Medical Bulletin 1/September/2022

Infective endocarditis is caused by bacteria that enter the bloodstream and settle in the heart lining, a heart valve or a blood vessel. In this new scientific statement, "Management of Infective Endocarditis in People Who Inject Drugs," the American Heart Association highlights the need for specialized care in people who inject drugs, a population that has not been addressed in detail in previous guidance from the Association.

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Et al,Daniel C. DeSimoneDOI: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001090

The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) used in this study is considered a measure of physical function, which includes walking speed, leg strength and balance. This study examined physical function, which is different from physical fitness.

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Xiao Hu et al,Journal of the American Heart Association, DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.121.025780

In a new study in ACS Infectious Diseases, researchers report a substance that boosted the immune response to an experimental COVID-19 shot in mice by 25 times, compared to injection with the vaccine alone. Researchers have found that molecules derived from α-galactosylceramide (αGC), a compound from marine sponges, can act as adjuvants by stimulating a small population of immune cells important for defending the body against viral infections.

The team made four analogs of αGC and added each to an experimental vaccine containing a piece of SARS-CoV-2's spike protein, which the virus uses to infect cells. The researchers gave mice three injections over 29 days and tracked their immune response out to 35 days. To measure the effects of the adjuvants, they looked at various aspects of immune function, including two ways the immune system eliminates pathogens: through antibodies, which are immune proteins that latch onto an invader, and T cells, which kill diseased cells.

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Rui Luo et al,A new iNKT-cell agonist-adjuvanted SARS-CoV-2 subunit vaccine elicits robust neutralizing antibody responses,ACS Infectious Diseases, DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.2c00296

A recent study, carried out by King's College London, Nomad Projects and J & L Gibbons in partnership with the Canal & River Trust, shows that spending time by canals and rivers is linked to feeling happy and healthy.Researchers report that the combination of blue and green space with wildlife has a greater impact on wellbeing than spending time in an environment that is characterized by only green space.

The study found that visiting canals and rivers was associated with a greater improvement in mental wellbeing, and this relationship was still present when accounting for individual variation due to age, gender, education, ethnicity, and a diagnosis of a mental health condition. People also reported continued improvements in their mental wellbeing for up to 24 hours after the visit had taken place.

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Going with the flow: study shows canals help boost your mood,DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271306