The use of copper to help prevent transmission of SARS-coronavirus and influenza viruses. A general review.

The SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent of the COVID-19 disease, a severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (SARS-CoV). Its main transmission pathway is through large respiratory droplets, as well as direct and indirect contact. Copper in different formats has been used in research and clinical settings to reduce the risk of bacterial and viral contamination. Therefore, this review aims to search for evidence about the biocidal properties of copper over the Coronaviridae family. A literature review was performed using PubMed and Ovid servers without date or language restrictions. The search was carried out on March 7, 2020, using the following search terms: [Copper] Coronavirus OR CoV OR SARS OR MERS OR Influenza. Copper destroys the replication and propagation abilities of SARS-CoV, influenza, and other respiratory viruses, having high potential disinfection in hospitals, communities, and households. Copper can eliminate pathogenic organisms such as coronavirus bacterial strains, influenza virus, HIV, and fungi after a short period of exposure. Copper seems to be an effective and low-cost complementary strategy to help reduce the transmission of several infectious diseases by limiting nosocomial infectious transmission. Copper oxide or nanocompounds may be used as filters, face masks, clothing, and hospital common surfaces to reduce viruses and bacterial incubation.

Safety and performance benefits of arginine supplements for military personnel: a systematic review.

CONTEXT: Dietary supplements are widely used by military personnel and civilians for promotion of health. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this evidence-based review was to examine whether supplementation with l-arginine, in combination with caffeine and/or creatine, is safe and whether it enhances athletic performance or improves recovery from exhaustion for military personnel. DATA SOURCES: Information from clinical trials and adverse event reports were collected from 17 databases and 5 adverse event report portals. STUDY SELECTION: Studies and reports were included if they evaluated the safety and the putative outcomes of enhanced performance or improved recovery from exhaustion associated with the intake of arginine alone or in combination with caffeine and/or creatine in healthy adults aged 19 to 50 years. DATA EXTRACTION: Information related to population, intervention, comparator, and outcomes was abstracted. Of the 2687 articles screened, 62 articles meeting the inclusion criteria were analyzed. Strength of evidence was assessed in terms of risk of bias, consistency, directness, and precision. RESULTS: Most studies had few participants and suggested risk of bias that could negatively affect the results. l-Arginine supplementation provided little enhancement of athletic performance or improvements in recovery. Short-term supplementation with arginine may result in adverse gastrointestinal and cardiovascular effects. No information about the effects of arginine on the performance of military personnel was available. CONCLUSIONS: The available information does not support the use of l-arginine, either alone or in combination with caffeine, creatine, or both, to enhance athletic performance or improve recovery from exhaustion. Given the information gaps, an evidence-based review to assess the safety or effectiveness of multi-ingredient dietary supplements was not feasible, and therefore the development of a computational model-based approach to predict the safety of multi-ingredient dietary supplements is recommended.

The effects of polyethylene glycosylated creatine supplementation on anaerobic performance measures and body composition.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of 28 days of polyethylene glycosylated creatine (PEG-creatine) supplementation (1.25 and 2.50 g·d) on anaerobic performance measures (vertical and broad jumps, 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle run, and 3-cone drill), upper- and lower-body muscular strength and endurance (bench press and leg extension), and body composition. This study used a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel design. Seventy-seven adult men (mean age ± SD, 22.1 ± 2.5 years; body mass, 81.7 ± 10.8 kg) volunteered to participate and were randomly assigned to a placebo (n = 23), 1.25 g·d of PEG-creatine (n = 27), or 2.50 g·d of PEG-creatine (n = 27) group. The subjects performed anaerobic performance measures, muscular strength (one-repetition maximum [1RM]), and endurance (80% 1RM) tests for bench press and leg extension, and underwater weighing for the determination of body composition at day 0 (baseline), day 14, and day 28. The results indicated that there were improvements (p < 0.0167) in vertical jump, 20-yard shuttle run, 3-cone drill, muscular endurance for bench press, and body mass for at least one of the PEG-creatine groups without changes for the placebo group. Thus, the present results demonstrated that PEG-creatine supplementation at 1.25 or 2.50 g·d had an ergogenic effect on lower-body vertical power, agility, change-of-direction ability, upper-body muscular endurance, and body mass.

The effects of creatine monohydrate loading on anaerobic performance and one-repetition maximum strength.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of 7 days of supplementation with 20 g·d⁻¹ of creatine monohydrate (CM) on mean power (MP) and peak power (PP) from the Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT), body weight (BW), 1-repetition maximum (1RM) bilateral leg extension (LE) strength, and 1RM bench press (BP) strength. This study used a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design. Twenty-two men (mean ± SD: age = 22.1 ± 2.0 years; height = 178.0 ± 5.8 cm; body weight [BW] = 77.6 ± 7.6 kg) were randomly assigned to either a supplement (SUPP; n = 10) or placebo (PLAC; n = 12) group. The SUPP group ingested 20 g·d⁻¹ of CM powder for 7 days, whereas the PLAC ingested 20 g·d⁻¹ of maltodextrin powder. Measurements for the PLAC and SUPP groups included BW, PP, and MP from two 30-second WAnTs (separated by 7 minutes), and 1RM strength for LE and BP. Testing was conducted before (PRE) and after (POST) 7 days of ingesting either the supplement or placebo. The results of this study indicated that there was a significant (p ≤ 0.05) increase from PRE to POST testing in MP for the SUPP group (5.4%) but not for the PLAC group (-0.3%). There were no between-group differences, however, for 1RM LE and 1RM BP strength. Furthermore, there were no changes in PP or BW for either group. The findings of this study indicated that loading with 20 g·d⁻¹ of CM for 7 days increased MP (5.4% increase) from the WAnT, but it had no effect on strength (1RM LE and 1RM BP), PP, or BW.

