Medical Bulletin 22/November/2023

Here are the top medical news of the day:

Ingestible device to monitor vital signs in sleep apnea patients moves to human trials

Diagnosis of vital signs is much comforting when you don’t have to be in a sleep lab or being connected to monitoring devices, a patient could have their risk of obstructive sleep apnea measured by swallowing a pill?

A new collaborative study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, evaluated a wireless ingestible device that can accurately report vital signs like heart and respiratory rate. The team tested the device, known as the Vitals Monitoring Pill (VM Pill), in a pilot clinical study of 10 people with sleep apnea. It was also able to detect signs of opioid-induced respiratory depression in a preclinical model. Their results, published in Device, could transform how life-threatening events are monitored and prevented.

Reference: Traverso, Giovanni et al. “First-in-human trial of an ingestible vitals monitoring pill” Device DOI: 10.1016/j.device.2023.100125

Surprising link between malnutrition and rising antibiotic resistance finds a new study

A team of researchers from the University of B.C. has uncovered extraordinary connections between micronutrient deficiencies and the composition of gut microbiomes in early life that could help explain why resistance to antibiotics has been rising across the globe.

The team primarily investigated how deficiencies in crucial micronutrients such as vitamin A, B12, folate, iron, and zinc affected the community of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microbes that live in the digestive system.

The study, published this week in Nature Microbiology, offers critical insights into the far-reaching consequences of micronutrient deficiencies in early life. It underscores the need for comprehensive strategies to address undernutrition and its ripple effects on health. Addressing micronutrient deficiencies is about more than overcoming malnutrition, it may also be a critical step in fighting the global scourge of antibiotic resistance.

Reference: Multiple micronutrient deficiencies in early life cause multi-kingdom alterations in the gut microbiome and intrinsic antibiotic resistance genes in mice; Nature Microbiology, DOI: 10.1038/s41564-023-01519-3 

Mediterranean diet to reduce the risk of cognitive decline in older people

Generally, the older population has a particular diet due to aging difficulties faced by them. Old people who follow a Mediterranean diet are at a lower risk of cognitive decline, according to a study published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. The study provides new evidence for a better understanding of the biological mechanisms related to the impact of diet on cognitive health in the aging population.

"A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life" (JPI HDHL) was carried out over twelve years and it involved 840 people over 65 years of age (65% of whom were women) in the Bourdeaux and Dijon regions of France.

In the study, baseline levels of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, gut microbiota-derived polyphenol metabolites and other phytochemicals in serum that reflect individual bioavailability were chosen as biomarkers. Some of these indicators have not only been recognized as marks of exposure to the main food groups of the Mediterranean diet but have also been held responsible for the health benefits of the Mediterranean dietary pattern.

Reference: Alba Tor‐Roca, Alex Sánchez‐Pla, Aniko Korosi, Mercè Pallàs, Paul J. Lucassen, Pol Castellano‐Escuder, Ludwig Aigner, Raúl González‐Domínguez, Claudine Manach, Francisco Carmona, Esteban Vegas, Catherine Helmer, Catherine Feart, Sophie Lefèvre‐Arbogast, Jeanne Neuffer, Hyunah Lee, Sandrine Thuret, Cristina Andres‐Lacueva, Cécilia Samieri, Mireia Urpi‐Sarda. A Mediterranean Diet‐Based Metabolomic Score and Cognitive Decline in Older Adults: A Case–Control Analysis Nested within the Three‐City Cohort Study. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 2023; DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.202300271