Medical Bulletin 13/March/2023

Here are the top medical news for the day:

Gene test from urine can predict bladder cancer years before diagnosis

Bladder cancer is not a rare disease - it is one of the top ten most common cancers in the UK and the fifth most common in the European Union, with over 200,000 cases in the EU each year. Only around half of those diagnosed with the advanced disease will survive more than five years, mainly due to late diagnosis and recurrence of the disease. By contrast, if their cancer is detected at early stage, more than 80% of patients survive for at least five years.

Testing for genetic mutations in urine can detect bladder cancer years before the disease shows clinical symptoms, new research has shown.

The study, by researchers from France, Iran and the United States, identified mutations across ten genes that were able to predict the most common type of bladder cancer up to 12 years in advance of diagnosis.

The findings are presented today at the European Association of Urology (EAU) annual Congress in Milan.

Reference:

Urinary comprehensive genomic profiling predicts urothelial cancer up to 12 years ahead of clinical diagnosis: An expanded analysis of the Golestan Cohort Study will be presented at EAU23 in Milan on Saturday 11 March, 2023.

Dimming lights before bedtime may reduce risk of gestational diabetes: Study

Women who developed gestational diabetes mellitus in the multi-site study had greater light exposure in the three hours before sleep onset. They did not differ in their light exposure during daytime or sleep or in their activity levels compared to those who did not develop it.

Pregnant persons should dim the lights in their home and turn off or at least dim their screens (computer monitors and smartphones) a few hours before bedtime to reduce the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus, a new Northwestern Medicine study shows.

“Our study suggests that light exposure before bedtime may be an under-recognized yet easily modifiable risk factor of gestational diabetes,” said lead study author Dr. Minjee Kim, assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine neurologist.

Reference:

“The association between light exposure before bedtime in pregnancy and the risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus.”,American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology MFM,Dr. Minjee Kim.

Increased hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease owing to ozone pollution, finds study

Ozone is a gas and the main air pollutant in photochemical smog. Ozone pollution is different to the ozone layer, which absorbs most of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. Ozone pollution is formed when other pollutants react in the presence of sunlight. These other pollutants are volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides which are emitted by motor vehicles, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants, and biomass and fossil fuel burning facilities. Previous studies have suggested that ozone pollution harms the heart and blood vessels, but there is limited and inconclusive evidence about its influence on the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The first evidence that exceeding the World Health Organization (WHO) ozone limit is associated with substantial increases in hospital admissions for heart attack, heart failure and stroke is published today in European Heart Journal, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1 Even ozone levels below the WHO maximum were linked with worsened health.

Reference:

Ozone pollution and hospital admissions for cardiovascular events,European Heart Journal, DOI 10.1093/eurheartj/ehad091.

Falls among the elderly at home can be prevented by reducing trip hazards and decluttering: Study

Nearly one third of people aged 65 years and older fall each year. Most falls occur in the home.

Eliminating hazards around the home, such as clutter, stairs without railings and poor lighting, can reduce the risk of falls for older people by around a quarter, according to a new Cochrane review.

The review did not find any compelling evidence for other measures to reduce falls, such as making sure older people have the correct prescription glasses, special footwear, or education on avoiding falls.

It also found that decluttering and reducing hazards had the most benefit for older people who are at risk of falls, for example because they have recently had a fall and been hospitalised or need support with daily activities such as dressing or using stairs.

Reference:

Lindy Clemson et al,Environmental interventions for preventing falls in older people living in the community,Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews,oi 10.1002/14651858.CD013258.pub2