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Lenhart JG, Vu PT, Quackenbush K, LaPorte A, Smith J. The efficacy of a compounded micronutrient supplement on the incidence, duration, and severity of the common cold: A pilot randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0237491. [PMID: 32841256 PMCID: PMC7447041 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Viral upper respiratory infections are associated with significant health and economic impact. This study sought to determine the efficacy of routine immune system micronutrient supplementation on the incidence, duration and severity of common cold symptoms. Methods This pilot study was a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of N = 259 with asymptomatic participants aged 18 to 65 in two cold seasons of 2016 and 2017. The treatment group received an immune system targeted micronutrient caplet, while the placebo group received a micronized cellulose caplet externally identical to the treatment caplet. Weekly surveys were sent electronically to participants to document common cold incidence, duration and severity. Primary statistical results were obtained using mixed-effects logistic regressions to account for longitudinal measurements for participants. Results The odds of acquiring an upper respiratory infection, adjusted for potential confounders, was estimated to be 0.74 times lower in the treatment group (p = 0.14). The odds of reporting specific symptoms were statistically lower in the treatment arm compared to the placebo arm for runny nose (OR = 0.53, p = 0.01) and cough (OR = 0.51, p = 0.04). Shorter durations of runny nose and cough were also observed in the treatment arm compared to placebo (both p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in severity of symptoms in either group. The observed proportion of reported cold symptoms in the treatment group was lower compared to the placebo group between late January and February in two consecutive cold seasons. Given the physical, workplace and economic impact of upper respiratory infections, this low cost and low risk intervention should be further studied with more robust investigation and meticulous experimental design.
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Affiliation(s)
- James G. Lenhart
- Community Health Care Family Medicine Residency, Tacoma, Washington in affiliation with the Family Medicine Residency Network, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Phuong T. Vu
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Kale Quackenbush
- Community Health Care Family Medicine Residency, Tacoma, Washington in affiliation with the Family Medicine Residency Network, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Anne LaPorte
- Community Health Care Family Medicine Residency, Tacoma, Washington in affiliation with the Family Medicine Residency Network, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Jeff Smith
- Community Health Care Family Medicine Residency, Tacoma, Washington in affiliation with the Family Medicine Residency Network, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
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Alam I, Almajwal AM, Alam W, Alam I, Ullah N, Abulmeaaty M, Razak S, Khan S, Pawelec G, Paracha PI. The immune-nutrition interplay in aging – facts and controversies. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019. [DOI: 10.3233/nha-170034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Iftikhar Alam
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Clinical Nutrition Program, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Human Nutrition & Dietetics, Bacha Khan University Charsadda, Charsadda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
- Tübingen Ageing and Tumour Immunology Group, Zentrum für Medizinische Forschung, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ali M. Almajwal
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Clinical Nutrition Program, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Wajid Alam
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Khyber Colleg of Dentistry, KPK, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Ibrar Alam
- Department of Biotechnology, Bacha Khan University Charsadda, Charsadda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Niamat Ullah
- Department of Human Nutrition, The Agriculture University Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Mahmoud Abulmeaaty
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Clinical Nutrition Program, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Suhail Razak
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Clinical Nutrition Program, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saleem Khan
- Department of Human Nutrition, The Agriculture University Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Graham Pawelec
- Tübingen Ageing and Tumour Immunology Group, Zentrum für Medizinische Forschung, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Health Sciences North Research Institute, Sudbury, ON, Canada
- John van Geest Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
| | - Parvez Iqbal Paracha
- Department of Human Nutrition, The Agriculture University Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
