The Abstract: Medical News and Research Update

Sunday, August 01, 2021

A new monthly column from Physicians Office Resource looking into the current research and the future of medical science

Blood Markers Indicating Labor is Approaching Identified

Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine have identified for the first-time blood markers indicating when a pregnant women will go into labor. The study, which was published in Science Translational Medicine, gives insights on how labor begins, by analyzing immune and other biological signals in a blood sample. The study’s lead author, Ina Stelzer, PhD, said, “We found a transition from ‘progressing pregnancy’ to a ‘pre-labor’ phase that happens two to four weeks before the mom goes into labor…We’ve identified a novel way to use the maternal blood to predict when a mother will go into labor. This prediction is independent from the duration of pregnancy.”¹Brice Gaudilliere, MD, PhD, and the study’s senior author said, “Clinicians are good at estimating gestational age, which measures the development of the fetus. But there is a disconnect between this timing and when labor starts, because whether the baby is ready is only one factor in the onset of labor, the other part of the equation is the mother.”¹ The study focused on 63 women during the last 100 days of pregnancy. Blood samples were taken two to three time prior to birth and each sample was analyzed for 7,142 metabolic, protein, and single-cell immune features. Researchers utilizing mathematical modeling where able to identify blood markers that best predicted the onset of labor. Current results though imprecise, about a five-week window, could lay the foundation for a more accurate clinical blood test.

“New Generation” Artificial Heart Implanted in Patient – First in United States

Drs. Jacob Schroder and Carmelo Milano lead a surgical team at Duke University Hospital which successfully implanted a new generation artificial heart. The 39-year-old man in which the artificial heart was implanted suffered from advanced biventricular heart failure. The artificial heart developed by CARMAT is intended to replace the ventricles of the native heart in patients and is currently approved to begin studies in the US. “Because of the shortages of donor hearts, many patients die while waiting for a heart transplant…we are hopefully for new options to help these patients,” said Dr. Schroder. Dr. Milano continued, “We are encouraged that our patient is doing so well after the procedure. As we evaluate this device, we are both excited and hopeful that patients who otherwise have few to no options could have a lifeline.”²

New Technique to Treat Middle Ear Infections

Middle ear infections affect more than 80% of children. Current treatment methods often include prescribing antibiotics; however research has shown that in 30% of middle ear infection cases, antibiotics don’t work. Also due to the prevalence of middle ear infections, overuse of antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistant bacteria. That’s why results coming from a study funded by the National Science Foundation is providing hope for another treatment option. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a 3D printed device to inactivate a common bacterium that causes middle ear infections. The 3D printed device generates plasma composed of charged particles and reactive molecules which can inactivate a variety of pathogens. Researchers in this project decided to try and penetrate the biofilm of the bacteria within the ear. Helen Nhuyen, an engineer who was part of the study, stated, “Biofilms are very dense, making it difficult for the antibiotics to penetrate. Our idea was that if we could disrupt the structure of the biofilm, we could increase the penetration of the antibiotics.”³ The research has been tested on rats and found after 15 minutes of treatment, bacteria was inactivated with no results of physical damage to the rat eardrum. The results suggest that this method could be used to treat middle ear infections in humans.

Calcium Regulating Heart Protein Could Lead to New Treatment for Heart Failure

It has long been known that calcium plays a vital role in bone, muscle, and heart health. Regarding heart health, calcium surge and diminish during and in between normal heart beats. Scientist also know that mitochondria depend on calcium to help produce energy that in return keeps the cell alive.

In a recent study published in Nature⁵, an international study lead by researchers from the University of Utah sought to better understand the specific role of mitochondria and it’s relation to calcium signaling within heart cells. Researchers observed that when the signaling pathway for protein, VDAC2 was disrupted severe impairment of heart cell contraction occurred; thus making it harder for the heart to pump blood to the body. Stavrose Drakos, MD, PhD, senior author on the study, said, “Based on our human and laboratory research, it appears that if VDAC2 is not working properly, then everything in the heart can cascade downward from there. If we can figure out ways to help this protein do its job again, then it’s possible that we might be able to address heart failure far earlier in the disease process.”⁴ Researchers are hopeful this will open the way for therapeutic drugs to alleviate heart failure by targeting VDAC2.

Children with Type 2 Diabetes Face Dire Future

Type 2 diabetes in youth is increasing not just within the United States, but throughout the world. Up until now, little was known about the direct impact that type 2 diabetes would have on these youth as they entered adulthood. Now, thanks to a 15 year study, researchers have a better understanding of the dire effects this childhood disease will have on adults. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, “among participants who had onset of type 2 diabetes in youth, the risk of complications, including microvascular complications, increased steadily over time and affected most participants by the time of young adulthood.”⁶ 500 participants were evaluated with a mean age of 26.4±2.8 years, after being diagnosed with T2D around the age of 13 showed the following complications:

Cumulative incidences of hypertension = 67.5%
Incidence of dyslipidemia = 51.6%
Incidence of kidney disease was 54.8%
Incidence of nerve disease 32.4%
Prevalence of retinal disease increased from 13.7% in 2010/2011 to 51% in 2017/2018

The study also noted that “complications were more common among participants of minority race and ethic group and among those with hyperglycemia, hypertension, and dyslipidemia.”⁶

Certain Types of Body Fat Decrease Gray Brain Matter

Gray brain matter is named for its grayish-pink color and is home to neural cell bodies, axon terminal, dendrites, and all never synapses. Gray matter is also essential in learning, memory, muscle control, and cognitive function. So, when researchers at the University of South Australia found that some types of obesity lead to a reduction in gray matter in the brain, alarms were raised. Lead author of the study, Anwar Mulugeta, PhD., said “We found that people with higher levels of obesity, especially those with metabolically unfavorable and neutral adiposity subtypes, had much lower levels of gray brain matter, indicating that these people may have compromised brain function, which needed further investigation.”⁸ The study found that for, “every extra 6.6 lbs. of body weight in a person of average height, the amount of gray matter decreased by .3%”⁸ Dr. Mulugeta lead author of the study stated, “However, we did not find conclusive evidence to link a specific obesity subtype with dementia or stroke. Instead, our study suggests the possible role of inflammation and metabolic abnormalities and how they can contribute to obesity and gray matter volume reduction.”⁸

Sources

Blood Markers Indicating Labor is Approaching are Identified

https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2021/05/blood-markers-indicate-labor-approaching.html