Medical Bulletin 16/March/2023

Here are the top medical news for the day:

Altered “neuronal avalanches” in brains of epilepsy patients tied to cognitive performance

New research by the Human Brain Project has found that in the brains of patients with epilepsy, changes in large scale neuronal activations can be detected in the brain’s resting state activity, even when no seizure is ongoing. The non-invasive approach could lead to a new method to aid epilepsy diagnostics.

The new findings stem from a collaboration was conducted and published in the journal Epilepsia, the study has compared high density electroencephalograms (EEG) of 37 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy with healthy controls.

This new method is capable of detecting relevant features of epilepsy by simply taking into account the basal functional organisation of the brain”. “Even while a seizure is not happening, the brain of a patient with epilepsy presents some alterations in its network dynamics at the whole-brain scale.

Reference:

Altered “neuronal avalanches” in brains of epilepsy patients tied to cognitive performance; Epilepsia, DOI: 10.1111/epi.17551

Immune cell gives possible explanation for sex differences in pancreatic cancer

In recent years, immunotherapy, which stimulates the immune system to attack cancer cells, has contributed significantly to the treatment of different kinds of cancer, such as melanoma and lung, kidney and liver cancer. However, it is much less effective against pancreatic cancer, which remains one of the deadliest kinds of cancer that leaves patients, on average, with four to six months left to live after diagnosis.

Immunotherapy is an effective form of therapy for different types of cancer. However, for pancreatic cancer, its effect is limited and differs between men and women. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now found a possible explanation for this sex difference. The study, which is published in Cancer Research, reveals the presence of an immune cell in women with pancreatic cancer that obstructs the body’s immune response. The results can pave the way for a more sex-specific treatment.

Reference:

Immune cell gives possible explanation for sex differences in pancreatic cancer; Cancer Research, DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-22-2932

‘Glow-in-the-dark’ proteins could help diagnose viral diseases

Despite recent advancements, many highly sensitive diagnostic tests for viral diseases still require complicated techniques to prepare a sample or interpret a result, making them impractical for point-of-care settings or areas with few resources. But now, a team reporting in ACS Central Science has developed a sensitive method that analyzes viral nucleic acids in as little as 20 minutes and can be completed in one step with “glow-in-the-dark” proteins.

A chemical reaction involving the luciferase protein causes the luminescent, glow-in-the-dark effect. The luciferase protein has been incorporated into sensors that emit an easily observed light when they find their target. This simplicity makes these types of sensors ideal for point-of-care testing, but so far, they’ve lacked the incredibly high sensitivity required of a clinical diagnostic test.

Reference:

‘Glow-in-the-dark’ proteins could help diagnose viral diseases, ACS Central Science; DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.2c01467