The Beneficial Effects of QIAPI 1® against Pentavalent Arsenic-Induced Lung Toxicity a Hypothetical Model for SARS CoV2-Induced Lung Toxicity

Exposure to environmental toxicants such as Arsenic (As) can result in As-induced alterations in immune regulators. Consequently, people who are more prone to viral infections like influenza A or B, H1N1, SARS CoV (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus), and SARS CoV2 may develop susceptibility to immune responses in their lungs because our previous reports delineated the ability of QIAPI 1®, a melanin precursor, to dissociate water molecules with simultaneous therapeutic efficacy against central nervous system (CNS) diseases, retinopathy, and As-induced renal toxicity. Given the commonalities of lung pathology of SARS CoV and As-induced toxicity, the aim of this study is to decipher the efficacy of QIAPI 1® against pentavalent As-induced lung toxicity by examining the pulmonary pathology. Hematoxylin & Eosin (H&E) staining was used for ascertaining the lung pathology in Wistar rat models. Animals were divided into 3 groups: control group, group treated with pentavalent As, and a group treated with pentavalent As and QIAPI 1®. There were no significant changes in lung histopathology in the control group as indicated by intact morphology. As-treated group revealed damage to the histoarchitecture with pulmonary edema, interstitial fibrosis, diffuse alveolar damage, Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP)-lesions, formation of hyaline membrane, multinucleated giant pneumocytes, atypical pneumocytes, inflammatory cell infiltration, and interstitial edema. The group treated with As and QIAPI 1® significantly associated with mitigated histological signs of lung inflammation induced by Arsenic. Therefore, QIAPI 1® can be recommended as antagonistic to As-induced lung toxicity. In conclusion, this model could be preferred as a hypothetical model to examine the efficacy of QIAPI 1® in SARS CoV2-induced pulmonary damage. Future studies are warranted to delineate the efficacy of QIAPI 1® against SARS CoV and SARS CoV2 lung pathology.

COVID-19-Related Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a common and severe neurological disorder and is associated with high rates of mortality and morbidity. ICH is associated with old age and underlying conditions such as hypertension and diabetes mellitus. The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with neurological symptoms and complications including ICH. For instance, the mechanisms by which COVID-19 may contribute to hemorrhagic stroke may include both depletion of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor and overactive immune response. In this study, we herein report three patients (0.25%) out of 1200 admissions with COVID-19 to our center between 1 May and August 4, 2020, who developed ICH. In addition, we will briefly discuss the possible pathophysiological mechanisms of COVID-19 infection in patients with ICH.

Updated Understanding of Cancer as a Metabolic and Telomere-Driven Disease, and Proposal for Complex Personalized Treatment, a Hypothesis

In this review, we propose a holistic approach to understanding cancer as a metabolic disease. Our search for relevant studies in medical databases concludes that cancer cells do not evolve directly from normal healthy cells. We hypothesize that aberrant DNA damage accumulates over time-avoiding the natural DNA controls that otherwise repair or replace the rapidly replicating cells. DNA damage starts to accumulate in non-replicating cells, leading to senescence and aging. DNA damage is linked with genetic and epigenetic factors, but the development of cancer is favored by telomerase activity. Evidence indicates that telomere length is affected by chronic inflammations, alterations of mitochondrial DNA, and various environmental factors. Emotional stress also influences telomere length. Chronic inflammation can cause oxidative DNA damage. Oxidative stress, in turn, can trigger mitochondrial changes, which ultimately alter nuclear gene expression. This vicious cycle has led several scientists to view cancer as a metabolic disease. We have proposed complex personalized treatments that seek to correct multiple changes simultaneously using a psychological approach to reduce chronic stress, immune checkpoint therapy with reduced doses of chemo and radiotherapy, minimal surgical intervention, if any, and mitochondrial metabolic reprogramming protocols supplemented by intermittent fasting and personalized dietary plans without interfering with the other therapies.

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Cerebrospinal Fluid, Brain Electrolytes Balance, and the Unsuspected Intrinsic Property of Melanin to Dissociate the Water Molecule

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

Regulation of composition, volume and turnover of fluids surrounding the brain and damp cells is vital. These fluids transport all substances required for cells and remove the unwanted materials. This regulation tends to act as barrier to prevent free exchange of materials between the brain and blood. There are specific mechanisms concerned with fluid secretion of the controlled composition of the brain, and others responsible for reabsorption eventually to blood and the extracellular fluid whatever their composition is. The current view assumes that choroidal plexuses secrete the major part of Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF), while the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) has a much less contribution to fluid production, generating Interstitial Fluid (ISF) that drains to CSF. The skull is a rigid box; thereby the sum of volumes occupied by the parenchyma with its ISF, related connective tissue, the vasculature, the meninges and the CSF must be relatively constant according to the Monroe-Kellie dogma. This constitutes a formidable challenge that normal organisms surpass daily. The ISF and CSF provide water and solutes influx and efflux from cells to these targeted fluids in a quite precise way. Microvessels within the parenchyma are sufficiently close to every cell where diffusion areas for solutes are tiny. Despite this, CSF and ISF exhibit very similar compositions, but differ significantly from blood plasma. Many hydrophilic substances are effectively prevented from the entry into the brain via blood, while others like neurotransmitters are extremely hindered from getting out of the brain. Anatomical principle of the barrier and routes of fluid transfer cannot explain the extraordinary accuracy of fluids and substances needed to enter or leave the brain firmly. There is one aspect that has not been deeply analyzed, despite being prevalent in all the above processes, it is considered a part of the CSF and ISF dynamics. This aspect is the energy necessary to propel them properly in time, form, space, quantity and temporality.

