Study finds that enzymes in cannabis could treat COVID-19
Researchers at the University of Lethbridge in Canada recently released results from a study that shows the benefits of CBD as an aid in blocking the cells that enter the body from the novel coronavirus.
The study, published in peer journal Preprints, was conducted by the scientists in April, and the results were released in a non-peer-reviewed, preclinical study titled “In Search of Preventative Strategies: Novel Anti-Inflammatory High-CBD Cannabis Sativa Extracts Modulate ACE2 Expression in COVID-19 Gateway Tissues” earlier this month, according to a release from pharmaceutical research company Pathway RX.
The study is a partnership among the university, Pathway, which works to develop cannabis therapies to treat specific diseases, and cannabinoid-based oral health company Swysh Inc.
The researchers in Alberta conducted a study using artificial 3D models of oral, airway and intestinal tissues coupled with a limited sample of high CBD Cannabis sativa extracts modulate ACE2 gene expression and ACE2 protein levels. The results indicated hemp extracts high in CBD may help block proteins that provide a “gateway” for COVID-19 to enter host cells.
“Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) has been generally accepted by the scientific community as a receptor required for the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into human cells,” said Dr. Igor Kovalchuk, CEO of Pathway Rx and holder of a Health Canada License for Cannabis Research. He added, “Our initial findings warrant further investigation but it’s possible that medical cannabis products could become a safe adjunct therapy for the treatment of COVID-19.”
The study results were recently shared publicly, and the research paper was submitted to a scientific journal for peer review, according to Pathway Rx.
Among the 1,000 Cannabis sativa varieties that have been screened by Pathway Rx, only a small number have expressed medicinal properties. The research company is seeking funding to continue its efforts to support scientific initiatives to address COVID-19.
“The Government of Canada’s latest investment to support the health of Canadians creates a significant opportunity for Pathway Rx to advance our research and accelerate the development of custom therapies and products to help combat COVID-19,” Kovalchuk said in a statement.
The results come as several countries lean upon the science community for answers on how to prevent and treat COVID-19. On Monday, President Donald Trump announced that for at least two weeks he has explored the drug hydroxychloroquine as a preventive measure against the coronavirus. He also shared that front-line workers are taking the drug, which has been found by the FDA to cause serious heart problems.
Controversy continues to surround the medical solutions that have been purported as options to curb the spread of the virus, which, as of Tuesday, claimed the lives of more than 90,000 Americans and nearly 325,000 people across the globe.
— The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Trump threatens WHO with permanent cutoff of U.S. funds
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump escalated his threats against the World Health Organization over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying he would permanently cut U.S. funding if it does not make sweeping reforms.
He said that the international agency must demonstrate “independence from China,” according to a letter, which the president posted on Twitter late Monday.
“If the World Health Organization does not commit to major substantive improvements within the next 30 days, I will make my temporary freeze of United States funding to the World Health Organization permanent and reconsider our membership in the organization,” Trump wrote in the letter to Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
In a tweet accompanying a copy of the letter, Trump called it “self-explanatory.”
The president announced on April 14 he would temporarily suspend U.S. funding to the WHO, accusing the group of being too supportive of China.
— Bloomberg News
Medical, dental offices given rules for reopening
Medical and dental offices can reopen in Washington if they can meet certain guidelines for protective gear, hygiene and physical distancing for patients and staff.
If cases of COVID-19 begin to spike in their area and put a strain on medical facilities, they’ll need a plan to grow or shrink elective procedures.
A new state emergency proclamation from Gov. Jay Inslee sets up the process for allowing medical and dental offices to operate under three different pandemic conditions or phases. State and local public health officials can decide whether some services must be reduced or closed.
In the Conventional Care Phase, all appropriate clinical care can be provided.
In the Contingency Care Phase — the current phase for Washington — all appropriate care can be provided if there is enough personal protective gear, rules are followed and hospitals have adequate surge capacity.
In the Crisis Care Phase, emergency and urgent care can be provided along with elective care if the delay would cause harm, plus family planning services, newborn care and vaccinations.
