Medical Bulletin 10/April/2023

Here are the top medical news for the day:

Simple blood test can accurately predict neuroendocrine tumor response to radiopharmaceutical therapy

While biomarkers have been used to predict the outcomes of treatments for breast, prostate, and other cancers, there are currently no objective means to predict the efficacy of radiopharmaceutical therapy for neuroendocrine tumors.

A simple blood draw can provide physicians with valuable information that can determine if peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) is likely to be effective in a patient with neuroendocrine cancer. The blood-based biomarker PPQ can predict which patients will respond to PRRT with 96 percent accuracy; changes in another biomarker, NETest, correctly correlate with PRRT response in 90 percent of patients. The study, published in the April issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, opens new possibilities of tailoring radiopharmaceutical treatment to patients.

Reference:

Interim Analysis of a Prospective Validation of 2 Blood-Based Genomic Assessments (PPQ and NETest) to Determine the Clinical Efficacy of 177Lu-DOTATATE in Neuroendocrine Tumors,Journal of Nuclear Medicine,doi 10.2967/jnumed.122.264363

Study suggests omicron to appear more deadly than seasonal influenza

Influenza and COVID-19 are both respiratory diseases with similar modes of transmission. In December 2021, influenza re-emerged in Israel after it went undetected since March 2020. At the same time, the Omicron had substituted Delta as the predominant variant. But data directly comparing Omicron with seasonal influenza are scarce.

Adults hospitalised with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant have a higher death rate than those hospitalised with seasonal influenza, even though Omicron is considered less virulent with lower case fatality rates than the delta and alpha strains, new research being presented at this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Copenhagen, Denmark (15-18 April) suggests.

Reference:

EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES MEETING: ECCMID 2023

Broccoli consumption protects gut lining, reduces disease, in animal study

In a recent study, researchers at Penn State found that broccoli contains certain molecules that bind to a receptor within mice and help to protect the lining of the small intestine, thereby inhibiting the development of disease. The findings lend support to the idea that broccoli truly is a ‘superfood.’

“We all know that broccoli is good for us, but why? What happens in the body when we eat broccoli?” said Gary Perdew, H. Thomas and Dorothy Willits Hallowell Chair in Agricultural Sciences, Penn State. “Our research is helping to uncover the mechanisms for how broccoli and other foods benefit health in mice and likely humans, as well. It provides strong evidence that cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts should be part of a normal healthy diet.”

Reference:

Gary Perdew et al,PENN STATE,Laboratory Investigation,doi 10.1016/j.labinv.2022.100012