Alpha-gal Revisited

Alpha-gal Revisited

Several years ago, this newsletter discussed a new form of anaphylaxis due to tick bites.  The syndrome is peculiar in several ways.  Most importantly the anaphylaxis is delayed from the exposure by several hours.  Also, it occurs after eating mammalian meat such as beef and pork.  Alpha-gal is a glycoprotein that is found in mammalian meats.  The patient becomes sensitized to the alpha-gal from a tick bite because the ticks secrete alpha-gal in their saliva when they bite humans.  In…

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Clusterin

Clusterin

Another molecule (Clusterin) has been discovered that protects the brain from inflammation and is generated by exercise.  Several years ago, neuroscientists discovered irisin as a protection for brain inflammation that is produced by exercise. The current concept regarding dementia is that it occurs due to chronic inflammation in the brain with resultant scar tissue (amyloid plaque).  In this regard scientists have studied patients with early dementia and have found an improvement in cognitive function via a daily exercise routine.   The…

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Dear Dr. K;

Dear Dr. K;

Thank you for keeping an open dialogue with me about Covid vaccines.  As you know, I opted against vaccination.  However, over Christmas I caught Covid, but luckily it was a mild flu like illness.  So, I guess I should be OK from here on out.  I’m glad your illness was mild, but I’m a little hesitant about predicting how things will play out in the future.  First of all, just as vaccination doesn’t provide iron-clad protection so too natural immunity…

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Gut Microbiome and Prostate Cancer

Gut Microbiome and Prostate Cancer

A recent article published in Science looked at the effect of gut microbiome and prostate cancer.  Obesity alters the gut flora.  It has been known for some time that obese men are more prone to prostate cancer.  Now, it seems there is a cause and effect.  A current treatment for prostate cancer is castration (to remove the driving force of testosterone) either chemical via anti-androgens or surgical.  This almost uniformly leads to a very good clinical response.  But in some…

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Ivermectin for Covid

Ivermectin for Covid

Ivermectin in an FDA approved drug for the treatment of intestinal strongyloidiasis (round worm) and onchocerciasis (filarial worm).  It is also used in veterinary medicine to treat parasites in pets and in livestock.  Because of significant use of Ivermectin off label to either try and prevent or to try and treat Covid, scientists have scrutinized its potential.  Of interest in vitro (in a test tube) Ivermectin does inhibit replication of the virus.  Unfortunately, in vivo (in actual patients) multiple studies…

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Transplant Immunology

Transplant Immunology

Since the first kidney transplant in 1950 and the first heart transplant in 1967 the field of transplant immunology has grown by leaps and bounds.  As successful as transplant medicine has become, there is still a major problem:  not enough donors.  This has led many scientists to explore the field of xenotransplantation, using non-human animals as a source for organs.  Other than the circumstance of receiving an organ from an identical twin, human to human transplants require immunosuppressive therapy to…

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New Covid Strategies

New Covid Strategies

The FDA has recently approved (emergency use authorization) two oral antivirals and a monoclonal antibody for Covid.  The antivirals are designed for out patient use in mild to moderate Covid-19.  Both have proven to be active against the original Corona virus and its new variants.  Paxlovid uses two agents:  nirmatrelvir (a viral protease inhibitor) and ritonavir (a CYP3a inhibitor).  The treatment is for 5 days and can be used down to the age of 12.  Lagevrio contains molnupiravir a nucleoside…

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Dear Dr. K;

Dear Dr. K;

My sister is on a JACK medicine for her ulcerative colitis but she said it may soon be used for allergies.  Is that true? Well, kind of.  First of all, not to be too picky but there is a whole family of JAK drugs and the “JAK” refers to Janus kinase which is a pathway that transmits signals across cell membranes.  The JAK system plays important roles in embryonic development, stem cell development, blood cell production and inflammation signaling.  This…

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Irisin

Irisin

Patients who come to this office know well the exercise sermon both doctors preach.  Exercise is one of the key foundational elements of general health and also allergic/immunologic health.  New research is adding cognitive health to the list of benefits.   Recent journal articles in the Journal of Cellular Physiology and in Journal of Nature Metabolism contain new data on the fact that exercise leads to the production of a hormone irisin.  It has been known for some time that…

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Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Or polyomavirus…

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Or polyomavirus…

It has been known for quite a while that certain viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and rhinovirus (the common cold) have been associated with the development and/or worsening of asthma.  Both of these viruses are RNA viruses.  This fact led researchers to wonder about certain DNA viruses.  The one most recently studied is polyomavirus.  This virus is widespread and consists of 117 species.  Once thought to be totally innocuous, it is now understood that these viruses can cause…

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