Many dental offices reopened for routine care Monday, said Dr. Bob Lutz from the Spokane Regional Health District. Offices locally are following recommendations from the American Dental Association, Lutz said at a morning news conference.
While infection prevention has always been important for dental care providers, patients will now be asked screening questions before their appointments. Things such as magazines and children’s toys that are difficult to sanitize will be removed from offices, Lutz said.
“They’re really really trying to make sure that your overall health in addition to your oral health is really their priority,” Lutz said.
Heather Gallagher, who runs the SRHD Access to Baby and Child Dentistry program, said patients could be asked to wait in the car until their appointment times.
“Given the backlog of patients who are waiting to be seen it can take a while for you to get in for your cleaning or checkup,” Gallagher said.
The new guidelines are designed to start moving back to non-emergency medical and dental care in the state while being prepared for a potential uptick in COVID-19 cases, Inslee said. It was based on the availability of personal protective equipment, which the medical and dental offices will have to acquire, and adequate numbers of intensive care unit beds and ventilators in hospitals.
Offices will screen patients, staff and visitors before or immediately on arrival for temperature and other COVID-19 symptoms. Visitors will be limited to people essential for a patient’s care. When possible, patients should wear masks while in medical offices. Employees who are COVID-19 positive must stay home, and an office should follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for a deep cleaning after a report of an employee with a suspected or confirmed case of the illness.
Because of the restrictions put in place as the pandemic began to take hold in Washington, some people have delayed getting needed care for other medical conditions, Inslee said.
“If you need care, you really need to contact your provider,” he said.
Dental offices “stepped up early” and closed or restricted operations to save protective equipment for people fighting COVID-19 in hospitals, Inslee added.
— Bloomberg News Service
Washington Department of Corrections officer dies of COVID-19
OLYMPIA — Corrections officials Monday evening announced that a correctional officer has died of the new coronavirus.
Berisford Anthony Morse, 65, died on Sunday from complications due to COVID-19, according to the Washington Department of Corrections (DOC). His death, the first from the illness involving a state correctional officer, is being honored as a line-of-duty fatality.
Morse, who joined DOC in 2003, worked at the Monroe Correctional Complex’s minimum security unit, where 14 inmates have tested positive for the virus.
“It is a tragedy to lose a member of our public safety community and correctional family,” Secretary of Corrections Stephen Sinclair said in a statement, adding later: “Our hearts go out to Officer Morse’s grieving family and the sacrifice they have made.”
Morse last worked at the prison on April 24, and went home after reporting symptoms to his shift commander, according to the statement. Corrections officials learned on April 27 that he tested positive for the virus.
Earlier in April, Morse had been identified in contact tracing as having interacted with an inmate in the minimum security unit who had COVID-19, according to the statement.
During the pandemic, Monroe Correctional Complex has been an epicenter of fear within Washington’s prison system for inmates and families worried about the spread of the virus in confined spaces.
As of Monday, nine staffers and 18 inmates at Monroe Correctional Complex had tested positive for COVID-19, according to DOC.
— The Seattle Times
Talk to a doctor before taking hydroxy-chloroquine, McEnany says
Americans should speak with their doctors before taking hydroxychloroquine in an attempt to ward off the coronavirus, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said.
McEnany spoke to reporters Tuesday at the White House after President Donald Trump announced he was taking the anti-malaria drug, which has not been proven to be beneficial against the virus and which carries a risk of poisoning. Trump’s doctor said he and the president had both concluded that the “potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks.”
McEnany said she spoke Tuesday morning with Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, about hydroxychloroquine. The FDA has warned against using the drug outside of hospitals or trials.
“He told me that it has a good safety profile but should always be prescribed in the context of a doctor prescribing it to their patient, so that is ultimately how the decision should be made,” McEnany said. “It’s ultimately how President Trump made his decision.”
Earlier Tuesday, McEnany told Fox News that Trump made the announcement on Monday out of a desire to be transparent.
“The president just wanted to be transparent about his personal health decision that he made in consultation with his doctor,” she told the network. “Let me emphasize strongly that any use of hydroxychloroquine has to be in consultation with your doctor. You have to have a prescription. That’s the way it must be done.”
— Bloomberg News
