LONGECITY

White house reporting Trump now getting remdesivir.  The plot thickens!  

 

In other news... The EU's medicines regulator has launched a safety review of remdesivir following reports of serious kidney problems in some patients. 

 

I thought remdesivir only damaged the liver, while offering no decrease in mortality.  

Edited by Dorian Grey, 03 October 2020 - 06:40 AM.

They also said he has taken Regeneron which is an experimental antibody cocktail.

 

https://time.com/589...covid-cocktail/

 

(There is the reference for whoever "needs references" my post)

Edited by lancebr, 03 October 2020 - 06:48 AM.

Needs references...  Google is your friend! www.google.com  

Edited by Dorian Grey, 03 October 2020 - 06:48 AM.

They also said he has taken Regeneron which is an experimental antibody cocktail.

 

https://time.com/589...covid-cocktail/

 

(There is the reference for whoever "needs references" my post)

 

Just read this on Science: "‘Provocative results’ boost hopes of antibody treatment for COVID-19"

https://www.sciencem...atment-covid-19

 

I start to think that not immediately testing seniors at hospital admission for Vitamin D deficiency and immediately correcting is crazy. The role of it as anti-inflammatory is known and important in C19 (here eNOS mediating NO in the endothelium):

 

Vitamin D and Endothelial Function

"Vitamin D is known to elicit a vasoprotective effect, while vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for endothelial dysfunction (ED). ED is characterized by reduced bioavailability of a potent endothelium-dependent vasodilator, nitric oxide (NO), and is an early event in the development of atherosclerosis. In endothelial cells, vitamin D regulates NO synthesis by mediating the activity of the endothelial NO synthase (eNOS). Under pathogenic conditions, the oxidative stress caused by excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) facilitates NO degradation and suppresses NO synthesis, consequently reducing NO bioavailability. Vitamin D, however, counteracts the activity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase which produces ROS, and improves antioxidant capacity by enhancing the activity of antioxidative enzymes such as superoxide dismutase. In addition to ROS, proinflammatory mediators such as TNF-α and IL-6 are risk factors for ED, restraining NO and eNOS bioactivity and upregulating the expression of various atherosclerotic factors through the NF-κB pathway. These proinflammatory activities are inhibited by vitamin D by suppressing NF-κB signaling and production of proinflammatory cytokines. In this review, we discuss the diverse activities of vitamin D in regulating NO bioavailability and endothelial function."

https://www.mdpi.com...2-6643/12/2/575

 

See also: https://www.medscape...warticle/938303

Edited by albedo, 03 October 2020 - 07:45 PM.

I had long bought with a stomach virus just recently, 2 weeks to get over it, 3 weeks before completely back to normal.  After a week of it, I checked myself into the hospital.  Not a small town hospital, its the primary for a large region.

 

They ran all kinds of test, put me through donut, urine, stool, and several blood tests.  None of the testing checked for vitamin d and I live in a northern state.

Interesting chart showing the recommended doses for Ivermection depending upon severity and weight.

 

https://www.research...RESPONSE-TO.png

IVERMECTIN

 

Not recommending to others, just reporting my own experience. 

 

AVAILABILITY

Ivermectin is easily available.

https://www.amazon.c.../dp/B01K2A3HPW/

$12 for about 30 human doses. Usual deworming dose for humans is 150 micrograms per kg, I’m 83 kg.  My dose would be 670 mg of that brand of  gel, which I easily weighed out on a milligram scale. 

 

I tried that dose once.  The gel is neutral in flavor.  Pleasant, not disgusting.  I felt nothing unusual at all that day.  A week later I tried 1.5 the usual dose, 1000 mg of the gel.  Again, felt fine all day and the next.

 

DOSAGE

Some commenters have objected that the low deworming dose should be ineffective.  Sorry, I don't recall the details of their reasoning,.  But there are reports that a low dose is effective against CV-19:  100, 150, 200, 300, 400 mcg/kg.  And speculation that even larger doses are tolerable.  Also, it is being trialed as a prophylactic.

