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Various literature cited suggests that bismuth may have usefulness against Covid-19 both in vitro and in vivo. During the course of caring for Covid-19 patients we administered bismuth subsalicylate to those who displayed diarrhea and/or gastric complaints. Using relatively conservative criteria, upon retrospective review, we noted marked improvement in oxygen requirements in most of the cases. This improvement was observed even when prior therapy with standard anti-Covid drugs had failed. Our overall impression is that these positive results support a detailed evaluation of bismuth as an adjunct treatment for the treatment of Covid-19.

Genistein (G) and related soy phytoestrogens have been studied for potential usefulness in different chronic diseases, and may ameliorate signs of aging. They have a profound influence on the hypothalamopituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The present study utilized the rat model of mild andropause to thoroughly evaluate the effects of G and soy extract on the adrenal gland and related blood hormones. Adult male rats were orchidectomized (Orx) or sham operated (SO). Orx rats received daily subcutaneous injections for 3 weeks of solvent, or G (Orx+G, 30 mg/kg), or commercial soy extract (Orx+Soy, 30 mg/kg). Adrenal glands and blood were harvested at the end of the treatment for hormone analyses, histology and design-based stereology. Compared to SO rats Orx evoked significant (P

Genistein (G) and related soy phytoestrogens have been studied for potential usefulness in different chronic diseases, and may ameliorate signs of aging. They have a profound influence on the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The present study utilized the rat model of mild andropause to thoroughly evaluate the effects of G and soy extract on the adrenal gland and related blood hormones. Adult male rats were orchidectomized (Orx) or sham operated (SO). Orx rats received daily subcutaneous injections for 3 weeks of solvent, or G (Orx+G, 30 mg/kg), or commercial soy extract (Orx+Soy, 30 mg/kg). Adrenal glands and blood were harvested at the end of the treatment for hormone analyses, histology and design-based stereology. Compared to SO rats Orx evoked significant (P

Ghrelin is an endogenous peptide potentially useful in therapy of anorexia and other age-related metabolic disturbances. We evaluated the influence of age on the orexigenic and lipid metabolism-altering effects of ghrelin. Peripubertal, young, adult and middle-aged rats (1, 2, 7 and 12 months old, respectively) were treated with 5 daily intracerebroventricular injections of ghrelin (0.15 nmol) or saline (control). The food intake was measured daily before treatment, while white adipose tissue and serum/plasma samples for detection of lipid metabolites/hormones were collected at the end of the experiment. The values of cumulative food intake and body weight gain declined, while the white adipose tissue deposits and blood concentrations of triglycerides, cholesterol and free fatty acids all increased with age. Ghrelin significantly increased all parameters, but the stimulatory effects on body weight gain and food intake were more pronounced in peripubertal/young rats, while the increase in white adipose mass, triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels was more noticeable in adult/middle-aged animals. The decrease in sensitivity to ghrelin-mediated stimulation of food intake in older animals could not be explained by alterations in ghrelin's ability to reduce anorexigenic hormones insulin and leptin. However, the higher responsiveness of aged rats to ghrelin-mediated increase in lipid metabolites was accompanied by an increase in adrenocorticotropic hormone and corticosterone levels. These results indicate that aging, while reducing sensitivity to ghrelin-mediated increase in body weight gain and food intake, might enhance the responsiveness to the stimulatory effects of ghrelin on lipid metabolites and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Serbia [41025]

