Iodine On My Mind

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History of iodine deficiency and effects on hearing loss and IQ of children Aloe Vera Benefits and
Molluscum contagiosum 		Fibrocystic Breast and Uterine Fibroid disease caused by iodine deficiency Evidence of iodine deficiency and use during pregnancy and autism Heart and SIDS Drs. Brownstein, Abraham, Flechas and TSH Misunderstanding Linus Pauling Institute Dr. J. T. Dunn Iodine requirements, sources of iodine, and recommendations Dr. Sebastiano Venturi
Aloe Vera Benefits and
Molluscum contagiosum
     
Environ Toxicol. 2014 Feb 24. doi: 10.1002/tox.21973. 
Aloe vera affects changes induced in pulmonary tissue of mice caused by cigarette smoke inhalation.
Koul A1, Bala S, Yasmeen, Arora N.



This study was undertaken to determine the influence of Aloe vera (AV) on changes induced in pulmonary tissue of cigarette smoke (CS) inhaling mice. CS inhalation for 4 weeks caused pulmonary damage as evident by histoarchitectural alterations and enhanced serum and tissue lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities. CS inhalation also led to increased mucin production as revealed by mucicarmine and Alcian Blue-Periodic Acid Schiff (AB-PAS) staining. Studies on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (balf) of CS exposed animals revealed structural changes in phospholipids and increase in surface tension when compared with control counterparts. These changes were accompanied by enhanced nitric oxide (NO) levels, citrulline levels, peroxidative damage, and differential modulation of antioxidant defense system. AV administration (seven weeks, 500 mg/kg b.w. daily) to CS inhaling mice led to modulation of CS induced pulmonary changes as revealed by lesser degree of histoarchitectural alterations, lesser mucin production, decreased NO levels, citrulline levels, peroxidative damage, and serum LDH activity. AV treatment to CS inhaling mice was associated with varying response to antioxidant defense system, however half of CS + AV treated animals did not exhibit appreciable changes when compared with that of CS exposed animals. These observations suggest that AV has the potential to modulate CS induced changes in the pulmonary tissue which could have implications in management of CS associated pulmonary diseases, however, further investigations are required to explore its complete mechanism of action.
Drug Chem Toxicol. 2014 Apr;37(2):135-43. doi: 10.3109/01480545.2013.834350. Epub 2014 Feb 13.
Evaluation of in vitro and in vivo antioxidant potential of polysaccharides from Aloe vera (Aloebarbadensis Miller) gel.
Kaithwas G1, Singh P, Bhatia D.

Abstract In the present study, the antioxidant activity of the polysaccharides from aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis Miller) gel was evaluated, in vitro by five established methods, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH(-)) radical scavenging, nitric oxide (NO) scavenging, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, superoxide radical (O(-2)) scavenging and reducing power assay, and in vivo against doxorubicin (DOX)-induced myocardial oxidative stress (OS) in albino wistar rats. The polysaccharides exhibited significant inhibitory activity against DPPH(-), superoxide, NO and hydrogen peroxide scavenging assay with significant reducing activity at all concentrations used. DOX-induced (7.5 mg/kg, intravenously) cardiotoxicity manifested biochemically by a significant decrease in blood and tissue glutathione (GSH) along with elevated levels of serum lactate dehydrogenase and creatine phosphokinase. In addition, cardiotoxicity was further confirmed by the significant increase in lipid peroxidation expressed as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD).

Administration of aloe vera polysaccharides for 14 days produced a marked protection against cardiotoxicity induced by DOX evidenced by significant reductions in serum lactate dehydrogenase, serum creatine phosphokinase, cardiac TBARS, CAT and SOD along with increased levels of blood and tissue GSH in a dose-dependent manner. The present investigation is the first to establish the antioxidant potency of the polysaccharides from aloe vera against DOX-induced myocardial OS.
Org Med Chem Lett. 2013 Jul 19;3(1):5. doi: 10.1186/2191-2858-3-5.
Antibacterial activities and antioxidant capacity of Aloe vera.
Nejatzadeh-Barandozi F.
BACKGROUND:

The aim of this study was to identify, quantify, and compare the phytochemical contents, antioxidantcapacities, and antibacterial activities of Aloe vera lyophilized leaf gel (LGE) and 95% ethanol leaf gel extracts (ELGE) using GC-MS and spectrophotometric methods.

