Medical Bulletin 16/August/2022

Here are the top medical news for the day:

Breakthrough in search for tinnitus cure

After 20 years searching for a cure for tinnitus, researchers at the University of Auckland are excited by 'encouraging results' from a clinical trial of a mobile-phone-based therapy. The study randomised 61 patients to one of two treatments, the prototype of the new 'digital polytherapeutic' or a popular self-help app producing white noise.

On average, the group with the polytherapeutic showed clinically significant improvements at 12 weeks, while the other group did not. The results have just been published in Frontiers in Neurology. "This is more significant than some of our earlier work and is likely to have a direct impact on future treatment of tinnitus," Associate Professor in Audiology Grant Searchfield says.

Ref:

Grant Searchfield et al,A randomized single-blind controlled trial of a prototype digital polytherapeutic for tinnitus,Frontiers in Neurology,DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.958730

Testosterone promotes 'cuddling,' not just aggression

Aubrey Kelly et. al conducted experiments on Mongolian gerbils, rodents that form lasting pair bonds and raise their pups together. While males can become aggressive during mating and in defense of their territory, they also exhibit cuddling behavior after a female becomes pregnant, and they demonstrate protective behavior toward their pups.

In one experiment, a male gerbil was introduced to a female gerbil. After they formed a pair bond and the female became pregnant, the males displayed the usual cuddling behaviors toward their partners. The researchers then gave the male subjects an injection of testosterone. They expected that the resulting acute rise in a male's testosterone level would lessen his cuddling behaviors if testosterone generally acts as an antisocial molecule.

Ref:

Aubrey Kelly et. al,Beyond sex and aggression: testosterone rapidly matches behavioral responses to social context and tries to predict the future,Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0453

Powerful new antibody that neutralizes all known SARS CoV 2 variants

A new, broadly neutralizing antibody developed at Boston Children's Hospital could potentially improve our ability to defend against future variants. In tests, it neutralized all currently known SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, including all Omicron variants.

The researchers first inserted two human gene segments into the mice, pushing their B cells to rapidly produce a diverse repertoire of humanized antibodies. They then exposed the mice to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, the main protein targeted by our antibodies and current vaccines, from the original Wuhan-Hu-1 strain of the virus. In response, the modified mice produced nine lineages or "families" of humanized antibodies that bound to the spike.

Ref:

Luo, Zhang, Kreutzberger et al,Science Immunology,DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.add5446,11-Aug-2022