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Top 10 Places You Should DEFINITELY WASH Your HANDS After Touching

The AHA! Team — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 06:49:46 +0000

News Editors via Natural News – What is green coffee? (Article republished from GreenMedInfo.com) It’s impossible to count, but how many people have gotten sick from Covid, the flu or the common cold from simply touching something that someone else who was sick touched, and then touching your fingers to your mouth, nose or eyes? The easiest way for germs, bacteria, viruses and pathogens to enter your body and make you sick is through your wet orifices, and that’s why we are here to remind you of the top ten places where germs sit and wait to jump onto your fingers and into your body through your eyes, nose or mouth. Wash your hands with warm water and soap after touching these popular germ-laden places #1. Money So easily we forget when we handle money that it’s actually one of the dirtiest surfaces in the universe. Money can trade hands up to 100 times in a day and the odds of at least one of those people being sick are very high, especially during the cold and flu season (now). Whether it’s cash or change, the end result is the same. People sneeze and cough into their hands, they rub their eyes, pick and wipe their nose, pick their teeth and eat food with their hands, and even let their dogs lick their mouth and nostrils. Gross. Then you touch the money they touched and voila. You’re sick. #2. Touchscreens How easy it is to forget or not even realize that you’ve touched some automated screen to ring up your groceries, personal care items, household goods or even to pay the bill at the doctor, pharmacy or hospital. Germs are microscopic, that’s why they’re called microorganisms, so it only takes the tip of one finger to touch the pin pad to enter your debit or credit card secret code to pay for your goods and services. Then, you will most likely touch an itchy eye, adjust a contact lens, or shove a piece of gum or a mint in your mouth without even thinking about it. Bam – you just pushed sickness right through your gate, into your “home.” #3. Restaurant menus Wait, did you go to the bathroom and wash your hands before you left for the restaurant, or did you wait until you arrived there? Guess what? It doesn’t matter, because as soon as you touch the menu to figure out what you want to eat, you just touched one of the most hand-trafficked places on the planet. Now, most likely, you will touch your food, whether some finger-food appetizer, a sandwich, or you just drop a piece of whatever on the plate, grab it and toss it in your mouth. Researchers at the University of Arizona swabbed menus and found a whopping 185,000 bacterial organisms on them. Maybe, from now on, you should look at the menu, order, then hit the restroom and wash up. #4. Animals Americans love their pets. They are unconditional best friends. They’re good for company, entertainment, snuggling and of course, pictures and videos for sharing on social media. What happens, though, when the dog licks the owner’s face, or the cat hops up on the kitchen table after using the litter box? It’s important to wash your hands well after petting, holding or playing fetch with your pet, or anyone else’s pet. #5. Kitchen sponges Wow, these things get really nasty. People seem to keep the same ones forever and a day, until they’re chock full of grease, food particles and a million germs (over 300 species of bacteria have been found living in them) that get on your hands, your cookware, your silverware, your plates, your bowls, and then find their way into your body. Buy a bristle brush with a handle and toss out that nasty sponge. #6. Other people’s pens Bet you didn’t think of that one. You have to sign for a package, or an invoice, or sign in at a front desk, and then you touch your mouth, nose or eyes, and the person or persons who used that pen before you were sick as dogs. Pens have up to 10 times the germs of an office toilet seat. Let that sink in. #7. Doorknobs, handrails, poles and handles go anywhere and the odds are you’re going to touch at least half a dozen. At the office, store, building, bathrooms, homes and public transportation. #8. Everything at the airport, bus or train terminal this includes rails, tables, chairs, money, door handles, tray tables and any buttons you push for anything. #9. Anything at the doctor’s office, clinic or hospital. #10. People’s hands it’s too easy to shake someone’s hand or even fist bump and forget you did it. Thirty seconds later you’re touching your face and then they tell you they’ve been fighting a cold, the flu or Covid. Tune your food news frequency to FoodSupply.news and get updates on more ways to eat clean, keep germs out of your body, and avoid common illnesses. Sources for this article include: NaturalNews.com TheHealthy.com To read the original article, click here

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Merck Faces New Controversy Over Mumps Shot Development Practices

The AHA! Team — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 06:03:10 +0000