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Nguyen LT, Liao S, Chan CK, Ramakrishna S. Electrospun Poly(L-Lactic Acid) Nanofibres Loaded with Dexamethasone to Induce Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells. JOURNAL OF BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE-POLYMER EDITION 2012; 23:1771-91. [DOI: 10.1163/092050611x597807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Luong T.H. Nguyen
- a NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering (NGS), National University of Singapore, Healthcare and Energy Materials Laboratory , Block E3, #05-11, 2 Engineering Drive 3, Singapore
| | - Susan Liao
- b School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University , Singapore
| | - Casey K. Chan
- c Division of Bioengineering, National University of Singapore , Singapore
- d Department of Orthopedic Surgery , National University Health System , Singapore
| | - Seeram Ramakrishna
- e Department of Mechanical Engineering , National University of Singapore , Singapore
- f King Saud University , Riyadh , Saudi Arabia
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Ewing GW, Parvez SH. The multi-systemic nature of diabetes mellitus: Genotype or phenotype? NORTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES 2010; 2:444-56. [PMID: 22558546 PMCID: PMC3339106 DOI: 10.4297/najms.2010.2444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND This article discusses factors which materially influence the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diabetes mellitus but which may be overlooked by the prevailing biomedical paradigm. That cognition can be mathematically linked to the function of the autonomic nervous system and physiological systems casts new light upon the mechanisms responsible for homeostasis and origins of disease. In particular, it highlights the limitations of the reductionist biomedical approach which considers mainly the biochemistry of single pathologies rather than considering the neural mechanisms which regulate the function of physiological systems, and inherent visceral organs; and which are subsequently manifest as biochemistries of varying degrees of complexity and severity. As a consequence, histopathological tests are fraught with inherent limitations and many categories of drugs are significantly ineffective. AIMS Such limitations may be explained if disease (in particular diabetes mellitus) has multiple origins, is multi-systemic in nature and, depending upon the characteristics of each pathology, is influenced by genotype and/or phenotype. RESULTS This article highlights the influence of factors which are not yet considered re. the aetiology of diabetes mellitus e.g. the influence of light and sensory input upon the stability of the autonomic nervous system; the influence of raised plasma viscosity upon rates of reaction; the influence of viruses and/or of modified live viruses given in vaccinations; systemic instability, in particular the adverse influence of drinks and lack of exercise upon the body's prevailing pH and its subsequent influence upon levels of magnesium and other essential trace elements. CONCLUSIONS This application of the top-down systems biology approach may provide a plausible and inclusive explanation for the nature and occurrence of diabetes mellitus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graham Wilfred Ewing
- Montague Healthcare, Mulberry House, 6 Vine Farm Close, Cotgrave, Nottingham NG12 3TU, United Kingdom
| | - Syed Hasan Parvez
- CNRS Neuroendocrine Unit, Institute Alfred Fessard of Neurosciences, Bât 5, Parc Chateau CNRS, 91190 Gif Sur Yvette, France
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Abstract
How to treat patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) who do not respond to pharmacotherapy is an unsolved problem. Psychotherapy, which has been reported on in previous studies, is available only in specific centers. We describe in this study a novel and simple psychotherapy; that is, the fasting therapy (FT) for treatment of patients with IBS. Of 84 inpatients with IBS, 58 patients who still had moderate to severe IBS symptoms after 4-week basic treatment were investigated retrospectively. Of the 58 patients enrolled in this study, 36 underwent FT, whereas the remaining 22 received a consecutive basic treatment (control therapy). There were no significant differences in the 4-point severity scales of gastrointestinal and psychological symptoms between the 2 groups before the start of FT. The basic treatment consisted of pharmacotherapy and brief psychotherapy, whereas the FT consisted of 10 days of starvation followed by 5 days of refeeding. Changes in scores of symptoms before and after each treatment were analyzed. FT significantly improved 7 out of the 10 symptoms assessed; that is, abdominal pain-discomfort (p < .001), abdominal distension (p < .001), diarrhea (p < .001), anorexia (p = .02), nausea (p < .01), anxiety (p < .001), and interference with life in general (p < .001). However, the control therapy significantly improved only 3 out of the 10 symptoms assessed; that is, abdominal pain-discomfort (p = .03), abdominal distension (p < .01), and interference with life (p = .01). Our results suggest that FT may have beneficial effects on intractable patients with IBS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Motoyori Kanazawa
