Medical Bulletin 26/August/2023

Here are the top medical news of the day:

New tool to reduce stroke risk developed

Researchers at the University of East Anglia have developed a new way of identifying patients at risk of an irregular heartbeat, known as ‘atrial fibrillation’. While not life threatening, the condition increases people’s risk of having a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or stroke by up to five times.

A new study, published today, reveals four specific factors that can predict which patients will have atrial fibrillation. These include older age, higher diastolic blood pressure and problems with both the coordination and function of the upper left chamber of the heart.

Reference: Atrial Fibrillation in Embolic Stroke of Undetermined Source: Role of advanced imaging of left atrial function, European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.15022

Safety from crime feeling linked with lower risks of heart attack and death

Feeling safe from crime is associated with a 9% lower risk of premature death and 6% lower likelihood of a heart attack, according to a study in more than 35,000 adults presented at ESC Congress 2023. The researchers used data from the PURE-China study to investigate the association between neighborhood characteristics, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and death. The study included 35,730 adults aged 35 to 70 years.

The eight subscales covered: 1) how long it takes to walk to shops, restaurants, banks, pharmacies, work, transport stops, and parks; 2) perceived ease of walking to shops and transport stops; 3) the distance between intersections 4) infrastructure for walking/cycling 5) aesthetics 6) safety from traffic 7) safety from crime and 8) community satisfaction.

Reference: Dr. Mengya Li et al, European Society of Cardiology

Study finds mutations in blood stem cells can exacerbate colon cancer

Researchers at the University of Florida College of Medicine have discovered how common age-related changes in the blood system can make certain colon cancers grow faster.

As we age, the hematopoietic stem cells that reside in the bone marrow and give rise to all of the body’s different blood cells gradually acquire mutations in their DNA. Most of these mutations have no effect, but some can enhance a particular stem cell’s ability to survive and proliferate, resulting in large numbers of blood cells that carry the same mutation.

This phenomenon, known as clonal hematopoiesis, is seen in 10–20% of elderly people and is associated with an increased risk of developing blood cancers. But clonal hematopoiesis is even more frequently seen in patients with many other types of cancer outside of the blood system and is associated with faster tumor progression and shorter survival times.

Reference: Feng et al. 2023. J. Exp. Med. https://rupress.org/jem/article-lookup/doi/10.1084/jem.20230011?PR