Patrick Tims via NaturalHealth365 – Merck is back in the spotlight, facing serious accusations over how it developed its latest mumps shot. Merck is back in the spotlight, facing serious accusations over how it developed its latest mumps shot. According to recently released legal documents, the drugmaker may have cut corners in its rush to bring the shot to market, potentially putting children’s health at risk. Concerns are growing that these actions may compromise vaccine safety and reflect broader issues within the company’s development practices. Merck’s latest mumps shot comes under fire Alarming reports claim Merck’s shot contains up to 4 times the approved amount of live virus – up to 600,000 viral particles per dose, compared to the FDA’s recommendation of 160,000. Shockingly, immunity can be triggered with just 20,000 particles. Some even accuse Merck of intentionally inflating the amount of live virus to falsely boost the vaccine’s “effectiveness,” all while failing to conduct proper safety tests. What’s worse, the company appears to have gone to great lengths to hide these practices from regulators. Despite these concerning findings, health agencies and the government have yet to take action to address or halt the vaccine’s distribution. Rewind time back to 2010, and Merck employees filed a lawsuit claiming the company’s mumps vaccine had 400% of the approved concentration level of the virus. The drugmaker’s whistleblowers filed the lawsuit under the False Claims Act. The insinuation is that Merck overfilled its mumps shots for 12-18-month-olds with many times the approved level of the live mumps virus, opting for passive surveillance instead of transparency. Such passive surveillance took the form of parents’ reports detailing kids’ reactions to the jabs. Other shots facing serious scrutiny Merck’s mumps shot is just the latest in a growing list of shots facing serious scrutiny. Alarming reports have emerged about other jabs, raising concerns about transparency, safety, and rushed approvals. The flu shot, for instance, has been criticized for inconsistent effectiveness, leaving many to question why it’s still pushed so aggressively each year despite these flaws. The COVID-19 shots, fast-tracked under emergency use, are another example. Critics argue that the long-term effects are still unknown, and the lack of comprehensive safety data raises red flags. Whistleblower accounts and legal documents suggest that pharmaceutical giants may have prioritized speed and profit over rigorous safety standards, potentially compromising the health of millions. Parents have every reason to be cautious. With so many unanswered questions and unsettling information coming to light, it’s crucial to dig deeper, research the ingredients, and understand what’s really going into these vaccines before making decisions about your child’s health. Protect your child with a holistic approach to well-being As a parent, you should do your due diligence – research the shots, understand the ingredients, and explore all available information. In addition to informed decision-making, you can naturally support your child’s immune system. Ensure they follow a balanced diet rich in organic fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-dense foods. Encourage healthy habits like getting at least 7 – 9 hours of sleep, practicing good hygiene, regular physical activity, and stress management techniques. Natural immune boosters, including foods like leafy greens, berries, citrus fruits, legumes, seeds, and nuts, can provide valuable support. You might also consider incorporating daily probiotics for gut health and herbs like elderberry or echinacea. However, always consult a holistic healthcare provider before introducing new supplements or herbal remedies into your child’s routine. Sources for this article include: Childrenshealthdefense.org Childrenshealthdefense.org Childrenshealthdefense.org Justice.gov To read the original article click here.

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Giant Viruses Found on Greenland Ice Sheet

The AHA! Team — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 08:39:57 +0000

