Medical Bulletin 28/August/2023

Here are the top medical news of the day:

Over 60s with unhealthy lifestyles linked to heightened risk of nursing home care

Over 60s with the unhealthiest lifestyles are significantly more likely to require admission to a nursing home than their peers with the healthiest lifestyles, suggest the findings of a large population study published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

Physical inactivity, smoking, poor diet, and sleep disorders between the ages of 60 and 64 seemed to be particularly influential: they were associated with a more than doubling in the risk of admission, the findings show.

Reference: Impact of lifestyle risk factors on admission to nursing home care: a cohort study of 127 108 people aged 60 years and over, Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, DOI 10.1136/jech-2023-220518

Myocardial infarction may be treated by modulating the immune response.

Researchers from Biomaterials Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), together with researchers from the Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, have developed a new treatment for myocardial infarction that uses nanovesicles derived from fibroblasts with induced apoptosis to modulate the immune response.

The research team identified the possibility of treating severe myocardial infarction by reducing the inflammatory response in the heart muscle through a nanomedicine based on apoptotic cells, which are cells that commit suicide due to biochemical changes in their cells. This response was achieved by attaching peptides specific to the site of ischemic myocardial infarction and substances specific to macrophage phagocytosis to the surface of fibroblasts. To this end, the team developed anti-inflammatory nanovesicles that can be delivered specifically to macrophages at the site of myocardial infarction.

Reference: Advanced Functional Materials, DOI 10.1002/adfm.202210864, Targeted Delivery of Apoptotic Cell-Derived Nanovesicles Prevents Cardiac Remodeling and Attenuates Cardiac Function Exacerbation

Under 20 smokers become more addicted and find it difficult to quit

Researchers urge governments to raise the legal age to purchase cigarettes to 22 years or higher as study finds it becomes less addictive and easier to quit as people get older. The research is presented at ESC Congress 2023.

This study examined the relationship between the age of smoking initiation, nicotine dependence, and smoking cessation. The study included smokers who had visited a smoking cessation clinic in Japan. Participants completed the Fagerström test for nicotine dependence (FTND) which asks questions such as “How soon after you wake up do you smoke your first cigarette?”, “Do you find it difficult to refrain from smoking in places where it is forbidden” and “How many cigarettes per day do you smoke?”. Scores for each answer were added up for a total score indicating a nicotine dependency of low (score 1-2), low to moderate (3-4), moderate (5-7) or high (8 or higher).

Reference: Dr. Koji Hasegawa et al, European Society f Cardiology