‘Natural’ Nasal Spray Could Stop Virus Before It Enters The Body
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the two introductory paragraphs.
A Canadian nasal spray that has been shown to stop the coronavirus from spreading through the body will begin its first UK clinical trial tomorrow.
The SaNOtize nitric oxide spray is designed to prevent the virus from passing through the nose to the respiratory system. The trial will be run by Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Surrey.
I shall be watching SaNOtize‘s development with interest, as something that could be similar got my life on track!
I am 73 and I was a very sickly child, despite the persistence of the GP, who delivered me, who was the superbly-named Dr. Egerton White, to try and sort out my problems.
I was always, having terms off school with respiratory problems, probably caused by the London smogs of the 1950s. We lived in Southgate and they had as bad smogs as anyone.
In the end, with the connivance of a pharmacist called Halliday, they formulated a nasal spray, that worked. I can still smell it!
My health improved with the Clean Air Act and during University in the seaside city of Liverpool.
Later, I worked for ICI on chemical plants and there was an unfounded story, that the pensions were good, as working on ammonia plants and the like kept you clear of all the viruses going around. But on retirement in all that clear air, you got everything that was going and died soon after leaving work. Hence the pension scheme had more money than it needed.
My health also improved, when at fifty I was diagnosed as a coeliac and went gluten-free.
Now after returning to London after the death of my wife and son to cancer, and suffering a serious stroke, my head is all choked up by the pollution. The Covid-19 lockdown makes it difficult to take the cure, which is a couple of days by the sea. Biarritz, Gdansk and Liverpool work a treat.
Trump Got It Wrong!
Trump was advocating injecting bleach to cure the Covids.
- Note that bleach is a strong alkali
- This spray is based on nitric oxide, which when mixed with water forms nitrous acid.
- Wikipedia says not to mix-up the weak nitrous acid with nitric acid.
So Trummkopf couldn’t tell his alkali from his acid, which surely is a recipe for disaster.
Nitric Oxide
This is part of the introduction in the Wikipedia entry for nitric oxide.
An important intermediate in industrial chemistry, nitric oxide forms in combustion systems and can be generated by lightning in thunderstorms. In mammals, including humans, nitric oxide is a signaling molecule in many physiological and pathological processes. It was proclaimed the “Molecule of the Year” in 1992. The 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for discovering nitric oxide’s role as a cardiovascular signalling molecule.
I remember a fascinating BBC Horizon program about nitric oxide’s role as a signalling molecule.
- It started with research done by a veterinary professor at Glasgow University, who believed that after experimenting with penises from dead bulls, concluded that nitric oxide had something to do with it.
- But his ideas were so out-of-kilter with established thought, that his research was sidelined at conferences in journals.
- Reasons like it was a poison and such a simple molecule were given.
- Then in London, someone who knew of his research, had a patient dying of toxic shock syndrome.
- He suggested injecting the lady, with large amounts of nitric oxide, in the hope they could save her life.
- Her partner agreed.
And as it worked, there was a very happy ending.
I
Would I Go Back To Gdansk?
Most certainly!
But next time, I’d make sure that I stayed in the city centre of Gdansk, as although the Haffner was good, it wasn’t near much I wanted to visit.
I’d also go to visit Gdynia as well, as that is just a train ride away.
But above all, Gdansk is such good value.
It should be on everybody’s bucket list.
From Gdansk To Warsaw By Train
It should have been a five hour trip from Gdansk to Warsaw by train, with a change at Kutno.
It is not the most interesting of train rides, with this view being typical.
From Gdansk To Warsaw
But things didn’t quite work out as planned.
The train to Kutno was about half-an-hour late and I missed my connection to Warsaw, despite our train manager saying that they’d hold the Warsaw train.
So you’d think it would just be a matter of getting on the next train.
But it wasn’t, as I needed to get a new ticket issued.
So this delay nearly meant I missed the next train as well.
I should have done what logic said and waited in Gdansk for a few more hours to get the direct train.
As it was I think that I got that train on the last leg anyway.
I also ended up in the wrong statiuon in Warsaw and had to get a metro train for three stops to my hotel.
But still it was an enjoyable trip as I discussed Poland and the UK, using Google translate on my attractive companion’s laptop. Sadly, her battery ran out and there wasn’t a power point.
Next time, I’ll book the direct train.
A Good Day In Gdansk
One of the waitresses in Carluccio’s was right, when she said I should visit Gdansk. It is lovely, there is no language difficulties and I’ve eaten well without any trouble. Even if the waiters don’t know much English, they usually get something nutricious and safe for a coeliac.
Gdansk
The picture was taken yesterday, along the canal that runs through the city and gives a flavour of it. Note the weather.
On a train to Warsaw today.
The Beach At Sodot
It surprised me that the sea-front at Sodot had such an amazing beach.
C would have loved to go swimming there. The sea must have been a bit cold, as I didn’t see one hardy soul venturing in.
The Gdansk Shipyard
You can’t avoid the shipyard in Gdansk, as the cranes are a massive presence over the city, which I had seen as I took the train in from Sodot. After walking the city centre, I took a tram to see the memorial at the shipyard to 42 or more workers killed in 1970.
Everybody should visit the birthplace of Solidarity and one of those iconic places that mark the start of the downfall of the First Soviet Empire. It might make us more wary about what is happening on Russia’s borders today.
Walking Back To Gdansk Station
After lunch at Kubicki and seeing the monument to the defence of the Post Office, I meandered back to the station.
I probably spent about four hours walking in a circle and in the wonderful weather, it was one of the best city walks I’ve had for some time.
As the pictures show, it wasn’t exactly busy and that’s the way most of us like it.
The Defence Of The Polish Post Office In Gdansk
Like most from Britain, my knowledge of the incidents at the start of the Second World War is limited.
I’d never heard the story of the Defence of the Polish Post Office in Gdansk.
The story and the defenders are commemorated with this monument. It reportedly shows the last defender handing his rifle to Nike; the goddess of victory.
Lunch In Kubicki, Gdansk
My guidebook said Kubicki was a good restaurant.
It was! And I didn’t have to worry about the gluten-free or the prices. My meal cost me just £17.70 for a salad starter, the exquisite fish and a large glass of reasonable wine.
As with Kubicki, most restaurants in Poland seem to have at least one member of staff, who understands the importance of gluten-free food to some people.
As the other restaurant I saw, Goldwasser, has good recommendations on the Internet, I would suspect that anybody with a food allergy; serious or just preference, will not have trouble with food in Gdansk.
Zuraw – The Gdansk Crane
This medieval crane is nothing like anything I’ve seen before. It was used to unload ships on the quayside.
Strangely, I couldn’t find a Wikipedia article in English. But Lonely Planet has a good article here.
The Anonymous Widower 