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COLLECTINS AND vascular disease and hypertension, both of which are also strong risk
THE INNATE IMMUNE SYSTEM factors for bad outcomes with Covid-19.
The researchers who studied the vaping- Another striking feature of the lungs of the vaping-exposed mice
exposed mice found a very specific defect in the was the accumulation of lipids (fats) within invasive macrophages. This
mouse lungs, namely, suppressed production of is reminiscent of the observations from another paper, which exposed
opsonins in the lung surfactants. An opsonin is rats orally to low-dose glyphosate. Despite the fact that the exposure level
“an antibody or other substance which binds to was below regulatory limits, the rats developed fatty liver disease, with
foreign microorganisms or cells making them both native and invasive macrophages within the liver accumulating fatty
more susceptible to phagocytosis.” In other deposits. A study on humans with fatty liver disease revealed that those
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words, it acts like a vacuum cleaner or tar paper with the disease had statistically significantly higher glyphosate levels in
to bind to pathogens or cellular debris and assist their urine compared to controls with a healthy liver, and, furthermore,
the immune system in clearing them. The lung those with more advanced liver disease (including liver fibrosis) had on
cells produce four opsonins, logically named as average higher urinary glyphosate levels than those with milder disease.
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SP-A, SP-B, SP-C and SP-D, where “SP” stands Liver disease is one of the preconditions associated with increased
for “surfactant protein.” risk for an acute response to Covid-19. A review of data from Covid-19
Notably, SP-A and SP-D, but not the other patients in China reported that 14-53 percent of cases described in vari-
two, are members of a larger class of a dozen or ous studies had abnormal levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and
so proteins called collectins, which are produced aspartate aminotransferase (AST), which are commonly used indicators
by immune cells and which are all involved in of liver disease.
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clearing pathogens and cellular debris. Col-
lectins all have a unique feature, a “collagen- DISEASE PROCESS: KEY ROLE OF NITROGEN OXIDES
like stalk,” which is a section of the protein The human immune system consists of an innate component that is
that folds into a triple-helix structure that then very general and always on alert, and an adaptive component that kicks
binds together with other collectins to form the in when an infection gets out of hand. A weak innate system necessitates
characteristic stalk. The vaping study found that a strong adaptive response.
SP-A and SP-D (but not SP-B and SP-C) were The disease process of Covid-19 is beginning to be well characterized
significantly reduced in the lungs of the mice by clinicians around the world who are struggling to treat those with a
exposed to vaping fumes. severe case of the disease. The process begins with an infection in the
The sequence motif associated with colla- lungs and an overactive response by the adaptive immune system. The
gen and collagen-like proteins is a long pattern invading neutrophils release inflammatory cytokines and chemokines.
of “GxyGxyGxyGxy. . . ” where glycine occurs Inducible nitric oxide synthase is sharply upregulated, and it produces
in a regular pattern interspersed with two other nitric oxide that reacts with superoxide to produce the highly reactive
“wild-card” amino acids. Collagen is by far the product, peroxynitrite. Free iron released from heme catalyzes destruc-
most common protein in the body, constituting tive reactions with the oxidizing agents, superoxide and peroxynitrite.
up to a quarter of all the protein mass. I believe Insufficient antioxidant defenses lead to extensive local tissue damage
that glyphosate substitution for glycine—spe- and severe oxygen shortages.
cifically within collagen—is responsible for the A key aspect of the ensuing disease process is the breakdown of
alarming increase in multiple joint problems that hemoglobin in the red blood cells, which results in a sharp reduction in
are necessitating shoulder surgery, hip and knee oxygen supplies to the tissues. Various derivative nitrogen oxides—par-
replacement surgery, lower back and neck sur- ticularly nitrogen dioxide (NO )—result in the conversion of hemoglobin
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gery and many issues with foot pain. It may even to methemoglobin. Methemoglobin releases its heme and induces the
be a major driver behind the opioid drug crisis. expression of heme oxygenase, an enzyme that breaks heme down into
The collectin SP-D has been implicated in biliverdin and produces carbon monoxide as a reaction product. Carbon
multiple respiratory diseases, including respi- monoxide binds to heme in the red blood cells, preventing it from bind-
ratory distress syndrome, bronchopulmonary ing to oxygen, and this induces systemic oxygen deficiency, resulting in
dysplasia, allergic asthma and COPD. As I the characteristic features of low blood oxygen and shortness of breath.
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mentioned previously, patients with COPD in A new paper analyzing a possible relationship between nitrogen
China had an eighteen-fold increased risk of dioxide levels in the troposphere and Covid-19 in Europe obtained re-
ending up in the ICU with Covid-19. Smoking markable results. To quote from the abstract: “Results show that out of
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increases the likelihood of developing cardio- the 4443 fatality cases, 3487 (78 percent) were in five regions located in

SUMMER 2020 Wise Traditions 33