1
|
Yesiloglu O, Sonmez A, Avci BS, Sumbul HE, Avci A. Transient ischemic liver injury and respiratory failure in a COVID-19-positive patient after multiple bee stings. Turk J Emerg Med 2023; 23:57-60. [PMID: 36818943 PMCID: PMC9930383 DOI: 10.4103/2452-2473.366488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
We present a patient with multiple bee stings who developed lung and liver injuries and subsequently tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A 65-year-old male patient presented to the emergency department after being stung by more than 100 honeybees. His physical examination revealed pustular lesions distributed across his chest, arms, back, legs, and head, marking the sting zones. While the patient had no history of liver disease, initial laboratory test results showed elevated liver enzyme levels. A chest computer tomography scan was ordered, revealing bilateral ground-glass opacities suggesting COVID-19. His condition worsened over the course of the following day, and when he was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), his SpO2 decreased to 83% despite oxygen support with a mask. The second polymerase chain reaction test taken in the ICU was positive for COVID-19 infection. After stung with multiple bees, the patient developed acute liver injury and suffered from concomitant COVID-19-related respiratory insufficency, and he was treated accordingly. Starting on the 5th day, the patient's liver markers began to improve, and on the 13th day, he was discharged with normal vital signs and liver enzyme values. There seem to be varying outcomes across different studies with regard to the relationship between bee stings and COVID-19. Further research is needed to explore the possibility of this complementary treatment with bee venom in the prevention of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Onder Yesiloglu
- Emergency Medicine Clinic, Gaziantep 25 Aralik State Hospital, Adana, Turkey
| | - Ahmet Sonmez
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Health Science University, Adana City Research and Training Hospital, Adana, Turkey
| | - Begum Seyda Avci
- Department of Internal Medicine, Health Science University, Adana City Research and Training Hospital, Adana, Turkey
| | - Hilmi Erdem Sumbul
- Department of Internal Medicine, Health Science University, Adana City Research and Training Hospital, Adana, Turkey
| | - Akkan Avci
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Health Science University, Adana City Research and Training Hospital, Adana, Turkey,Address for correspondence: Dr. Akkan Avci, Department of Emergency Medicine, Adana City Research and Training Hospital, Health Science University, Adana, Turkey. E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Harnessing the Natural Toxic Metabolites in COVID-19. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2022; 2022:3954944. [PMID: 35273645 PMCID: PMC8902635 DOI: 10.1155/2022/3954944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2021] [Revised: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus and the cause of the recent pandemic; it is an enveloped β-coronavirus. SARS-CoV-2 appear in the Wuhan City of China for the first time and outspread worldwide quickly. Due to its person-to-person fast transmission, COVID-19 is becoming a global problem. SARS-CoV-2 enter into cells by using ACE2 receptors that are numerous in the lungs and finally can cause acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Dry cough, sore throat, fever, body pain, headache, GIT discomfort, diarrhoea, and fatigue are some of the COVID-19 symptoms. There is no definite and certain treatment for disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 till now. Some pharmacological effects of toxins, toxoids, and venoms have been proven, and their effects on some diseases have been evaluated. This study aimed to investigate the role of toxins, toxoids, and venom in the pathophysiology of COVID-19 disease.
Collapse
|
3
|
Attia YA, Giorgio GM, Addeo NF, Asiry KA, Piccolo G, Nizza A, Di Meo C, Alanazi NA, Al-qurashi AD, El-Hack MEA, Khafaga AF, Bovera F. COVID-19 pandemic: impacts on bees, beekeeping, and potential role of bee products as antiviral agents and immune enhancers. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:9592-9605. [PMID: 34993785 PMCID: PMC8736297 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-17643-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 pandemic has passed to the front all the contradictions of the beekeeping sector: the valuable role of bee products as immune enhancers and antiviral agents and the impact that unsustainability of human activities has on bees' health and survival. The COVID-19 emergency led several countries to adopt severe restriction measures to contrast the infection. The lowering of industrial and commercial activities, transports, and the general lockdown had immediate consequences on the air quality, significantly improving environmental conditions. This had a positive impact on honeybees' life's quality. On the other hand, the bee and beehive transportation limitations threaten to hit food production by affecting the pollinator service, and this is particularly true in large, food-exporting countries like the USA and China where due to the few numbers of local bees, beekeepers import them by other countries and convey by truck hives for thousands of kilometers to pollinate crops. Furthermore, honeybee products, focusing on their natural pharmacological properties, can play an essential role as a potential natural contrast to the virus by enhancing the immunity defenses of both humans and animals, and their demand by consumers is expected to increase. Several researchers in the last months focused their attention on bee products to evaluate their effect in the cure of COVID-19 patients to ameliorate the symptoms or to contrast the coronavirus directly. This review reports these preliminary results.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Youssef A. Attia
- Agriculture Department, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80208, Jeddah, 21589 Saudi Arabia
- The Strategic Center To Kingdom Vision Realization, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80200, Jeddah, 21589 Saudi Arabia
- Department of Animal and Poultry Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Damanhour University, Damanhour, Egypt
| | - Gianpaolo M. Giorgio
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Napoli Federico II, via Delpino, 1, 80137 Napoli, Italy
| | - Nicola F. Addeo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Napoli Federico II, via Delpino, 1, 80137 Napoli, Italy
| | - Khalid A. Asiry
- Agriculture Department, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80208, Jeddah, 21589 Saudi Arabia
| | - Giovanni Piccolo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Napoli Federico II, via Delpino, 1, 80137 Napoli, Italy
| | - Antonino Nizza
- Department of Agronomy, University of Napoli Federico II, Via Università, 100, 80055 Portici, Napoli Italy
| | - Carmelo Di Meo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Napoli Federico II, via Delpino, 1, 80137 Napoli, Italy
| | - Naimah A. Alanazi
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Ha’il, PO Box 2440, Ha’il 81451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Adel D. Al-qurashi
- Agriculture Department, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80208, Jeddah, 21589 Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Asmaa F. Khafaga
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Edfina, 22758 Egypt
| | - Fulvia Bovera
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Napoli Federico II, via Delpino, 1, 80137 Napoli, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Voltammetric determination of heavy metals in honey bee venom using hanging mercury drop electrode and PLA/carbon conductive filament for 3D printer. MONATSHEFTE FUR CHEMIE 2021; 152:35-41. [PMID: 33487754 PMCID: PMC7811382 DOI: 10.1007/s00706-020-02725-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
A new method for determination of selected heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, and Ni) in honey bee venom was developed. Heavy metals are metabolized and incorporated into bee products, including honey and honey bee venom (apitoxin). Their composition reflects contamination of “bee environment”, providing information about heavy metal contamination in the neighborhood of human dwellings. Moreover, assessment of bee products contamination is relevant for medicine, as they are a tool for promising therapeutic and chemoprophylactic strategies against COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2). Owing to the complicated matrix, the developed method consists of wet mineralization with sulfuric acid, nitric acid, under increased temperature, and pressure and subsequent repeated boiling with concentrated nitric acid. Determination of the selected metals was carried out by anodic or cathodic stripping voltammetry on two types of electrodes: pen-type hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) and PLA filament with carbon conductive admixture (PLA-C) for 3D printer. Contents of lead and cadmium in all analyzed bee venom samples were on the level of mg kg−1, of nickel and copper about ten times higher, and of zinc on the level of g kg−1. The results achieved using HMDE were recorded with average relative standard deviation (RSD) 5.4% (from 3.2% to 8.6%) and using PLA-C 11.8% (from 6.5% to 18.0%). The results achieved using both electrodes proved to be equivalent with statistical probability higher than 95%.
Collapse
|