Oxidative stress is a risk factor for chronic diseases and was previously shown to be independently associated with obesity. The authors investigated the relationship between body mass index (BMI), age and oxidative stress on 2190 subjects undergoing a health care examination. Total antioxidant status (TAS), total peroxides (TOC) and autoantibodies against oxidized LDL (oLAb) were used as oxidative stress biomarkers in addition to serum lipoproteins, bilirubin and uric acid. Gender-specific differences were observed for age, BMI, serum concentrations of bilirubin, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), uric acid and TAS, all of which were higher in males (p < 0.001), while high-density lipoprotein (HDL), HDL/LDL ratio and TOC were higher in females (p < 0.001). Total cholesterol (p < 0.05) and LDL were increased (p < 0.05), while HDL was decreased (p < 0.05) in overweight and obese subjects. This was accompanied by increased uric acid and TAS concentrations. Lowest oLAb titers were detected in obese subjects. In extremely obese subjects, increased TOC and decreased TAS were observed in spite of high uric acid levels. These results demonstrate that oxidative stress increases with increasing BMI and age, as a sequel to an impaired antioxidant status, the consumption of oLAbs, an increase of peroxides and uric acid and a disadvantaged lipid profile.

When reactive oxygen species attack biological structures, peroxides, which are short-lived oxidative intermediates, are generated. We evaluated the potential of two different, commercially available peroxide activity assays (Pox-Act and d-ROMS) to see whether the results were associated with the clinical condition of subjects who were participating in a routine health care program. Furthermore, we determined the total antioxidant status (TAS) and the titer of autoantibodies against oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oLAb) to verify the hydroperoxide measurements. Subjects with medical conditions (hereafter referred to as patients) had significantly increased serum peroxide levels compared to healthy subjects. The d-ROMS kit indicated that 86% of subjects had an increased level of total peroxides. Although the assays had a significant correlation (p<0.001), 34% of the subjects had an increased total peroxide concentration in the Pox-Act assay that was clearly associated with clinical symptoms. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the Pox-Act assay was 35 times higher than that of the d-ROMS kit. In subjects with medical conditions, there was a trend toward a decreased TAS and a slightly increased oLAb titer in comparison to healthy subjects, but this was not statistically significant. The Pox-Act assay seems to be a valuable tool for the determination of total peroxides, while the results from the d-ROMS kit should be considered with caution.

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Recently, as is evident with the COVID-19 pandemic, virus-containing aerosols can rapidly spread worldwide. As a consequence, filtering facepieces (FFP) are essential tools to protect against airborne viral particles. Incorrect donning and doffing of masks and a lack of hand-hygiene cause contagion by the wearers’ own hands. This study aimed to prove that hypertonic saline effectively reduces the infectious viral load on treated masks. Therefore, a hypertonic salt solution´s protective effect on surgical masks was investigated, specifically analyzing the infectivity of aerosolized Alphacoronavirus 1 in pigs (Transmissible Gastroenteritis Virus (TGEV)). Uncoated and hypertonic salt pre-coated FFPs were sprayed with TGEV. After drying, a defined part of the mask was rinsed with the medium, and the eluent was used for the infection of a porcine testicular cell line. Additionally, airborne microorganisms´ long-term infectivity of sodium-chloride in phosphate-buffered saline comprising 5% saccharose was investigated. In the results from an initial Median Tissue Culture Infectious Dose, infection rate of TGEV was minimally reduced by untreated FFP. In contrast, this could be reduced by a factor of 104 if FFPs were treated with hypertonic salt solutions. Airborne pathogens did not contaminate the growth medium if salt concentrations exceeded 5%. We conclude that hypertonic saline is a vital tool for anti-virus protection, exponentially improving the impact of FFPs.

The vitamin B complex comprises 8 different water-soluble constituents that humans must sequester from the diet. This pilot study compared natural versus synthetic vitamin B complexes for their bioavailability, accumulation, and their impact on antioxidants, homocysteine levels, and oxidative stress. We conducted a double-blind randomized clinical trial with thirty healthy participants. They were randomly assigned to group N (natural) and group S (synthetic). Vitamin B was ingested daily for 6 weeks in the range of about 2.5 times above the recommended daily allowance. Blood samples were taken at baseline, 1.5 h, 4 h, 7 h (diurnal), 6 w (discontinuation of supplements), and 8 w (washout). Blood levels of thiamine (B 1 ), riboflavin (B 2 ), pyridoxine (B 6 ), folic acid (B 9 ), cobalamin (B 12 ), homocysteine, total antioxidants, peroxidase activity, polyphenols, and total peroxides were determined. Compared to initial values, serum levels of each B vitamin increased at the end of the supplementation period: i.e., B 1 (+23% N; +27% S), B 2 (+14% N; +13% S), B 6 (+101% N; +101% S), B 9 (+86% N; +153% S), and B 12 (+16% N) (p < 0:05). Homocysteine (-13% N) decreased, while peroxidase activity (+41% S) and antioxidant capacity increased (+26% N). Short-term effects were already observed after 1.5 h for B 9 (+238% N; +246% S) and after 4 h for vitamin B 2 (+7% N; +8% S), B 6 (+59% N; +51% S), and peroxidase activity (+58% N; +58% S). During the washout period, serum levels of B vitamins decreased except for thiamine and peroxidase activity, which increased further. This clinical pilot study revealed comparable bioavailability for both natural and synthetic B vitamins but did not show statistically noticeable differences between groups despite some favourable tendencies within the natural vitamin group, i.e., sustained effects for cobalamin and endogenous peroxidase activity and a decrease in homocysteine and oxidative stress levels.