Aarhus University via EurekAlert! – The viruses probably regulate the growth of snow algae on the ice by infecting them. Knowing how to control these viruses could help us reduce some of the ice from melting Every spring when the sun rises in the Arctic after months of darkness, life returns. The polar bears pop up from their winter lairs, the arctic tern soar back from their long journey south and the musk oxen wade north. But the animals are not the only life being reawakened by the spring sun. Algae lying dormant on the ice starts blooming in spring blackening large areas of the ice. When the ice blackens it’s ability to reflect the sun diminishes and this accelerates the melting of the ice. Increased melting exacerbates global warming. But researchers might have found a way to control the snow algae growth – and maybe in the long run reduce some of the ice from melting. Living on the ice alongside the algae, postdoc Laura Perini from the Department of Environmental Science at Aarhus University and her colleagues, have found giant viruses. She suspects that the viruses feed on the snow algae and could work as a natural control mechanism on the algae blooms. – We don’t know a lot about the viruses, but I think they could be useful as a way of alleviating ice melting caused by algal blooms. How specific they are and how efficient it would be, we do not know yet. But by exploring them further, we hope to answer some of those questions, she says. Bigger than bacteria Viruses are normally much smaller than bacteria. Regular viruses measure 20-200 nanometers in size, whereas a typical bacteria is 2-3 micrometers. In other words, a normal virus is around 1000 times smaller than a bacteria. That is not the case with giant viruses though. Giant viruses grow to the size of 2,5 micrometers. That is bigger than most bacteria. But the giant viruses are not only bigger in size. Their genome is much bigger than regular viruses. Bacteriophages – virus infecting bacteria – have between 100.000 and 200.000 letters in their genome. Giant viruses have around 2.500.000. Never found on the ice before Giant viruses were first discovered in 1981, when researchers found them in the ocean. These viruses had specialized in infecting green algae in the sea. Later, giant viruses were found in soil on land and even in humans. But it’s the first time that giant viruses have been found living on the surface ice and snow dominated by microalgae, Laura Perini explains. – We analyzed samples from dark ice, red snow and melting holes (cryoconite). In both the dark ice and red snow we found signatures of active giant viruses. And that is the first time they’ve been found on surface ice and snow containing a high abundance of pigmented microalgae. A few years ago everyone thought this part of the world to be barren and devoid of life. But today we know that several microorganisms live there – including the giant viruses. – There’s a whole ecosystem surrounding the algae. Besides bacteria, filamentous fungi and yeasts, there are protists eating the algae, different species of fungi parasitizing them and the giant viruses that we found, infecting them. – In order to understand the biological controls acting on the algal blooms, we need to study these last three groups. Haven’t seen them with the naked eye Even though the viruses are giant, they can’t be seen with the naked eye. Laura Perini hasn’t even seen them with a light microscope yet. But she hopes to do so in the future. – The way we discovered the viruses was by analyzing all the DNA in the samples we took. By sifting through this huge dataset looking for specific marker genes, we found sequences that have high similarity to known giant viruses, she explains. To make sure that the viral DNA didn’t come from long dead microorganisms, but from living and active viruses, they also extracted all the mRNA from the sample. When the sequences of the DNA that form genes are activated, they are transcribed into single stranded pieces called mRNA. These pieces work as recipes for building the proteins the virus needs. If they are present the virus is alive. – In the total mRNA sequenced from the samples, we found the same markers as in the total DNA, so we know they have been transcribed. It means that the viruses are living and active on the ice, she says. DNA and RNA in viruses At the center of the giant viruses is a cluster of DNA. That DNA contains all the genetic information or recipes needed to create proteins – the chemical compounds that are doing most of the work in the virus. But in order to use those recipes, the virus needs to transcribe them from double-stranded DNA to single stranded mRNA. Normal viruses can’t do that. Instead they have strands of RNA floating around in the cell waiting to be activated, when the virus infects an organism and hijacks its cellular production facilities. Giant viruses can do that themselves which makes them very different from normal viruses. Whereas DNA from dead viruses can be found in samples, mRNA is broken down much faster. mRNA is therefore an important marker of viral activity. In other words mRNA-recipes of certain proteins show that the viruses are alive and kicking. Not sure exactly how they work Because giant viruses are a relatively new discovery not a lot is known about them. In contrast to most other viruses they have a lot of active genes that enable them to repair, replicate, transcribe and translate DNA. But why that is and exactly what they use it for is not known. – Which hosts the giant viruses infect, we can’t link exactly. Some of them may be infecting protists while others attack the snow algae. We simply can’t be sure yet, Laura Perini says. She’s working hard on discovering more about the giant viruses and has more research coming out soon. – We keep studying the giant viruses to learn more about their interactions and what is exactly is their role in the ecosystem. Later this year we’ll release another scientific with some more info on giant viruses infecting a cultivated microalgae thriving on the surface ice of the Greenland Ice Sheet, she concludes. Journal Microbiome DOI 10.1186/s40168-024-01796-y To read the original article click here.

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New Antibiotic Approach Proves Promising Against Lyme Bacterium