 

https://papers.ssrn....ract_id=3580524

Exposure: Ivermectin (150mcg/Kg) administered once compared with COVID-19 patients receiving medical therapy without ivermectin

Of those requiring mechanical ventilation fewer patients died in the ivermectin group (7.3% versus 21.3%) and overall death rates were lower with ivermectin (1.4% versus 8.5%; HR 0.20 CI 95% 0.11-0.37, p<0.0001).

 

 

Lost reference

Drug: Ivermectin

6mg once daily in day 0,1,7 and 8
Drug: Azithromycin

500mg once daily for 4 days
Drug: Cholecalciferol

400 IU twice daily for 30 days

 

 

https://www.trialsit...t-under-6-days/

(

A) (n=60): Ivermectin 200 µgm/kg single dose and Doxycycline 100 mg BID for 10 days.

(B) (n=56): Hydroxychloroquine 400mg first day then 200mg BID for 9 days plus Azithromycin 500mg daily for 5 days.

 

The Results:

Group A, the Ivermectin group, experienced a 100% recovery rate, with a mean symptomatic recovery duration of 5.93 days and negative PCR was on 8.93 days.

Group B results Hydroxychloroquine was 96.36%, 6.99 days and 9.33 days respectively. 

 

Group A experienced mild degree of adverse effects; lethargy in 14 (23.3%), nausea in 11 (18.3%) and occasional vertigo in 7 (11.66%) of patients.

Group B experienced some degree of adverse effects; 13 (23.21%) mild type of blurring of vision and headache; 22 (39.2%) increased lethargy and dizziness, 10 (17.85%) occasional palpitation, and 9 (16.07%) experienced nausea and vomiting.

 

 

 

 

trialsitenews.com/president-of-dominican-republics-largest-private-health-group-discusses-the-success-of-ivermectin-as-a-treatment-for-early-stage-covid-19

Well we started with what is in the standard anti-parasite protocol of 100 to 200 micrograms per kilogram and have progressed that to 400 micrograms per kilogram of bodyweight. We also include it with Azithromycin.

How many patients have you treated and what has been the success rate?

Of the 1,300 patients we have treated (early state cases), over 99% have been cured within 8 to 10 days. It has been frankly amazing. It’s truly feels like a gift from above.

 

 

https://www.universalpersonality.com/quadruple-therapy-with-ivermectinis-effective-in-treating-covid-19/ 

Quadruple Remedy contains Ivermectin 12 mg one dose, Doxycycline 100 mg as soon as a day for 4 days, Zinc 50 mg as soon as a day for 4 days and Vitamin D3 as soon as every week. Ivermectin, Doxycycline and Zinc are to be repeated each 14 days and Vitamin D3 each week with blood ranges monitored. The synergistic impact of those medication acts to stop viral multiplication and in addition cease the virus from getting into human cells. Thomas Borody, an Australian gastroenterologist who is understood for curing peptic ulcers with triple antibiotic remedy, has revealed that one block in South America that acquired Ivermectin mixture prophylaxis didn’t contract coronavirus an infection whereas others did,” he mentioned.

 

 

 

https://www.scienced...0028962030288X#!

COVID-19 patients receiving ivermectin became SARS-CoV-2 negative more quickly  

· Fewer ivermectin-treated patients developed respiratory distress

· Ivermectin-treated COVID-19 patients had shorter hospital stays

· Ivermectin is associated with a lower mortality rate in COVID-19 patients….

Ivermectin was given once at dose of 12 mg within 24-h after hospital admission

 

 

https://papers.ssrn....ract_id=3636557

200 µg/kg yielded a 40% reduction in mortality compared with 107 controls (15.0% vs. 25.2%, p=0.03). Mortality was cut by 52% with IVM for patients having severe pulmonary disease (38.8% vs. 80.7%, p=0.001). Stabilization and then improvement over 1-2 days frequently occurred for patients who had rapidly deteriorating oxygen status.

