scholarly journals Prevention and Treatment of Influenza, Influenza-Like Illness, and Common Cold by Herbal, Complementary, and Natural Therapies

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haider Abdul-Lateef Mousa
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Respiratory Tract Infections ◽  
Influenza Viruses ◽  
Carnosic Acid ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
H5n1 Influenza ◽  
Prevention And Treatment ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
Viral Respiratory

In recent years viral respiratory tract infections, especially influenza viruses, have had a major impact on communities worldwide as a result of unavailability of effective treatment or vaccine. The frequent alterations in the antigenic structures of respiratory viruses, particularly for RNA viruses, pose difficulties in production of effective vaccines. The unavailability of optimal medication and shortage of effective vaccines suggests the requirement for alternative natural therapies. Several herbal remedies were used for prevention and treatment viral respiratory illnesses. Among those that were found effective included maoto, licorice roots, antiwei, North American ginseng, berries, Echinacea, plants extracted carnosic acid, pomegranate, guava tea, and Bai Shao. There is scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness of several complementary therapies for colds. Oral zinc may reduce the length and severity of a cold. Taking vitamin C supplements on a regular basis only slightly reduces the length and severity of colds. Probiotics were found better than placebo in reducing the number episodes of acute upper respiratory tract infections, the rate of episodes of acute upper respiratory tract infection and reducing antibiotic use. Alkaline diets or drinks might have antiviral properties as in vitro studies demonstrated inactivation effect of alkaline medium on respiratory virus. Earthing might have a natural anti-inflammatory effect for human body. It is now accepted that an overwhelming inflammatory response is the cause of human deaths from avian H5N1 influenza infection. Earthing accelerates immune response following vaccination, as demonstrated by increases of gamma globulin concentration. No in vivo or clinical studies were found that investigate the role of alkalization or earthing on respiratory viral infections. Thus, future studies are recommended to reveal any potential curative effects.

scholarly journals Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activities of Weissella cibaria Against Pathogens of Upper Respiratory Tract Infections

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1181
Author(s):  
Ji-Eun Yeu ◽  
Hyeon Gyu Lee ◽  
Geun-Yeong Park ◽  
Jisun Lee ◽  
Mi-Sun Kang
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Respiratory Tract Infections ◽  
Antimicrobial Activities ◽  
Laser Scanning Microscopy ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract Infections ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Weissella Cibaria ◽  
Prevention And Treatment ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Tract Infections

Recently discovered preventive effects of probiotics on oral health have attracted interest to their use for the prevention and treatment of various diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties of Weissella cibaria against Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, S. pneumoniae, and Moraxella catarrhalis, the major pathogens of upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs). The antimicrobial activities of W. cibaria were compared with those of other oral probiotics using a competitive inhibition assay and the determination of the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). In addition, a time-kill assay, spectrophotometry, and confocal laser scanning microscopy were used to confirm the antimicrobial and antibiofilm abilities of W. cibaria CMU (oraCMU) and CMS1 (oraCMS1). Both live cells and cell-free supernatants of all tested probiotics, except Streptococcus salivarius, showed excellent antimicrobial activities. All target pathogens were killed within 4 to 24 h at twice the MIC of oraCMU and oraCMS1, which showed the highest antimicrobial activities against M. catarrhalis. The antimicrobial substances that affected different target pathogens were different. Both oraCMU and oraCMS1 showed excellent abilities to inhibit biofilm formation and remove preformed biofilms. Our results suggest that the W. cibaria probiotics offer new possibilities for the prevention and treatment of bacterial URTIs.

How to use…respiratory viral studies

2018 ◽  
Vol 104 (5) ◽  
pp. 274-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon B Drysdale ◽  
Dominic F Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Respiratory Tract Infections ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Lower Respiratory Tract Disease ◽  
Clinical Syndromes ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Tract Disease ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
Viral Respiratory

Viral respiratory tract infections are the most common infections of childhood. They result in clinical syndromes ranging from mild upper respiratory tract infection to severe lower respiratory tract disease requiring intensive care. Respiratory viruses are most commonly identified from a respiratory swab or nasopharyngeal aspirate by real-time PCR, which has a very high sensitivity and specificity. In this article, we review when and how children should be tested for viral respiratory tract infections and how to interpret the result in context of the clinical picture.

scholarly journals Respiratory viruses in adults with acute respiratory tract infections

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
JING CHEN ◽  
Xiaoguang Li ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Ying Jia ◽  
Jie Xu
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Respiratory Tract Infections ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Throat Swab ◽  
Community Acquired Pneumonia ◽  
Respiratory Pathogens ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
Viral Respiratory

Abstract Background: Respiratory viruses are the main pathogens of acute respiratory infections. Viral respiratory pathogens in children are well studied, but the study on adults are limited. So we design this subject to determine viral respiratory pathogens in patients with acute respiratory tract infections of adults. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study for the patients with acute respiratory infections from June, 2017 through July, 2018 at Fever Clinic in Peking University Third Hospital. We collected throat swab from the patients diagnosed with acute upper respiratory tract infections and sputum or throat swab diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia. RT-PCRs were performed to detect infection with the following virus: human rhinovirus, influenza A virus, influenza B virus, human coronavirus 229E/HKU1，Coronavirus OC43/NL63、ADV, RSV, PIV1-4, hMPV and EV. Results：185 throat swabs and sputum were collected from outpatients. Overall, 23.8% (44/185) were found to be positive for at least one respiratory virus. The virus detection rate for AURTIs and CAP was 23.3% (14/60) and 24.0 % (30/125), respectively. The most prevalent viruses detected were IFVs (13.5%, 25/185), PIVs (3.24%, 6/185) and HRVs (2.70%, 5/185). In the Influenza Virus, the highest positive detection rate is 21.4%（6/28）in the group >60 years old, while 11.0%( 14/127) in the group <40 years old and 13.3% (4/30) (P<0.05). Conclusion: In one-year study, IFVs were the dominant pathogens both in acute upper respiratory tract infections and community-acquired pneumonia, followed by PIVs and HRVs. The patients in the group >60 years old had a higher rate of influenza infection

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