Rounding up some of the most interesting recent health research to kick start the festive period!
1. Discovery could explain why women are more likely to get Alzheimer’s
Scientists at Scripps Research and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have found a clue to the molecular cause of Alzheimer’s which may also explain why women are at greater risk of the disease (Yang et al, 14.12.22)
2. Are people with cluster headaches more likely to have other illnesses?
People with cluster headaches may be more than three times more likely to have other medical conditions such as heart disease, mental disorders and other neurological diseases, according to a new study (Ran et al, 14.12.22)
3. Ebola vaccine regimens safe in adults and children
Two randomised, placebo-controlled trials evaluating three Ebola vaccine administration strategies in adults and children found that all the regimens were safe in both age groups (PREVAC, 14.12.22)
4. Intermittent fasting may reverse type 2 diabetes
After an intermittent fasting diet intervention, patients achieved complete diabetes remission, defined as an HbA1c (average blood sugar) level of less than 6.5% at least one year after stopping diabetes medication (Emily et al, 14.12.22)
5. Exercise is medicine for cancer and every dose counts – even in late stages in the disease
A single bout of exercise has been shown to elevate anti-cancer proteins called myokines in people with advanced prostate cancer, to levels which can significantly suppress tumour growth (Kim et al, 14.12.22)
6. Gene therapy for heart attacks in mice just got more precise
A team of scientists used a mechanism zebrafish rely on to repair heart damage combined with viral vectors (used for gene therapy in humans) to show that the fish gene enhancers would work only where and when they sensed damage in a mammalian heart. This is a new level of precision that gene therapies have been missing (Yan et al, 13.12.22)
7. Strong connection to neighbours may improve health outcomes
Strong neighbourhood connections reduced the negative impact of living alone on the death rates of older Chinese Americans, according to researchers (Jiang et al, 13.12.22)
8. Antibody discovery paves way for new therapies against group A streptococcal infections
Researchers have discovered an antibody with the potential to protect against Strep A infection; as well as a rare form of antibody binding, that leads to an effective immune response against bacteria. The discovery could explain why so many Group A strep vaccines have failed (Bahnan et al, 12.12.22)
9. New blood test can detect ‘toxic’ protein years before Alzheimer’s symptoms emerge
Researchers can detect ‘toxic’ small aggregates of a particular protein in the blood of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, as well as in individuals who showed no signs of cognitive impairment at the time the blood sample was taken, but who developed it at a later date. This blood test picks up oligomers – or small, misfolded aggregates – of the amyloid beta protein, which scientists believe triggers the development of Alzheimer’s (Shea et al, 09.12.22)
10. How selfish genes succeed
A new study reveals how a selfish gene in yeast uses a poison-antidote strategy that may have facilitated its long-term evolutionary success. This may one day lead to the eradication of pest populations that harm crops or even humans in the case of vector borne diseases (Nuckoll et al, 07.12.22).
“Oh yes. Yeasts evolved 100 million years ago (long, long before humans) – so may be able to teach us something” (MyHSN Ed)