The AHA! Team — Fri, 31 May 2024 05:32:44 +0000

Duke Health – A technique that has demonstrated success against cancer tumors could also be lethal to bacteria and other pathogens DURHAM, N.C. – Using a technique that has shown promise in targeting cancer tumors, a Duke Health team has found a way to deploy a molecular warhead that can annihilate the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. Tested in cell cultures using the Borrelia burgdoferi bacterium, the approach holds the potential to target not only bacteria, but also fungi such as yeast and viruses. The findings appear in the journal Cell Chemical Biology. Duke Health team has found a way to deploy a molecular warhead that can annihilate the bacterium that causes Lyme disease “This transport mechanism gets internalized in the bacterium and brings in a molecule that causes what we’ve described as a berserker reaction – a programmed death response,” said lead author Timothy Haystead, Ph.D., professor in Duke’s Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology. “It wipes out the bacteria — sterilizes the culture with a single dose of light. And then when you look at what occurs with electron microscopy, you see the collapse of the chromosome.” Haystead and colleagues used a molecular facilitator called high-temperature protein G (HtpG), which is involved in protecting cells that are undergoing heat stress. This family of proteins has been the focus of drug development programs for possible cancer therapies. Studies of this protein as an antimicrobial have also been encouraging, but the Duke team’s work appears to be the first to tether an HtpG inhibitor to a drug that enhances sensitivity to light. The researchers found that the HtpG inhibitor, armed with the photosensitive drug, was rapidly absorbed into the cells of the Lyme bacteria. When hit with light, the bacteria’s cells went into disarray and ultimately collapsed, killing them. “Our findings point to a new, alternate antibiotic development strategy, whereby one can exploit a potentially vast number of previously unexplored druggable areas within bacteria to deliver cellular toxins,” Haystead said. In addition to Haystead, study authors include Dave L. Carlson, Mark Kowalewski, Khaldon Bodoor, Adam D. Lietzan, Philip Hughes, David Gooden, David L. Loiselle, David Alcorta, Zoey Dingman, Elizabeth A. Mueller, Irnov Irnov, Shannon Modla, Tim Chaya, Jeffrey Caplan, Monica Embers, Jennifer C. Miller, Christine Jacobs-Wagner, Matthew R. Redinbo, and Neil Spector (deceased). The study received funding support from the Steven and Alexander Cohen foundation and Bay Area Lyme Foundation. To read the original article click here.

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Researchers Link “Genetic Signatures” of Bacteria in the Human Gut to Multiple Diseases

AHA Publisher — Thu, 20 May 2021 07:00:24 +0000

Harvard Medical School via News-Medical – We are truly never alone, not even within our own bodies. Human beings play host to trillions of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microorganisms that make up the human microbiome. In recent years, the mix of these resident bacteria, and the presence of specific bacterial species, has been linked to conditions ranging from obesity to multiple sclerosis. Now, going a step farther, researchers at Harvard Medical School and Joslin Diabetes Center have gone beyond microbial species. Analyzing the genetic makeup of bacteria in the human gut, the team has successfully linked groups of bacterial genes, or “genetic signatures,” to multiple diseases. The work brings scientists closer to developing tests that could predict disease risk or identify disease presence based on a sampling of the genetic makeup of a person’s microbiome. The findings, to be published May 18 in Nature Communications, link sets of bacterial genes to the presence of coronary artery disease, cirrhosis of the liver, inflammatory bowel disease, colon cancer, and type 2 diabetes. The analysis indicates that three of these conditions–coronary artery disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and liver cirrhosis–share many of the same bacterial genes. In other words, people whose guts harbor these bacterial genes seem more likely to have one or more of these three conditions. The work represents a significant advance in the current understanding of the relationship between microbes residing in the human gut and specific diseases, the team said. If confirmed through further research, the results could inform the design of tools that could gauge a person’s risk for a range of conditions based on analysis of a single fecal sample, they added. “This opens a window for the development of tests using cross-disease, gene-based indicators of patient health. We’ve identified genetic markers that we think could eventually lead to tests, or just one test, to identify associations with a number of medical conditions.” (Braden Tierney, Study First Author and Graduate Student, Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, Harvard Medical School) The researchers caution that their study was not designed to elucidate exactly how and why these microbial genes may be linked to different diseases. Thus far, they said, it remains unclear whether these bacteria are involved in disease development or are mere bystanders in this process. The goal of the study was to determine whether groups of genes could reliably indicate the presence of different diseases. These newly identified microbial genetic signatures, however, could be studied further to determine what role, if any, the organisms play in disease development. “Our study underscores the value of data science to tease out complex interplay between microbes and humans,” said study senior author Chirag Patel, associate professor of biomedical informatics in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS. The researchers started out by collecting microbiome data from 13 groups of patients totaling more than 2,500 samples. Next, they analyzed the data to pinpoint linkages between seven diseases and millions of microbial species, microbial metabolic pathways, and microbial genes. By trying out a variety of modeling approaches–computing a total of 67 million different statistical models–they were able to observe what microbiome features consistently emerged as the strongest disease-associated candidates. Of all the various microbial characteristics–species, pathways, and genes–microbial genes had the greatest predictive power. In other words, the researchers said, groups of bacterial genes, or genetic signatures, rather than merely the presence of certain bacterial families, were linked most closely to the presence of a given condition. Some of the main observations included: Clusters of bacterial genes, or genetic signatures, rather than individual bacterial genes, appear implicated in various types of human disease. Coronary artery disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and liver cirrhosis have similar gut microbiome genetic signatures. Type 2 diabetes, by contrast, has a microbiome signature unlike any other phenotype tested. The analysis did not find a consistent link between the presence of the bacterial species Solobacterium moorei and colon cancer–an association previously reported in numerous studies. However, the researchers did identify particular genes from a S. moorei subspecies associated with colorectal cancer. This finding indicates that gene-level analysis can yield biomarkers of disease with greater precision and more specificity compared with current approaches. Patel said this result underscores the notion that it is not merely the presence of a given bacterial family that may portend risk, but rather the strains and gene signatures of the microbes that matter. The ability to identify interconnections with such precision will be critical for designing tests that can measure risk reliably, he added. Thus, in this specific example, a test intended to measure colon-cancer risk by merely detecting the presence of S. moorei in the gut may not be as reliable as a more refined test that measures bacterial genes to detect the presence of specific strains of S. moorei that are associated with colon cancer. Two conditions–ear inflammation and benign soft-tissue tumors called adenomas–showed weak associations with the gut microbiome, suggesting that microorganisms residing in the human gut are not likely to play a role in the development of these conditions, nor are they likely to be reliable indicators that these conditions are present. In a previous study, the HMS team used massive amounts of publicly available DNA-sequencing data from human oral and gut microbiomes to estimate the size of the universe of microbial genes in the human body. The analysis revealed that there may be more genes in the collective human microbiome than stars in the observable universe. Given the sheer number of microbial genes that reside within the human body, the new findings represent a major step forward in understanding the complexity of the interplay between human diseases and the human microbiome, the researchers said. “The ultimate goal of computational science is to generate hypotheses from a huge swath of data,” said Tierney. “Our work shows that this can be done and opens up so many new avenues for research and inquiry that we are only limited by the time, people, and resources needed to run those tests.” To read the original article click here.