Erythrocyte membrane fluidity is related to their rheologic behavior, the dynamic quality of erythrocytes, which is tempted in hypertension and atherosclerosis. An increased risk of these and other cardiovascular diseases occurs in ageing women. Menopause-related conditions are often treated with hormone replacement therapy that may increase the risk of malignancies. Vitex agnus-castus L. essential oil contains various organic compounds (monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes and terpenoids), and is increasingly used as an alternative therapy for menopausal symptoms. These components of the oil may be incorporated into cell membranes, thereby changing the membrane fluidity. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of Vitex agnuscastus essential oil on human erythrocyte membrane fluidity at graded depths. We used Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy and fatty acid spin probes (5-doxyl stearic acid and 12-doxyl stearic acid), whose spectra depend on membrane fluidity. After treatment with Vitex agnus-castus essential oil the erythrocytes had a significant (p=0.029) and reversible increase in membrane fluidity in the deeper hydrophobic membrane regions, with no change (p>0.05) in fluidity near the membrane's hydrophilic surface. These results document increased fluidity of the human erythrocyte membrane by Vitex agnus-castus essential oil, and this action may be useful in patients with menopause-related hypertension and other cardiovascular conditions. Fluidnost membrane eritrocita uslovljava njihove reološke karakteristike, svojevrsne dinamičke kvalitete, izmenjene u hipertenziji i aterosklerozi. Rizik od navedenih i drugih kardiovaskularnih oboljenja se kod žena povećava sa starenjem. Tegobe koje prate menopauzu se obično ublažavaju supstitucionom hormonskom terapijom, koja može povećati rizik od pojave malignih oboljenja. Esencijalno ulje biljke Vitex agnus-castus L. sadrži različita organska jedinjenja (monoterpene, seskviterpene i terpenoide) i sve češće se koristi kao alternativno terapijsko sredstvo za simptome menopauze. Navedene komponente esencijalnog ulja mogu se ugraditi u ćelijske membrane i menjati njihovu fluidnost. Cilj studije bio je da se utvrde efekti esencijalnog ulja biljke Vitex agnus-castus na fluidnost membrane eritrocita po njenoj du bini. Korišćena je spektroskopija elektronske paramagnetne rezonance i masnokiselinske spinske probe (5-doksil stearinska i 12-doksil stearinska kiselina), čiji spektri za vise od fluidnosti membrane. Nakon tretmana eritrocita esencijalnim uljem biljke Vitex agnus-castus utvrđeno je značajno (p=0,029) i reverzibilno povećanje fluidnosti njihove membrane u dubljim, hidrofobnim regionima, dok u površinskim, hidrofilnim regionima eritrocitne membrane nisu utvrđene značajne promene (p>0,05). Ovi rezultati ukazuju na povećanje fluidnosti eritrocitne membrane nakon tretmana esencijalnim uljem biljke Vitex agnus-castus, što može biti koristan efekat pri tretmanu pacijentkinja sa hipertenzijom i drugim kardiovaskularnim oboljenjima u menopauzi. Projekat ministarstva br. 173009 i br. 173014

Ghrelin, a growth hormone secretagogue that exerts an important role in appetite and weight regulation, participates in the activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Male Wistar rats (5/group) received daily for 5 days, via an ICV (intracerebroventricular) cannula, 5 ill phosphate buffered saline with or without 1 mu g of rat ghrelin. Two hours after the last injection, blood and adrenal glands were collected from decapitated rats for blood hormone analyses and histologic and morphometric processing. Ghrelin treatment resulted in increased (p < 0.05) body weight (13%), absolute whole adrenal gland weight (18%) and whole adrenal gland volume (20%). The absolute volumes of the entire adrenal cortex, ZG, ZF, and ZR also increased (p < 0.05) after ghrelin by 20%, 21%, 21% and 11%, respectively. Ghrelin-treated rats had elevated (p < 0.05) blood concentrations of ACTH, aldosterone and corticosterone (68%, 32% and 67%, respectively). The data clearly provide both morphological and hormonal status that ghrelin acts centrally to exert a global stimulatory effect on the adrenal cortex. Clarifying of the ghrelin precise role in the multiple networks affecting the stress hormone release, besides its well known energy and metabolic disbalance effects, remains a very important research goal. Ministry for Science and Technological Development of Republic of Serbia [143007B, 145003]

