Medical Bulletin 6/September/2022
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Here are the top medical news for the day:
Obstructive sleep apnoea associated with increased risk of cancer and other adversities
People suffering from obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) are at a higher risk of cancer, according to a large study presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
A second study showed that OSA was also linked to a decline in processing powers in the elderly; in particular, those aged 74 years or more and men showed a steeper decline in certain cognitive tests. A third study found that patients with more severe OSA were at greater risk of developing blood clots in their veins – a potentially life-threatening condition.
Ref:
Dr Andreas Palm et al, MEETING: European Respiratory Society International Congress 2022
Stem cell-gene therapy for ALS: Recent trial
Cedars-Sinai investigators have developed an investigational therapy using support cells and a protective protein that can be delivered past the blood-brain barrier. This combined stem cell and gene therapy can potentially protect diseased motor neurons in the spinal cord of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a fatal neurological disorder known as ALS or Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
In the first trial of its kind, the Cedars-Sinai team showed that delivery of this combined treatment is safe in humans.
Ref:
Clive Svendsen et al, Transplantation of human neural progenitor cells secreting GDNF into the spinal cord of patients with ALS: a phase 1/2a trial, Nature Medicine, DOI: 10.1038/s41591-022-01956-3
Novel methods to faster and more accurately find antigens triggering specific immune cells
A cell's secrets can be divulged by its surface, decorated with tens to hundreds of thousands of molecules that help immune cells determine friend from foe. Some of those protruding molecules are antigens that trigger the immune system to attack, but it can be difficult for scientists to identify those antigens, which often vary across individuals, in the molecular forest.
A team of Stanford scientists led by Polly Fordyce, has developed a new method to faster and more accurately predict which antigens will lead to a strong immune response. Their approach, which was reported in Nature Methods could help scientists develop more effective cancer immunotherapies.
Ref:
Polly Fordyce, et al,bead-based method for high-throughput mapping of the sequence- and force-dependence of T cell activation, Nature Methods,DOI: 10.1038/s41592-022-01592-2
Importance of exercise on managing heart disease
The Journal of the American College of Cardiology has issued a four-part focus seminar series on sports cardiology and of the impact of physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness and exercise training on the general U.S. population and professional athletes' cardiovascular health.
In the first part of the focus seminar series, the authors highlight the need for regular exercise to meet or exceed the current physical activity guidelines for reducing cardiovascular risk in the general U.S. population.
Ref:
Jason C. Kovacic et al,Exercise, Cardiovascular Disease, and the Athlete's Heart, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2022.07.022
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