Solvatochromic Dyes Track a Homeopathic Preparation through Water-Stream Systems in a Program to Control Tick Infestation at a Wild Animal Rehabilitation Center in Brazil.

INTRODUCTION: In 2021, the area of CRAS (Centro de Reabilitação de Animais Selvagens - Wild Animal Rehabilitation Center), located in a state park in Campo Grande City, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, was suffering from a tick infestation affecting wild animals that inhabit the area and humans that visited its trails. Following a formal technical-scientific cooperation agreement between IMASUL, an institute for the environment in Mato Grosso do Sul state, and SIGO Homeopatia, a formulated homeopathic complex (Formula Parques Urbanos, FPU) was designed and prepared specifically to treat the animals. This environmental intervention used specially designed slow-release water biodegradable devices. Tracking the FPU signal in water was necessary to monitor and manage the intervention. AIMS: Our aims were (1) to evaluate, among six previously standardized solvatochromic dyes, which would serve as a marker for the homeopathic complex under study; and (2) to evaluate whether the chosen solvatochromic dye could map the propagation of the homeopathic complex activity throughout the stream system from water samples harvested at different locations over time. METHOD: Water samples were harvested from each point at different times, filtered, frozen, and sent to the laboratory, where they were prepared at 1cH potency for analysis using 30% ethanol as the vehicle. Solvatochromic dyes were used to analyze the samples since they alter their absorbance when in contact with homeopathic potencies. Of the six dyes tested, Coumarin 7 was found to be the most suitable for tracking the FPU complex. A static and average unidirectional magnetic field of 2,400 Gauss (240 mT), generated by a neodymium magnet, was applied to the samples immediately before reading. RESULTS: There were significant differences in the delta absorbance of dyes when adding treated/potentized water samples, making it possible to map the propagation of the FPU signal throughout the park over time. The signals were identifiable at the same point 1 minute and 32 days after the insertion of the device into the water. These signals were also identifiable after 75 minutes and 8 days at a point far from the insertion place. CONCLUSION: Coumarin 7 was the best marker for the homeopathic complex (FPU) used to treat the wild animals living in the park. The microplates/enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay reader method and the application of a magnetic field to samples were shown to be effective in tracing homeopathic signals by changes in dye absorbance (p ≤ 0.02) in a real-life situation, with large volumes of water, involving many environmental variables, and over large distances.

Highly Diluted Glyphosate Mitigates Its Effects on Artemia salina: Physicochemical Implications.

Glyphosate is an herbicide widely used in agriculture but can present chronic toxicity in low concentrations. Artemia salina is a common bio-indicator of ecotoxicity; it was used herein as a model to evaluate the effect of highly diluted-succussed glyphosate (potentized glyphosate) in glyphosate-based herbicide (GBH) exposed living systems. Artemia salina cysts were kept in artificial seawater with 0.02% glyphosate (corresponding to 10% lethal concentration or LC10) under constant oxygenation, luminosity, and controlled temperature, to promote hatching in 48 h. Cysts were treated with 1% (v/v) potentized glyphosate in different dilution levels (Gly 6 cH, 30 cH, 200 cH) prepared the day before according to homeopathic techniques, using GBH from the same batch. Controls were unchallenged cysts, and cysts treated with succussed water or potentized vehicle. After 48 h, the number of born nauplii per 100 µL, nauplii vitality, and morphology were evaluated. The remaining seawater was used for physicochemical analyses using solvatochromic dyes. In a second set of experiments, Gly 6 cH treated cysts were observed under different degrees of salinity (50 to 100% seawater) and GBH concentrations (zero to LC 50); hatching and nauplii activity were recorded and analyzed using the ImageJ 1.52, plug-in Trackmate. The treatments were performed blind, and the codes were revealed after statistical analysis. Gly 6 cH increased nauplii vitality (p = 0.01) and improved the healthy/defective nauplii ratio (p = 0.005) but delayed hatching (p = 0.02). Overall, these results suggest Gly 6cH treatment promotes the emergence of the more GBH-resistant phenotype in the nauplii population. Also, Gly 6cH delays hatching, another useful survival mechanism in the presence of stress. Hatching arrest was most marked in 80% seawater when exposed to glyphosate at LC10. Water samples treated with Gly 6 cH showed specific interactions with solvatochromic dyes, mainly Coumarin 7, such that it appears to be a potential physicochemical marker for Gly 6 cH. In short, Gly 6 cH treatment appears to protect the Artemia salina population exposed to GBH at low concentrations.

Reflections on the fundamental nature of homeopathic potencies: Plasma, Langmuir Adsorption and Vitalism

There is a pressing need to develop methods and approaches that will identify the fundamental nature of homeopathic potencies. Aims: To bring together recent basic research on potencies, especially that using solvatochromic dyes, and to supplement these results with reliable observations made by Hahnemann and his contemporaries from the very beginnings of homeopathy, together with a detailed examination of the process of trituration and succussion coupled to dilution, in order to significantly limit the number of possible explanations as to the identity of potencies. Methodology: A mixture of lab based and literature studies such that as far as possible all verified and substantiated observations about homeopathic potencies have been examined. Results and Discussion: An understanding of the fundamental nature of homeopathic potencies that includes all known and accepted observations (in vitro, in vivoand clinical) is not realistic without embracing hypotheses involving the emergent properties of complex systems and in particular, vitalistic concepts. Using a vitalistic model it is possible to explain a wide range of seemingly unrelated phenomena -such as the polarising effect of potencies on solvatochromic dyes, the ability to use a range of materials such as water, lactose and cellulose as carriers of potencies, the administering of potencies by olfaction, the antidoting effect of camphor on potency action, the non-linear dependence of potency strength on volume as well as succussion level, the oscillatory behaviour of potencies and experimenter/observer/practitioner effects. Conclusion: A hypothesis in which homeopathic potencies can be seen as self-actuating and autonomous plasma generated by trituration and/or succussion and carried according to Langmuir adsorption models fits the known observations about potencies.

