immune dysfunction Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Could Aspirin Intake Reduce Mortality Risk in COVID-19 Patients?

AHA Publisher — Wed, 14 Jul 2021 07:00:34 +0000

Dr. Sanchari Sinha Dutta, Ph.D. via News-Medical – Scientists from the Michigan State University, USA, have conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare mortality rate in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients who are aspirin users or non-users. The Findings reveal that the use of aspirin is associated with a significant reduction in overall and in-hospital mortality rates. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server. Background As of July 13, 2021, globally, there have been 186 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 4 million deaths, registered to the World Health Organization. Although a significant proportion of COVID-19 patients remain asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, the disease can cause severe complications in susceptible individuals, including older adults and persons with comorbidities. In severely affected in-hospital COVID-19 patients, an estimated mortality rate of 11.5% has been reported in a recent study. According to available literature, the pathogenesis of severe COVID-19 is associated with immune dysfunction, excessive inflammation, hypercoagulation, and cardiopulmonary thrombosis. Given these observations, the scientists in the current study have hypothesized that intake of aspirin may reduce the severity of COVID-19 through its anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic, and immunomodulatory effects. Study Design In the meta-analysis, the scientists included recently published as well as unpublished studies from the PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases that reported the effect of low-dose aspirin consumption on COVID-19 related mortality. The studies that specifically compared aspirin use with no aspirin use in COVID-19 patients and reported events of mortality were included in the meta-analysis. The primary aim of the analysis was to determine all-cause and in-hospital mortality rates. The scientists used Newcastle-Ottawa Scale to assess the quality of included studies. For each study, the scale provides a maximum of 9 points. A study with a score of 6 or higher is considered a high-quality publication with a low risk of bias. Important Observations From more than 900 initially included studies, the scientists finally selected five studies for the final qualitative and quantitative analyses. All selected studies were retrospective cohort studies, with four were on in-hospitalized COVID-19 patients, and one was on non-hospitalized patients. Based on the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale scores, four out of five studies were high quality, and one was low quality. In the final five studies, there were 6,797 participants in the aspirin group and 7,268 participants in the non-aspirin group. The pooled data from 5 studies revealed that aspirin intake is associated with a 53% reduction in all-cause mortality in COVID-19 patients. In the case of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, the analysis revealed that the use of aspirin is associated with a 49% reduction in in-hospital mortality. Study Significance The study highlights the potential importance of aspirin intake in reducing mortality risk among hospitalized and non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Apart from anti-inflammatory and anti-platelet effects, aspirin is known to have antiviral effects against seasonal and pathogenic coronaviruses, such as human coronavirus-229E and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Moreover, aspirin has been used as one of the therapeutic interventions in COVID-19 patients. As mentioned by the scientists, the current study has some limitations. Because of the non-availability of clinical trial data on aspirin, the current analysis has included only observational studies. Moreover, the majority of selected studies are single-centered studies conducted in the USA and China. Thus, the findings may not be generalized to the global population. To read the original article click here.

The post Could Aspirin Intake Reduce Mortality Risk in COVID-19 Patients? appeared first on Amazing Health Advances.