CONCLUSION

The recent hypothesis based on glucose and ATP as sources of energy presents numerous contradictions and controversies. The discovery of the unsuspected intrinsic ability of melanin to dissociate and reform water molecules, similar to the role of chlorophyll in plants, was confirmed in the study of ISF and CSF biology.

Unsuspected Intrinsic Property of Melanin to Dissociate Water Can Be Used for the Treatment of CNS Diseases

Retinal adhesion mechanisms in mammals are quite complex and multifactorial in nature. To date, these mechanisms are incompletely understood due to a variety of chemical, physical, and physiological forces impinging upon retinal tissue: retinal pigment epithelium, nearby tissues as sclera and vitreous, the subretinal space, and the highly complex interphotoreceptor matrix that fills subretinal space. The adhesion of the retina to the choroid, rather than anatomical, is a dynamic process, as the retina detaches a few minutes after life ceases. The adhesion mechanisms described in the literature, such as intraocular pressure and the oncotic pressure of the choroid that seems to push the retina towards the choroid, the delicate anatomical relationships between the rod and cone photoreceptors, the retinal pigment epithelium, the existence of a complex material called interphotoreceptor matrix, as well as other metabolic and structural factors, still cannot explain the remarkable features observed in the adhesion mechanisms between the photoreceptor layer and retinal pigment epithelium cells. The unexpected intrinsic property of melanin to absorb light energy and transform it into chemically based free energy can explain normal adhesion of the sensory retina to the pigment epithelium. In this article, we explore and highlight this explanation, which states that it is definitely able to provide a new treatment avenue against devastating neurodegenerative properties.

Oxidative Stress Induced Mitochondrial Failure and Vascular Hypoperfusion as a Key Initiator for the Development of Alzheimer Disease

Mitochondrial dysfunction may be a principal underlying event in aging, including age-associated brain degeneration. Mitochondria provide energy for basic metabolic processes. Their decay with age impairs cellular metabolism and leads to a decline of cellular function. Alzheimer disease (AD) and cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) are two leading causes of age-related dementia. Increasing evidence strongly supports the theory that oxidative stress, largely due to reactive oxygen species (ROS), induces mitochondrial damage, which arises from chronic hypoperfusion and is primarily responsible for the pathogenesis that underlies both disease processes. Mitochondrial membrane potential, respiratory control ratios and cellular oxygen consumption decline with age and correlate with increased oxidant production. The sustained hypoperfusion and oxidative stress in brain tissues can stimulate the expression of nitric oxide synthases (NOSs) and brain endothelium probably increase the accumulation of oxidative stress products, which therefore contributes to blood brain barrier (BBB) breakdown and brain parenchymal cell damage. Determining the mechanisms behind these imbalances may provide crucial information in the development of new, more effective therapies for stroke and AD patients in the near future.

Regulation of alpha and beta components of noradrenergic cyclic AMP response in cortical slices

The cyclic AMP response to catecholamines in the rat cerebral cortex is mediated by both beta- and alpha-adrenoceptors. The beta-receptors cause a direct activation of adenylate cyclase whereas the alpha alpha-receptors play a modulatory role and act by potentiating the response to beta stimulation. The present study investigated whether the functions of these two types of cyclic AMP-linked receptors are regulated differently by various physiological factors known to affect adrenoceptor function. It was found that treatments that affect central noradrenergic neuronal function including repeated administration of desmethylimipramine or lesion of central noradrenergic pathways produced selective changes in the cAMP response to beta-receptor stimulation whereas treatments that affect adrenocortical function including ACTH of corticosterone administration and hypophysectomy or adrenalectomy produced selective changes in the potentiation response to alpha-receptor stimulation. The change in the alpha potentiation effect caused by corticosterone was found to be abolished in the presence of prazosin indicating that the hormone affects alpha 1-adrenoceptor function. The results support the hypothesis that the beta response in the cortex is under the control of the noradrenergic system while the alpha potentiation response is under the control of the adrenocortical system.

Alpha-adrenergic modulation of cyclic AMP formation in rat CNS: highest level in olfactory bulb

The cyclic adenosine monophosphate response to catecholamines in the rat brain is mediated by beta-adrenergic receptors which activate adenylate cyclase and by alpha-adrenergic receptors which potentiate the response to beta-stimulation. We have found that the alpha-potentiation effect in the olfactory bulb is 2-3X greater than in other forebrain areas. This correlates with the extremely high density of alpha-receptors in this brain region and makes it a useful model for the study of alpha-receptor function.

Effect of repeated restraint stress, desmethylimipramine or adrenocorticotropin on the alpha and beta adrenergic components of the cyclic AMP response to norepinephrine in rat brain slices

The cyclic AMP response to catecholamines in rat cortical slices is mediated by a beta adrenergic receptor which is coupled to adenylate cyclase and an alpha adrenergic receptor which potentiates the response to beta receptor stimulation. The present studies examined the effects of repeated restraint stress, adrenocorticotropin or desmethylimipramine administration on the beta and alpha adrenergic components of this response. Restraint was found to produce a small nonsignificant decrease of the beta receptor response accompanied by a significant reduction of the alpha receptor-induced potentiation of the beta response. Desmethylimipramine was found to lower the cyclic AMP response to beta receptor stimulation but not to alter the alpha-induced potentiation of the beta response. Adrenocorticotropin, like restraint stress, was found to reduce only the alpha-induced potentiation of the beta response. Experiments with adenosine and histamine showed that restraint stress lowered the alpha-induced potentiation of cyclic AMP responses to these neurohormones also. It is concluded that restraint stress acts primarily to reduce the response to stimulation of central alpha adrenergic receptors whereas desmethylimipramine acts primarily to reduce the response to stimulation of beta adrenergic receptors. Adrenocorticotropin has the same effect as restraint stress suggesting that pituitary adrenal hormones mediate the stress effect.