Recent Longevity News for the week ending 4/13/22

Psilocybin rewires the brain for people with depression, study finds - Science Daily, 4/11/22 - "Scientists analyzed fMRI brain scans from nearly 60 people who had participated in two psilocybin trials. In the first one, all the participants had treatment-resistant depression and knew they were being given psilocybin. In the second one, the participants were depressed but not as severely, and they were not told whether they had been given psilocybin or a placebo that turned out to be escitalopram, an SSRI antidepressant. In addition to the drugs, all the participants received the same type of psychotherapy ... The scans, which were done before and after treatment, showed the psilocybin treatment reduced connections within brain areas that are tightly connected in depression, including the default mode, salience, and executive networks, and increased connections to other regions of the brain that had not been well integrated ... Participants were also less emotionally avoidant and their cognitive functioning got better. The improvement in their depressive symptoms correlated with changes to their brains, and these changes lasted until the study ended three weeks after the second psilocybin dose. No such changes were seen in the brains of those who received escitalopram, suggesting that psilocybin acts differently on the brain than SSRIs"

Research helps provide scientific framework for psilocybin use in therapeutic settings - Science Daily, 4/11/22 - "There are currently more than 60 psilocybin clinical trials overseen by the National Institutes of Health. Preliminary data suggest psilocybin therapies are effective in treating major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, smoking cessation and alcoholism ... Results of psilocybin ingestion outside of clinical trials have found an increased connection to nature, enhanced creativity, greater enjoyment of music and increased positive mood"

• Oregon legalizes magic mushrooms: 5 things to know  - Oregon Online, 11/4/20 - "Psilocybin won’t be available to purchase and take home. Only license holders will be able to cultivate psilocybin or provide the therapy or own a psilocybin service center under the new law ... And it does not allow people to take or grow psychedelic mushrooms in their homes, or leave a treatment facility while still under the influence of psilocybin."

Ivermectin Does Not Improve COVID-19 Outcomes - Medscape, 4/11/22 - "Ivermectin is no more effective than placebo in reducing the severity of COVID-19 among newly diagnosed patients, according to the largest trial to date that has investigated this question ... Treatment with ivermectin failed to reduce hospital admissions for worsening COVID-19 and failed to shorten the time that patients with COVID-19 stayed as outpatients in the emergency room for observation ... The reasons for this include a minimal theoretical basis for concluding that benefits would outweigh potential harms, a track record of unreliable and downright fraudulent data supporting ivermectin, and the strong relationship between the quality of the clinical trial and finding of no benefit from ivermectin"

Old skins cells reprogrammed to regain youthful function - Science Daily, 4/8/22 - "Fibroblasts produce collagen, a molecule found in bones, skin tendons and ligaments, helping provide structure to tissues and heal wounds. The rejuvenated fibroblasts produced more collagen proteins compared to control cells that did not undergo the reprogramming process. Fibroblasts also move into areas that need repairing. Researchers tested the partially rejuvenated cells by creating an artificial cut in a layer of cells in a dish. They found that their treated fibroblasts moved into the gap faster than older cells. This is a promising sign that one day this research could eventually be used to create cells that are better at healing wounds"

Not all dietary fiber is created equal: cereal fiber but not fruit or vegetable fibers are linked with lower inflammation - Science Daily, 4/6/22 - "we are now learning that one particular type of dietary fiber -- cereal fiber -- but not fruit or vegetable fiber was associated with lower inflammation ... why cereal fiber but not vegetable or fruit fiber is associated with lower inflammation is not clear and warrants further investigation ... it is not clear whether cereal fiber per se or other nutrients in foods rich in cereal fiber are driving the observed relationships ... inflammation had only a modest role in mediating the observed inverse association between cereal fiber and CVD ... This suggests that factors other than inflammation may play a larger role in the cereal fiber-associated reduction in CVD and will need to be tested in future interventions of specific populations"

Low-Sodium Diet Did Not Cut Clinical Events in Heart Failure Trial - Medscape, 4/2/22 - "a greater reduction in sodium than achieved in this study or a longer follow-up may be required to show an effect on clinical events ... By 12 months, events comprising the primary outcome (hospitalization or emergency department visits due to cardiovascular causes or all-cause death) had occurred in 15% of patients in the low-sodium diet group and 17% of those in the usual care group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.89 ... All-cause death occurred in 6% of patients in the low-sodium diet group and 4% of those in the usual care group (HR, 1.38 ... All-cause death occurred in 6% of patients in the low-sodium diet group and 4% of those in the usual care group (HR, 1.38; P = .32). Cardiovascular-related hospitalization occurred in 10% of the low-sodium group and 12% of the usual care group (HR, 0.82; P = .36), and cardiovascular-related emergency department visits occurred in 4% of both groups (HR, 1.21 ... Quality-of-life measures on the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) suggested a benefit in the low-sodium group, with mean between-group differences in the change from baseline to 12 months of 3.38 points in the overall summary score, 3.29 points in the clinical summary score, and 3.77 points in the physical limitation score (all differences were statistically significant)"

New PPI Data Again Link Medication Use to Alzheimer's - Medscape, 4/1/22 - "The odds of developing Alzheimer's disease were significantly higher in current (odds ratio [OR], 1.36; P < .001) and past (OR, 1.11; P < .001) PPI groups than in the control group ... Participants with PPI prescriptions for fewer than 30 days (OR, 1.13; P < .001), 30 to 90 days (OR, 1.18; P < .001), or more than 90 days (OR, 1.26; P < .001) all had higher odds of developing Alzheimer's disease than those in control group. An increased association between the cumulative duration of PPI exposure and the development of Alzheimer's disease was also observed. The odds of developing Alzheimer's disease were higher for users with more than 30 days of exposure than for those with fewer than 30 days"

