Medical Bulletin 23/Jun/2025

In this latest observational study, researchers examined how additives like sugar and cream may influence those benefits.

Using dietary recall data, the researchers analysed coffee habits and mortality outcomes among thousands of adults. They found that drinking 1 to 2 cups of caffeinated coffee per day—especially when consumed black or with low levels of added sugar and saturated fat—was associated with a 14% lower risk of death from all causes, including cardiovascular disease. However, this protective effect disappeared when participants regularly consumed coffee with high amounts of added sugar and saturated fat.

The researchers noted several limitations, including the reliance on self-reported food intake data, which can vary day to day and may introduce error. Additionally, the lack of significant findings for decaffeinated coffee may be due to its lower consumption rates within the study group.

Reference: Bingjie Zhou, Mengyuan Ruan, Yongyi Pan, Lu Wang, Fang Fang Zhang. Coffee Consumption and Mortality among United States Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study. The Journal of Nutrition, 2025; DOI: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.05.004

Painless Nanoneedle Patch Could Replace Traditional Biopsies

New Delhi: A patch containing tens of millions of microscopic nanoneedles could soon replace traditional biopsies, offering a less invasive and painless diagnostic alternative for conditions such as cancer and Alzheimer’s. The study, published in Nature Nanotechnology, demonstrated that the nanoneedle patch can collect detailed molecular information from tissues without removing or damaging them.

Biopsies are among the most widely used diagnostic tools globally, performed millions of times each year to detect disease. However, they are invasive, can cause discomfort and complications, and may deter patients from undergoing early diagnosis or repeated follow-up testing. Traditional biopsies also remove small samples of tissue, limiting how frequently or thoroughly doctors can monitor disease progression in sensitive organs like the brain.

Each patch is embedded with tens of millions of nanoneedles—structures 1,000 times thinner than a human hair. In preclinical studies, the researchers applied the patch to brain cancer tissue from human biopsies and mouse models. These nanoneedles extracted a molecular “fingerprint”—including lipids, proteins, and mRNAs—from the cells without causing any damage.

The extracted data is then analyzed through mass spectrometry and artificial intelligence, allowing clinicians to identify tumors, monitor treatment effectiveness, and track disease progression at the cellular level. “This approach provides multidimensional molecular information from different types of cells within the same tissue. Traditional biopsies simply cannot do that,” said Dr. Ciro Chiappini, lead researcher of the study. “And because the process does not destroy the tissue, we can sample the same tissue multiple times, which was previously impossible.”

The innovation represents a promising shift toward more precise, patient-friendly diagnostics, with the potential to transform disease monitoring and advance the field of real-time, personalized medicine.

Reference: Chenlei Gu, Davide Alessandro Martella, Leor Ariel Rose, Nadia Rouatbi, Cong Wang, Alaa Zam, Valeria Caprettini, Magnus Jensen, Shiyue Liu, Cathleen Hagemann, Siham Memdouh, Andrea Serio, Vincenzo Abbate, Khuloud T. Al-Jamal, Maddy Parsons, Mads S. Bergholt, Paul M. Brennan, Assaf Zaritsky, and Ciro Chiappini. Nanoneedles enable spatiotemporal lipidomics of living tissues. Nature Nanotechnology, 2025; DOI: 10.1038/s41565-025-01955-8

Virtual Reality May Help Regain Arm Movement in Stroke Survivors: Cochrane Review

New Delhi: A Cochrane review has found that virtual reality, when used in addition to standard therapy, can help stroke survivors regain arm movement. The findings suggested that virtual reality could be a promising tool to boost rehabilitation efforts, particularly by increasing the amount of therapy patients receive.

This is the fourth update of a Cochrane review first released in 2011 and now includes data from 190 trials involving 7,188 participants—with 119 new studies added since the previous version in 2017. The review assessed a wide range of virtual reality technologies, from simple screen-based gaming to immersive, head-mounted devices specifically developed for rehabilitation settings.

A team of Cochrane authors found that virtual reality, when compared to conventional therapy, may slightly improve arm function and activity. More promising effects were seen when virtual reality was added to usual care, increasing total therapy time and leading to greater gains in arm function.

The review also found virtual reality may be beneficial for improving balance and reducing activity limitations, though effects on mobility, participation, and quality of life remain uncertain due to limited or low-certainty evidence.

Despite the growing number of studies, many trials were small and used basic or low-cost virtual reality technologies, such as off-the-shelf gaming systems. Few studies evaluated immersive, head-mounted systems, and their effectiveness is still unclear.

“This technology has the potential to simulate real-life environments, such as shopping in a supermarket or crossing a street, which allows clinicians to trial tasks that are unsafe to practice in the real world,” said Professor Laver. “Yet we’re still seeing simple VR interventions dominate the research. There’s a real opportunity for researchers to go further and develop more sophisticated, function-focused therapies.”

While adverse events were monitored in many of the included studies, they were rare and mild, suggesting that virtual reality is generally safe and well tolerated.

Reference: Laver KE, Lange B, George S, Deutsch JE, Saposnik G, Chapman M, Crotty M. Virtual reality for stroke rehabilitation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2025, Issue 6. Art. No.: CD008349. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD008349.pub5. Accessed 21 June 2025.