Turmeric Root and Its Bioactive Ingredient Curcumin Effectively Neutralize SARS-CoV-2 In Vitro

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The availability of effective and well-tolerated antiviral drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 patients is still very limited. Traditional herbal medicines elicit antiviral activity against various viruses and might therefore represent a promising option for the complementary treatment of COVID-19 patients. The application of turmeric root in herbal medicine has a very long history. Its bioactive ingredient curcumin shows a broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. In the present study, we investigated the antiviral activity of aqueous turmeric root extract, the dissolved content of a curcumin-containing nutritional supplement capsule, and pure curcumin against SARS-CoV-2. Turmeric root extract, dissolved turmeric capsule content, and pure curcumin effectively neutralized SARS-CoV-2 at subtoxic concentrations in Vero E6 and human Calu-3 cells. Furthermore, curcumin treatment significantly reduced SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels in cell culture supernatants. Our data uncover curcumin as a promising compound for complementary COVID-19 treatment. Curcumin concentrations contained in turmeric root or capsules used as nutritional supplements completely neutralized SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. Our data argue in favor of appropriate and carefully monitored clinical studies that vigorously test the effectiveness of complementary treatment of COVID-19 patients with curcumin-containing products.

Bioresonance Treatment of Intractable Corneal Ulcer

Introduction: A bioresonance-based complementary treatment for corneal ulcers is described to determine whether an electromagnetic field can improve intractable corneal ulcers. Case Presentation: The patient was a 65-year-old man who was suffered from corneal ulcer. The wound was burned five times with laser surgery; however, there was no significant improvement in the patient's condition. He had been treated for a year with electromagnetic frequency complements. Conclusions: Since bioresonance therapy can heal the corneal ulcer in this patient, we advised patients to perform this treatment.

Comparison of ureteroscopy (URS) complementary treatment after extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy failure with primary URS lithotripsy with holmium laser treatment for proximal ureteral stones larger than10mm

Background To compare ureteroscopy (URS) complementary treatment following extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) failure with primary URS lithotripsy for proximal ureteral stones > 10 mm, and try to find out acceptable number of SWL sessions followed by safe URS. Methods This was a retrospective study following approval from Medical Ethics Committee of People's Hospital of Chongqing Banan District. Patients (n = 340) who received URS in our hospital for stones > 10 mm from Jan 2015 to June 2020 were divided into two groups according to their previous SWL history. Group 1 consisted of 160 patients that underwent unsuccessful SWL before URS. Group 2 encompassed 180 patients without SWL before URS. Patient’s operative outcomes were compared. A logistic regression and receiver operator characteristics (ROC) were used to identify the acceptable number of SWL sessions prior to URS, regarding the intra-operative complications of URS. Results The group 1 required more surgery time (41.38 ± 11.39 min vs. 36.43 ± 13.36 min, p = 0.01). At the same time, more intra-operative (68.1% VS 22.8%, p < 0.05) and post-operative (35% VS 18.0%, p = 0.001) complications occurred in group 1. Need more hospital stay in group 1 (2.7 ± 1.2 days vs 1.6 ± 1.1 days, p < 0.05). More patients in group 1 need further URS (16.3% VS 8.9%, p = 0.029). After second URS, the SFR of URS in two groups was insignificant differences (82.5% VS 88.9%, p > 0.05). The median (25–75%) of SWL sessions before URS was 2 (1–3) in group 1. According to the results of logistic regression analysis, patients suffered more SWL failure have an increased risk of complications during URS (OR = 1.995, 95% CI: 1.636–2.434). ROC showed that the optimal number of SWL session followed by URS were 0.5, with a sensitivity of 67.7% and specificity of 71.5%. Intra-operative complication rates of URS treatment were higher in patients who suffered > 1 SWL failure (72.6% vs 57.4%, p = 0.047). Conclusion There was no acceptable number of SWL sessions that could be followed by URS with fewer intra-operative complications. Patients who underwent previous SWL were likely to suffer more intra-operative complications, the average operating time, hospitalization time, and needing further treatment, during URS treatment for proximal ureteral stones larger than 10 mm.

Persian Medicine “Sahj” in Ulcerative Colitis Remedy: A Before-and-After Cinical Trial

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease and its etiology has not fully understood in conventional medicine. It also influences the quality of life as a result of its recurrence and progressive clinical course, then, it has been considered an important public health concern. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of prescription therapy based on the Persian Medicine as a complementary treatment for the mitigation of the symptoms of UC as well as improvement in the disease severity. A total of 30 UC patients with an age range of 15-70 years participated in this clinical trial. They were treated with the “Sahj” capsule containing: Curcuma longa L., Punica granatum L., and Terminalia chebula Retz. for 4 weeks. The “Sahj” capsule was prepared based on the Persian Medicine resources. The bowel frequency at day/night, urgency of defecation, general health, and blood in stool were assessed pre/post intervention and the results were compared before and after the clinical trial. The “Sahj” capsule significantly enhanced the clinical findings. There was a significant increase in simple clinical colitis activity index (SCCAI) score in response to the prescription of the “Sahj” capsule (7.73 ± 1.98 before and 4.30 ± 1.12 after the trial) in which general health condition of patients was increased by 50% after the clinical trial. Bowel frequency at day was remarkably decreased by totally 15 patients with the scores of 1, 2 and 3 were enrolled to score 0. Also, bowel frequency at night was not statically significant (p = 0.267) in spite of 7 patients were improved their score (changed their score from 2 to 1). Urgency of defecation (p 0.003) and blood in stool (p 0.0001) were significantly decreased compared with pre-intervention stage. These findings suggest an appropriate complementary treatment to reduce the symptoms of ulcerative colitis. However, further studies with larger sample size are warranted to assess the efficacy and safety of the “Sahj” capsule in the treatment of UC.