Antibiotic Use in Midlife Ups Risk of Cognitive Decline - Medscape, 4/1/22 - "scientists paired self-reported antibiotic use of 14,000 middle-aged nurses with outcomes on neuropsychological tests conducted 7 years later. The results revealed that those nurses who took antibiotics for at least 2 months during a period of 4 years had lower scores on tasks involving memory, learning, attention, and psychomotor speed. Overall, the negative effects of antibiotics on cognition were comparable to those caused by 3 to 4 years of aging"

Does alkaline water actually have health benefits? - womenshealthnetwork.com - "Synthetic alkaline water can be divided into two groups. One is purified water with added trace minerals. The second is produced by electrolysis and it’s even more artificial. A machine separates the hydrogen (acid-forming) and hydroxyl (alkalizing)components of water and renders two waters, one highly acidic and the other highly alkalizing ... The label on this kind of “alkalizing water” might say it was made by electrolysis. Such waters can have a pH of 9 or above — high enough to inactivate pepsin and decrease stomach acid production. In fact, the only medically approved use of these high pH waters is to treat acid reflux in Japan and Korea. Proponents of alkaline water made through electrolysis make broad claims about its health effects but to date, the only official medical use is for excess stomach acid." - Note: I had to take my wife to the E.R. one because she drank the electrolysis form.

Ivermectin is the signature example of politics trumping health - CNET, 3/31/22 - "The former president’s advocacy was halting and constrained, recognizing that there was more political value in standing against the “so-called experts” than in trying to persuade people to protect themselves against the virus. So his most fervent supporters went looking for more miracles. Florida embraced those antibody treatments. Others began to hype the drug ivermectin ... There was never any evidence that ivermectin was particularly effective at treating coronavirus infections. A smattering of studies suggested that there might be some benefit, but they were limited in scale. By March 2021, the Food and Drug Administration was warning that it hadn’t found any demonstrable benefit from taking the drug to treat covid. But then the delta variant of the coronavirus began to spread, causing particular devastation in states that were less vaccinated and, relatedly, had shown more support for Trump. So many people in those areas sought out ivermectin, convinced that some cure existed beyond the highly effective vaccine promoted by the Biden administration and the “experts.” ... We now know with a great deal of confidence that ivermectin does not show any appreciable benefit in treating covid-19. In fact, “volunteers who took ivermectin in the first three days after a positive coronavirus test turned out to have worse outcomes than did those in the placebo group,” as the New York Times reported." - Note: People want to believe lies and/o miracles. It works both ways. With politics and so-called big pharma. Big pharma might be dishonest but they have a long way to go to catch up with some politicians selling ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine.

Babies exposed to cannabis in the womb may be at risk for obesity, high blood sugar - Science Daily, 3/31/22 - "up to 22% of pregnant women had detectable levels of cannabinoids in their body. Women who use cannabis, both tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), during pregnancy could be putting their child at risk for low birth weight and behavioral problems. Exposure to cannabinoids may also increase the child's future risk of obesity and high blood sugar ... cannabis use during pregnancy was linked to increased fat mass percentage and fasting glucose levels in 5-year-old children"

Abstracts from this week:

Trehalose inhibits ferroptosis via NRF2/HO-1 pathway and promotes functional recovery in mice with spinal cord injury - Aging (Albany NY) 2022 Apr 10 - "Spinal cord injury (SCI) is the main cause of severe damage to the central nervous system and leads to irreversible tissue loss and neurological dysfunction. Ferroptosis is a cell death pattern, newly discovered in recent years. Ferroptosis is an oxidizing cell death induced by small molecules, and is an iron-dependent process caused by the imbalance between the generation and degradation of lipid reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells. As an antioxidant, trehalose can effectively prevent lipid peroxidation. Studies have reported that trehalose can improve the prognosis of SCI ... trehalose inhibited the expansion of cavities in the nerve tissue of mice with SCI, inhibited neuron loss, and improved functional recovery. In terms of mechanism, our results indicate that the neuroprotective effect of trehalose is due to the activation of the NRF2/HO-1 pathway, which in turn inhibits ferroptosis and ferroptosis-related inflammation" - See trehalose at Amazon.com.

Protective Effect of Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation on the Renal Function in Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy - Am J Cardiol 2022 Apr 6 - "During a mean follow-up period of 34 ± 27 months, sinus rhythm was maintained in 36 patients (80%) after 1.7 ± 0.8 ablation procedures. The eGFR significantly decreased from baseline to 3 months (p <0.01) and from baseline to 1 year (p <0.01) in the control group, whereas the eGFR in the ablation group was maintained both from baseline to 3 months (p = 0.94) and from baseline to 1 year (p = 1.00) after the CA. The change in the eGFR between baseline and 12 months was significantly smaller in the ablation group than in the control group (p <0.01). After logistic regression analysis, CA of AF was the independent predictor of an improvement of eGFR (odds ratio 2.81"

Antiosteoporosis Studies of 20 Medicine Food Homology Plants Containing Quercetin, Rutin, and Kaempferol: TCM Characteristics, In Vivo and In Vitro Activities, Potential Mechanisms, and Food Functions - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2022 Mar 31 - "Dietary nutraceutical compounds have been evidenced as backbone for bone health in recent years. It is reported that medicine food homology (MFH) plants have multiple nutraceutical compounds. Based on our literature research, 20 MFH plants caught our attention because they contain three popular antiosteoporosis compounds simultaneously: quercetin, rutin, and kaempferol ... Based on the above discussion, these 20 MFH plants could be used as daily food supplements for the prevention and treatment against osteoporosis" - See quercetin at Amazon.com, rutin at Amazon.com and Kaempferia parviflora at Amazon.com.

