Medical Bulletin 23/October/2025 - Video

Here are the top medical news for the day:

Air Pollution May Slow Infant Brain Development: Study

A study published in Environment International has found that exposure to air pollution during pregnancy is associated with slower brain maturation in newborns.

Myelination, a critical process in early brain maturation, involves coating nerve fibers with myelin to improve the efficiency of neural communication. According to the study, newborns whose mothers were exposed to higher levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) during pregnancy showed signs of delayed myelination. These findings are significant because both a slowdown and an acceleration in brain maturation can potentially be harmful to long-term cognitive and developmental outcomes.

To conduct the study, researchers recruited pregnant women receiving prenatal care. The team monitored the levels of air pollution the women were exposed to throughout their pregnancies. After birth, 132 newborns were selected and underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) within their first month of life to assess brain myelination.

The results revealed a clear correlation between higher prenatal exposure to PM2.5 and lower levels of brain myelination in the infants. “Air pollution, specifically PM2.5, is associated with alterations in the myelination process, a fundamental mechanism of brain maturation. Therefore, it is essential to continue controlling pollution levels and to study how this slowdown may affect the later brain development of children,” explained Gerard Martínez-Vilavella, researcher at Hospital del Mar.

The study emphasizes that the effect is due to a combination of components within PM2.5—such as toxic compounds and essential metals like iron, copper, and zinc without pinpointing a single culprit. This study opens a new avenue in understanding how environmental factors affect fetal brain development and highlights the urgent need for stricter air pollution controls.

Reference: Pujol J, Martinez-Vilavella G, Gómez-Herrera L, Rivas I, Gomez-Roig MD, Llurba E, Cirach M, Persavento C, Querol X, Gascon M, Foraster M. Unraveling the Impact of Prenatal Air Pollution on Neonatal Brain Maturation.

AI Outperforms Traditional Tools in Predicting Heart Attack Risk: Study Finds

A new study published in The Lancet Digital Health has found that artificial intelligence (AI) can more accurately assess risk in patients with the most common type of heart attack than current clinical methods. Led by researchers at the University of Zurich, the international study analyzed data from over 600,000 patients and suggests that many patients may need to be re-classified, which could significantly impact global heart attack treatment strategies.

The study focused on patients suffering from non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS), a prevalent form of heart attack. Currently, doctors use the GRACE score to estimate risk and decide on the timing of invasive treatments such as angiography and stenting. Although widely adopted in clinical guidelines, this method doesn’t always capture the full complexity of patient risk profiles.

To address this gap, the researchers used AI to analyze data from the VERDICT trial, a major clinical trial in cardiology and taught the model to identify which patients genuinely benefit from early invasive treatment. The model, called GRACE 3.0, leverages machine learning to enhance decision-making and patient care.

“The results were striking. While some patients gained substantial benefit from early intervention, others showed little or no benefit,” said first author Florian A. Wenzl from UZH’s Center for Molecular Cardiology and the UK’s National Health Service. This finding challenges the current one-size-fits-all approach and suggests that some patients may be receiving unnecessary or suboptimal treatment.

“By re-analyzing clinical trial data, our model GRACE 3.0 learned who actually benefits from early invasive treatment – and who does not. This may imply a shift in how we should be managing these patients,” Wenzl added.

The researchers hope GRACE 3.0 will empower clinicians with a simple, validated, and AI-powered tool to improve outcomes for heart attack patients worldwide.

Reference: Extension of the GRACE score for non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome: a development and validation study in ten countries, Wenzl, Florian A et al. The Lancet Digital Health, Volume 0, Issue 0, 100907

Can Fat You Can’t See Put You at Risk for Stroke and Heart Attack?

A new study published in Communications Medicine reveals that fat stored deep within the abdomen and liver, often invisible on the surface, can silently damage arteries, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes even in people who appear outwardly healthy.

The research focuses on visceral fat, which surrounds internal organs, and hepatic fat, which accumulates in the liver. Both have previously been associated with chronic conditions like Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, but their direct effect on artery health was less understood. Using advanced MRI imaging and data from more than 33,000 adults in Canada and the United Kingdom, the researchers found a strong link between these hidden fats and the thickening and clogging of the carotid arteries, major blood vessels that supply the brain.

“This study shows that even after accounting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors like cholesterol and blood pressure, visceral and liver fat still contribute to artery damage,” said Russell de Souza, co-lead author and associate professor at McMaster University.

The team analyzed data from two large population cohorts—the Canadian Alliance for Healthy Hearts and Minds (CAHHM) and the UK Biobank. They used MRI scans to assess fat distribution and carotid artery health. The findings revealed that visceral fat was consistently associated with plaque buildup and arterial thickening, while liver fat had a weaker but still significant impact. Crucially, these associations remained even after adjusting for metabolic and lifestyle factors.

The implications are significant. For doctors, it suggests that BMI and waist size are not enough; advanced imaging may be necessary to detect cardiovascular risks in seemingly healthy individuals. For middle-aged adults, it serves as a reminder that what’s happening inside the body matters more than what’s visible on the outside.

Reference: de Souza, R.J., Pigeyre, M.E., Schulze, K.M. et al. Visceral adipose tissue and hepatic fat as determinants of carotid atherosclerosis. Commun Med 5, 424 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-025-01123-y