Medical Bulletin 6/January/2024

Here are the top medical news of the day:

Even in midlife, disrupted sleep tied to memory, thinking problems later on

People who have more disrupted sleep in their 30s and 40s may be more likely to have memory and thinking problems a decade later, according to new research published in the January 3, 2024, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study does not prove that sleep quality causes cognitive decline. It only shows an association.

“Given that signs of Alzheimer’s disease start to accumulate in the brain several decades before symptoms begin, understanding the connection between sleep and cognition earlier in life is critical for understanding the role of sleep problems as a risk factor for the disease,” said study author Yue Leng, PhD, of the University of California, San Francisco. “Our findings indicate that the quality rather than the quantity of sleep matters most for cognitive health in middle age.”

The study involved 526 people with an average age of 40. They were followed for 11 years.

Reference: Even in midlife, disrupted sleep tied to memory, thinking problems later on; AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY; Neurology

Is radon linked to health condition other than lung cancer?

Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas produced when metals like uranium or radium break down in rocks and soil, is a known cause of lung cancer. Now new research has found exposure to high levels of this indoor air pollutant is associated with an increased risk of another condition in middle age to older female participants with ischemic stroke. The study is published in the January 3, 2024, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Ischemic stroke is caused by a blockage of blood flow to the brain and is the most common type of stroke.

The condition, called clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP), develops when some hematopoietic stem cells, the building blocks for all blood cells, undergo genetic mutations as a person ages. Cells with such mutations replicate more quickly than cells without them. Previous research has shown people with CHIP may have a higher risk of blood cancers like leukemia and cardiovascular disease including stroke.

The study involved 10,799 female participants with an average age of 67. Approximately half of participants had a stroke or blood clots.

Reference: Is radon linked to health condition other than lung cancer?; AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY

Using the body’s own cells to treat traumatic brain injury

More than a million people in the US suffer from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year, about 230,000 of them are hospitalized, and almost 70,000 die from TBI-related causes. There is currently no treatment for the damage caused to brain tissue during a TBI, beyond managing a patient’s symptoms. One of the main drivers of TBI-caused damage is a runaway inflammatory cascade in the brain.

Scientists have created a new treatment for traumatic brain injury (TBI) that shrank brain lesions by 56% and significantly reduced local inflammation levels in pigs. The new approach leverages macrophages, a type of white blood cell that can dial inflammation up or down in the body in response to infection and injury.

Reference: Using the body’s own cells to treat traumatic brain injury; PNAS Nexus