Medical Bulletin 30/August/2023

Here are the top medical news of the day:

Common origin behind major childhood allergies discovered

Several major childhood allergies may all stem from the community of bacteria living in our gut, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of British Columbia and BC Children’s Hospital. The research, published in Nature Communications, identifies gut microbiome features and early life influences that are associated with children developing any of four common allergies — eczema, asthma, food allergy, and/or hay fever. The findings could lead to methods of predicting whether a child will develop allergies and ways to prevent them from developing at all.

For the study, researchers examined clinical assessments from 1,115 children who were tracked from birth to age five. The researchers evaluated the children’s microbiomes from stool samples collected at clinical visits at three months and one year of age.

Reference: Dr. Stuart Turvey et al, Nature Communications, DOI 10.1038/s41467-023-40336-4

Artificial kidney may free patients from dialysis

Scientists at UC San Francisco are working on a new approach to treating kidney failure that could one day free people from needing dialysis or having to take harsh drugs to suppress their immune system after a transplant. They have shown for the first time that kidney cells, housed in an implantable device called a bioreactor, can survive inside the body of a pig and mimic several important kidney functions. The device can work quietly in the background, like a pacemaker, and does not trigger the recipient’s immune system to go on the attack.

Eventually, scientists plan to fill the bioreactor with different kidney cells that perform vital functions like balancing the body’s fluids and releasing hormones to regulate blood pressure – then pair it with a device that filters waste from the blood.

Reference: Shuvo Roy et al, Journal: Nature Communications

Stable weight maintenance increases longevity among older women

Reaching the age of 90, 95 or 100, known as exceptional longevity, was more likely for women who maintained their body weight after age 60, according to a multi-institutional study led by the University of California San Diego. Older women who sustained a stable weight were 1.2 to 2 times more likely to achieve longevity compared to those who experienced a weight loss of 5 percent or more.

The researchers investigated the associations of weight changes later in life with exceptional longevity among 54,437 women who enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative, a prospective study investigating causes of chronic diseases among postmenopausal women. Throughout the follow-up period, 30,647, or 56 percent of the participants, survived to the age of 90 or beyond.

Reference: Association of later life weight changes with survival to ages 90, 95, and 100: The Women’s Health Initiative, DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glad177 Journal: Journal of Gerontology, DOI 10.1093/gerona/glad177