study study published in Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine suggested oregano was beneficial as a throat spray and showed significant and immediate improvement of upper respiratory infectious ailments.

University of Arizona published a paper in the Journal of Applied Microbiology investigating oregano’s antiviral properties when used as a sanitizer. The study focused on one flu-like virus, novovirus. If sprayed on surfaces, carvacrol will kill the virus within 15 minutes of exposure. The most recent research into Covid19’s surface life — living outside of an animal host — is 9 days.

Conclusion

Additional Tips

Although supplementing our diets and strengthening our immune systems at this time is especially important, we must not neglect our physical health and mind. Beside having the opportunity to transition to a healthy plant based diet, increasing our exercise is crucial and taking time to meditate. To return to maximal health, exercise for a minimum of 2 and half hours per week, and meditate 30 minutes daily to de-stress. It can also be an opportunity to experiment with intermittent fasts, such as not eating for a 12 hour span between dinner and breakfast. All of these suggestions are supported in the peer-reviewed medical literature. This is not folk medicine or social gossip.

Final Thought

One immediate hard lesson we are learning is that the US government has no noteworthy competence in dealing with national health crises. We are only good at pouring money into the personal coffers of elites who are content to capitalize on disasters. If the tiny virus is David, certainly the cumbersomeness and America’s huge bureaucracy is Goliath. If progressive voices are unable to leverage themselves to change the face our civilization for a potentially sustainable future, maybe the tiny COVID-19 will be doing it for us.

Eating more fruits and vegetables linked to reduced cardiovascular disease risk, increased longevity

Shandong University (China), April 10, 2020

Higher consumption of fruits and vegetables is linked to a lower risk of mortality, according to a recent review published in the British Medical Journal. Chinese researchers found that eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease by four percent. Meanwhile, individuals who consumed more than five servings a day had a 26 percent lower risk of stroke and coronary heart disease.

The link between fruit and vegetable consumption and mortality risk

The researchers used 16 prospective cohort studies that outlined the effects of fruit and vegetable consumption and studies that reported mortalities caused by cardiovascular disease.

All 16 studies had a total number of participants that amounted to 833,234. All 16 studies also reported a total of 56,423 deaths caused by cardiovascular disease.

However, the researchers used only select studies depending on the purpose of analysis. For instance, the researchers analyzed only four studies that specifically investigated the link between fruit and vegetable consumption and the risk of cardiovascular mortality. Collectively, the four studies examined the data of 469,551 participants. Upon analysis, the researchers discovered that fruit and vegetable consumption led to a four percent reduction of cardiovascular mortality risk.

Additionally, upon analyzing eight cohort studies, the researchers found that the consumption of more than six servings of fruits and vegetables a day reduced the risk of stroke by 26 percent. To sum up, the researchers recommended the increased consumption of fruits and vegetables to prevent the onset of chronic diseases and to improve overall longevity.

Survey reveals patients with psoriasis are willing to try alternative medicine to address symptoms

George Washington University, April 11, 2020

People with psoriasis tend to use alternative medicines to treat rashes, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Through a survey distributed by the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF), a team of researchers from the George Washington University‘s School of Medicine and Health Sciences found that people with psoriasis frequently turned to natural medicine and home remedies, like vitamin D supplements and dead sea treatments, when synthetic medications caused harsh side effects.

As a chronic autoinflammatory condition, psoriasis cannot be cured completely. It is also considered a lifelong condition since it does not really go away, even if you hardly experience rash outbreaks. By itself, psoriasis is not life-threatening, but it is closely associated with serious health conditions like Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Fortunately, certain remedies can relieve symptoms of psoriasis, such as the following:

Sunlight

Fatty fish

Chili peppers

Fermented foods

Turmeric

Oregon grape

Aloe vera

Apple cider vinegar

Coconut oil

Chromium picolinate attenuates cognitive deficit in sporadic Alzheimer-like dementia via targeting neuroinflammatory pathway

Chandigarh University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (India), April 10, 2020

According to news reporting originating from Chandigarh, India, research stated, “Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is prevalent in old age people and is one of the most common brain diseases. Brain insulin resistance, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial and cholinergic dysfunction are key features of the disease.”