A Diagnostic Tool That Treats Autism Like Cancer

AHA Publisher — Tue, 25 May 2021 07:00:01 +0000

Abigail Klein Leichman via Israel21c – An Israeli pediatric hematologist-oncologist believes immunology is the key to diagnosing and treating many cases of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Dr. Benjamin Gesundheit readily admits it sounds crazy to treat a neurodevelopmental condition the way one might treat cancer. But international reports from as early as 1962 reveal that children with autism may have autoimmune diseases in their family. Moreover, treating ASD children for autoimmune diseases, such as asthma, sometimes results in improvement of their ASD symptoms as well – typically, impaired social and communication skills and unusual repetitive behavior. Intrigued by this anecdotal evidence, Gesundheit left his practice in 2011 to research the connection between autism and immune dysfunction. “I sat for one year in the library to review the literature on autism and consulted people including a pediatrician who has a son with autism and asthma and when the asthma was treated the autism lessened,” he tells ISRAEL21c. “It became obvious to me there was a connection. Many important insights in the literature and from people I knew pointed in exactly the same direction.” His discoveries led to the 2014 founding of his startup, Cell-El Therapeutics. Gone Fishing Animal studies he did in Israel confirmed that autoimmune antibodies present in some mothers of children with ASD bind to fetal brain proteins and may be a marker or risk factor for ASD. In 2013, Gesundheit was lead author of a multinational review of epidemiological, serological, and epigenetic evidence for the relationship between the immune system and many cases of ASD, published in the Journal of Autoimmunity. One coauthor was immunologist David Naor from Hebrew University. Gesundheit got Health Ministry approval to “go on a fishing expedition” for immunological biomarkers of triple-A (autoimmune antibody associated) autism in the blood of 360 ASD children, with typically developed children as a control, aged 3 to 11. “I asked each parent if they have an autoimmune disease, and many of them told me nobody asked them that before, but we have actually many autoimmune conditions in our family,” he tells ISRAEL21c. RayBiotech lab in Atlanta confirmed that out of 1,000 markers studied, about 30 showed significant statistical differences between ASD and non-ASD children. Israeli biostatisticians found that in 88% of the more than 200 blood samples, ASD could be diagnosed objectively by the immune profile they identified as diagnostic markers. “Accuracy of 88% is not perfect medically,” says Gesundheit. “I think the other 12% was not proven to have a connection because there is some other cause or because we didn’t identify all the markers.” First Objective Diagnostic Tool for ASD Still, he found the results encouraging enough to embark on developing what could be the world’s first objective medical diagnostic tool for ASD. Today, ASD is diagnosed by observational behavioral tests conducted by neurologists, psychologists and psychiatrists. Since these tests assess communication, they cannot be performed until a child is two or three. “Autism was first described in 1943 and since then there hasn’t been anything significantly new to understand the disease mechanism as a basis for diagnosis and treatment,”,” says Gesundheit. “The word ‘spectrum’ doesn’t tell me biologically why something in the synapses between neurons is not signaling. We have no clue and it’s a disaster. A lot of divorce, depressive disorders, unemployment and suicide surrounds families with an autistic child.” Gesundheit will now take “the five best markers from the 30” and develop them into a diagnostic blood test over the next few years. This test could be given to babies with typical early signs of ASD — like not smiling or poor eye contact by six months old — to offer biological proof for observational tests done in toddlerhood. The blood tests could also be a basis for early intervention. “If we can sort out immunological markers in the blood sample, we will enable an objective diagnosis and that is the basis of many therapeutic approaches. The diagnostic tool might be used to monitor the success of any treatment as well. This is an exciting new chapter for the world for autism.” Immunotherapy Cell-El Therapeutics’ other purpose is to develop an immunotherapy protocol for triple-A autism. Currently there are no FDA-approved treatments for the core symptoms of ASD. One promising possibility is infusing autologous stem cells (from the patient’s own cells) with mesenchymal stem cells, which restore normal immune function. Gesundheit published a study on this and is working with medical experts in Europe who have observed remarkable improvements in ASD children following stem-cell transplants. “I’m not sure we can target treatments to specific social or communication symptoms, but we can open an interesting avenue for future research,” he says. “Optimal dosage, ideal age for treatment, and number and timing of treatments remain open questions for our clinical research. We do know that younger children are more responsive to immuno-modulation.” It may also be possible to look for immunological biomarkers in the blood of mothers of autistic children and treat the mother before further pregnancies. “If we can do prevention that would be totally incredible,” says Gesundheit. According to the World Health Organization, one in 160 children is on the autism spectrum and the numbers are growing each year. The Team Cell-El’s team includes two seasoned PhDs: Chief Scientific Officer Ronald Ellis, who has helped bring several major vaccines and therapeutics to the market over the past 35 years (and was one of ISRAEL21c’s experts in our webinar about the Covid-19 vaccine) and Fred Samuels, head of diagnostics, who has 35 years of senior management experience in commercializing diagnostic products. The Swiss-born Gesundheit (whose name is a German for “health”) previously worked at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and at Soroka and Hadassah medical centers in Israel. Gesundheit also heads a startup called Rapo Yerapeh that’s investigating the use of oncolytic viruses to treat metastatic tumors, and he is researching an existing antiviral as a treatment for Covid-19. For information on Cell-El’s diagnostic studies, click here. For information on another subset of autism discovered at the Israel Center for Autism Research, click here. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Israel21c click here.