Ghrelin, an endogenous ligand for the growth-hormone-secretagogue receptor, is a 28-amino acid peptide with a post-translational acyl modification necessary for its activity. It has central nervous system actions that affect appetite, body mass and energy balance. An intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection protocol of sub-nanomolar doses of ghrelin, known to alter the morphology of ACTH and GH producing pituicytes and plasma levels of these hormones, was used to provide an overview of metabolic changes linked to energy metabolism. Variables measured were: food intake (FI), water intake (WI), fecal mass, urine volume, body weight (BW), retroperitoneal (RP) and epididymal (EPI) white adipose tissue (WAT), and changes in serum leptin, insulin, triglycerides, cholesterol, and glucose. Five injections of rat ghrelin or PBS (n=8 per group) were given ICV every 24 h (1 mu g/5 mu L PBS) to adult male rats. Ghrelin had a positive and cumulative effect on FI, WI and BW (p0.05). Centrally applied ghrelin clearly increased RP WAT (by 235%, p0.05) evoking changes in blood triglyceride cholesterol, or glucose levels. These data and the available literature clearly document that exposure of the brain of normal rats, over time, to sub-nanomolar doses of ghrelin results in metabolic dysregulation culminating in increased body mass, consummatory behavior, and lipid stores as well as changes in blood leptin/insulin levels. Thus, modulation of central ghrelin receptors may represent a pharmacological approach for controlling multiple factors involved in energy balance and obesity. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. null

Ghrelin is a brain-gut peptide known for its growth hormone (GH)-releasing and appetite-inducing activities. This natural GH secretagogue (GHS) was originally purified from rat stomach, but it is expressed widely in different tissues where it may have endocrine and paracrine effects. The central effects of ghrelin on adrenocorticotropic, hormone (ACTH) cells, ACTH release and subsequent corticosterone release from adrenal glands remains to be clarified. The aim of this study was to specifically determine the morphological features of ACTH-producing pituicytes and blood concentration of ACTH and corticosterone after central administration of ghrelin. Five doses of rat ghrelin or PBS (n = 10 per group) were injected every 24 h (1 mu g of ghrelin in 5 mu L PBS), into the lateral cerebral ventricle of male rats. Results showed that ghrelin increased (p < 0.05) absolute and relative pituitary weights compared to controls (58% and 41% respectively). Morphometric parameters, i.e. the volume of the ACTH cells, nuclear volume, and volume density were all increased (p < 0.05), by 17%, 6% and 13%, respectively, 2 h after the last ghrelin treatment. Ghrelin increased circulating concentrations of ACTH and corticosterone (p < 0.05) by 62% and 66%, respectively. The data provide clear documentation that intracerebroventricular ghrelin stimulates ACTH cell hypertrophy and proliferation, and promotes ACTH and corticosterone release. Determining the role of ghrelin in physiological stress responses and whether control of the peptide's activity would be useful for prevention and/or treatment of stress-induced diseases remain important research goals. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. null

Ghrelin, an endogenous ligand for the growth hormone (GH) secretagogue receptor, was originally purified from rat stomach; subsequently, ghrelin neurons were found in the arcuate nuclei of rats. Central effects of the peptide on GH release, however, remain to be clarified. The aim of the present study was to determine the morphologic features of GH-producing pituicytes and serum GH concentration after central administration of ghrelin. Five injections of rat ghrelin or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS; n = 10 rats/group) were given every 24 hrs (1 mu g of ghrelin in 5 mu l of PBS) into the lateral cerebral ventricle of male rats. Significant (P < 0.05) increases in absolute and relative pituitary weights occurred in ghrelin-treated rats versus controls (58% and 41%, respectively). Morphometric parameters (i.e., the volume of GH cells, volume of their nuclei, and volume density) all significantly (P < 0.05) increased by 17%, 18%, and 19%, respectively, in the ghrelin-treated group versus controls. Terminal serum concentration of GH was significantly (P < 0.05) increased by 15% with ghrelin treatment. The results clearly document that daily nanomolar doses of ghrelin into the lateral cerebral ventricle stimulate GH cell proliferation and promote GH release. Thus, achieving pharmacologic control of central ghrelin receptors is a promising modality to modulate the actions of GH. null