It is proposed that higher doses of IVM could yield sharply greater clinical benefits. In several clinical studies, IVM at doses of up to 2,000 µg/kg, ten times that used in the Florida study, were well tolerated. The potential for major dose-response gains is evaluated based upon studies indicating that IVM shields SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and that this spike protein binds to the CD147 transmembrane receptor as well as to ACE2

 

 

Ivermectin prophylactic trial. https://clinicaltria...61?view=results

40-60 kg (15mg/day) 60-80kg (18mg/day) >80kg (24mg/day)

 

 

BRIEF ACADEMIC REVIEW

https://openheart.bm...ent/7/2/e001350

 

MECHANISMS

https://onlinelibrar...oVcLX0Hc.reddit

Quantitative proteomics reveals a broad‐spectrum antiviral property of ivermectin, benefiting for COVID‐19 treatment

 

http://iv.iiarjourna...ntent/34/5/3023

Ivermectin Docks to the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Receptor-binding Domain Attached to ACE2

 

 

Edited by bladedmind, 04 October 2020 - 02:29 AM.

DOXYCYLCINE AS PROPHYLACTIC!

 

https://www.medrxiv....7.22.20154542v1

Minocycline or doxycycline treatment within a year prior to ARDS diagnosis was associated with a 75% reduced likelihood for mechanical ventilation during hospital stay. Furthermore, tetracycline antibiotic therapy corresponded to significant reductions in duration of mechanical ventilation and ICU stay in ARDS patients. These data suggest tetracyclines may provide prophylactic benefit in reducing ventilatory support for ARDS patients and support further evaluation in a randomized prospective trial.

 

 

REMDESIVIR IS A LOSER

 

https://www.medrxiv....9.27.20202754v1

Conclusions The evidence is insufficient for the outcomes critical for making decisions about the role of remdesivir in the treatment of patients with COVID-19, so it is not possible to balance the potential benefits, if any, with the adverse effects and costs. 

 

 

I haven’t kept a tally of studies, but it looks like that some recent studies of HCQ are more favorable, although overall findings are mixed.  I propose that Ivermectin + is best supported, followed by HCQ +, and remdesivir is least supported.

 

Edited by bladedmind, 04 October 2020 - 02:43 AM.

Trump was given 8 GRAMS of antibodies. This is a crazy high dose. Antibodies are typically dosed at a few mg/Kg body weight (for example this article mentions 5mg/ml being a high dose).

 

Trump supposedly weighs 244 lbs. That would give a usual high dose of about 550mg. What he actually got is about 15x higher, and could bring with it significant risks of side-effects. It is also probably a $20K dose.

 

Not exactly the kind of treatment that would be given for a not-very-serious-kind-of-like-the-flu disease.

 

 

Trump was given 8 GRAMS of antibodies. This is a crazy high dose. Antibodies are typically dosed at a few mg/Kg body weight (for example this article mentions 5mg/ml being a high dose).

 

Trump supposedly weighs 244 lbs. That would give a usual high dose of about 550mg. What he actually got is about 15x higher, and could bring with it significant risks of side-effects. It is also probably a $20K dose.

 

Not exactly the kind of treatment that would be given for a not-very-serious-kind-of-like-the-flu disease.

 

I was curious about his treatments as well.

 

I don't think it has to do with the actual facts about this respiratory virus, however. Maybe they just want to "take no chances".

 

According to the CDC (and some of Trump's health advisors), a man of Turmp's age and health status has about a 1 in 100 chance of dying from this disease.

 

For healthy people under 50, COVID-19 is apparently less deadly than a bad case of the flu: https://www.cdc.gov/...-scenarios.html

It's not quite like the flu when we have things like:

 

Nine in ten recovered COVID-19 patients experience side-effects - study

https://news.yahoo.c...-090552953.html

 

Covid-19 Can Cause Heart Damage—Even If You Are Asymptomatic

https://www.forbes.c...c/#7a684dfa6cef

 

COVID-19 linked to heart inflammation in college athletes

https://www.msn.com/...tes/ar-BB18Wrug

 

COVID-19 Can Wreck Your Heart, Even if You Haven’t Had Any Symptoms

https://www.scientif...d-any-symptoms/

 

etc.. also hints of neurological, kidney, and other hidden damage even in asymptomatic people

 

 

My ivermectin dosage posting was a little bit inexact.  Here is a more exact summary.