The post A Diagnostic Tool That Treats Autism Like Cancer appeared first on Amazing Health Advances.

Want to Age Gracefully? Eat Plenty of This Substance to Slow Down the Aging Process

AHA Publisher — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 07:00:05 +0000

Sara Middleton via NaturalHealth365 – Most people probably don’t think of anti-aging when they hear the word fiber (although bowel regularity certainly may come to mind). But it turns out that one of the key benefits of fiber is helping people maintain healthier, more youthful bodies throughout their lifespan. What is fiber, you might ask? Fiber (including soluble and insoluble) is a type of plant material that can’t be broken down by enzymes in the digestive tract. It’s also one of those nutrients that’s best consumed from the food you eat rather than from added supplements (for reasons we’ll get into later). And research involving over 1,600 healthy adults suggests that it’s also a key player in aging gracefully. The Most Underrated Anti-Aging Nutrient Helps Prevent Cancer, Heart Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, and Other Age-Related Chronic Diseases In 2016, a team of researchers from the Westmead Institute for Medical Research in Australia published the results of their 10-year study involving over 1,600 healthy adults. They poured over the participants’ health and lifestyle habits and found that those adults who consumed the greatest amount of dietary fiber — about 29 grams per day — were the most likely to have enjoyed “successful aging,” which the researchers defined as being free of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease and having good physical and cognitive health. The study was published in The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences. Fiber has also been shown to protect against inflammation and immune dysfunction, likely thanks to its ability to support the growth of healthy gut bacteria, as well as reduce the risk of high cholesterol, metabolic dysfunction, osteoarthritis, and obesity – the last of which has been shown to accelerate the aging process. Given how beneficial fiber is, it’s tempting to assume we all should be taking fiber supplements – or at least eating lots of food that has been fortified with added fiber. (In packaged foods, added fiber includes beta-glucan, cellulose, chicory root, inulin, pectin, psyllium, and xanthan gum.) But while Mayo Clinic notes that it’s likely not harmful to consume fiber supplements, most experts recommend that you should prioritize eating foods that are naturally rich in fiber, including (organic) whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables. That’s because these natural fiber sources also tend to be higher in other nutrients including vitamins and minerals, whereas processed foods made with added fiber are often far less nutrient-dense yet higher in calories. How Much Fiber Is Enough Fiber? Here’s Your Recommended Daily Intake, According to Experts The typical American consumes about 10 to 15 grams of fiber per day – not enough, according to the USDA. The general rule is to aim for about double that, or anywhere from 25 to 30 grams of fiber per day. Ideally, your fiber should come from food – not supplements. Per serving size, fruits and veggies that boast the most amount of fiber include avocados, raspberries, oranges, apples, blueberries, pears, strawberries, carrots, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and squash. Legumes, including black beans and lentils, are great options. And as for whole grains, look for things like quinoa, wild rice and millet. Sources for this article include: Consumerreports.org UCSFhealth.org Mayoclinic.org Heart.org Sciencedaily.com Academic.oup.com Sciencedaily.com NIH.gov Harvard.edu To read the original article click here. For more articles from NaturalHealth365 click here.

The post Want to Age Gracefully? Eat Plenty of This Substance to Slow Down the Aging Process appeared first on Amazing Health Advances.