Medical Bulletin 22/June/2023

Here are the top medical news for the day:

20% of women experience natural pregnancies after previously conceiving a baby through IVF

Around 20% of women who needed fertility treatment, such as IVF, to conceive their first child are likely to get pregnant naturally in the future, finds a new UCL study. The research analyzed data from 11 studies of over 5,000 women around the world between 1980 and 2021, to evaluate how common it is to get pregnant naturally after having a baby conceived through fertility treatment.

They found that at least one in five women conceived naturally after having had a baby using fertility treatment such as IVF mostly within 3 years. Not all women seeking and undergoing fertility treatment are absolutely or permanently infertile. And half of the couples who struggle to conceive naturally in the first year of trying will go on to do so in the second year.

Although it is typically considered ‘rare’ for a woman to get pregnant naturally, if she has previously had fertility treatment, the researchers want to highlight how it is not, in fact, an unusual event.

Reference: How common is natural conception in women who have a livebirth via assisted reproductive technology? Systematic review and meta-analysis, Human Reproduction, DOI: 10.1093/humanrep/dead121

Humor may help treat depression and anxiety

Anxiety and depression are two common mental health conditions that can significantly impact a person's well-being and daily functioning. Anxiety is characterized by excessive worry, fear, and apprehension, often accompanied by physical symptoms such as restlessness, increased heart rate, and difficulty concentrating. Depression, on the other hand, is marked by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a loss of interest or pleasure in activities.

An analysis of published studies suggests that humor therapy may lessen symptoms of depression and anxiety. For the analysis, which is published in Brain and Behavior, investigators identified 29 relevant studies that included a total of 2,964 participants and were conducted in nine different countries.

Reference: The impact of humor therapy on people suffering from depression or anxiety: An integrative literature review, Brain and Behavior, DOI 10.1002/brb3.3108 

Light therapy may treat atrial fibrillation

New research published in the Journal of Internal Medicine demonstrates that optogenetics—which uses light-sensitive proteins to control the activity of targeted cells—is a promising shock-free approach to treating atrial fibrillation (AF), or an irregular, often rapid heart rate, for immediate restoration of regular rhythm.

Current treatments for AF—including medications and shocks to restore a regular heart rhythm—come with low success rates and/or serious side effects. In this new study, rats’ hearts were optogenetically modified to express light-gated ion channels. After AF was induced, the animals’ chests were illuminated resulting in acute restoration of regulation rhythm. This shows that sufficient light penetrated the chest wall, which suggests that full penetration of the human atrial wall may be feasible as well if deemed necessary for clinical translation.

Reference: Light transmittance in human atrial tissue and transthoracic illumination in rats support translatability of optogenetic cardioversion of atrial fibrillation, Journal of Internal Medicine DOI 10.1111/joim.13654