Medical Bulletin 1/November/2022

Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S. and globally, according to the American Heart Association's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics-2022 Update. A key component for achieving optimal Cardiovascular disease and reducing cardiovascular risk is physical activity, and less than 1 in 4 U.S. adults have reported achieving the recommended amount of physical activity, according to the 2018 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. It recommends adults engage in at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity for substantial health benefits. Physical activity is one of eight essential components of ideal heart and brain health, according to the American Heart Association's 2022 Presidential Advisory, Life's Essential 8.

Neighborhood walkability, a measure of how easy and safe it is to walk to reach resources for daily living, such as a grocery store, pharmacy, school, work and church, is associated with lower cardiovascular disease burden and risk, according to two preliminary studies to be presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2022. The meeting, held in person in Chicago and virtually, Nov. 5-7, 2022, and is a premier global exchange of the latest scientific advancements, research and evidence-based clinical practice updates in cardiovascular science.

Reference:

Elizabeth A. Jackson et al, AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION MEETING American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2022

Research finds vaping to cause poor cardiovascular function in even young adults

Adults who regularly used electronic nicotine delivery devices, or e-cigarettes, displayed worrisome changes in heart and blood vessel function and performed significantly worse on exercise stress testing than people who did not use any nicotine products, according to two separate analyses of preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2022. The meeting, held in person in Chicago and virtually, Nov. 5-7, 2022, is a premier global exchange of the latest scientific advancements, research and evidence-based clinical practice updates in cardiovascular science.

Researchers from the Cardiac and Lung E-cig Smoking (CLUES) Study will present two abstracts that compared outcomes among people who vaped, those who smoked traditional, combustible cigarettes and people who reported not using any nicotine products.

Reference:

Matthew C. Tattersall et al, MEETING American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2022

Social vulnerabilities and cardiometabolic risk during pregnancy linked: Research

The number of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. has increased in recent years, and about one-third of these deaths are due to cardiovascular disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Social vulnerabilities, such as living in poverty, living in a single parent household, not having a car or being described as a minority, were linked to increased cardiometabolic risk during pregnancy, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2022. The meeting, held in person in Chicago and virtually, Nov. 5-7, 2022, is a premier global exchange of the latest scientific advancements, research and evidence-based clinical practice updates in cardiovascular science.

In this study, researchers explored the link between cardiometabolic factors and social vulnerabilities.

Reference:

Kristen A. Harris et al, MEETING American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2022

Single dose of antibody-drug prevents malaria infection in African adults

An estimated 241 million cases of malaria occurred worldwide in 2020, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), resulting in an estimated 627,000 deaths, mostly in children in sub-Saharan Africa. These cases included more than 11 million pregnant women in Africa, resulting in an estimated 819,000 newborns with low birthweight and thus at increased risk for illness and death.

One dose of an antibody drug safely protected healthy, non-pregnant adults from malaria infection during an intense six-month malaria season in Mali, Africa, a National Institutes of Health clinical trial has found. The antibody was up to 88.2% effective at preventing infection over a 24-week period, demonstrating for the first time that a monoclonal antibody can prevent malaria infection in an endemic region. These findings were published in The New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene 2022 Annual Meeting in Seattle.

"We need to expand the arsenal of available interventions to prevent malaria infection and accelerate efforts to eliminate the disease," said Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of NIH. "These study results suggest that a monoclonal antibody could potentially complement other measures to protect travelers and vulnerable groups such as infants, children, and pregnant women from seasonal malaria and help eliminate malaria from defined geographical areas."

Reference:

K Kayentao. Testing the safety and efficacy of anti-malaria monoclonal antibodies in African adults and children. Session 41 - Progress in the discovery and clinical development of anti-malaria monoclonal antibodies. ASTMH 2022 Annual Meeting, Seattle. Monday, Oct. 31, 2022. 5:40 pm Pacific Time.