Medical Bulletin 23/May/2023

Here are the top medical news for the day:

First pharmacological treatment able to improve cardiac function in stiff-heart syndrome

Transthyretin-related cardiac amyloidosis is a progressive disease characterized by the deposition of amyloid protein fibrils in the heart. Amyloid fibril deposition thickens and stiffens the heart walls, and the disease is also known as stiff-heart syndrome. The accumulation of amyloid fibrils causes heart failure, and patients suffer from fluid retention, fatigue, and arrhythmias. The disease can be caused by genetic mutations or related to aging. Prognosis is poor, and untreated patients survive for an average of just 3 years.

Now, the results of a study published in the The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) promise to radically alter the prospects of patients with Transthyretin-related cardiac amyloidosis. The study represents a major advance in the treatment of the disease. Although currently available treatments effectively prevent the accumulation of more amyloid fibrils and delay disease progression, they do not directly remove any amyloid protein already deposited in the heart.

Reference:

Phase I trial of antibody NI006 to deplete cardiac amyloid transthyretin,New England Journal of Medicine

New device gently moves esophagus, making heart ablations safer: study

A new device invented with the help of an electrophysiologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center makes a heart procedure safer for patients suffering from atrial fibrillation (AFib), a common irregular heart rhythm.

AFib affects millions of people worldwide and greatly increases their risk of stroke and heart failure. To treat AFib, doctors use cardiac ablation to help restore the heart’s rhythm. Heat or cold energy delivered through a catheter destroys the heart tissue causing rapid and irregular heartbeats. While the procedure is effective in treating AFib, the energy from the catheter tip is used only a few millimeters from the esophagus. There is a risk that the energy can cause a rare, but often fatal, hole between the esophagus and the heart called an atrioesophageal fistula.

Reference:

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY WEXNER MEDICAL CENTER,MEETING Heart Rhythm Society’s Annual Meeting

Relationship between cancer survivors’ tobacco use, symptom burden, and motivation to quit smoking

In a recent study, current smoking and vaping were associated with a higher burden of symptoms among adult cancer survivors, but these symptoms were not related to survivors’ desire to quit smoking. The findings are published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

Continued smoking after a cancer diagnosis lowers survival rates, increases the likelihood of additional cancers, and decreases the effectiveness of cancer therapies. Understanding the relationship between tobacco use and the symptoms that patients experience may help clinicians tailor tobacco cessation interventions for individuals with cancer.

Reference:

Phase I trial of antibody NI006 to deplete cardiac amyloid transthyretin,New England Journal of Medicine