 

https://www.scienced...01001155912.htm

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can relieve pain, according to a new study by University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers.

The finding may explain why nearly half of people who get COVID-19 experience few or no symptoms, even though they are able to spread the disease, according to the study's corresponding author Rajesh Khanna, PhD, a professor in the College of Medicine -- Tucson's Department of Pharmacology.

"It made a lot of sense to me that perhaps the reason for the unrelenting spread of COVID-19 is that in the early stages, you're walking around all fine as if nothing is wrong because your pain has been suppressed," said Dr. Khanna. "You have the virus, but you don't feel bad because you pain is gone. If we can prove that this pain relief is what is causing COVID-19 to spread further, that's of enormous value."

The paper, "SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein co-opts VEGF-A/Neuropilin-1 receptor signaling to induce analgesia," will be published in PAIN, the journal of the International Association for the Study of Pain.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated data Sept. 10 estimating 50% of COVID-19 transmission occurs prior to the onset of symptoms and 40% of COVID-19 infections are asymptomatic.

"This research raises the possibility that pain, as an early symptom of COVID-19, may be reduced by the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein as it silences the body's pain signaling pathways," said UArizona Health Sciences Senior Vice President Michael D. Dake, MD. "University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers at the Comprehensive Pain and Addiction Center are leveraging this unique finding to explore a novel class of therapeutics for pain as we continue to seek new ways to address the opioid epidemic."

Viruses infect host cells through protein receptors on cell membranes. Early in the pandemic, scientists established that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein uses the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor to enter the body. But in June, two papers posted on the preprint server bioRxiv pointed to neuropilin-1 as a second receptor for SARS-CoV-2.

Rest of story at above link

I start to think that not immediately testing seniors at hospital admission for Vitamin D deficiency and immediately correcting is crazy.........

 

https://www.nutraing...ign=05-Oct-2020
 

https://www.irishtim...rable-1.4371795

Edited by albedo, 05 October 2020 - 11:13 AM.

RESPIRATORY REFLUX AS CV-19 RISK FACTOR?

 

Edited by bladedmind, 05 October 2020 - 06:39 PM.

I've got famotidine in my COVID medicine chest.  Seems crazy, but what have I got to lose?  I've seen CV dosing at 80mg 2-3 X/day?  

 

Noticed Trump was getting this too. Wonder if he was mega-dosing.  What would Fauci say!  

Honeysuckle extract(MIR2911) stops viral replication, little bit of old news now, wonder if Trump got anything like this but unreported? - Link1, Link2 , Link3

 

Clinical trial is underway - honeysuckle, mint, and licorice highlighted.

 

Found an article about it back in 2014, one would think there would be a way to purchase it - "honeysuckle decoction HD" seems to be the right keywords.

 

 

On the mask front, still amazes me we dont have a mask that are close to 100% effective, new study shows it does help.

 

"They urge people to shift from low efficacy face coverings such as “neck gaiters or bandanas,” and move to effective masks such as those with “multiple fabric layers or special filtration material like N95 masks”"

You can keep the honeysuckle gal...  I'm sipping a gin & tonic zinc ionophore (quinine)! 

 

Regarding the masks, I was a surgical tech for 35 years, & nothing is more comfortable than a disposable surgical mask.  Lite, breathable and comfortable.  Here in San Diego, everyone is wearing those reusable contoured/molded "face-helmet masks" that hang open at the top after a couple days use when the ear straps stretch out.  Got to laugh when you can actually see their mouth over the top of the mask as they're chattering away.  

 

Neck gaiters & bandanas?  Oh My!  Perhaps it's the thought that counts?  I've come to understand vocalization is what generates the most aerosols, so I steer clear of the talkers & don't sweat the quiet man sipping coffee with mask hanging off his ear.  Beware the chatterbox!  They are the ones generating aerosols!  

No major surprise to many of us here: President D. Trump received (next to antibodies, remdesivir, steroid dexamethasone, ...) guess what: Vitamin D, Zinc, Melatonin and low dose Aspirin!

https://www.sciencem...id-19-treatment

Edited by albedo, 06 October 2020 - 02:47 PM.