Ginsenoside compound K inhibits obesity-induced insulin resistance by regulation of macrophage recruitment and polarization via activating PPARγ - Food Funct 2022 Mar 21 - "ginsenoside CK could improve insulin resistance by reducing inflammation through the PPARγ/NF-κB signaling pathway, which implies that ginsenoside CK may be an effective agent against obesity or early diabetes" - See ginseng at Amazon.com.

Memory enhancement effect of saponins from Eleutherococcus senticosus leaves and blood-brain barrier-permeated saponins profiling using a pseudotargeted monitoring strategy - Food Funct 2022 Mar 21 - "Dried Eleutherococcus senticosus leaves (ESL), also known as Siberian ginseng tea, are beneficial for human neural disorders. Our previous studies showed that the aqueous extract of ESL enhanced memory in mice, and its saponin fraction (ESL-SAP) exhibited promising neuroprotective activities in vitro; however, the in vivo neurally related effect, bioactive material basis, and possible mechanism of action of ESL-SAP have not been investigated. Here, a series of memory and learning tests were carried out, and the results evidenced a significant enhancement effect of ESL-SAP ... blood-brain barrier (BBB) ... A further network pharmacology analysis was conducted on BBB-permeated compounds, which indicated that the in vivo mechanism of ESL-SAP might be effective through multiple targets and pathways, such as the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, to exert neuroprotective effects. Moreover, the molecular docking experiments demonstrated that key BBB-transferred saponins primarily interacted with targets HRAS, MAPK1, and MAPK8 to produce the neuroprotective effect" - See ginseng at Amazon.com.

Anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenetic and antiviral activities of dammarane-type triterpenoid saponins from the roots of Panax notoginseng - Food Funct 2022 Mar 21 - "these findings enrich knowledge of the diversity of saponins in P. notoginseng and suggest that the dammarane-type triterpenoid saponins from P. notoginseng may be developed as potential functional foods to treat inflammation, angiogenesis or dengue-related diseases" - See Panax ginseng at Amazon.com.

Rg1 Protects Hematopoietic Stem Cells from LiCl-Induced Oxidative Stress via Wnt Signaling Pathway - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2022 Mar 27 - "Ginsenoside Rg1 is a major component of ginseng with antioxidative and antiaging effects, which is a traditional Chinese medicine ... Rg1 exerts the pharmacological effect of maintaining the activity of GSK-3β in Sca-1+ hematopoietic cells, enhances the antioxidant potential of cells, improves the redox homeostasis, and thus protects cells from the decline in differentiation ability caused by aging. This study provides a potential therapeutic strategy to reduce stem cell pool failure caused by chronic oxidative damage to hematopoietic stem cells" - See ginseng at Amazon.com.

Rutin-loaded polymeric nanorods alleviate nephrolithiasis by inhibiting inflammation and oxidative stress in vivo and in vitro - Food Funct 2022 Mar 21 - "Rutin nanorods resulted in significant protection in serum and urinary biochemistry with reduced calcifications and increased tissue viability of kidneys without any toxicity and achieved high bioavailability. Our data provide a facile strategy for the use of rutin nanorods as a targeted drug system to treat and prevent renal stone formations" - See rutin at Amazon.com.

Dioscin relieves diabetic nephropathy via suppressing oxidative stress and apoptosis, and improving mitochondrial quality and quantity control - Food Funct 2022 Mar 21 - "Dioscin is a steroidal saponin isolated from various kinds of vegetables and herbs and possesses various biological activities. In this study, the protective effect of dioscin on diabetic nephropathy (DN) was explored. Dioscin and metformin (positive control) were administered orally to diabetic rats daily for 8 weeks ... dioscin effectively reduced blood glucose, pancreatic injury, renal function markers and renal pathological changes in DN rat kidneys. Dioscin reduced O2- and H2O2 levels, decreased MDA levels, enhanced antioxidant enzyme (SOD, CAT) activities, and reduced inflammatory factor expressions. Moreover, NOX4 expression and the disorder of the mitochondrial respiratory chain were reversed by dioscin. Furthermore, apoptosis mediated by the mitochondria and ER stress was inhibited by dioscin through downregulating the expressions of Bax, CytC, Apaf-1, caspase 9, p-PERK, p-EIF2α, IRE1, p-IRE1, XBP1s, ATF4, p-CHOP and caspase 12. In addition, autophagy was enhanced by dioscin via an AMPK-mTOR pathway. Mitophagy and mitochondrial fission/fusion belong to the mitochondrial quality and quantity control process, which was improved by dioscin via regulating Parkin, PINK1, DRP1, p-DRP1 and MFN2 expressions" - See dioscin at Amazon.com./p>

SSodium-glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors and Risk of Hyperkalemia in People with Type 2 diabetes: A Meta-analysis of Individual Participant Data from Randomized Controlled Trials - Circulation 2022 Apr 8 - "SGLT2 inhibitors reduce the risk of serious hyperkalemia in people with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk and/or with CKD, without increasing the risk of hypokalemia" - See empagliflozin at ihouseepharmacy.

