Medical Bulletin 19/June/2023

Here are the top medical news for the day:

Can a perfume ingredient stop massive bleeds and save lives?

The chances of surviving massive blood loss from a traumatic injury such as a gunshot wound are around 50 percent. To survive, a patient needs two things to happen quickly: a large infusion of blood and coagulation at the wound to stop the bleeding.

The problem is one of these solutions prevents the other. Introducing a large amount of blood to those suffering a massive hemorrhage impairs the blood’s ability to clot, a condition known as coagulopathy.

 Tulane University researchers have uncovered the cause of coagulopathy in trauma victims receiving a blood infusion. They also found that a synthetic compound called dimethyl malonate-often used in perfume manufacturing-has the potential to stop coagulopathy during a massive hemorrhage. The researchers’ findings are part of a new study published in Science Advances.

Reference: Sarah Abdullah et al. , Succinate metabolism and membrane reorganization drives the epitheliopathy and coagulopathy of traumatic hemorrhage.Sci. Adv.9,eadf6600(2023).DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adf6600.

Applying vaginal fluid to C-section babies boosts neurodevelopment: study

A new study, published recently in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, finds that applying the mother's vaginal fluids on C-section babies after birth successfully restores this microbial balance, and has neurodevelopment benefits, too.

 C-section rates are on the rise globally, now accounting for around one in every three births in the United States, though the World Health Organization estimates only 10-15 percent are medically necessary.

Past research has shown infants born by C-section have vastly different gut bacteria composition compared to those born vaginally. The latter receive their early gut bacteria from their mother's birth canal, while C-section babies receive theirs mainly from their mothers' skin, breastmilk, and the environment. 

Reference: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/applying-vaginal-fluid-to-c-section-babies-boosts-neurodevelopment-study/101039500

For resistant breast cancers, two drugs may be better than one

Cancer cells are even smarter than scientists previously believed, according to new CU Boulder research. When these cells are confronted with potent new drugs called CDK2 inhibitors, which are designed to prevent cancer from proliferating, they can trigger a workaround to survive the assault in as little as one to two hours.

But the study, published June 8 in the journal “Cell,” comes with a silver lining. It reveals how cancer cells complete this adaption and shows that simultaneously administering a second, the already widely available drug may hobble cancer cells and shrink resistant tumors. The findings bolster the idea, which is currently under investigation in at least three clinical trials, that when it comes to treating resistant breast cancer, two drugs may be better than one.

The current research suggests that you can potentially have a more effective treatment by combining these new CDK2 inhibitors in clinical development with a drug that already exists. “It also uncovers a very basic, fundamental understanding about how the cell cycle is wired for robustness and why so many tumors manage to proliferate in the face of drugs meant to block proliferation.”

Reference: For resistant breast cancers, two drugs may be better than one; Cell, DOI:10.1016/j.cell.2023.05.013