The effects of polyethylene glycosylated creatine supplementation on muscular strength and power.

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the effects of 28 days of polyethylene glycosylated creatine (PEG-creatine) supplementation on 1-repetition maximum bench press (1RMBP) and leg extension (1RMLE), mean power (MP), and peak power (PP) from the Wingate Anaerobic test and body weight (BW). This study used a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel design. Twenty-two untrained men (mean age ± SD = 22.1 ± 2.1 years) were randomly assigned to either a Creatine (n = 10) or Placebo (n = 12) group. The Creatine group ingested PEG-creatine (5 g·d), whereas the Placebo group ingested maltodextrin powder (5 g·d). All subjects performed bench press and bilateral leg extension exercises to determine their 1RM values, and 2 consecutive Wingate Anaerobic Tests (separated by 7 minutes) on a cycle ergometer to determine MP and PP before supplementation (day 0) and after 7 (day 7) and 28 (day 28) days of supplementation. The results indicated that there was a significant (p < 0.05) increase in 1RMBP between days 0 and 28 for the Creatine group but not for the Placebo group. There were no significant changes, however, in 1RMLE, MP, PP, or BW for the Creatine or Placebo group. These findings indicated that 28 days of PEG-creatine supplementation without resistance training increased upper body strength but not lower body strength or muscular power. These findings supported the use of the PEG-creatine supplement for increasing 1RMBP strength in untrained individuals.

The effects of 4 weeks of an arginine-based supplement on the gas exchange threshold and peak oxygen uptake.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of the daily administration of an arginine-based supplement for 4 weeks on the gas exchange threshold (GET) and peak oxygen uptake. The study used a double-blind, placebo-controlled design. Forty-one college-aged males (mean age +/- SD = 22.1 +/- 2.4 years) were randomized into either the PLACEBO (n = 20) or ARGININE (n = 21) group. The placebo was microcrystalline cellulose. The ARGININE group ingested 3.0 g of arginine, 300 mg of grape seed extract, and 300 mg of polyethylene glycol. All subjects performed an incremental test to exhaustion on a cycle ergometer prior to supplementation (PRE) and after 4 weeks of supplementation (POST). The GET was determined by using the V-slope method of the carbon dioxide output vs. oxygen uptake relationship. The results indicated that there were significant mean increases (PRE to POST) in GET (4.1%), as well as in carbon dioxide output (4.3%) and power output (5.4%) at the GET for the ARGININE group, but no significant changes for the PLACEBO group (2.5%, 4.3%, and 3.9%, respectively). In addition, there were no significant changes in peak oxygen uptake for the ARGININE (-1.0%) or PLACEBO (-1.5%) groups. These findings supported the use of the arginine-based supplement for increasing GET and the associated power output, but not for increasing peak oxygen uptake during cycle ergometry.

Effects of arginine-based supplements on the physical working capacity at the fatigue threshold.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of daily oral administration of arginine-based supplements for 4 weeks on the physical working capacity at the fatigue threshold (PWCFT). The PWCFT test is an electromyographic (EMG) procedure for estimating the highest power output that can be maintained without neuromuscular evidence of fatigue. The study used a double-blind, placebo-controlled design. Fifty college-aged men (mean age +/- SD = 23.9 +/- 3.0) were randomized into 1 of 3 groups: (a) placebo (n = 19); (b) 1.5 g arginine (n = 14); or (c) 3.0 g arginine (n = 17). The placebo was microcrystalline cellulose. The 1.5-g arginine group ingested 1.5 g of arginine and 300 mg of grape seed extract, whereas the 3.0 g arginine group ingested 3.0 g of arginine and 300 mg of grape seed extract. All subjects performed an incremental test to exhaustion on a cycle ergometer to determine their PWCFT before supplementation (PRE) and after 4 weeks of supplementation (POST). Surface EMG signals were recorded from the vastus lateralis using a bipolar electrode arrangement during the incremental tests for the determination of the PRE and POST supplementation PWCFT values. There were significant mean increases (PRE to POST) in PWCFT for the 1.5 g (22.4%) and 3.0 g (18.8%) supplement groups, but no change for the placebo group (-1.6%). These findings supported the use of arginine-based supplements, at the dosages examined in the present investigation, as an ergogenic aid for untrained individuals.

Acute effects of a caffeine-containing supplement on bench press and leg extension strength and time to exhaustion during cycle ergometry.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the acute effects of a caffeine-containing supplement (SUPP) on 1 repetition maximum (1RM) bench press and leg extension strength, as well as time to exhaustion (TTE), during cycle ergometry at a power output that corresponded to 80% of VO2peak. The study used a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover design. Twenty-one untrained men (mean +/- SD age = 23.0 +/- 2.6 yr) were randomly assigned to take either the SUPP or placebo (PLAC) first. The SUPP contained 400 mg of caffeine, 66.7 mg of capsicum extract, 10 mg of bioperine, and 40 mg of niacin, and the PLAC was microcrystalline cellulose. Sixty minutes after taking either the SUPP or PLAC, the subjects were tested for 1RM bench press and leg extension strength, as well as TTE. After 1 week of rest, the subjects ingested the opposite substance (SUPP or PLAC) and were retested for 1RM bench press and leg extension strength, as well as TTE. The results indicated that the SUPP had no effect on 1RM bench press strength, 1RM leg extension strength, or TTE at 80% VO2peak. These findings did not support the use of the caffeine-containing SUPP in the present study as an ergogenic aid in untrained individuals.