Cardiovascular benefits of empagliflozin are associated with gut microbiota and plasma metabolites in type 2 diabetes - J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2022 Apr 9 - "empagliflozin may be a superior initial therapy for patients with T2DM at risk of CVDs; its cardiovascular benefits may be associated with shifts in gut microbiota and plasma metabolites" - See empagliflozin at ihouseepharmacy.

Metformin-mediated mitochondrial protection post-cardiac arrest improves EEG activity and confers neuroprotection and survival benefit - FASEB J 2022 May - "Cardiac arrest (CA) produces global ischemia/reperfusion injury resulting in substantial multiorgan damage ... Overall, as an effective and safe drug, metformin has the potential to be an easily translatable intervention for improving survival and preventing brain damage after CA" - See metformin at ReliableRX.

The effects of metformin and forskolin on sperm quality parameters and sexual hormones in type II diabetic male rats - Andrologia 2022 Apr 8 - "Treating diabetic rats with metformin and forskolin resulted in significant improvement in sperm quality parameters, increased testosterone levels, reduced oxidative stress in blood and testicular tissue, and decreased blood sugar, and Bax to Bcl-2 ratio level. Although the combination of metformin with forskolin had a higher effect in some parameters such as testosterone levels compared to treatment with metformin or forskolin alone, this combination had not shown a synergistic effect in all the sperm quality parameters. Metformin and forskolin are effective anti-diabetic agents, which significantly improve the sperm quality and sexual hormone levels in diabetic rats. Combining metformin and gorskolin resulted in significantly better testosterone level and antioxidant activity in blood serum without significant effect on sperm quality of diabetic rats" - See metformin at ReliableRX and forskolin at Amazon.com.

A critical evaluation of risk to reward ratio of quercetin supplementation for COVID-19 and associated comorbid conditions - Phytother Res 2022 Apr 8 - "The interim results of the large, multinational trials on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) using a combination of antiviral drugs appear to have little to no effect on the 28-day mortality or the in-hospital course. Therefore, there is a still vivid interest in finding alternate re-purposed drugs and nutrition supplements, which can halt or slow the disease severity ... The present review is tempting to suggest that, based on circumstantial scientific evidence and preliminary clinical data, the flavonoid quercetin can ameliorate COVID-19 infection and symptoms acting in concert on two parallel and independent paths: inhibiting key factors responsible for SARS-CoV-2 infections and mitigating the clinical manifestations of the disease in patients with comorbid conditions" - See quercetin at Amazon.com./p>

Controlled-release oral melatonin supplementation for hypertension and nocturnal hypertension: A systematic review and meta-analysis - J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich) 2022 Apr 7 - "Oral a href="../fpmelatonin.html">melatonin is a potential alternative treatment for hypertension and nocturnal hypertension. However, high-quality and relevant meta-analyses are lacking. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate whether oral melatonin supplementation reduces daytime/asleep blood pressure and cardiovascular risk, improves sleep quality, and is well-tolerated compared with placebo ... Only controlled-release melatonin (not an immediate-release preparation) reduced asleep systolic blood pressure by 3.57 mm Hg (95% confidence interval: -7.88 to .73; I2 = 0%). It also reduced asleep and awake diastolic blood pressure, but these differences were not statistically significant. Melatonin improves sleep efficacy and total sleep time and is safe and well-tolerated" - See controlled-release melatonin at Amazon.com.

AAstaxanthin delays brain aging in senescence-accelerated mouse prone 10: inducing autophagy as a potential mechanism - Nutr Neurosci 2022 Apr 6 - "Brain aging is a complex biological process often associated with a decline in cognitive functions and motility. Astaxanthin (AST) is a strong antioxidant capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier. The effect of AST on brain aging and its physiological and molecular mechanism are still unclear ... AST may induce autophagy by regulating IGF-1/Akt/mTOR and IGF-1/Akt/FoxO3a signaling, thereby delaying age-related neurodegeneration and cognitive decline in SAMP10 mice" - See astaxanthin at Amazon.com.

Folecitin Isolated from Hypericum oblongifolium Exerts Neuroprotection against Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Neuronal Synapse and Memory Dysfunction via p-AKT/Nrf-2/HO-1 Signalling Pathway - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2022 Mar 28 - "Neurodegenerative diseases, especially Alzheimer's disease (AD), are characterised with neuronal synapse and memory dysfunction, and thus, there is an urgent need to find novel therapeutic medicines that can target different pathways to restore the deficits. In this investigation, we assessed the medicinal potency of folecitin (a flavonoid isolated from Hypericum oblongifolium Wall.) against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced amyloidogenic amyloid beta (Aβ) production pathway-mediated memory impairment in mice. ... folecitin significantly decreased LPS-induced apoptotic proteins; expressed BAX, PARP-1, and caspase-3 proteins; and inhibited BACE1 that cleaves transmembrane amyloid precursor protein and the amyloidogenic Aβ production pathway. Folecitin restored both preneural and postneuronal synapse, accompanied by the improvement in memory impairment. Moreover, folecitin significantly activated endogenous antioxidant proteins Nrf-2 and HO-1 by stimulating the phosphorylation of Akt proteins. These findings indicate that folecitin might be a promising target for developing novel medication to treat neurodegenerative disorders caused by neurotoxins" - See St. John's wort at Amazon.com.