RESULTS:

Analytically, 95% ethanol is less effective than ethyl acetate/diethyl ether or hexane (in the case of fatty acids) extractions in separating phytochemicals for characterization purposes. However, although fewer compounds are extracted in the ELGE, they are approximately 345 times more concentrated as compared to the LGE, hence justifying ELGE use in biological efficacy studies in vivo. Individual phytochemicals identified included various phenolic acids/polyphenols, phytosterols, fatty acids, indoles, alkanes, pyrimidines, alkaloids, organic acids, aldehydes, dicarboxylic acids, ketones, and alcohols. Due to the presence of the antioxidant polyphenols, indoles, and alkaloids, the A. vera leaf gel shows antioxidantcapacity as confirmed by ORAC and FRAP analyses. Both analytical methods used show the non-flavonoid polyphenols to contribute to the majority of the total polyphenol content. Three different solvents such as aqueous, ethanol, and acetone were used to extract the bioactive compounds from the leaves of A. vera to screen the antibacterial activity selected human clinical pathogens by agar diffusion method. The maximum antibacterial activities were observed in acetone extracts (12 ± 0.45, 20 ± 0.35, 20 ± 0.57, and 15 ± 0.38 nm) other than aqueous and ethanol extracts.

CONCLUSION:

Due to its phytochemical composition, A. vera leaf gel may show promise in alleviating symptoms associated with/or prevention of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, neurodegeneration, and diabetes.

 

 

J Complement Integr Med. 2013 May 7;10. pii: /j/jcim.2013.10.issue-1/jcim-2012-0020/jcim-2012-0020.xml. doi: 10.1515/jcim-2012-0020.
Aloe vera gel protects liver from oxidative stress-induced damage in experimental rat model.
Nahar T1, Uddin B, Hossain S, Sikder AM, Ahmed S.

Aloe vera is a semi-tropical plant of Liliaceae family which has a wide range of applications in traditional medicine. In the present study, we sought to investigate the heptaoprotective potential of Aloe vera gel as a diet supplement. To achieve this goal, we have designed in vitro and in vivo experimental models of chemical-induced liver damage using male Sprague-Dawley rat. In the in vitro model, its effect was evaluated on Fenton's reaction-induced liver lipid peroxidation. Co-incubation with gel significantly reduced the generation of liver lipid peroxide (LPO). Next, to see the similar effect in vivo, gel was orally administered to rats once daily for 21 successive days. Following 1 hour of the last administration of gel, rats were treated with intra-peritoneal injection of CCl4. Dietary gel showed significant hepatoprotection against CCl4-induced damage as evident by restoration of liver LPO, serum transaminases, alkaline phosphatase, and total bilirubin towards near normal. The beneficial effects were pronounced with the doses used (400 and 800 mg/kg body weight). Besides, we did not observe any significant drop in serum albumin, globulin as well as total protein levels of gel-administered rats. Histopathology of the liver tissue further supported the biochemical findings confirming the hepatoprotective potential of dietary gel.

 

 

Molecules. 2012 Nov 1;17(11):12851-67. doi: 10.3390/molecules171112851.
In vitro antioxidant effects of Aloe barbadensis Miller extracts and the potential role of these extracts as antidiabetic and antilipidemic agents on streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic model rats.
Moniruzzaman M1, Rokeya B, Ahmed S, Bhowmik A, Khalil MI, Gan SH.

In this study, the total phenolic and flavonoid contents, the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging ability and the ferric reducing power (FRAP) of Aloe vera were measured to determine the antioxidant activity of this species. The in vivo antidiabetic effects of the plant were also investigated using streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic model rats that were divided into five groups based on the treatment received: (1) water (WC); (2) glibenclamide; (3) concentrated gel extract (Gel-C); (4) ethanol (80%) gel extract (Gel-Et); and (5) ethanol (80%) skin extract of Aloe vera (Skin-Et). Skin-Et, which contained the highest level of total phenolics (62.37 ± 1.34 mg(gallic acid)/kg) and flavonoids (20.83 ± 0.77 mg/kg), exhibited the highest scavenging activity (85.01 ± 0.52%) and the greatest reducing power (185.98 ± 0.41 µM), indicating that the skin contained the highest level of antioxidants. The oral consumption of Gel-Et for 4 weeks a caused significant reduction in the fasting serum glucose levels of the rats. The rats in the Gel-C-, Gel-Et- and Skin-Et-treated groups experienced a reduction in their total cholesterol levels by 11%, 17% and 25%, respectively and a reduction in their LDL cholesterol levels by 45%, 3% and 69%, respectively. The in vivo experimental antioxidant parameter MDA is strongly correlated with the in vitro antioxidant parameters of flavonoids and polyphenols, namely the DPPH and FRAP values (r = 0.94, 0.92, 0.93, 0.90), thus confirming the antioxidant potential of the Aloe vera extracts.

