Re: Avian flu--What can we do about it?

[Guest guest]

Right on Rich. Except I think it'd have to be IV antioxidants.

Unless we could find a substance that docked on the same receptors

the virus wants and thus give the virus competition (like the

Tagamet thingy)

Science News has vindicated IV vit C - saying high dose does improve

many condictions- but yoiu just can't absorb enough orally to do any

good.

Barb

>

> Hi, all.

>

> As you may know, the mortality rate for the H5N1 avian flu in

humans

> so far has been running at around 50%. As you also probably know,

> cases of avian flu have been showing up recently in Asia that are

> resistant to the drug Tamiflu. Since we don't yet have a stockpile

> of vaccine against this flu, this leaves the population of the

world

> very vulnerable, should the virus mutate into having the capability

> of human-to-human transmission and develop into a pandemic. Is

> there anything we as individuals can do to protect ourselves and

> others, should this occur?

>

> Studies on the kill mechanism of this virus have revealed some

> interesting results. The primary target cells for this virus are

> the epithelial cells lining the alveoli (air sacs) in the lung

> (Ebisawa et al. Am Rev Respir Dis 1969, 99:507-15). The work of

the

> group at the University of Hong Kong has shown that while the

> replication efficiency of the H5N1 flu virus is no greater than

> that of less virulent human flu viruses, the H5N1 virus provokes a

> much stronger cytokine response from both macrophages (Cheung et

> al., Lancet 2002, 360(9348):1801-2) and epithelial cells (Chan et

> al., Resp Res 2005, 6:135).

>

> According to Chan et al, citing earlier references from their group

> and others, " Most patients with H5N1 disease had a primary viral

> pneumonia complicated by the syndromes of acute respiratory

distress

> and multiple organ dysfunction with lymphopenia and

hemophagocytosis

> being notable findings. "

>

> Based on this, it appears that in avian flu the immune system over-

> responds. There is a very large cytokine output, and this

> stimulates immune cells, probably macrophages in particular, to

> generate large amounts of reactive oxygen species. Normally, the

> main protection for the lung's epithelial cells against damage by

> oxidizing species is known to be the high concentration of

> glutathione in the epithelial lining fluid.

>

> In view of the evidence, I think that in fatal cases of avian flu

> the high production of reactive oxygen species is sufficient to

> overcome this antioxidant protection. The result is depletion of

> glutathione in the lungs, damage to the epithelial lining of the

> alveoli, intrusion of fluid into the lungs (producing the

> respiratory distress), and finally depletion of glutathione in

other

> organs as the lungs draw on their supplies, producing the multiple

> organ dysfunction and death.

>

> If this mechanism is in fact what takes place, then it seems to me

> that providing the substrates for making glutathione (such as N-

> acetylcysteine), or better yet, providing aerosol glutathione

> directly to the lungs by nebulizer, should be considered as

> approaches to dealing with cases of avian flu.

>

> I am not the first to suggest boosting antioxidants in avian flu,

> but I do think it's a good idea. Comments would be welcome.

>

> Rich

>