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from the University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, “In our study, streptozotocin (STZ) in a dose of 3 mg/kg was injected in male Wistar rats bilaterally through the intracerebroventricular (ICV) route on stereotaxic apparatus. Chromium picolinate (CrPic) was tested at doses of 1 mg/kg, 2 mg/kg, and 4 mg/kg, while rivastigmine (2 mg/kg) was used as reference standard drug. Cognitive dysfunction induced by STZ was assessed by behavioral tests like Morris water maze and novel object recognition test. Treatment with CrPic revealed attenuation of cognitive deficit. This was confirmed by behavioral tests, biochemical estimations of antioxidant enzymes, oxidative stress, nitrosative stress, and cholinergic and mitochondrial activity. CrPic did not change AchE activity significantly. STZ-induced neuroinflammation evident by increased TNF-a, IL-6, and CRP levels was also significantly decreased by CrPic. Dysfunctional insulin signaling after ICV-STZ was demonstrated by reduced IRS-1, PI3K, AKT, BDNF gene expression, and increased GSK-3b, NF-kB gene expression with the help of qRT-PCR. CrPic treatment produced an improvement in insulin signaling revealed by increased gene expression of IRS-1, PI3-K, AKT, BDNF, and decreased gene expression of GSK-3b and NF-kB.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “It was concluded that CrPic reversed AD pathology revealed by improved memory, reduced oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and upregulated insulin signaling.”

For more information on this research see: Chromium picolinate attenuates cognitive deficit in ICV-STZ rat paradigm of sporadic Alzheimer’s-like dementia via targeting neuroinflammatory and IRS-1/PI3K/AKT/GSK-3b pathway. Inflammopharmacology, 2020;28(2):385-400. Inflammopharmacology can be contacted at: Springer, 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA. (Springer – www.springer.com; Inflammopharmacology – http://www.springerlink.com/content/0925-4692/)

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting J. Dhaliwal, Pharmacology Division, University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India. Additional authors for this research include A. Akhtar, P. Saroj, A. Uniyal, M. Bishnoi and S.P Sah.

Lifestyle changes can reduce stroke risk for women by 25%

Harvard School of Public Health, April 10, 2020

Women well into middle age can still reduce their risk for stroke by eating well, exercising and not smoking, according to a new study published Thursday in the journal Stroke.

Simply by getting healthier, researchers say women’s risk for stroke drops by 25 percent, according to the analysis of data on 60,000 women in their 50s, 60s and 70s.

Dietary modifications were found to reduce stroke risk by as much as 23 percent, the researchers added.

“We found that changing to a healthy lifestyle, even in your 50s, still has the potential to prevent strokes,” study co-author Goodarz Danaei, an associate professor of cardiovascular health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, said in a press release. “Women who made lifestyle modifications in middle age reduced their long-term risk of total stroke by nearly a quarter and ischemic stroke, the most common type of stroke, by more than one-third.”

In general, women are more likely than men to have a stroke, die from stroke and have poorer health and physical function after a stroke, according to the American Stroke Association. On average, women have their first stroke at 75 years of age.

Based on that, Danaei and his team theorized that making mid-life lifestyle changes might help reduce stroke risk among women. They analyzed the Nurses’ Health Study, which includes health information on nearly 60,000 women who enrolled, on average, at 52 years of age, and were followed for an average of 26 years.

The researchers focused on the impact of smoking cessation, exercising 30 minutes or more daily and gradual weight loss for women who were overweight. They also studied the impact of making recommended dietary modifications that emphasize eating more fish, nuts, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, as well as less red meat, no processed meat and less alcohol.

They found that 4.7 percent of women who made no lifestyle interventions had a stroke of any type, with 2.4 percent having an ischemic stroke and 0.7 percent having a hemorrhagic stroke. However, engaging in the three non-dietary interventions — quitting smoking, daily exercise and weight loss — was estimated to reduce the risk of stroke overall by 25 percent and ischemic stroke by 36 percent.