 

 

Nat Prod Commun. 2013 Sep;8(9):1333-4.
Meeting report: First National Meeting on Aloe, April 20-21, 2013, Isernia, Italy. New perspectives in Aloe research: from basic science to clinical application.
Capasso R1, Laudato M, Borrelli F.

Aloe preparations have maintaining their popularity over the of course time. Aloe latex is used for its laxative effects; aloe gel is used topically for skin ailments and internally for variety of disturbances; aloe extract is potentially useful for cancer.

 

Nutrition. 2013 Sep;29(9):1110-4. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2013.02.015. Epub 2013 Jun 2.

Metabolic effects of aloe vera gel complex in obese prediabetes and early non-treated diabetic patients: randomized controlled trial.
Choi HC1, Kim SJ, Son KY, Oh BJ, Cho BL.
OBJECTIVE:

The metabolic effects of an aloe vera gel complex (Aloe QDM complex) on people with prediabetes or earlydiabetes mellitus (DM) are unknown. The goal of this study was to determine the effects of Aloe QDM complex on body weight, body fat mass (BFM), fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting serum insulin, and Homeostasis Model of Assessment - Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) in obese individuals with prediabetes or early DM who were not on diabetes medications.

METHODS:

Participants (n = 136) were randomly assigned to an intervention or a control group and evaluated at baseline and at 4 and 8 wk.

RESULTS:

The study lost six participants in the control group and eight in the intervention group. At 8 wk, body weight (P = 0.02) and BFM (P = 0.03) were significantly lower in the intervention group. At 4 wk, serum insulin level (P = 0.04) and HOMA-IR (P = 0.047) were lower in the intervention group; they also were lower at 8 wk but with borderline significance (P = 0.09; P = 0.08, respectively). At 8 wk, FBG tended to decrease in the intervention group (P = 0.02), but the between-group difference was not significant (P = 0.16).

CONCLUSION:

In obese individuals with prediabetes or early untreated DM, Aloe QDM complex reduced body weight, BFM, and insulin resistance.

 

MOLLUSCUM CONTAGIOSUM

 

Warts are most often confused with molluscum contagiosum. Molluscum is a common viral infection of the skin, more common in children. It is caused by a DNA virus of the poxvirus group. The lesions are discrete, pearly, skin-colored, dome-shaped papules varying in size from 1 to 5 mm. Typically they have central umbilication from which a plug of cheesy material can be expressed. These papules may occur anywhere, but the face, eyelids, neck, underarms, and thighs are the most common sites of infection. Lesions may also occur in clusters on the genitalia or in the groin of adolescents. Mucosal lesions are rare.

Molluscum contagiosum is a self-limited disease, but lesions can persist for months to years and can spread to distant sites, and may be transmitted to others. Molluscum contagiosum responds poorly to most surgical treatments such as curretage and cryotherapy since this does not shorten the duration of the disease, and it usually causes deep tissue scars. 

There are two good therapy options.  The cheapest is probably using Lugol's 5% iodine.  Apply it to the lesions as they develop.  Treat most lesions for 3-4 days, twice a day, with a small drop of Lugol's, then blot dry.  And do this until it causes the lesion to become inflammed or uncomfortable to treat.   Only treat new lesions and avoid treating facial lesions.  Once immunity develops, the facial lesions will disappear naturally, so you can simply treat the non-facial lesions.

The other good option is to take a good aloe supplement orally to boost immunity, and apply the aloe to the lesion twice a day mixed with some vaseline or cream. 

Both methods help the body develop immunity to the virus by exposing the virus to the immune system.  The iodine is less expensive but sometimes more uncomfortable, but both methods generally produce the same final result in 2-3 months.

Try to discourage scratching of the lesions, and keep fingernails clean to limit transmission and spreading.
 
 



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