• Hypericum oblongifolium - Wikipedia - "Hypericum oblongifolium, known as Pendant St. John's wort, is a species of flowering plant in Hypericum sect. Ascyreia"

Associations of Dietary Cholesterol, Serum Cholesterol, and Egg Consumption With Overall and Cause-Specific Mortality, and Systematic Review and Updated Meta-Analysis/a> - Circulation 2022 Apr 1 - "Greater dietary cholesterol and egg consumption were associated with increased risk of overall and CVD mortality. HRs for each additional 300 mg cholesterol intake per day were 1.10 and 1.13 for overall and CVD mortality (respectively), and for each additional 50 g egg consumed daily HRs were 1.06 and 1.09, respectively, for overall and CVD mortality (all P-values<0.0001). After multivariable adjustment, higher serum total cholesterol concentrations were associated with increased risk of CVD mortality"

Exposure-Response Analysis and Mechanism of Ginkgolide B's Neuroprotective Effect in Acute Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion Stage in Rat - Biol Pharm Bull 2022 - "Ginkgolide B (GKB) is a well-established neuroprotectant for acute ischemia stroke. However, its cerebral exposure and real-time response remain elusive in acute ischemia/reperfusion stage, and it hinders its usage in therapeutic window of ischemia stroke ... GKB exhibits greater cerebral exposure in acute ischemia/reperfusion rats and neuroprotective effect through reducing PAF in exposure-response manner and mediating PAF-regulated intracellular signaling pathways. Our finding highlights clinical implications of GKB in therapeutic time window of ischemic stroke" - See Ginkgo biloba at Amazon.com./p>

Effects of Empagliflozin on Symptoms, Physical Limitations and Quality of Life in Patients Hospitalized for Acute Heart Failure - Results From the EMPULSE Trial - Circulation 2022 Apr 4 - "Initiation of empagliflozin in patients hospitalized for AHF produced clinical benefit regardless of the degree of symptomatic impairment at baseline; and improved symptoms, physical limitations and quality of life, with benefits seen as early as 15 days and maintained through 90 days" - See empagliflozin inhousepharmacy.vu.

SStatin Use Is Associated With a Lower Risk of Blepharitis: A Population-Based Study -Front Med (Lausanne) 2022 Mar 15 - "Blepharitis is a common eye disorder that may be overlooked by patients and clinical practitioners. The symptoms of blepharitis often manifest as irritation, a burning sensation, grittiness, and itchiness and may decrease visual acuity if not treated promptly. Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), a common cause of blepharitis, is believed to be associated with increased inflammatory marker levels that may disrupt the composition of lipids produced by the sebaceous glands in the eyelids and ultimately cause tear film instability ... The incidence of blepharitis was 3.04% with statin treatment and 3.72% without statin treatment (p < 0.001). Patients who used statins had a lower risk of developing blepharitis [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR): 0.746, p < 0.001] than those who did not. In addition, diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, chalazion, rosacea, Sjogren syndrome, psoriasis and atopy were found to be possible risk factors for blepharitis"

Lactobacillus paracasei 24 Attenuates Lipid Accumulation in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice by Regulating the Gut Microbiota - J Agric Food Chem 2022 Apr 4 - "Obesity has become a worldwide public health problem. Lactic acid bacteria have attracted extensive attention for alleviating obesity and fat accumulation. This study aimed to evaluate the alleviating effects of Lactobacillus paracasei 24 (LP24) on lipid accumulation in an obese mouse model induced by a high-fat diet (HFD). The results showed that LP24 treatment significantly reduced body weight and fat deposition in HFD mice, improved blood lipid levels and liver steatosis, reduced liver oxidative stress injury and the inflammatory response, and regulated fat metabolism-related factors. Moreover, LP24 regulated the abundance and diversity of the gut microbiota, reduced the abundance of Firmicutes and the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B), and increased the abundance of Akkermansia" - See probiotic supplements at Amazon.com./p>

Relationship Between the Gut Microbiota and Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review - J Alzheimers Dis 2022 Mar 2 - "The results of these studies support the hypothesis that there is a relationship between the gut microbiota and cognitive disorders through the gut-brain axis. However, today, there is a substantial lack of human studies, especially clinical trials, which makes it difficult to formulate clinical recommendations on this topic" - See probiotic supplements at Amazon.com.

Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation and 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels on the Risk of Atrial Fibrillation - Am J Cardiol 2022 Mar 31 - Am J Cardiol 2022 Mar 31 - "vitamin D (Vit-D) deficiency and Vit-D treatment (VDT) ... individuals with low 25-hydroxy-Vit-D ([25-OH]D) levels (<20 ng/ml) were divided into group-A (untreated, levels ≤20 ng/ml), group-B (treated, levels 21 to 29 ng/ml), and group-C (treated, levels ≥30 ng/ml) ... Among the individuals receiving VDT for ≥6 months, the risk of AF/a> was significantly lower in group-B (hazard ratio [HR] 0.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.80 to 0.98, p = 0.03] and group-C (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.73 to 0.0.95, p = 0.007] than in group-A. A subgroup analysis of men >65 years showed individuals with hypertension had a significantly lower risk of AF in group-C than in group-B (HR 0.79, CI 0.65 to 0.94, p = 0.02) and group-A (HR 0.78, CI 0.64 to 0.96, p = 0.012). A similar result was found in men >65 years with diabetes mellitus in group-C compared with group-B (HR 0.69, CI 0.51 to 0.93, p = 0.012) and group-A (HR 0.63, CI 0.47 to 0.84" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com..