In addition, sustained dietary changes reduced the risk of total stroke by 23 percent.

Researchers also found that increasing fish and nut consumption and reducing unprocessed red meat consumption appeared to have positive impacts on reducing stroke risk. The degree of impact from these dietary changes, however, was not as big as those achieved through increased physical activity, quitting smoking and maintaining a healthy weight.

“We also estimate that exercising 30 minutes or more daily may reduce the risk of stroke by 20 percent,” Danaei said.

Vitamin B diminishes effects of air pollution-induced cardiovascular disease

Columbia University, April 12, 2020

B vitamins can mitigate the impact of fine particle pollution on cardiovascular disease, according to new research conducted at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Healthy non-smokers who took vitamin B supplements nearly reversed any negative effects on their cardiovascular and immune systems, weakening the effects of air pollution on heart rate by 150 percent, total white blood count by 139 percent, and lymphocyte count by 106 percent.

This is the first clinical trial to evaluate whether B vitamin supplements change the biologic and physiologic responses to ambient air pollution exposure. The study initiates a course of research for developing preventive pharmacological interventions using B vitamins to contain the health effects of air pollution. The findings are published online in the Nature Publishing Group journal, Scientific Reports.

Ambient fine particulate pollution contributes to 3.7 million premature deaths annually worldwide, predominantly through acute effects on the cardiovascular system. Particulate matter pollution is the most frequent trigger for myocardial infarction at the population level.

“Ambient PM2.5 pollution is one of the most common air pollutants and has a negative effect on cardiac function and the immune system,” said Jia Zhong, PhD, principal investigator, and postdoctoral research officer in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia’s Mailman School. “For the first time, our trial provides evidence that B-vitamin supplementation might attenuate the acute effects of PM2.5 on cardiac dysfunction and inflammatory markers.”

The paper builds on research published in March that found B vitamins reduce the negative effects of air pollution as measured by epigenetic markers.

In the new study, researchers recruited ten healthy, 18 to 60-year-old, non-smoking volunteers who were not on any form of B vitamin supplements or other medication. All volunteers received a placebo for four weeks preceding a two-hour exposure experiment to concentrated ambient PM2.5 (250 μ g/m3), after which they were administered B vitamin supplements for four weeks before the next two-hour exposure experiment to PM2.5. A particle-free two-hour exposure was included to provide baseline data. The controlled exposure experiments were conducted from July 2013 to February 2014 at the same time of day and adjusted for season, temperature, and humidity.

“Our results showed that a two-hour exposure to concentrated ambient PM2.5 had substantial physiologic impacts on heart rate, heart rate variability, and white blood counts. Further, we demonstrated that these effects are nearly reversed with four-week B-vitamin supplementation,” noted Andrea Baccarelli, MD, PhD, chair and Leon Hess Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the Mailman School.

Because the researchers studied healthy adults from lightly polluted urban environment, they caution that their findings might not be generalizable to populations that are at higher risk for pollution-induced cardiovascular effects, including children, older adults, individuals with pre-existing cardiovascular disease, and individuals residing in heavily polluted areas.

“With ambient PM2.5 levels far exceeding air quality standards in many large urban areas worldwide, pollution regulation remains the backbone of public health protection against its cardiovascular health effects. Studies like ours cannot diminish—nor be used to underemphasize—the urgent need to lower air pollution levels to—at a minimum—meet the air quality standards set forth in the United States and other countries. However, residual risk remains for those who are sensitive, and high exposures are, unfortunately, the rule still in many megacities throughout the world,” said Dr. Baccarelli.

Targeting tryptophan metabolism to promote longevity and healthspan

University of Arizona, April 10, 2020

According to news reporting originating in Tucson, Arizona, research stated, “Aging is characterized by a progressive decline in the normal physiological functions of an organism, ultimately leading to mortality. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)) is an essential cofactor that plays a critical role in mitochondrial energy production as well as many enzymatic redox reactions.”