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Scientists Develop Tech to Filter Covid Particles from Air

AHA Publisher — Fri, 09 Oct 2020 07:00:12 +0000

Naama Barak via Israel21c – Technology developed by researchers in Israel and the US to filter particles from the air is being commercialized for filtration systems that filter out airborne Covid-19 particles. The technology is based on laser-induced graphene, currently used in water-filtration systems to eliminate viruses and bacteria. It is being developed by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Rice University in Houston, Texas. “For the past five years, our lab at the BGU Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research has focused on the development of LIG, specifically in antimicrobial filtration and environmental applications,” says researcher Chris Arnusch. “We are excited to be commercializing our technology in a number of air-filtration products for Covid-19 and other specialized filtration applications.” The LIG air filters damage and destroy organic particles such as viruses, bacteria and mold spores at micron and sub-micron level as they pass through a microscopic network of porous graphene. This, the researchers say, is more efficient compared to the active carbon filters, UV-C and fiber HEPA filters widely used in private and public spaces. “To understand the technology, imagine the porous graphene is an electric fence that functions like a mosquito zapper at the submicron level,” explains Yehuda Borenstein, cofounder and CEO of LIGC, the company commercializing the technology. “When an airborne bacteria or virus touches the graphene surface, it is shocked at a low voltage and currents that are safe for use.” “In the absence of better filtration technology, the indoor spaces where we used to spend most of our ‘normal’ life – schools, stores and workplaces – due to Covid-19 present a real risk,” he adds.“This technology will provide cleaner and more breathable air with lower energy and maintenance costs and virtually silent sound levels.” To read the original article click here. For more articles from Israel21c click here.

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Boosting Antiviral Immune Function with Green Tea