Soy isoflavones protects against cognitive deficits induced by chronic sleep deprivation via alleviating oxidative stress and suppressing neuroinflammation - Phytother Res 2022 Apr 3 - "chronic sleep deprivation (CSD) ... Soy isoflavones (SI) have been reported to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammation, and neuroprotective effects ... SI administration remarkably improved the cognitive performance of CSD-treated mice in OLR, NOR, and MWM tests. In addition, SI significantly elevated total antioxidant capacity and superoxide dismutase enzyme activities, decreased malondialdehyde level, promoting antioxidant element nuclear erythroid-2-related factor 2, and its downstream targets, including heme oxygenase 1, and quinone oxidoreductase 1 protein expressions. Moreover, SI treatment significantly suppressed nuclear factor kappa B p65, nitric oxide synthase, and cyclooxygenase 2 activation, as well as the pro-inflammatory cytokines (Tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α], interleukin-6 [IL-6], and interleukin-1β [IL-1β]) release in the hippocampus of CSD-treated mice" - See soy isoflavones at Amazon.com.

Luteolin Ameliorates Methamphetamine-Induced Podocyte Pathology by Inhibiting Tau Phosphorylation in Mice - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2022 Mar 24 - "Methamphetamine (METH) can cause kidney dysfunction. Luteolin is a flavonoid compound that can alleviate kidney dysfunction ... We observed increased levels of p-Tau and p-GSK3β and elevated glomerular pathology, renal dysfunction, renal fibrosis, foot process effacement, macrophage infiltration, and podocyte specific protein loss. Inhibition of GSK3β activation protected METH-induced kidney injury. Furthermore, luteolin could obliterate glomerular pathologies, inhibit podocyte protein loss, and stop p-Tau level increase. Luteolin could also abolish the METH-induced podocyte injury by inactivating GSK3β-p-Tau in cultured podocytes. These results indicate that luteolin might ameliorate methamphetamine-induced podocyte pathology through GSK3β-p-Tau axis" - See luteolin products at Amazon.com.

Improvement in the Blood Urea Nitrogen and Serum Creatinine Using New Cultivation of Cordyceps militaris - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2022 Mar 23 - "Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a critical public health issue with a huge financial burden for both patients and society worldwide. Unfortunately, there are currently no efficacious therapies to prevent or delay the progression of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Traditional Chinese medicine practices have shown that Cordyceps militaris (C. militaris) mycelia have a variety of pharmacologically useful properties, including antitumor, immunomodulation, and hepatoprotection. However, the effect of mycelial C. militaris on CKD remains unclear ... nvestigated the effects of C. militaris mycelia on mice with CKD using four types of media: HKS, HKS with vitamin A (HKS + A), CM, and CM with vitamin A (CM + A) ... The results at day 10 revealed that the levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were significantly lower in the HKS (41%), HKS + A (41%), and CM + A (34%) groups compared with those in the corresponding control groups (nephrectomic mice). The level of serum creatinine in the HKS + A group decreased by 35% at day 10, whereas the levels in the HKS and CM + A groups decreased only by 14% and 13%, respectively, on day 30. Taken together, this is the first report using four new media (HKS, HKS + A, CM, and CM + A medium) for C. militaris mycelia. Each medium of mycelial C. militaris on CKD exhibits specific effect on BUN, serum creatinine, body weight, total protein, and uric acid" - See Cordyceps at Amazon.com.

Metformin to treat Huntington disease: a pleiotropic drug against a multi-system disorder - Mech Ageing Dev 2022 Mar 30 - "Huntington disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder produced by an expansion of CAG repeats in the HTT gene. Patients of HD show involuntary movements, cognitive decline and psychiatric impairment. People carrying abnormally long expansions of CAGs (more than 35 CAG repeats) produce mutant huntingtin (mHtt), which encodes tracks of polyglutamines (polyQs). These polyQs make the protein prone to aggregate and cause it to acquire a toxic gain of function. Principally affecting the frontal cortex and the striatum, mHtt disrupts many cellular functions ... Several studies reported that metformin, a widely-used anti-diabetic drug, is neuroprotective in models of HD ... Metformin is a pleiotropic drug, modulating different targets such as AMPK, insulin signalling and many others. These molecules regulate autophagy, chaperone expression, and more, which in turn reduce mHtt toxicity. Moreover, metformin alters gut microbiome and its metabolic processes" - See metformin at ReliableRX.

The Effect of Sacubitril/Valsartan Treatment on Cardiac and Renal Functions of a Patient With Cardiorenal Syndrome Type 4 and Stage 5 CKD After More Than Three Years of Follow-Up - Front Med (Lausanne) 2022 Mar 11 - "In our hospital, she received sacubitril/valsartan treatment for at least 40 months. The symptoms of HF relieved, and the indices of cardiac function improved. In addition, the patient's renal function was stable. During the treatment, the dosage of sacubitril/valsartan needed to be adjusted to achieve the optimal therapeutic effect. Follow-up results showed that she achieved cardiac function of New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II with an ejection fraction of 0.60 and E/A > 1 indicated by echocardiogram, and did not develop hyperkalemia. In summary, the improvement of cardiac and renal functions of the CRS4 patient was associated with the long-term sacubitril/valsartan treatment"

Antihyperglycemic effect of an anthocyanin, cyanidin-3- O-glucoside, is achieved by regulating GLUT-1 via the Wnt/β-catenin-WISP1 signaling pathway - Food Funct 2022 Mar 31 - "Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G), an essential representative of anthocyanins, has been proved to possess a myriad of biological activities. However, the effects of C3G on glucose metabolism and its underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive ... our study provided evidence of the antihyperglycemic effect of C3G in vivo and in vitro via regulating GLUT-1 expression and the related signaling pathways" - See anthocyanins at Amazon.com.

