Medical Bulletin 7/June/2025 - Video

Here are the top medical news for the day:

New mRNA Vaccine May Be More Effective Against Evolving Viruses

A new type of mRNA vaccine is more scalable and adaptable to continuously evolving viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and H5N1, according to a study by researchers at University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health and the Pennsylvania State University. The study was published in npj Vaccines.

Current mRNA vaccines, such as those used to prevent COVID-19, present two significant challenges: the high amount of mRNA needed to produce them and the constantly evolving nature of the pathogen.

To address these challenges, the researchers created a proof-of-concept COVID-19 vaccine using what's known as a "trans-amplifying" mRNA platform.

In this approach, the mRNA is separated into two fragments -- the antigen sequence and the replicase sequence -- the latter of which can be produced in advance, saving crucial time in the event a new vaccine must be developed urgently and produced at scale.

Additionally, the researchers analyzed the spike-protein sequences of all known variants of the SARS-CoV-2 for commonalities, rendering what's known as a "consensus spike protein" as the basis for the vaccine's antigen.

In mice, the vaccine induced a robust immune response against many strains of SARS-CoV-2.

"This has the potential for more lasting immunity that would not require updating, because the vaccine has the potential to provide broad protection," said senior author Suresh Kuchipudi, Ph.D., chair of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at Pitt Public Health.

"Additionally, this format requires an mRNA dose 40 times less than conventional vaccines, so this new approach significantly reduces the overall cost of the vaccine."

Reference: Abhinay Gontu, Sougat Misra, Shubhada K. Chothe, Santhamani Ramasamy, Padmaja Jakka, Maurice Byukusenge, Lindsey C. LaBella, Meera Surendran Nair, Bhushan M. Jayarao, Marco Archetti, Ruth H. Nissly, Suresh V. Kuchipudi. Trans amplifying mRNA vaccine expressing consensus spike elicits broad neutralization of SARS CoV 2 variants. npj Vaccines, 2025; 10 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41541-025-01166-1

Statins Linked to Lower Sepsis Mortality: Study Finds

A large cohort study published in Frontiers in Immunology has found that statins may significantly improve survival rates in critically ill patients with sepsis. The study, based on data from over 12,000 patients, reported a 39% lower death rate within 28 days among those treated with statins, raising potential for supplementary therapies in one of the most life-threatening conditions in intensive care.

Sepsis occurs when the body’s immune system responds to an infection with an overwhelming inflammatory reaction, leading to organ failure.

Standard treatment for sepsis includes antibiotics, intravenous fluids, and vasopressors to stabilize blood pressure. However, this new study, led by Dr. Caifeng Li of Tianjin Medical University General Hospital in China, suggests statins, widely used to lower cholesterol, may offer additional survival benefits.

The researchers used data from the MIMIC-IV database, which contains anonymized health records of 265,000 patients admitted to intensive care at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston between 2008 and 2019. They included adults hospitalized with sepsis for over 24 hours and applied a statistical technique called propensity score matching to minimize bias in treatment allocation. This yielded two matched groups of 6,070 patients each—those who received statins and those who did not.

The statin group had a 28-day all-cause mortality rate of 14.3%, compared to 23.4% in the non-statin group. However, statin-treated patients also showed slightly longer durations on mechanical ventilation and renal therapy, potentially indicating a tradeoff between survival and recovery time.

“These results strongly suggest that statins may provide a protective effect and improve clinical outcomes for patients with sepsis,” concluded Li. The findings were consistent across patients with normal, overweight, or obese BMI, though not among underweight individuals.

Reference: Li, C., Zhao, K., Ren, Q., Chen, L., Zhang, Y., Wang, G., & Xie, K. Statin use during Intensive Care Unit Stay Is Associated with Improved Clinical Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients with Sepsis: A Cohort Study. Frontiers in Immunology, 16, 1537172.

Not Losing Weight? Study Finds Healthy Diet May Still Bring Major Health Gains

A new study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology reveals that nearly one-third of individuals who followed a healthy diet did not lose weight, yet still experienced significant improvements in key cardiometabolic health markers.

The study focused on 761 adults with abdominal obesity who participated in three long-term workplace-based nutrition clinical trials—DIRECT, CENTRAL, and DIRECT-PLUS—in Israel. Participants were randomly assigned to follow various healthy dietary patterns, including low-fat, low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean, and Green-Mediterranean diets for 18 to 24 months. High adherence and comprehensive metabolic profiling made these trials particularly robust.

Despite following their assigned diets, 28% of participants did not lose any weight or even gained some. However, these “weight loss-resistant” individuals still saw notable health improvements, including increased levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, lower leptin levels—suggesting improved hunger signaling—and a reduction in visceral fat, the harmful fat stored deep in the abdomen.

While the study was predominantly male, researchers emphasize the need for future trials focused more on women to better understand gender-specific responses.

The study also uncovered a groundbreaking biological insight: Using advanced omics tools, researchers identified 12 specific DNA methylation sites that strongly predict long-term weight loss success.

“This novel finding shows that some people may be biologically wired to respond differently to the same diet,” said corresponding author Iris Shai principal investigator of the nutrition trials and adjunct professor of nutrition at Harvard Chan School. “This isn’t just about willpower or discipline—it’s about biology.”

These findings highlight that meaningful health improvements can occur without weight loss—offering a new, more inclusive definition of dietary success.

Reference: Anat Yaskolka Meir, Gal Tsaban, Ehud Rinott, Hila Zelicha, Dan Schwarzfuchs, Yftach Gepner, Assaf Rudich, Ilan Shelef, Matthias Blüher, Michael Stumvoll, Uta Ceglarek, Berend Isermann, Nora Klöting, Maria Keller, Peter Kovacs, Lu Qi, Dong D Wang, Liming Liang, Frank B Hu, Meir J Stampfer, Iris Shai, Individual response to lifestyle interventions: a pooled analysis of three long-term weight loss trials, European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 2025;, zwaf308, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf308