Medical Bulletin 12/Jul/2025

Here are the top medical news for the day:

Alarming Growth in Antifungal Resistance Tracked Over 30 Years in Dutch Study

A comprehensive study published in The Lancet Microbe reveals a worrying rise in fungal resistance to antifungal medications, particularly in the common fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. The study analyzed more than 12,000 lung samples collected from Dutch hospitals over a 30-year period.

Since 1994, microbiologist Paul Verweij and his team have been collecting A. fumigatus isolates from patients’ lungs. In the early years, no resistance to antifungal drugs was detected. However, by 2000, a significant DNA mutation was identified that led to resistance. Another key mutation followed in 2009. Over time, numerous smaller genetic changes have also emerged, often appearing in combination, contributing to increasingly diverse and drug-resistant fungal strains.

‘We now have collected about two thousand resistant fungal strains, 17% of which show variations in resistance mutations’, says Verweij. Importantly, these resistant strains nearly always appear as mixtures in patient infections, making treatment more complex.

The primary class of drugs used to treat A. fumigatus infections are azoles. However, resistance to azoles is not primarily caused by their use in medical treatment but by widespread application in agriculture. ‘Azoles are also used in food production and flower cultivation, and are aimed at fungi that make plants sick, such as Fusarium’, explains Verweij. ‘These azoles end up in waste heaps from certain production lines, where A. fumigatus thrives. There, the fungus becomes resistant to azoles, especially when these waste heaps are left for a while.’

While healthy individuals can clear inhaled fungal spores naturally, people with weakened immune systems such as those with COPD, leukemia, or recovering from organ transplants are at high risk. Fungal infections are also common in ICU patients with severe flu or COVID-19, doubling their risk of death.

The growing complexity of fungal resistance has already led to changes in clinical guidelines. Since 2017, ICU patients with suspected A. fumigatus infections are treated immediately with combination antifungal therapy.

As fungal resistance continues to rise, researchers emphasize the urgent need for better monitoring and new treatment strategies.

Reference: Song, Y., Buil, J., Zoll, J., Tehupeiory-Kooreman, M., Zhang, J., Li, R., ... & Verweij, P. E. Characteristics and Dynamics of Triazole-Resistant Aspergillus Fumigatus Variants Emerging Over a 28-Year Period in the Netherlands. Aspergillus Fumigatus

Feeling Alone? Study Warns of Serious Mental and Physical Health Risks

Loneliness is a powerful predictor of depression and deteriorating health, according to a new study published in PLOS One.

The study analyzed data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), which collects nationwide health-related data via phone surveys. Researchers examined responses from 47,318 non-institutionalized U.S. adults between 2016 and 2023. The participants were predominantly White (73.3%), female (62.1%), and between 18 and 64 years old (72.1%).

The findings were striking: more than 80% of respondents reported experiencing some level of loneliness. Those who described themselves as “Always” lonely had a predicted depression probability of 50.2%, compared to just 9.7% for those who said they were “Never” lonely. Additionally, the “Always” lonely group reported an average of 10.9 more poor mental health days and 5.0 more poor physical health days per month than their non-lonely counterparts.

The study also found that women consistently reported higher rates of depression and poorer mental health than men at all levels of loneliness. Interestingly, Black individuals had lower probabilities of depression and fewer poor mental health days than White individuals across all loneliness levels.

The authors advocate for integrating loneliness screening into routine healthcare visits and designing social support interventions to target those most at risk.

The authors said, “Our study highlights that loneliness is not just an emotional state it has measurable consequences for both mental and physical health.”

“Addressing loneliness may be a critical public health priority to reduce depression and improve overall well-being.”

Reference: Akinyemi, O., Abdulrazaq, W., Fasokun, M., Ogunyankin, F., Ikugbayigbe, S., Nwosu, U., ... & Ogundare, T. (2025). The Impact of Loneliness on Depression, Mental Health Days, and Physical Health. medRxiv, 2025-02.

Even Low Lead Exposure May Accelerate Memory Loss in Children: Study Finds

A new study published in Science Advances reveals that exposure to lead during pregnancy and early childhood may significantly speed up the rate at which children forget information. This crucial marker of memory impairment may have profound implications for learning and cognitive development in young children.

The study focused on children between ages 6 to 8 and assessed their working memory using a cognitive test called the delayed matching-to-sample task (DMTS). This test evaluates neurobehavioral functions like attention and working memory by requiring children to identify a previously seen image from multiple options after a short delay. The DMTS has already proven effective in detecting sensitivity to neurotoxicants, such as heavy metals.

Researchers examined how blood lead levels, both prenatally and during early childhood, affected memory retention. Using an advanced statistical model known as the nonlinear modified power function, the team discovered a clear link between higher childhood lead exposure (ages 4–6) and an accelerated rate of forgetting even at relatively low median blood lead levels around 1.7 µg/dL.

Importantly, the study introduces a translational approach using operant cognitive testing more commonly employed in animal toxicology studies. “Our work advances the current literature by incorporating operant tests specifically the DMTS which are commonly used in animal toxicology studies but sparse in human studies,” added Dr. Jamil M. Lane, co-first author.

The findings reinforce the urgent need for public health interventions to reduce childhood lead exposure, particularly in marginalized communities disproportionately affected by environmental hazards.

Reference: Katherine Svensson et al., Developmental Pb exposure increases rate of forgetting on a delayed matching-to-sample task among Mexican children.Sci. Adv.11,eadq4495(2025).DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adq4495

Is Air Pollution Quietly Increasing Brain Tumour Risk?

Air pollution may not only damage the heart and lungs, but could also increase the risk of meningioma a typically noncancerous brain tumour according to a new study published in Neurology. The study does not prove that air pollution causes meningioma -- they only show a link between the two.

The study, led by researchers from the Danish Cancer Institute, analysed several air pollutants, with a focus on those commonly associated with traffic emissions, such as nitrogen dioxide and ultrafine particles. These microscopic particles are particularly concentrated in urban areas and, due to their size, can potentially penetrate the blood-brain barrier.

“Our study suggests that long-term exposure to air pollution from traffic and other sources may play a role in the development of meningioma and adds to the growing body of evidence that air pollution can affect the brain not just the heart and lungs,” said Ulla Hvidtfeldt, a doctoral student at the Danish Cancer Institute in Copenhagen.

The research included adults with an average age of 3    5 and followed them for 21 years. Over that period, 16,596 individuals developed central nervous system tumours, including 4,645 cases of meningioma. The findings showed a possible association between exposure to ultrafine particles and an increased risk of developing these tumours. However, the study did not find strong connections between air pollution and more aggressive brain tumours like gliomas.

“More research is needed to confirm these results, but if cleaning up our air can help lower the risk of brain tumours, that could make a real difference for public health,” Hvidtfeldt added.

While the study does not prove causation, it raises important public health questions about the broader impact of air pollution on neurological health.

Reference: Hvidtfeldt, Ulla A. et al., Ambient Outdoor Air Pollution and Risk of Tumors of the Central Nervous System, 2025, Neurology, V 105, doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000213920, https://www.neurology.org/doi/abs/10.1212/WNL.0000000000213920