Comparison of Trials Using Ivermectin for COVID-19 Between Regions With High and Low Prevalence of Strongyloidiasis - JAMA. 3/21/22 - "In this meta-analysis of 12 trials including 3901 patients, strongyloidiasis prevalence was found to interact with the RR of mortality for ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19. No evidence was found to suggest ivermectin has any role in preventing mortality among patients with COVID-19 in regions where strongyloidiasis was not endemic" - Note: In layman's terms, seems like what they're saying is that if strongyloidiasis is an underlying condition, ivermectin will cure that underlying condition and reduce mortality. But only 8% have the strongyloidiasis parasite and nearly all of them are in tropic or sub-tropic climates.

Lipid metabolism disorders and lipid mediator changes of mice in response to long-term exposure to high-fat and high sucrose diets and ameliorative effects of mulberry leaves - Food Funct 2022 Mar 31 - "Mulberry leaves exhibit anti-lipogenic and lipid-lowering effects. However, the lipid biomarkers and underlying mechanisms for the improvement of the action of mulberry leaves on obesity and lipid metabolism disorders have not been sufficiently investigated yet ... mulberry leaf water extract (MLWE) ... Our results showed that MLWE supplementation not only decreased body weight gain, serum total triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase levels, but also increased the serum level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. In addition, MLWE supplementation also ameliorated hepatic steatosis and lipid accumulation" - See mulberry leaf extract at Amazon.com.

Low and High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and 10-Year Mortality in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: The Shanghai Aging Study - Front Med (Lausanne) 2022 Mar 8 - "Using the highest quintile of LDL-C (≥4.10 mmol/L) as a reference, the lowest quintile of LDL-C (<2.61 mmol/L) was associated with the highest risk of mortality, after adjusting for confounders (HR 1.67; 95% CI 1.26-2.21), exclusion of death within the first 2 years of follow-up (HR 1.57; 95% CI 1.17-2.11), and exclusion of functionally impaired participants (HR 1.46; 95% CI 1.07-2.00). A U-shape relationship was found between HDL-C level and the mortality risk. Using the third quintile of HDL-C (1.21-1.39 mmol/L) as a reference, HR (95% CI) was 1.46 (1.09-1.95) for the lowest quintile (<1.09 mmol/L) and 1.45 (1.07-1.96) for the highest quintile (≥1.61 mmol/L) of HDL-C, after adjusting for confounders; and 1.57 (1.15-2.15) for the lowest quintile and 1.45 (1.04-2.01) for the highest quintile of HDL-C, after exclusion of death within the first 2 years of follow-up; and 1.55 (1.11-2.16) for the lowest quintile and 1.42 (1.00-2.02) for the highest quintile of HDL-C, after exclusion of functionally impaired participants. ... We found an inverse association of LDL-C and a U-shape relationship of HDL-C with long-term all-cause mortality in a cohort with community-dwelling older Chinese adults. Levels of LDL-C and HDL-C are suggested to be managed properly in late life"

Chlorogenic acid improves the intestinal barrier by relieving endoplasmic reticulum stress and inhibiting ROCK/MLCK signaling pathways - Food Funct 2022 Mar 30 - "CGA protects the intestinal barrier by inhibiting ROCK/MLCK signalling pathways and relieving ER stress. These findings highlight the importance of rapidly screening potential active ingredients that benefit the intestinal barrier and provide a theoretical basis for enteral nutrition" - See chlorogenic acid at Amazon.com.

An Eluate of the Medicinal Plant Garcinia kola Displays Strong Antidiabetic and Neuroprotective Properties in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Mice - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2022 Mar 21 - "G. kola methanolic extract was fractionated using increasingly polar solvents. Fractions were administered to streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice until marked motor signs developed in diabetic controls ... Our results suggest that subfraction F5 of G. kola extract prevented the development of motor signs and improved disease profile in an STZ-induced mouse model of diabetic encephalopathy. Antidiabetic activity of β-lactam molecules accounted at least partly for these effects" - See Gotu Kola at Amazon.com.

Effect of Early Treatment with Ivermectin among Patients with Covid-19 - NEJM, 3/30/22 - "Treatment with ivermectin did not result in a lower incidence of medical admission to a hospital due to progression of Covid-19 or of prolonged emergency department observation among outpatients with an early diagnosis of Covid-19" - See [10News] [Medscape] I take a lot of crap for saying that it doesn't work. If might help if you have that parasite as an underlying condition. The way I understand it is that that parasite is only common is certain parts of the world and most people in the U.S. don't have it. See the article in my last newsletter. Seems like there would be a test for parasites. I do that test before I took snake oil for Covid.

Association of Vitamin D Deficiency With COVID-19 Infection Severity Clin Endocrinol. 2022;96(3):287-287 - "Seventeen observational studies with 2756 patients were included in the analyses. Vitamin D deficiency was associated with significantly higher mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 2.47, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.50–4.05; 12 studies; hazard ratio [HR]: 4.11, 95% CI: 2.40–7.04; 3 studies), higher rates of hospital admissions (OR: 2.18, 95% CI: 1.48–3.21; 3 studies) and longer hospital stays (0.52 days; 95% CI: 0.25–0.80; 2 studies) as compared to nonvitamin D deficient status" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Changes in dietary total and non-haem iron intake is associated with incident frailty in older men: The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project - J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2022 Mar 30 - "Maintaining or increases in dietary total iron, and increases or changes in dietary non-haem iron intakes over three years were associated with reduced incidence of FP frailty in older me" - See iron supplements at Amazon.com.

