Medical Bulletin 07 January/ 2025 - Video

Here are the top medical news for the day

Lowering Risk of Cancer, Respiratory Disease, Diabetes? Exercise 150 Minutes Per Week

A new questionnaire based study has suggested that individuals who reported the highest level of physical activity — meaning those who exercised moderately to vigorously at least 150 minutes per week — were at statistically significant lower risk of having 19 chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease, and diabetes. The findings are published in preventing chronic disease journal.

The findings further suggest patients who are least active — meaning they reported little to no exercise in a given week — are at increased risk to develop a chronic disease.

The Exercise Vital Sign survey, as the questionnaire is called, asked patients two questions that they answered on a tablet:

• “On average, how many days per week do you engage in moderate to vigorous exercise (like a brisk walk)?” (0-7 days)

• “On average, how many minutes do you engage in exercise at this level?”

The researchers also compared results from patients who completed the surveys with more than 33,000 patients who weren’t offered the survey in other areas of the hospital. The researchers found patients who took the survey were younger and in better health than the patient population who weren’t given the questionnaire, based on analyzing all patients’ electronic medical records.

While the link between physical activity and reduced risk of chronic disease has been known, the researchers say the study underscores the value of surveying patients about their physical activity levels.

“We believe this finding is a result of those patients who take the time to come in for annual wellness exams also are taking more time to engage in healthy behaviors, such as being physically active,” Lucas Carr, associate professor in the Department of Health and Human Physiology, says.

Reference: Chapman CG, Schroeder MC, Marcussen B, Carr LJ. Identifying Patients at Risk for Cardiometabolic and Chronic Diseases by Using the Exercise Vital Sign to Screen for Physical Inactivity. Prev Chronic Dis 2025;22:240149. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd22.240149

Study Reveals Association Between Herpes Simplex Virus and Alzheimer’s Disease

Researchers have uncovered a surprising link between Alzheimer’s disease and herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1), suggesting that viral infections may play a role in the disease. The study results are published today in Cell Reports.

The study also revealed how tau protein, often viewed as harmful in Alzheimer’s, might initially protect the brain from the virus but contribute to brain damage later.

The scientists identified forms of HSV-1-related proteins in Alzheimer’s brain samples, with greater amounts of viral proteins co-localized with tangles of phosphorylated tau – one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease pathology – in brain regions especially vulnerable to Alzheimer’s across disease stages.

“Our study challenges the conventional view of tau as solely harmful, showing that it may initially act as part of the brain’s immune defense,” said senior author Or Shemesh, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at Pitt. “These findings emphasize the complex interplay between infections, immune responses and neurodegeneration, offering a fresh perspective and potential new targets for therapeutic development.”

Reference: Anti-herpetic tau preserves neurons via the cGAS-STING-TBK1 pathway in Alzheimer’s disease, Hyde, Vanesa R. et al. Cell Reports, Volume 0, Issue 0, 115109

Study Uncovers How Mediterranean diet Improves Memory and Cognitive Performance

In a study published in Gut Microbes Reports, researchers at Tulane University School of Medicine found that subjects following a Mediterranean diet developed distinctly different gut bacteria patterns compared to those eating a typical Western diet. These bacterial changes correlated with better memory and cognitive performance.

The study found that rats fed a Mediterranean-style diet rich in olive oil, fish and fiber over 14 weeks showed increases in four beneficial types of gut bacteria and decreases in five others compared to rats eating a Western diet high in saturated fats. These bacterial changes were linked to improved performance on maze challenges designed to test memory and learning.

Specifically, higher levels of bacteria such as Candidatus Saccharimonas were associated with better cognitive performance, while increased levels of other bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium, correlated with poorer memory function.

The Mediterranean diet group also showed better cognitive flexibility — the ability to adapt to new information — and improved working memory compared to the Western diet group. They maintained lower levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol.

The researchers used young rats approximately equivalent in age to 18-year-old humans to model the effects of diet during a critical developmental period. The diets were based on human consumption and used ingredients reflecting the complexity of human diets. The Mediterranean diet (MeDi) showed clear benefits for cognitive flexibility, memory, and gut health, suggesting potential parallels in young adults whose brains and bodies are still maturing.

“Our findings suggest that the Mediterranean diet or its biological effects could be harnessed to improve scholastic performance in adolescents, or work performance in young adults,” said corresponding author Dr. Demetrius M. Maraganore, Herbert J. Harvey, Jr. Chair of Neurosciences. “While these findings are based on animal models, they echo human studies linking the Mediterranean diet to improved memory and reduced dementia risk.”

Reference: Solch-Ottaiano, R. J., Engler-Chiurazzi, E. B., Harper, C., Wasson, S., Ogbonna, S., Ouvrier, B., … Maraganore, D. M. (2024). Comparison between two divergent diets, Mediterranean and Western, on gut microbiota and cognitive function in young sprague dawley rats. Gut Microbes Reports, 1(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/29933935.2024.2439490

New Formula for Hyper filtration and Glomerular Filtration Rate: Study Finds

Researchers have come up with a new calculation method to accurately assess glomerular filtration rate. The findings were published in Hypertension Research.

Annual health checkups regularly include urine tests that serve several purposes, including checking for symptoms of kidney disease. The presence of albumin in the urine is one indicator as is glomerular filtration rate. In diabetic nephropathy, albuminuria first appears, leading to excessive filtration and eventually a decrease in glomerular filtration rate. In the elderly, however, excessive filtration cannot be detected due to age-related glomerular filtration rate decline.

Researchers assessed 180 kidney transplant donor candidates to define a new formula for determining the threshold value for hyper filtration based on age and glomerular filtration rate values.

Among other findings, the conventional method of correcting for body surface area in obese patients was determined to be inaccurate as excessive filtration cannot be detected. The researchers suggest calculating glomerular filtration rate without the correction but by taking into account the decline in the filtration rate due to aging.

“Since hyperfiltration is a precursor to diabetic nephropathy, we hope that using this new formula will more accurately diagnose the condition, leading to early detection and treatment,” stated Dr. Akihiro Tsuda, a lecturer at the Graduate School of Medicine.

Reference: Tsuda, A., Mori, K., Uedono, H. et al. Definition of hyperfiltration taking into account age-related decline in renal function in kidney donor candidates with obesity and glucose tolerance disorder. Hypertens Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41440-024-02020-y