Medical Bulletin 8/December/2022

Rheumatoid arthritis risk may be increased by workplace fumes and dusts

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune joint disorder characterised by painful and disabling inflammation. It affects up to 1% of the world's population.

While it's known that cigarette smoking increases the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, it isn't known what impact breathing in workplace dusts and fumes might have.

Breathing in common workplace dusts and fumes from agents such as vapours, gases, and solvents, may heighten the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, suggests research published online in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

Reference:

Occupational inhalable agents constitute major risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis, particularly in the context of genetic predisposition and smoking,Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases,DOI

10.1136/ard-2022-223286

Brains with more vitamin D function better: Research

Researchers at Tufts University have completed the first study examining levels of vitamin D in brain tissue, specifically in adults who suffered from varying rates of cognitive decline. They found that members of this group with higher levels of vitamin D in their brains had better cognitive function. The study was published December 7 in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.

Vitamin D supports many functions in the body, including immune responses and maintaining healthy bones. Dietary sources include fatty fish and fortified beverages (such as milk or orange juice); brief exposure to sunlight also provides a dose of vitamin D.

Reference:

Kyla Shea et al, Brain Vitamin D Forms, Cognitive Decline and Neuropathology in Community-dwelling Older Adults,Alzheimer s & Dementia, DOI 10.1002/alz.12836

Statins may lower risk of bleeding stroke: Study

The deadly condition known as intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH), a subtype of stroke, causes a hematoma to form inside the brain parenchyma with or without blood extension into the ventricles.Two of the leading causes are trauma and high blood pressure.

People who take cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins may have a lower risk of having a type of stroke called an intracerebral hemorrhage, according to a new study published in the December 7, 2022, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. An intracerebral hemorrhage is caused by bleeding in the brain.

Reference:

David Gaist et al,AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY JOURNAL Neurology

Pregnant women working in extreme heat may strain their fetuses before themselves

The team led by researchers at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and LSHTM found that even a modest rise in body temperature from performing manual tasks in extreme heat produced evidence of physiological strain in both mother and foetus.

Findings include that for every degree Celsius increase in heat stress exposure there was a 17% increase in foetal strain as indicated by raised foetal heart rate and slower blood flow through the umbilical cord.

Reference:

Dr Ana Bonell et al, A cohort study assessing the effect of environmental heat stress on maternal physiology and fetal blood flow in pregnant subsistence farmers in The Gambia, West Africa, JOURNAL The Lancet Planetary Health