- Department of Behavioral Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
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Wu YL, Gohda E, Iwao M, Matsunaga T, Nagao T, Takebe T, Yamamoto I. Stimulation of hepatocyte growth factor production by ascorbic acid and its stable 2-glucoside. Growth Horm IGF Res 1998; 8:421-8. [PMID: 10984304 DOI: 10.1016/s1096-6374(98)80313-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), a cytokine which is generally produced by mesenchymal cells, has mitogenic, motogenic and morphogenic activities in epithelial cells and it also has tumor-suppressing activities. Induction of HGF production may be involved in organ regeneration, wound healing and embryogenesis. We examined the effects of ascorbic acid (AsA), which stimulates the proliferation of fibroblasts, and its stable derivative, 2-O-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-L-ascorbic acid (AA-2G), on HGF production by human skin fibroblasts. Basal HGF secretion was significantly stimulated by more than 0.1 mM AsA or AA-2G. Both vitamins synergistically enhanced HGF secretion stimulated by growth factors such as epidermal growth factor (EGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), cholera toxin and other inducers. Induction by EGF or bFGF was most markedly potentiated by the vitamins. HGF production by the KG-1 human leukemia cell line was also augmented by AsA or AA-2G. Another stable AsA derivative, ascorbic acid 2-phosphate (AA-2P) effectively promoted basal and EGF-induced HGF secretion by the fibroblasts, but ascorbic acid 2-sulfate (AA-2S) was much less effective. Intracellular AsA levels increased after the addition of AA-2G and AA-2P as well as AsA, but not after AA-2S. The effect of AA-2G was completely abrogated by the simultaneous addition of castanospermine, an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, suggesting that the active form of AA-2G is AsA. Constitutive and EGF-induced HGF gene expression was also up-regulated after adding AsA or AA-2G to the cells. These results indicated that AsA acts alone or in synergy with several inducers to stimulate the production and gene expression of HGF in human skin fibroblasts and that the stable AsA derivative AA-2G is as effective as AsA in promoting HGF production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y L Wu
- Department of Immunochemistry, Okayama University, Japan
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Fortis AA, Lianou PE, Papavassilliou JT. Adherence ofStaphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniaefrom healthy persons and HIV carriers, under the influence of Broncho Vaxomin vitroand ascorbic acidin vivo. APMIS 1998. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1998.tb01369.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Götz ME, Künig G, Riederer P, Youdim MB. Oxidative stress: free radical production in neural degeneration. Pharmacol Ther 1994; 63:37-122. [PMID: 7972344 DOI: 10.1016/0163-7258(94)90055-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 349] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
It is not yet established whether oxidative stress is a major cause of cell death or simply a consequence of an unknown pathogenetic factor. Concerning chronic diseases, as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease are assumed to be, it is possible that a gradual impairment of cellular defense mechanisms leads to cell damage because of toxic substances being increasingly formed during normal cellular metabolism. This point of view brings into consideration the possibility that, besides exogenous factors, the pathogenetic process of neurodegeration is triggered by endogenous mechanisms, either by an endogenous toxin or by inherited metabolic disorders, which become progressively more evident with aging. In the following review, we focus on the oxidative stress theory of neurodegeneration, on excitotoxin-induced cell damage and on impairment of mitochondrial function as three major noxae being the most likely causes of cell death either independently or in connection with each other. First, having discussed clinical, pathophysiological, pathological and biochemical features of movement and cognitive disorders, we discuss the common features of these biochemical theories of neurodegeneration separately. Second, we attempt to evaluate possible biochemical links between them and third, we discuss experimental findings that confirm or rule out the involvement of any of these theories in neurodegeneration. Finally, we report some therapeutic strategies evolved from each of these theories.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Götz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Würzburg, Germany
