Month: February 2021
“Sunshine Vitamin House Resolution” Calls for FDA and CDC to Support Vitamin D for COVID-19
In a striking move to recognize the significance and health benefits of vitamin D for COVID-19, U.S. Representative Glenn Grothman (R-WI) introduced House Resolution (H. Res. 116). The resolution recognizes the role vitamin D may play in the fight against COVID-19. The resolution calls out inaction by FDA and otherRead
Small Rockefeller Study: COVID Antibodies Last for at Least Six Months after Infection
A critical question that everyone wants to know is, “How long will immunity to the novel coronavirus last after one is infected? A new Rockefeller University study suggests that the antibodies linger. Those who recover from COVID-19 are protected against the virus for at least six months, and likely muchRead
DISCOVERY: Druggable Pocket Hidden in SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein
A druggable pocket in the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein that could be used to stop the virus from infecting human cells has been discovered by an international team of scientists led by the University of Bristol. The researchers say their findings, published in the journal Science, are a potential ‘game changer’Read
Green Tea Compound EGCG Aids the ‘Guardian of the Genome’ Protein and Acts as a Tumor Suppressor
The antioxidant, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), found in green tea may increase levels of p53, a natural anti-cancer protein, known as the “guardian of the genome.” The name is derived for the protein’s ability to repair DNA damage or destroy cancerous cells. Published in Nature Communications, the study directly links theRead
Case Report: Whole Foods Diet for Livedoid Vasculopathy
A whole foods, plant based diet may ease the painful skin blistering and scarring of livedoid vasculopathy, a baffling blood vessel disorder for which there is as yet no commonly accepted cure, and no known cause, suggest doctors in the journal BMJ Case Reports. The primary symptoms of livedoid vasculopathyRead
Fecal Microbiota Transplant Promising for Those Resistant to Melanoma Cancer Immunotherapy
Cancer patients who have run out of options for immunotherapy may have a new possibility. It’s the gut microbiome. By changing the gut microbiome in advanced melanoma patients, who had previously failed to respond to treatment, the body responded to anti-PD-1 immunothery. Though the research is in phase II trials,Read
Study Shows Goldenseal May Interact with Metformin and Compromise Glucose Control
Diabetic patients taking the natural product goldenseal while taking the prescription drug metformin may be unwittingly sabotaging efforts to maintain healthy blood glucose levels, as reported in a study published in the journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics. Metformin was included in a cocktail of selected drugs given to participants inRead
HLA-I Genotype Shows Severe COVID-19 Predisposition
Researchers at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) discovered genetic predisposition to severe COVID-19. The results of the study were published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology. Researchers from the HSE Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology – Maxim Shkurnikov, Stepan Nersisyan, Alexei Galatenko and Alexander Tonevitsky -togetherRead
Microbiome Discovery: You Are What You Eat … As a Child
Eating a poor diet as a child can alter one’s microbiome for life, even if one learns to eat healthier later in life, suggests a study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology. Granted it’s a mice study, but researchers at University of California Riverside showed a significant decrease inRead
Despite Lockdown Anxiety, Many Experience Positive Aspects of the Pandemic
While mental health issues are of grave concern during the pandemic, a new study shows that during the peak first wave of the pandemic, the slow down of daily life during the lockdown also had significant, positive impacts for many people and their families. The research, published in the BritishRead
