Medical Bulletin 15/ January/ 2025 - Video

Researchers, in a new study, used their computer model as a guide for treatment selection for patients with chronic myelogenous leukaemia. The study highlights a new method that can help people with a specific type of blood cancer get the best medicine for them. Findings are present in PLOS Computational Biology.

Today, the most effective form of treatment for chronic myelogenous leukaemia is stem cell transplantation. Many can avoid transplantation if they receive effective help with medication instead. The vast majority of people can manage without it, as long as they receive effective medications called thyrokinase inhibitors. But there are five different medications for chronic myelogenous leukaemia, and it is important to find the one that is most effective.

The medications attack an enzyme. The goal of the medications is to slow down the problematic overproduction of cells in the blood.

However, mutations can cause the medications to lose all or part of their effect against blood cancer. The new model indicated which drugs should be selected for which mutation than the usual current methods.

“We have developed a computer model that can help us say which drugs work best, and thus are best suited for each individual patient,” says Professor Ran Friedman at Linnaeus University.

Reference: J. Roadnight Sheehan, Astrid S. de Wijn, Thales Souza Freire, Ran Friedman. Beyond IC50—A computational dynamic model of drug resistance in enzyme inhibition treatment. Published: November 7, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012570

In a new meta-analysis study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers found that using neuromuscular electrical stimulation while doing resistance training leads to greater muscle mass and strength compared to resistance training alone.

Researchers conducted the meta-analysis comprising more than a dozen studies that used neuromuscular electrical stimulation and reviewed their results.

The analysis focused on studies where participants performed traditional resistance exercises, such as bench presses or squats, while using neuromuscular electrical stimulation devices.

The studies compared the results of participants using electrical stimulators while exercising to those who did the exercises with no electrical stimulation. Participants’ muscle mass and strength were assessed at the beginning and the end of each study. Training periods for participants ranged from two to 16 weeks, with longer durations yielding better results.

“Under normal conditions, the brain activates muscles by sending signals through the nervous system.” said Sudip Bajpeyi, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Kinesiology at The University of Texas at El Paso. “neuromuscular electrical stimulation mimics this process by delivering external electrical currents to the nerves, causing the muscles to contract, without input from the brain. Think of it as though your muscles are contracting involuntarily.”

“Exercise is medicine, but not everyone is able or willing to engage in traditional exercise” he said. “neuromuscular electrical stimulation has great potential for improving metabolic health by building muscle mass, which can help the body process blood glucose more effectively.”

Reference: Narvaez, G., Apaflo, J., Wagler, A. et al. The additive effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation and resistance training on muscle mass and strength. Eur J Appl Physiol (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-024-05700-2

A new study published in eClinicalMedicine, part of The Lancet, analyzed tracheal, bronchial and lung (TBL) cancer data from the open-source Global Burden of Disease database. The results indicated an 8% overall decrease in tracheal, bronchial and lung cancer deaths over the three-decade period. While tobacco-related deaths declined, they continue to represent the majority of cases. Meanwhile, mortality linked to particulate matter air pollution has risen globally, and asbestos exposure remains a critical concern.

The study found that the percentage of tracheal, bronchial and lung cancer deaths linked to tobacco use declined from 72% in 1990 to 66% in 2019, although certain countries, such as China and Indonesia, are still experiencing rising tobacco-related cancer mortality. Moreover, the global mortality rate among women increased by 2%, though men still account for about three-quarters of tobacco-linked deaths.

Air pollution now accounts for almost 20% of global tracheal, bronchial and lung cancer mortality. Overall deaths linked to air pollution decreased from 1990-2019, but deaths associated directly with ambient particulate matter (PM 2.5) increased by 11%.

A key takeaway from the study is the need for continued research to better understand the mechanisms driving tracheal, bronchial and lung cancer, including how various risk factors contribute to molecular changes in cancer cells.

The findings also highlighted the need for revising current screening guidelines, which are primarily focused on tobacco exposure.

"This research allows us to better assess global trends and highlight areas where public health policies and further research are needed to tackle TBL cancers," said Gilberto Lopes, M.D., senior author of the study, chief of the Division of Medical Oncology at Sylvester and its associate director.

Reference: Evolving trends in lung cancer risk factors in the ten most populous countries: an analysis of data from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study, Jani, Chinmay T. et al.eClinicalMedicine, Volume 0, Issue 0, 103033

A new study by UC San Francisco has found that menopause revs up the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). Following menopause, patients’ walking slowed down. And there were subtler changes in fine motor skills and cognitive ability.

Women account for 75% of multiple sclerosis patients, and hormones play a significant role in the course of the disease. The study followed 184 women before and after menopause. It was based on data from two UCSF studies, EPIC and ORIGINS, that seek to discover the causes of multiple sclerosis and the way it develops. Participants were evaluated each year for an average of 13 years.

Other research has reached contradictory conclusions about the role of menopause in multiple sclerosis progression. Some studies used a tool called the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) that primarily focuses on walking assessment.

In the current study, researchers used the multiple sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC), which captures walking speed as well as other tasks. They found that following menopause, it took participants longer to complete a 25-foot-walk after accounting for age, weight and tobacco use. They also found subtler declines in dexterity and cognition.

The researchers found that a biomarker in the blood called neurofilament light chain (NfL) increased after menopause. This indicates increased degeneration of nerve cells – a hallmark of advancing multiple sclerosis – and validates the multiple sclerosis Functional Composite findings.

Just 31 of the 184 participants (17%) took estrogen therapy, not enough for researchers to be able to draw conclusion about its benefits. Research in animals suggests that sex hormones have neuroprotective effects, and one small study has tested the protective effects of testosterone in men.

“The study shows that menopause represents a unique factor in multiple sclerosis progression, even when we take into consideration the effects of aging,” said Riley Bove, MD, an associate professor of neurology at UCSF. “But we would need large, randomized trials that compare hormone treatment to a placebo before we can know the true effects of hormone therapy in a condition as complex as multiple sclerosis.”

Reference: Silverman, H. E., Bostrom, A., Nylander, A. N., Akula, A., Lazar, A. A., Gomez, R., ... & Bove, R. (2025). Association of Menopause With Functional Outcomes and Disease Biomarkers in Women With Multiple Sclerosis. Neurology, 104(2), e210228.