Weekly Health Quiz: UV Radiation and Quercetin

1 More than 90% of COVID-19 patients in China have been treated with:

• Hydroxychloroquine
• Traditional Chinese medicine remedies
  

  According to Yu Yanhong, party chief of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 91.5% of COVID-19 patients in China have been treated with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) decoctions. Learn more.

• Mechanical ventilation
• Acupuncture

2 Ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure appears to lower COVID-19 mortality rates even when the exposure is too low to produce vitamin D. A possible mechanism of action that allows UV irradiation to protect against COVID-19 is:

• Melanin deterioration
• Cellular oxygenation
• Nitric oxide production in your skin
  

  Research suggests ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure lowers COVID-19 mortality rates even when the irradiation is too low to produce vitamin D. UV radiation triggers release of nitric oxide, which lowers blood pressure — a risk factor for severe COVID-19 disease and death. Nitric oxide also mitigates endothelial damage, improves immune function, thins your blood and decreases platelet aggregation (thus reducing clotting risk), and inhibits replication of the SARS virus. Learn more.

• Serotonin production in your brain

3 Which of the following statements is correct?

• Several U.S. states have issued bills making it easier for patients to sue doctors for medical malpractice over flawed COVID-19 treatment
• Doctors are immune to medical malpractice lawsuits related to COVID-19 in all U.S. states
• Patients always have the right to sue for medical malpractice
• Several U.S. states have granted broad civil and criminal immunity to health care providers battling COVID-19
  

  New Jersey has granted civil and criminal immunity to health care providers battling COVID-19. Sweeping civil and criminal immunity has also been granted in New York, Michigan, Massachusetts, Illinois and Connecticut. Learn more.

4 Which of the following groups is the least likely to contract and show symptoms of COVID-19, and the least likely to die even when symptomatic?

• Young children and adolescents
  

  Unlike the case of influenza, children are not robust vectors of COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 does not spread easily among children and teens; children are far less likely to become infected than adults; and children are far less likely than adults to transmit the virus to others. Learn more.

• Frail elderly over the age of 85
• Non-frail seniors over 65
• Adults between the ages of 25 and 65

5 Which of the following boosts the bioavailability and efficacy of quercetin?

• Vitamin D
• Vitamin C
  

  Researchers recommend administering quercetin with vitamin C, because vitamin C helps recycle oxidized quercetin, thereby producing a synergistic effect and enhancing quercetin’s antiviral capability. Learn more.

• Zinc
• Magnesium

6 Sweden may be close to reaching the herd immunity threshold, which is:

• Representative of a majority in favor of vaccination
• The point when mandatory mask usage is recommended
• When the number of people susceptible is low enough to prevent epidemic growth
  

  When the number susceptible is low enough to prevent epidemic growth, the herd immunity threshold, or HIT, has been reached. Learn more.

• The reason why other countries have criticized their pandemic response

7 Which of the following can allow you to increase your protein synthesis, thus promoting muscle growth, without adding more protein to your diet?

• Vegetable oil and other linoleic acid-rich fats
• Leafy greens high in magnesium
• Intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating
• Leucine or its metabolite, hydroxy methylbutyrate (HMB)
  

  Using leucine or hydroxy methylbutyrate can allow you to increase your protein synthesis without adding more protein to your diet. You can get away with eating less protein while still getting the benefits of the mTOR stimulation that promotes muscle growth. Learn more.