Medical Bulletin 3/March/2023

Here are the top medical news for the day:

‘Classic triad’ of meningitis symptoms rare in both children and adults, found in recent study

Timely recognition of symptoms and prompt treatment is important for good outcomes in meningitis. However, new research to be presented at this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2023, Copenhagen, 15-18 April) shows both adults and children mostly have only one of the classical ‘triad’ of commonly related symptoms (fever, altered mental state and neck stiffness), and rarely have all three, with a substantial proportion (one in seven) having none.

The study, by Dr Nichlas Hovmand (Center for Research & Disruption of Infectious Diseases [CREDID], Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark) and colleagues, was a retrospective observational study of pre-hospital and hospital data in patients with community acquired bacterial meningitis (CABM) between January 2016 and December 2021 admitted to a hospital in the Capital Region of Denmark (population approx. 1.8 million). Reported symptoms were extracted from archived audio files of the initial phone call to the emergency medical services.

Reference:

Dr Nichlas Hovmand et al,MEETING:The European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2023).

Study highlights possible treatment strategy for bone marrow failure syndrome

Research led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified a possible treatment strategy for a rare bone marrow failure syndrome that is named poikiloderma with neutropenia. The work also may have implications for treating other bone marrow failure syndromes with similar underlying dysfunctions.

Bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside bone responsible for making red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Bone marrow failure syndromes lead to an increased risk of developing dangerous infections, anemia and an increased risk of blood cancers. The research is published March 3 in the journal Science.

Poikiloderma with neutropenia is caused by mutations in a gene called USB1. Despite knowing the genetic error that causes the disease, the specifics of what the error does to cause bone marrow failure have long been a mystery. When the bone marrow fails, the body can’t make healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. People with these types of diseases are at increased risk of infections and are prone to developing skin and blood cancers.

Reference:

Jeong H, Shukla S, Fok WC, Huynh TN, Batista LFZ, Parker R. USB1 is a miRNA deadenylase that regulates hematopoietic development. Science. March 3, 2023.

Study finds for older adults, every 500 additional steps taken daily associated with lower heart risk

Walking an additional 500 steps, or about one-quarter of a mile, per day was associated with a 14% lower risk of heart disease, stroke or heart failure, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Sessions 2023. The meeting will be held in Boston, February 28-March 3, 2023, and offers the latest science on population-based health and wellness and implications for lifestyle and cardiometabolic health.

“Steps are an easy way to measure physical activity, and more daily steps were associated with a lower risk of having a cardiovascular disease-related event in older adults,” said Erin E. Dooley, Ph.D., an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health and lead researcher of the study. “However, most studies have focused on early-to-midlife adults with daily goals of 10,000 or more steps, which may not be attainable for older individuals.”

Reference:

Erin E. Dooley et al,MEETING,AHA Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Sessions 2023.