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from the University of Arizona, “Age-associated decline in NAD(+) is implicated as a driving factor in several categories of age-associated disease, including metabolic and neurodegenerative disease, as well as deficiency in the mechanisms of cellular defense against oxidative stress. The kynurenine metabolic pathway is the sole de novo NAD(+) biosynthetic pathway, generating NAD(+) from ingested tryptophan. Altered kynurenine pathway activity is associated with both aging and a variety of age-associated diseases. Kynurenine pathway interventions can extend lifespan in both fruit flies and nematodes, and altered NAD(+) metabolism represents one potential mediating mechanism. Recent studies demonstrate that supplementation with NAD(+) or NAD(+) -precursors increase longevity and promote healthy aging in fruit flies, nematodes, and mice. NAD(+) levels and the intrinsic relationship to mitochondrial function have been widely studied in the context of aging. Mitochondrial function and dynamics have both been implicated in longevity determination in a range of organisms from yeast to humans, at least in part due to their intimate link to regulating an organism’s cellular energy economy and capacity to resist oxidative stress. Recent findings support the idea that complex communication between the mitochondria and the nucleus orchestrates a series of events and stress responses involving mitophagy, mitochondrial number, mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt), and mitochondria fission and fusion events.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “In this review, we discuss how mitochondrial morphological changes and dynamics operate during aging, and how altered metabolism of tryptophan to NAD(+) through the kynurenine pathway interacts with these processes.”

If You’re Worried About Bacteria On Prep Surfaces, Use Oregano Oil

University of Lisbon (Portugal), April 11, 2020

Risk of food poisoning from contaminated food surfaces may be reduced by using oregano oil to help kill bacteria, new research suggests.

Oregano is an important culinary and medicinal herb that has been used in medicine and cooking for thousands of years – with a number of health benefits. It is a species of Origanum, belonging to the mint family (Lamiaceae). It is an indispensable spice in Turkish, Greek, Portuguese, Spanish, Latin American and Italian cuisine, oregano is the must-have ingredient in tomato sauces and pairs well with capers and olives.

It is one of the top five spices in the world with one of the highest ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scores meaning it will more effectively neutralize free radicals. It is a powerful antimicrobial.

Oregano has shown antimicrobial activity in a number of studies. A group of Portuguese researchers found that Origanum vulgareessential oils were effective against 41 strains of the food pathogen Listeria monocytogenes.

Writing in LWT- Food Science and Technology , researchers revealed that exposing the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (a frequent cause of food poisoning) to either the essential oil of the oregano plant Origanum vulgare L. (OVEO) or carvacrol (a phenolic compound found in OVEO) reduced the number of bacterial cells stuck to food preparation surfaces.

S. aureus is a pathogenic bacterium underlying many instances of food poisoning worldwide. It is able to survive by its ability to form robust biofilms, which resist most attempts to remove the bacterium from food preparation surfaces, explained the researchers from the Federal University of Paraiba, Jose Pessoa, Brazil.

The study findings therefore highlight the potential of OVEO and carvacrol as novel anti-bacterial agents, which could be used in the fight against food poisoning in food preparation environments, said the team.

Furthermore, both the oregano-derived treatments performed more effectively than sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) a ‘conventional’ means of removing pathogenic bacteria from stainless steel surfaces.

“OVEO and carvacrol could be considered potential substances to replace classical agents, primarily NaClO, used to disinfect stainless steel surfaces in the food industry,” commented senior author Marciane Magnani.

OVEO and CAR also had the advantage of not causing corrosion damage to the surfaces, unlike NaClO, the study showed.

Study Results

A ten minute exposure to either ten microlitres/millilitre (microL/mL) of OVEO or five microL/mL carvacrol was enough to reduce the number of cells on the surfaces by over 100-fold for both strains of S. aureus tested.