AHA Publisher — Sun, 07 Jun 2020 07:00:28 +0000

Michael Greger M.D. FACLM via Nutrition Facts – Unlike most antiviral drugs, green tea appears to work by boosting the immune system to combat diseases such as genital warts (caused by HPV) and the flu (caused by the influenza virus). According to one study, “The belief in green tea as a ‘wonder weapon’ against diseases dates back thousands of years.” I’ve talked about it in relation to chronic disease, but what about infectious disease? I explore this in my video Benefits of Green Tea for Boosting Antiviral Immune Function. Interest in the antimicrobial activity of tea dates back to a military medical journal in 1906, which suggested that servicemen fill their canteens with tea to kill off the bugs that caused typhoid fever. “However, this effect of tea was not studied further until the late 1980s” when tea compounds were pitted against viruses and bacteria in test tubes and petri dishes, but what we care about is whether it works in people. I had dismissed this entire field of inquiry as clinically irrelevant until I learned about tea’s effect on genital warts. External genital warts, caused by human wart viruses, “are one of the most common and fastest-spreading venereal diseases worldwide.” Patients with external genital warts “present with one or several cauliflower-like growths on the genitals and/or anal regions…associated with…considerable impairment of patients’ emotional and sexual well-being.” But rub on some green tea ointment, and you can achieve complete clearance of all warts in more than 50 percent of cases. If it works so well for wart viruses, what about flu viruses? As you can see at 1:41 in my video, it works great in a petri dish, but what about in people? Well, tea-drinking school children seem to be protected, but you don’t know about the broader population until it’s put to the test. If you give healthcare workers green tea compounds, they come down with the flu about three times less often than those given placebo, as you can see at 2:02 in my video. In fact, just gargling with green tea may help. While a similar effect was not found in high school students, gargling with green tea may drop the risk of influenza infection seven or eight-fold compared to gargling with water in elderly residents of a nursing home, where flu can get really serious. Unlike antiviral drugs, green tea appears to work by boosting the immune system, enhancing the proliferation and activity of gamma delta T cells, a type of immune cell that acts as “a first line defense against infection.” According to the researchers, “Subjects who drank six cups of tea per day had up to a 15-fold increase in [infection-fighting] interferon gamma production in as little as one week”—but why There is in fact a molecular pattern shared by cancer cells, pathogens, and “edible plant products such as tea, apples, mushrooms, and wine.” So, eating healthy foods may help maintain our immune cells on ready alert, effectively priming our gamma delta T cells so they “then can provide natural resistance to microbial infections and perhaps tumors.” I guess I shouldn’t have been so surprised; tea, after all, is a “vegetable infusion.” You’re basically drinking a hot water extraction of a dark green leafy vegetable. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Greger click here.

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Antiviral Compound Offers Hope Against Deadly Flu, Coronaviruses

AHA Publisher — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 08:00:23 +0000

Michigan Medicine – University of Michigan via Newswise – What keeps most infectious disease researchers up at night aren’t infamous viruses like Ebola. Instead, influenza, commonly known as the flu, continues to be a clear and present danger to humanity. Newswise — “Influenza is a huge problem, as the virus sickens or kills millions of people each year,” says David Markovitz, M.D., professor of internal medicine in the division of infectious diseases at Michigan Medicine. “A new pandemic along the lines of the 1918 Spanish flu has the potential to kill millions here and abroad.” To that end, he and an extensive team of collaborators have worked for years on broad-spectrum antiviral drugs developed from, of all things, banana plants. In a new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Markovitz, first author Evelyn Coves-Datson, a M.D., Ph.D. student, Akira Ono, Ph.D., professor of microbiology and immunology and their team have shown that an engineered compound based on a banana lectin, a protein called H84T, has real potential for clinical use against influenza. In their experiments, more than 80% of mice exposed to a form of influenza that is typically fatal were able to survive the disease after receiving an injection of the protein, even up to 72 hours after exposure. The team also provides early evidence that the compound is safe. A downside of naturally occurring banana lectin—which can cause inflammation by inappropriately activating the immune system—wasn’t present in mice given H84T. Furthermore, because H84T is a protein, there was concern that the body would recognize it as foreign and develop antibodies against it, thereby neutralizing it or causing harm. The team found that while mice did develop antibodies against H84T, they didn’t appear to be adversely affected by them. The compound works because it targets a sugar called high mannose, which is present on the outside of certain viruses but not on most healthy cells. “We were able to show that H84T blocks the ability of the influenza virus to fuse with structures termed endosomes in the human cell, a key step in infection,” he explains. Doing so disabled their ability to replicate and wreak havoc. Amazingly, this mechanism of action, binding of high mannose sugars on the surface of viruses, means that H84T is effective not only against influenza, but also against Ebola, HIV, measles, MERS, a new deadly viral illness that was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012, SARS and all other coronaviruses tested. Even more promising is that the compound works where Tamiflu (oseltamivir), the current standard therapy for severe flu, has failed. “We’ve also shown that there may be a synergistic effect between H84T and Tamiflu,” says Markovitz. His team hopes to do more research with the compound in humans in the hopes of getting it to market. “We envision the government potentially stockpiling it in the event of a pandemic.” However, he says, “there are many difficulties to commercialization. Pharmaceutical economics do not seem to favor the development of antivirals or antibacterials for one-time usage, which is a huge problem.” To read the original article click here.

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