Mercury chloride toxicity attenuation of the Brine Shrimp Artemia Salinaafter treatment with Mercurius corrosivusas isotherapic

Isotherapics preparedfromtoxic substances have been described as attenuation factors for heavy metal intoxicationin aquatic animals. Herein, Artemia salinaand mercury chloride were usedas a model to identify treatment-related bioresilience. The aim was to describe the effects of Mercurius corrosivus(MC) in different potencies on Artemia salinacyst hatching and on mercury bioavailability. Artemia salinacysts were exposed to 5.0 µg/mL of mercury chloride during the hatching phase. MC6cH, 30cH, and 200cHwere prepared and poured into artificial seawater. Different controls were used (nonchallenged cysts and challenged cysts treated with water, succussed water, and Ethilicum 1cH). Four series of nine experiments were performed for4 weeks to evaluate the percentage of cyst hatchingconsidering all moon phases. Soluble total mercury (THg) levels and precipitated mercury content were also evaluated. Solvatochromic dyes were used to check for eventual physicochemical markers of MCbiological activity. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with mixed modelswas used for evaluating the effect of different treatments andthe simultaneous influence of the moon phases on the cystshatching rate, at both observation times (24 and 48 hours).When necessary, outliers were removed, using the Tukeycriterion.Thelevel of significance αwas set at 5%. Significant delay (p<0.0001) in cyst hatching was observed after treatment with MC30cH, compared with the controls. An increase inTHg concentration in seawater (p<0.0018) and of chlorine/oxygen ratio (p<0.0001) in suspended micro-aggregateswas also seen, with possiblerelation with mercury bioavailability. Specific interaction of MC30cH with the solvatochromic dye ET33 (p<0.0017) was found. The other observed potencies of Mercurius corrosivus6 and 200 cH were not significant in relation to the observed groups.The results werepostulated as being protective effects of MC30cH on Artemia salina, by improving its bioresilience.

Bioresilience to Mercury Chloride of the Brine Shrimp Artemia Salina after Treatment with Homeopathic Mercurius Corrosivus.

INTRODUCTION: Finding solutions to mitigate the impact of pollution on living systems is a matter of great interest. Homeopathic preparations of toxic substances have been described in the literature as attenuation factors for intoxication. Herein, an experimental study using Artemia salina and mercury chloride was developed as a model to identify aspects related to bioresilience. AIMS: The aim of the study was to describe the effects of homeopathic Mercurius corrosivus (MC) on Artemia salina cysts hatching and on mercury bioavailability. METHODS: Artemia salina cysts were exposed to 5.0 µg/mL of mercury chloride during the hatching phase. MC potencies (6cH, 30cH, and 200cH) were prepared in sterile purified water and poured into artificial sea water. Different controls were used (non-challenged cysts and challenged cysts treated with water, succussed water, and Ethilicum 1cH). Four series of nine experiments were performed to evaluate the percentage of cyst hatching. Soluble total mercury (THg) levels and precipitated mercury content were also evaluated. Solvatochromic dyes were used to check for eventual physicochemical markers of MC biological activity. RESULTS: Significant delay (p < 0.0001) in cyst hatching was observed only after treatment with MC 30cH, compared with controls. This result was associated with an increase of THg concentration in water (p = 0.0018) and of chlorine/oxygen ratio (p < 0.0001) in suspended micraggregates, suggesting changes in mercury bioavailability. A specific interaction of MC 30cH with the solvatochromic dye ET33 (p = 0.0017) was found. CONCLUSION: Changes in hatching rate and possible changes in Hg bioavailability are postulated as protective effects of MC 30cH on Artemia salina, by improving its natural bioresilience processes.

The age of ambergris.

Ambergris, which is a coprolith originating from the sperm whale, has been found only rarely, but for centuries, as jetsam on beaches all over the world. There are no reliable data indicating how long such samples may have remained at sea, with unsubstantiated accounts suggesting maybe decades. Here, we obtained over forty jetsam samples, many collected on known dates, from mostly known beach locations across the globe. Such an inventory of verified jetsam ambergris is unprecedented. Each sample was characterised by analytical methods such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). We then determined the radiocarbon ages of some of the samples by well-described accelerator-MS techniques. Surprisingly, some samples of jetsam have remained in the environment for about a thousand years.

A humanised murine monoclonal antibody with broad serogroup specificity protects mice from challenge with Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus.

In murine models of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) infection, the neutralising monoclonal antibody 1A3B-7 has been shown to be effective in passive protection from challenge by the aerosol route with serogroups I, II and Mucambo virus (formally VEE complex subtype IIIA). This antibody is able to bind to all serogroups of the VEEV complex when used in ELISA and therefore is an excellent candidate for protein engineering in order to derive a humanised molecule suitable for therapeutic use in humans. A Complementarity Determining Region (CDR) grafting approach using human germline IgG frameworks was used to produce a panel of humanised variants of 1A3B-7, from which a single candidate molecule with retained binding specificity was identified. Evaluation of humanised 1A3B-7 (Hu1A3B-7) in in vitro studies indicated that Hu1A3B-7 retained both broad specificity and neutralising activity. Furthermore, in vivo experiments showed that Hu1A3B-7 successfully protected mice against lethal subcutaneous and aerosol challenges with VEEV strain TrD (serogroup I). Hu1A3B-7 is therefore a promising candidate for the future development of a broad-spectrum antiviral therapy to treat VEEV disease in humans.