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Harris ML, Schiller HJ, Reilly PM, Donowitz M, Grisham MB, Bulkley GB. Free radicals and other reactive oxygen metabolites in inflammatory bowel disease: cause, consequence or epiphenomenon? Pharmacol Ther 1992; 53:375-408. [PMID: 1409852 DOI: 10.1016/0163-7258(92)90057-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Oxygen-derived free radicals and other reactive oxygen metabolites have emerged as a common pathway of tissue injury in a wide variety of otherwise disparate disease processes. This has given rise to the hope that efforts directed towards the pharmacologic control of free radical-mediated tissue injury (Reilly, P.M., Schiller, H. J. and Bulkley, G. B. (1991) Pharmacologic approach to tissue injury mediated by free radicals and other reactive oxygen metabolites. Am. J. Surg. 161: 488-503) may have particular application to patients suffering from Crohn's disease and/or ulcerative colitis. However, because tissue injury by any mechanism, even direct mechanical trauma, can elicit an inflammatory response which entails the secondary generation of toxic oxidants by neutrophils and tissue macrophages, it is important that the evidence for this association be examined critically, so as to discriminate the possibility of an etiologic role for these toxic compounds from their presence as a reflection of injury caused primarily by other agents. Similarly, in considering the therapeutic potential of free radical ablation for the treatment of patients with IBD it is important to distinguish between interventions that might specifically block the fundamental injury mechanism from those which would act in a more nonspecific, anti-inflammatory role.
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Affiliation(s)
- M L Harris
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205
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Abstract
Ever since the discovery of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), scientists have been intrigued as to how ascorbic acid deficiency can lead to the diverse symptoms exhibited in scurvy. Only in recent years has it been appreciated that ascorbic acid has important functions in many cellular reactions and processes in addition to its role in collagen synthesis. The few such reactions that are understood at the molecular level make it apparent that ascorbic acid does not directly participate in enzyme-catalyzed conversion of substrate to product. Instead, the vitamin regenerates prosthetic metal ions in these enzymes in their required reduced forms. This is in agreement with other antioxidant functions of vitamin C, e.g., scavenging of free radicals. Ascorbate and other antioxidant nutrients are presumed to play a pivotal role in minimizing the damage from oxidative products, including free radicals. This protective function is twofold: the already-oxidized groups in prosthetic centers of enzymes are reduced and the oxidants and free radicals are removed.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Padh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, IL 60637
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Meyle J, Kapitza K. Assay of ascorbic acid in human crevicular fluid from clinically healthy gingival sites by high-performance liquid chromatography. Arch Oral Biol 1990; 35:319-23. [PMID: 2198866 DOI: 10.1016/0003-9969(90)90049-g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The volume of fluid on filter paper strips was measured with a Periotron, eluted, and the ascorbic acid measured by chromatography. In preliminary experiments, pre-impregnation of the strips with citric acid increased the recovery of standard ascorbic acid from 37 to 89% and significantly reduced loss of water from the strips over a 3 min period. Samples of crevicular fluid were then collected from clinically healthy gingival sites of 21 healthy volunteers using pre-impregnated strips and assayed for ascorbic acid concentration, together with samples of blood plasma. The mean ascorbic acid concentration in gingival crevicular fluid (207.3 mumol/l; SD: +/- 81.8) was significantly higher (p less than 0.001) than the corresponding plasma concentration (mean 72 mumol/l; SD: +/- 23.3).
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Affiliation(s)
- J Meyle
- Centre of Dentistry and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Tübingen, F.R.G
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Abstract
The involvement of certain micronutrients (vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, selenium) in the antioxidant defense system against free radical cell damage, and of vitamin A in the differentiation of epithelial cells, has raised the question whether intakes of these nutrients in excess of their recommended daily allowances should be recommended to the general public for cancer prevention. The considerations surrounding this question are discussed, and it is concluded that such measures are unjustified by present epidemiological and experimental evidence. Any such action should await the outcome of ongoing intervention trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- H H Draper
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada
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Mulcahy G, Quinn PJ. A review of immunomodulators and their application in veterinary medicine. J Vet Pharmacol Ther 1986; 9:119-39. [PMID: 2425099 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2885.1986.tb00022.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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