Medical Bulletin 29/August/2023

Here are the top medical news of the day:

Anti-cancer properties found in Kencur ginger in new study

Kencur ginger, also known as "Kaempferia galanga," is a type of ginger plant native to Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia. It is a rhizomatous perennial herb belonging to the ginger family. You may know it as an aromatic spice to add flavor to your dishes or as a soothing herbal remedy to use for upset stomachs, but researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University have uncovered promising findings that Kencur, possesses anti-cancer effects. Their findings were published in Heliyon.

Led by Associate Professor Akiko Kojima of the Graduate School of Human Life and Ecology, the researchers demonstrated that Kencur extract and its main active component, ethyl p-methoxycinnamate (EMC), significantly suppressed cancer cell growth at the cellular and animal levels.

Reference: Kaempferia galanga L. extract and its main component, ethyl p-methoxycinnamate, inhibit the proliferation of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells by suppressing TFAM expression, Heliyon, DOI 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17588 

Researchers develop new tool to reduce stroke risk

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 recently 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, 

Individuals experience sex-specific symptoms before impending cardiac arrest: Study

Investigators from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai are one step closer to helping individuals catch a sudden cardiac arrest before it happens, thanks to a study published recently in the journal Lancet Digital Health.

The study found that 50% of individuals who experienced a sudden cardiac arrest also experienced a telling symptom 24 hours before their loss of heart function.

Smidt Heart Institute investigators also learned that this warning symptom was different for women than it was for men. For women, the most prominent symptom of an impending sudden cardiac arrest was shortness of breath, whereas men experienced chest pain.

Reference: Warning symptoms associated with imminent sudden cardiac arrest: a population-based case-control study with external validation, DOI 10.1016/PIIS2589-7500(23)00147-4