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Fulltext Repurposing Siddha mercurial drug for mild to moderate COVID-19 - Case series and exploration of its chemical profile

Shiva S, Mari S, Amuthan A, Shanmugam R

J Ayurveda Integr Med, 2021 Jun 30.
PMID: 34226805 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaim.2021.06.009

Background: Vajra kandi maathirai (VKM) is a mercury based traditional Siddha drug used to treat various types of fevers and inflammatory diseases. We report our experience of using VKM successfully to treat 5 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infected patients and its chemical profile.
Case report: A family with 5 members age ranges between 13 to 77, both male and females, one with preexisting renal impairment, SARS CoV-2 positive with mild to moderate category were treated with VKM along with the specific dietary practice. The drug was consumed at home quarantine. Real-Time RT PCR from oropharynx swab, X-ray/CT scan chest, hematology, renal function, liver function, body temperature and oxygen saturation were assessed. Blood parameters were repeated after completion of therapy to assess the safety aspect of mercury drug. Chemical profile of the drug was done using Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.
Results: With the first dose, the oxygen saturation was improved. Within 3 days of therapy, all symptoms (fever, body pain, cough, and loss of taste) were normalized and renders the Real-Time RT PCR negative for COVID-19. There was no observed side effects and damage to renal and liver. The drug contains 22% of mercury along with a 9-Octadecenoic acid-(E), 1H-Imidazole, 4,5-dihydro-2-(phenylmethyl) and 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z)- as major organic compounds.
Conclusion: Vajra kandi maathirai might be a safe drug to manage COVID-19 patients. Rigorous research is required to discover new antiviral molecules from this formulation.
Fulltext Pathways linking climate change and HIV/AIDS: An updated conceptual framework and implications for the Philippines

Guinto RR, Cahatol JJF, Lazaro KYMS, Salazar AFNC

J Clim Chang Health, 2022 May;6:100106.
PMID: 35945919 DOI: 10.1016/j.joclim.2021.100106

As we commemorate the 40th anniversary of the discovery of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) while fighting the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, another global crisis - climate change - is threatening the progress achieved so far in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. The climate emergency is anticipated to generate dire health consequences worldwide in the coming decades. While the pathways that link climate change and different disease areas are better understood, the connection between climate change and HIV/AIDS is still yet to be recognized both in research and practice. In this review, we update one of the frameworks on the HIV-climate nexus described in earlier literature. Four major pathways have been identified: extreme weather events; sea level rise; changes in precipitation and temperature; and increased air pollution. These pathways impact the spectrum of HIV/AIDS-related outcomes through changes in social systems, healthcare disruption, and other climate-sensitive diseases, influenced by the social determinants of health. We also reflect on the significance of this updated framework for the Philippines, a country that is both highly vulnerable to the climate crisis and facing a rising HIV/AIDS epidemic. The framework can aid countries like the Philippines in filling gaps in research, policy, and program design to mount climate-adaptive HIV/AIDS responses. The HIV/AIDS and climate justice movements must also join forces in calling for accelerated worldwide decline in greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors to stabilize the global climate - this will benefit not just people affected by HIV/AIDS but everyone.
The distinct associations of ingroup attachment and glorification with responses to the coronavirus pandemic: Evidence from a multilevel investigation in 21 countries

McLamore Q, Syropoulos S, Leidner B, Hirschberger G, van Bezouw MJ, Rovenpor D, et al.

Br J Soc Psychol, 2023 Apr;62(2):992-1012.
PMID: 36507575 DOI: 10.1111/bjso.12614

While public health crises such as the coronavirus pandemic transcend national borders, practical efforts to combat them are often instantiated at the national level. Thus, national group identities may play key roles in shaping compliance with and support for preventative measures (e.g., hygiene and lockdowns). Using data from 25,159 participants across representative samples from 21 nations, we investigated how different modalities of ingroup identification (attachment and glorification) are linked with reactions to the coronavirus pandemic (compliance and support for lockdown restrictions). We also examined the extent to which the associations of attachment and glorification with responses to the coronavirus pandemic are mediated through trust in information about the coronavirus pandemic from scientific and government sources. Multilevel models suggested that attachment, but not glorification, was associated with increased trust in science and compliance with federal COVID-19 guidelines. However, while both attachment and glorification were associated with trust in government and support for lockdown restrictions, glorification was more strongly associated with trust in government information than attachment. These results suggest that both attachment and glorification can be useful for promoting public health, although glorification's role, while potentially stronger, is restricted to pathways through trust in government information.
Conspiracy mentality and political orientation across 26 countries

Imhoff R, Zimmer F, Klein O, António JHC, Babinska M, Bangerter A, et al.

Nat Hum Behav, 2022 Jan 17.
PMID: 35039654 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-021-01258-7

People differ in their general tendency to endorse conspiracy theories (that is, conspiracy mentality). Previous research yielded inconsistent findings on the relationship between conspiracy mentality and political orientation, showing a greater conspiracy mentality either among the political right (a linear relation) or amongst both the left and right extremes (a curvilinear relation). We revisited this relationship across two studies spanning 26 countries (combined N = 104,253) and found overall evidence for both linear and quadratic relations, albeit small and heterogeneous across countries. We also observed stronger support for conspiracy mentality among voters of opposition parties (that is, those deprived of political control). Nonetheless, the quadratic effect of political orientation remained significant when adjusting for political control deprivation. We conclude that conspiracy mentality is associated with extreme left- and especially extreme right-wing beliefs, and that this non-linear relation may be strengthened by, but is not reducible to, deprivation of political control.
A preliminary study on the role of personal history of infectious and parasitic diseases on self-reported health across countries

Pfuhl G, Prazeres F, Kowal M, Aavik T, Abad-Villaverde B, Afhami R, et al.

Public Health, 2025 Mar 23;242:220-227.
PMID: 40127606 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2025.02.030

OBJECTIVES: Infectious diseases are often associated with decline in quality of life. The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between personal history of communicable, i.e., infectious and parasitic diseases and self-rated health.
STUDY DESIGN: Secondary analysis of a large dataset multi-country observational study.
METHODS: We used a four-pronged analysis approach to investigate whether personal history of infectious and parasitic diseases is related to self-reported health, measured with a single item.
RESULTS: Three of the four analyses found a small positive effect on self-reported health among those reporting a history of pathogen exposure. The meta-analysis found no support but large heterogeneity that was not reduced by two classifications of countries.
CONCLUSION: Personal history of infectious and parasitic diseases does not reduce self-reported health across a global sample.