On the mask front, still amazes me we dont have a mask that are close to 100% effective, new study shows it does help.

 

"They urge people to shift from low efficacy face coverings such as “neck gaiters or bandanas,” and move to effective masks such as those with “multiple fabric layers or special filtration material like N95 masks”"

 

Reusable respirators with P100 (N100-equivalent) filters are close to 100% effective.

 

https://multimedia.3...-biohazards.pdf

Thanks Florin, not crazy expensive - https://www.amazon.c...p100 respirator

It's not quite like the flu when we have things like:

 

Nine in ten recovered COVID-19 patients experience side-effects - study

https://news.yahoo.c...-090552953.html

 

Covid-19 Can Cause Heart Damage—Even If You Are Asymptomatic

https://www.forbes.c...c/#7a684dfa6cef

 

COVID-19 linked to heart inflammation in college athletes

https://www.msn.com/...tes/ar-BB18Wrug

 

COVID-19 Can Wreck Your Heart, Even if You Haven’t Had Any Symptoms

https://www.scientif...d-any-symptoms/

 

etc.. also hints of neurological, kidney, and other hidden damage even in asymptomatic people

 

So what if I looked at people that had just gotten over the flu?  Would I find elevated heart enzymes?  It would not surprise me at all, as these are very sensitive tests.  We need some context to evaluate this data against.

 

And just because you have elevated heart enzymes, that does not mean you've suffered significant damage that will have a lasting impact on your health.  After all, most people get over mild heart attacks with not life altering heart damage. 

 

These articles have a tone of scare mongering to me.

So what if I looked at people that had just gotten over the flu?  Would I find elevated heart enzymes?  It would not surprise me at all, as these are very sensitive tests.  We need some context to evaluate this data against.

 

And just because you have elevated heart enzymes, that does not mean you've suffered significant damage that will have a lasting impact on your health.  After all, most people get over mild heart attacks with not life altering heart damage. 

 

These articles have a tone of scare mongering to me.

 

Right, but the worst has to be assumed until it can be discounted. Assuming the best without evidence (like no airborne transmission) is what got us into this mess.

 

Also, I wouldn't be surprised if complications (like blood clotting) from the flu are worse than what is generally assumed. 

 

Covid-19's Scary Blood Clots Aren't That Surprising

https://www.wired.co...hat-surprising/

Based also on EFSA European Food Safety Authority:

"In conclusion, this report considers the potential influence of the 10 essential nutrients, considered critical by the EFSA for the proper functioning of the immune system, by reviewing their potential preventive or other eects against COVID-19. In this context, it is worth noting that the countries with the worst intake profile for these micronutrients correspond to those that have received the cruelest blow from the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this ecological study show that the suboptimal consumption of Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Vitamin B12, and iron is correlated with either COVID-19 incidence or mortality indicators. Moreover, the scientific evidence accumulated to date highlights the relevance of the optimal status of the 10 nutrients but, above all, it underlines the importance of Vitamin D and iron for the immune system as well as for the prevention and fight against COVID-19. Thus, the body of evidence suggests conducting epidemiological scientific studies, intervention studies, and/or in vitro approaches in order to establish and characterize the benefits of Vitamin D and iron (or even their combination) against COVID-19. In addition, genetic factors that predispose their carrier to a suboptimal nutritional status for these specific nutrients must be taken into consideration. The analysis of genetic variants associated with lower bioavailability (or lower circulating levels) of essential micronutrients for the optimal functioning of the immune system emerges as a potential and useful tool to detect population groups predisposed to suboptimal phenotypes. Therefore, the detection of individuals with a high genetic risk of showing low levels of specific nutrients would enable the preventive application of personalized nutritional guidelines to promote, in the first instance, individual health, and, as such, improve population health. Thus, both suboptimal intake and genetic risk of suboptimal status should be screened, and consequent nutrigenetic strategies must be put in place to help individuals to reach an optimal nutritional state and, consequently, improve the whole population’s immunity to face this pandemic."

https://www.mdpi.com...-6643/12/9/2738

Surprised to see iron as a critical nutrient for COVID resilience.  Growing children & menstruating females typically have the lowest levels of  iron/ferritiin, yet are known to do much better with COVID than older/adult males who are known to accumulate iron as they age.  

