Medical Bulletin 31/January/2024

Here are the top medical news of the day:

Scientists find how fasting may protect against inflammation

Cambridge scientists may have discovered a new way in which fasting helps reduce inflammation – a potentially damaging side-effect of the body’s immune system that underlies a number of chronic diseases.

In research published in Cell Reports, the team describes how fasting raises levels of a chemical in the blood known as arachidonic acid, which inhibits inflammation. The researchers say it may also help explain some of the beneficial effects of drugs such as aspirin.

Reference: Scientists identify how fasting may protect against inflammation; Cell Report; DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113700

High Hospitalization Rates Despite Low Risk, almost 2/3rd of Pulmonary Embolism Patients Admitted

An analysis of more than 1.6 million emergency department (ED) visits for acute pulmonary embolism (PE) found that nearly two-thirds of ED visits still resulted in hospitalization for low-risk patients. This trend remained stable between 2012 and 2020, despite research indicating the safety of outpatient management. The analysis is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

PE is a leading cause of cardiovascular mortality, and its clinical management among patients with more severe presentations often requires inpatient hospitalization for intravenous anticoagulation or other advanced therapies. However, in recent years, it has become increasingly clear that outpatient management for some low-risk patients with acute PE is a safe and feasible approach.

Reference: Nearly two-thirds of low-risk pulmonary embolism patients are hospitalized after ED visit; Annals of Internal Medicine, DOI: 10.7326/M23-2442

DNA particles that mimic viruses hold promise as vaccines

Using a virus-like delivery particle made from DNA, researchers from MIT and the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard have created a vaccine that can induce a strong antibody response against SARS-CoV-2.

The vaccine, which has been tested in mice, consists of a DNA scaffold that carries many copies of a viral antigen. This type of vaccine, known as a particulate vaccine, mimics the structure of a virus. Most previous work on particulate vaccines has relied on protein scaffolds, but the proteins used in those vaccines tend to generate an unnecessary immune response that can distract the immune system from the target.

In the mouse study, the researchers found that the DNA scaffold does not induce an immune response, allowing the immune system to focus its antibody response on the target antigen.

Reference: DNA particles that mimic viruses hold promise as vaccines; Nature Communications; DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44869-0