After 15 minutes, the same concentrations of OVEO and carvacrol virtually eradicated one strain of the bacteria to undetectable levels, however only carvacrol was effective in eliminating the both strains.

Indeed, carvacrol, the concentrated active ingredient of OVEO, was found to be more effective than the essential oil itself and was able to create holes in the cell membranes of S. aureus cells.

“The results of this study indicated that carvacrol and OVEO are effective agents to remove young and mature S. aureus biofilms on stainless steel surfaces. OVEO and carvacrol were more effective than NaClO to remove S. aureus biofilms on a stainless steel surface, while causing no damage on these surfaces, as did NaClO,” said Magnani.

“Carvacrol was more effective than OVEO because the later failed to eliminate the young and mature biofilms of one (S. aureus LPMA11) of the two strains tested,” she added.

Study finds flavonoids decrease lung cancer growth

Mudan Jiang Medical University (China), April 10, 2020

According to news originating from Heilongjiang, People’s Republic of China, research stated, “The aim of the present study was to explore the anti-cancer effects of total flavonoids (TF) on lung cancer and to investigate the underlying mechanism. The inhibitory effect of TF on the proliferation of A549 cells in vitro was measured using an MTT assay.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from MuDanJiang Medical University, “The apoptotic rate of TF-treated A549 cells was analyzed using flow cytometry and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated biotinylated UTP nick end labeling. Migration and invasion assays were performed to investigate the anti-migration effect of TF on A549 cells. Reverse-transcription quantitative PCR was used to analyze BCL2-like 2, BCL2, Bax, Bad, cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), Wnt and beta-catenin mRNA expression levels in A549 cells. The in vivo anti-cancer effect of TF was investigated in a subcutaneous xenograft model of lung cancer in BALB/c nude mice. The results obtained in the present study revealed that TF exerted a significant inhibitory effect on the proliferation of A549 cells in a dose-dependent manner (P <0.01). TF induced apoptosis of A549 cells, which exhibited increased and decreased expression of pro- and anti- apoptotic genes, respectively. Furthermore, TF had a significant inhibitory effect on the migration and invasion of A549 cells (P <0.01). The mRNA expression levels of COX-2, Wnt and beta-catenin were significantly downregulated in TF-treated A549 cells compared with controls. Additionally, treatment with TF inhibited tumor growth in mice, with a tumor inhibition rate of 64.07% compared with the controls. TF exhibited significant tumor inhibitory effects in vivo by promoting the apoptosis of tumor cells.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “The results suggested that TF may regulate lung cancer growth via the COX-2-Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway. TF may serve as a novel anti-cancer agent for the treatment of lung cancer.”

Higher selenium levels equal improved survival in decade-long study of older individuals

Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (Rome, Italy), April 11 2020.

An article appearing in the Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging reveals a lower risk of mortality over a ten year period among older men and women who had higher serum levels of the mineral selenium.

“It is well known that oxidative stress increases with age and that aging is characterized by selenium deficit due to low intake, reduced physical functioning or severe pathologies,” comment S. Govannini and colleagues in their introduction to the article.

The investigation included 347 participants in the Aging and Longevity in the Sirente geographic area, (ilSIRENTE) study, a prospective cohort study that involved men and women aged 80 years and older who resided in a mountain community in Italy. Blood samples collected at enrollment were analyzed for factors that included serum selenium, which was categorized as low or high. Subjects were followed for ten years, during which 248 deaths occurred.

Having a low level of selenium was associated with a 29% lower adjusted risk of death from all causes over the ten year follow-up period compared with higher levels. Greater selenium levels were associated lower levels of interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein, which are markers of inflammation. According to the authors “Selenium deficiency is associated with many inflammatory tissue reactions and with disease progression, including myocarditis, human immunodeficiency virus, thyroid dysfunction, arthritis, cancer, depression, and cardiovascular disease. This selenium deficiency-related hastening of a host of disease processes may partly clarify the association between mortality and lower selenium levels.”

“Our findings support the hypothesis of a strong implication of selenium status in the process of living an extremely long life,” they conclude.

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