Medical Bulletin 16/February/2023

Here are the top medical news for the day:

Study finds neoadjuvant nivolumab to show long-term benefit in patients with non-small cell lung cancer

Background: NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer and is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide.

Bottom Line: Patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were treated with neoadjuvant nivolumab had improved five-year recurrence-free and overall survival rates compared with historical outcomes.

Journal in Which the Study was Published: Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)

Author: The senior author is Patrick Forde, MBBCh, an associate professor of oncology and director of the Thoracic Oncology Clinical Research Program at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins.

Reference:

Patrick Forde et al,Five-Year Clinical Outcomes after Neoadjuvant Nivolumab in Resectable Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer,Clinical Cancer Research,doi 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-22-2994

Atherosclerosis risk in older adults negatively impacted by irregular sleeping habits

Atherosclerosis is the buildup of fatty deposits, known as plaque, on the artery walls. The plaque can cause arteries to narrow, reducing blood flow and the amount of oxygen and other nutrients reaching the body. Or the plaque may burst and create a blood clot that blocks the artery, which could lead to a heart attack or stroke, according to American Heart Association health information.

Sleeping an inconsistent number of hours each night and falling asleep at different times may increase the risk of developing atherosclerosis among adults older than 45 compared to people with more consistent sleep habits, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

Reference:

Kelsie Full et al,Sleep Irregularity and Subclinical Markers of Cardiovascular Disease: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, Journal of the American Heart Association,doi10.1161/JAHA.122.027361

Study shows women’s greater risk of dementia may be linked to disadvantage

The number of people living with dementia is projected to exceed 150 million by 2050 worldwide, three times the 2019 estimate of 50 million. Rates are increasing most rapidly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) that are less able to manage the significant economic and societal impact of this devastating disease.

In 2020 the Lancet Commission Report estimated that as much as 40 percent of dementia risk could be attributed to 12 modifiable risk factors, many of which are more common in LMICs. They include less education, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, depression, hearing impairment, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, low social contact, traumatic brain injury, and air pollution.

Reference:

Jessica Gong et al,Sex differences in dementia risk and risk factors: Individual-participant data analysis using 21 cohorts across six continents from the COSMIC consortium,doi 10.1002/alz.12962

Patients with fatty liver disease can improve health by alternate-day fasting, finds study

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a buildup of fat and inflammation in patients who drink little to no alcohol. Approximately 65% of obese adults have the disease, and this condition is strongly related to the development of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. If left unchecked, fatty liver disease can lead to more serious complications like cirrhosis or liver failure, but there are limited good drug options for treating the condition.

Nutrition researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago studied 80 people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and found that those who followed an alternate-day fasting diet and exercised were able to improve their health.

Reference:

Ezpeleta, M., Gabel, K., Cienfuegos, S., Kalam, F., Lin, S., Pavlou, V., Song, Z., Haus, J. M., Koppe, S., Alexandria, S. J., Tussing-Humphreys, L., & Varady, K. A. (2023). Effect of alternate day fasting combined with aerobic exercise on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A randomized controlled trial. Cell Metabolism, 35(1), 56-70.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2022.12.001