Medical Bulletin 10/February/2023

Here are the top medical news for the day:

International study finds calorie restriction to slow pace of aging in healthy adults

An international team of researchers led by the Butler Columbia Aging Center at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health shows that caloric restriction can slow the pace of aging in healthy adults.

The CALERIE intervention slowed pace of aging measured from participants’ blood DNA methylation using the algorithm DunedinPACE (Pace of Aging, Computed from the Epigenome). The intervention effect on DunedinPACE represented a 2-3 percent slowing in the pace of aging, which in other studies translates to a 10-15 percent reduction in mortality risk, an effect similar to a smoking cessation intervention. The results are published online in the journal Nature Aging.

Reference:

Effect of long-term caloric restriction on DNA methylation measures of biological aging in healthy adults from the CALERIE trial,Nature Aging.

Oncolytic virus treatment produces holds treatment potential in patients with triple-negative breast cancer: Study

One new therapy being investigated at Moffitt Cancer Center involves oncolytic viruses, which infect and kill the cancer cells. In a new article published in Nature Medicine, the researchers, led by Hatem Soliman, M.D., share results from a phase 2 clinical trial of the oncolytic virus talimogene laherparepvec (TVEC) combined with standard chemotherapy in patients with early stage triple-negative breast cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer accounts for approximately 15% of all breast cancer cases. Patients with this subtype typically have poorer outcomes compared to other breast cancers, suggesting the need for improved treatments.

Reference:

Oncolytic T-VEC virotherapy plus neoadjuvant chemotherapy in nonmetastatic triple-negative breast cancer: a phase 2 trial,Nature Medicine,doi 10.1038/s41591-023-02210-0

Study examines large-scale generation of muscle-controlling nerve cells from ALS patients

A new Cedars-Sinai study in collaboration with the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and the Answer ALS consortium published in the peer-reviewed journal Neuron, revealed sex was one of the main drivers of different gene expression in motor neurons, regardless of whether they were from patients diagnosed with ALS.

The study has examined the expression of thousands of genes in stem cell generated motor neurons that are known to die in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a fatal neurological disorder known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.

Reference:

Neuron,doi 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.01.010

Single dose of popular antibiotic given during labor significantly reduced risk of maternal death or sepsis in developing countries: Research

In a new study to be presented at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting - and published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology - researchers will unveil findings that suggest that a single dose of azithromycin given to women planning a vaginal delivery significantly reduced the risk of maternal death or sepsis.

Sepsis - a severe infection in the body that can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death - is among the top causes of maternal deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It is a life-threatening emergency that is largely preventable with early diagnosis and treatment and may disproportionately affect pregnant people in low- and middle-income countries. WHO has identified reducing maternal deaths, including death from sepsis, as a top global health priority.

Reference:

Alan Thevenet N. Tita, et al,SMFM 43rd Annual Pregnancy Meeting, New England Journal of Medicine.