Cruciferous vegetable consumption and multiple health outcomes: an umbrella review of 41 systematic reviews and meta-analyses of 303 observational studies - Food Funct 2022 Mar 30 - "Of the 41 meta-analyses, we observed suggestive evidence for beneficial associations between gastric cancer, lung cancer, endometrial cancer, and all-cause mortality. Moreover, 16 associations were supported by weak evidence, including breast cancer, lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma, bladder cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, colon cancer, colorectal adenoma, colorectal neoplasm, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and total cancer" - See cruciferous vegetables supplements at Amazon.com.

Oryzanol alleviates high fat and cholesterol diet-induced hypercholesterolemia associated with the modulation of the gut microbiota in hamsters - Food Funct 2022 Mar 29 - "A high fat and cholesterol diet (HFCD) can modulate the gut microbiota, which is closely related with hypercholesterolemia. This study aimed to explore the anti-hypercholesterolemia effect of oryzanol, and investigate whether the function of oryzanol is associated with the gut microbiota and related metabolites ... Oryzanol supplementation reversed the changes of the gut microbiota and metabolites, and intestinal barrier injury was also partly relieved. This suggests that oryzanol supplementation modulating the gut microbiota contributes to its anti-hyperlipidemia function, especially anti-hypercholesterolemia" - See oryzanol at Amazon.com.

Tryptophan Supplementation Increases the Production of Microbial-Derived AhR Agonists in an In Vitro Simulator of Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem - J Agric Food Chem 2022 Mar 28 - "The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) plays an important role in intestinal homeostasis, and some microbial metabolites of tryptophan are known AhR agonists. In this study, we assessed the impact of tryptophan supplementation on the formation of tryptophan metabolites, AhR activation, and microbiota composition in the simulator of the human intestinal microbial ecosystem (SHIME) ... Tryptophan supplementation induced most microbial changes in the transverse colon including increased relative abundance of lactobacillus. We conclude that tryptophan supplementation leads to increased formation of AhR agonists in the colon" - See tryptophan at Amazon.com.

The benefits of grape seed extract in neurological disorders and brain aging - Nutr Neurosci 2022 Mar 28 - "Common neurological disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases, stroke, epilepsy, autism and psychiatric disorders, affect many people worldwide and threaten their lives and health by inducing movement disorders, behavioral disorders, or a combination of both. Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation play a central role in neuronal damage and neurological diseases induction and progression ... Grape seed contains several flavonoids and non-flavonoids and exerts potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. In addition, polyphenols and flavanols can maintain cellular proteostasis. Since impaired proteostasis is closely involved in all amyloid diseases, particularly neurodegenerative diseases, grape seeds extract can be a valuable therapeutic agent" - See grape seed extract at Amazon.com.

Can we rely on total testosterone measurement to exclude hypogonadism in erectile dysfunction? - Int J Impot Res 2022 Mar 28 - "Although male hypogonadism (MH) is a prevalent comorbidity in patients presenting for erectile dysfunction (ED), its screening relies solely on total testosterone (TT). Ageing and other conditions can increase sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and lower free testosterone (FT) causing symptomatic MH despite normal TT. The primary objective was to measure the prevalence of normal TT/low FT among patients presenting for ED ... Normal TT/low cFT is frequent and can be missed by current screening recommendations for MH in patients presenting for ED. Ageing seems to be the main culprit as elevated SHBG prevalence increases steeply after the sixth decade. TT cannot solely be relied on to exclude biochemical MH in patients presenting for ED, especially in patients over 60 years old"

Egg consumption and risk of cardiovascular events among Iranians: results from Isfahan Cohort Study (ICS) - Eur J Clin Nutr 2022 Mar 28 - "These findings suggest that higher egg consumption is not associated with increased risk of MI, ICHD, stroke, and CVD among Iranians. Larger studies with longer duration of follow-up are warranted to explore these associations in populations with higher egg consumption"

Coenzyme Q10 as Adjunctive Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease and Hypertension: A Systematic Review - J Nutr 2022 Mar 28 - "CoQ10 supplementation in patients with heart failure improved functional capacity, increased CoQ10 serum levels, and led to fewer major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). CoQ10 had positive quantifiable effects on inflammatory markers in patients with ischemic heart disease. Myocardial hemodynamics improved in patients who received CoQ10 supplementation prior to cardiac surgery. Effects on hypertension were inconclusive" - See ubiquinol products at Amazon.com.

Comparative Assessment in Young and Elderly Men of the Gonadotropin Response to Aromatase Inhibition - JCEM, 1/10/05 - "In both the young and elderly group, SHBG levels decreased during letrozole treatment (P = 0.003 and <0.001, respectively; P value for young vs. elderly was not significant). The ratios T/E2 and FT/FE2 were significantly higher after letrozole treatment in both groups" - See letrozole at inhousepharmacy.vu.

Neat Tech Stuff / "How To's":

Wow, my Amazon commission on supplements just doubled from 1% to 2% which is pre-Covid levels. $13 per month to $26 per month. Now I might make enough to pay Earthlink the $26 per month for hosting my website.

Health Focus (Apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I)):