 

It may well be that a serious iron deficiency could predispose COVID morbidity, but this isn't too common in the Western World, though it may occur in females with menorrhagia (unusually heavy periods) or female vegan/vegetarians.  

 

I'd recommend getting ferritin tested before you start popping iron pills as a prophylactic for coronavirus.  Excess iron can be highly inflammatory, & inflammation has also been associated with predisposing COVID morbidity.  

 

https://www.medrxiv....5.12.20099572v1

 

COVID-19 Pandemic: Is Chronic Inflammation a Major Cause of Death?

 

Conclusion. The problem of COVID-19-caused high mortality rate may be a consequence of the high number of people having chronic low-grade inflammation as a precondition

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm...les/PMC3108097/

 

Iron homeostasis and the inflammatory response:

 

"A large body of clinical evidence demonstrates disease susceptibility and the response to infection and inflammation worsen with elevated iron stores. The relationships between iron overload and infectious diseases are particularly well documented."

Edited by Dorian Grey, 09 October 2020 - 08:21 PM.

It's not quite like the flu when we have things like:

 

Nine in ten recovered COVID-19 patients experience side-effects - study

https://news.yahoo.c...-090552953.html

 

Covid-19 Can Cause Heart Damage—Even If You Are Asymptomatic

https://www.forbes.c...c/#7a684dfa6cef

 

COVID-19 linked to heart inflammation in college athletes

https://www.msn.com/...tes/ar-BB18Wrug

 

COVID-19 Can Wreck Your Heart, Even if You Haven’t Had Any Symptoms

https://www.scientif...d-any-symptoms/

 

etc.. also hints of neurological, kidney, and other hidden damage even in asymptomatic people

 

These are not high quality "studies", IMO, because there doesn't appear before-and-after measurement of the "side effects". We know that the vast majority of people who suffer from COVID are elderly, obese, and/or have multiple co-morbidities. I would not be surprised if many of these patients already had heart, lung, or other organ damage before getting COVID.

 

People also suffer lingering effects from the flu, although usually only for an average of two weeks, for COVID it is more in the range of 3 weeks.

Surprised to see iron as a critical nutrient for COVID resilience.  

 

Yes, I want to believe they meant to say zinc instead, but who knows.  I think they are spot on with B12, C, and D... but I would mention selenium and omegas as well.

 

Its just so bizarre you cant get govt entities to recommend a multivitamin and  cut back on sugar/pasta/bread.

 

Summary:

 

• 183 patients in ivermectin+doxycycline (plus standard of care) arm: Ivermectin 6mg x 2 tablets = 12mg (given once i.e. total 12mg dose)     Doxycycline 100mg x 2 tablets/day (given for 5 days)                                                                                                                                

• 180 patients in placebo arm (standard of care)

 

Ivermectin+Doxycycline arm had:

• older demographic (usually do worse)

• more males (usually do worse)

 

Number of Patients With Early Clinical Improvement (at 7 days):

• 60.7% patients in ivermectin+doxycycline arm

• 44.4% patients in placebo arm

• p value < 0.03

• (i.e. placebo did worse)

 

Mortality:

• 0 deaths in ivermectin+doxycycline arm

• 3 deaths in placebo arm

 

Conclusions:

• Ivermectin + Doxycycline had better outcomes

• Ivermectin dose was only 6mg x 2 tablets = 12mg (given once) - which is at the lower end of dosage for covid-19 (although it is typical for de-worming). Other studies have typically used 2x or 3x this dosage or higher. Also it is not clear if Ivermectin was taken with a fatty meal (which ivermectin spec sheet gives 2.5x bioavailability when taken with fatty meal).

• Results are better than what we have seen for Remdesivir etc. - yet are getting scant attention (also lower interest in clinical trials by pharma since being generic drugs there is little financial incentive). Most of the work on Ivermectin is thus coming from outside the U.S./Europe (Bangladesh, Peru, Egypt).

 

Edited by lancebr, 11 October 2020 - 07:20 PM.