Publications by authors named "Kosagi Sharaf Rao"

Objective: In this pilot clinical study, we report the beneficial effects of beta glucans derived from two strains AFO-202 and N-163 of a black yeast Aureobasidium pullulans on the biomarkers for cytokine storm and coagulopathy in COVID-19 patients.

Methods: A total of 24 RT-PCR positive COVID-19 patients were recruited and randomly divided into three groups (Gr): Gr. 1 control (n = 8) - Standard treatment; Gr.

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The incidence of cancer, which is the second leading cause of mortality globally, continues to increase, although continued efforts are being made to identify effective treatments with fewer side‑effects. Previous studies have reported that chronic microinflammation, which occurs in diseases, including diabetes, along with weakened immune systems, may ultimately lead to cancer development. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery are the mainstream approaches to treatment; however, they all lead to immune system weakness, which in turn increases the metastatic spread.

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Conventional vaccines to combat COVID-19 through different approaches are at various stages of development. The complexity of COVID-19 such as the potential mutations of the virus leading to antigenic drift and the uncertainty on the duration of the immunity induced by the vaccine have hampered the efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, we suggest an alternative interim treatment strategy based on biological response modifier glucans such as the AFO-202-derived β-glucan, which has been reported to induce trained immunity, akin to that induced by the Bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine, by epigenetic modifications at the central level in the bone marrow.

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Direct endothelial injury by viruses and dysregulation of clotting mechanisms due to cytokine storm are the major precipitating factors of mortality in COVID-19; both are attributed to a fundamental dysregulation of the immune system. While immune dysregulation can be attributed to several factors, the risk of associated thrombogenic disruption varies across individuals. This variation depends on several factors, such as comorbidities, including diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has been causing varying severities of illness. Some are asymptomatic and some develop severe disease leading to mortality across ages. This contrast triggered us explore the causes, with the background that a vaccine for effective immunization or a drug to tackle COVID-19 is not too close to reality.

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Article Synopsis
  • Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's have unclear causes of neuronal death, but factors like oxidative stress and metal accumulation are implicated in brain damage.
  • Recent studies show that excess iron and copper in neurons not only cause genome damage but also hinder the repair process by inhibiting key repair enzymes.
  • The review emphasizes the importance of understanding how metals contribute to neuronal toxicity, suggesting that targeting oxidative genome damage repair could lead to new therapeutic strategies for these diseases.
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