Day: July 10, 2023

Categories : Cardiovascular Disease Diet and NutritionTags : Leave a comment

Steaks are OK? Global Study Challenges Current Advice on High-fat Diets

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Jose Ignacio Pompe on Unsplash

In a study conducted across 80 countries, researchers found that unprocessed red meat and whole grains can be included or left out of a healthy diet. Published in the European Heart Journal, the findings showed that diets emphasising fruit, vegetables, dairy (mainly whole-fat), nuts, legumes and fish were linked with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and premature death in all world regions. The addition of unprocessed red meat or whole grains had little impact on outcomes.

“Low-fat foods have taken centre stage with the public, food industry and policymakers, with nutrition labels focused on reducing fat and saturated fat,” said study author Dr Andrew Mente of the Population Health Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada. “Our findings suggest that the priority should be increasing protective foods such as nuts (often avoided as too energy dense), fish and dairy, rather than restricting dairy (especially whole-fat) to very low amounts. Our results show that up to two servings a day of dairy, mainly whole-fat, can be included in a healthy diet. This is in keeping with modern nutrition science showing that dairy, particularly whole-fat, may protect against high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome.”

The study examined the relationships between a new diet score and health outcomes in a global population. A healthy diet score was created based on six foods that have each been linked with longevity. The PURE diet included 2-3 servings of fruit per day, 2-3 servings of vegetables per day, 3-4 servings of legumes per week, 7 servings of nuts per week, 2-3 servings of fish per week, and 14 servings of dairy products (mainly whole fat but not including butter or whipped cream) per week. A score of 1 (healthy) was assigned for intake above the median in the group and a score of 0 (unhealthy) for intake at or below the median, for a total of 0 to 6. Dr Mente explained: “Participants in the top 50% of the population – an achievable level – on each of the six food components attained the maximum diet score of six.”

Associations of the score with mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke and total CVD (including fatal CVD and non-fatal myocardial infarction, stroke and heart failure) were tested in the PURE study which included 147 642 people from the general population in 21 countries. The analyses were adjusted for factors that could influence the relationships such as age, sex, waist-to-hip ratio, education level, income, urban or rural location, physical activity, smoking status, diabetes, use of statins or high blood pressure medications, and total energy intake.

The average diet score was 2.95. During a median follow-up of 9.3 years, there were 15 707 deaths and 40 764 cardiovascular events. Compared with the least healthy diet (score of 1 or less), the healthiest diet (score of 5 or more) was linked with a 30% lower risk of death, 18% lower likelihood of CVD, 14% lower risk of myocardial infarction and 19% lower risk of stroke. Associations between the healthy diet score and outcomes were confirmed in five independent studies including a total of 96 955 patients with CVD in 70 countries.

Dr Mente said: “This was by far the most diverse study of nutrition and health outcomes in the world and the only one with sufficient representation from high-, middle- and low-income countries. The connection between the PURE diet and health outcomes was found in generally healthy people, patients with CVD, patients with diabetes, and across economies.”

“The associations were strongest in areas with the poorest quality diet, including South Asia, China and Africa, where calorie intake was low and dominated by refined carbohydrates. This suggests that a large proportion of deaths and CVD in adults around the world may be due to undernutrition, that is, low intakes of energy and protective foods, rather than overnutrition. This challenges current beliefs,” said Professor Salim Yusuf, senior author and principal investigator of PURE.

In an accompanying editorial, Dr Dariush Mozaffarian of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, USA, stated: “The new results in PURE, in combination with prior reports, call for a re-evaluation of unrelenting guidelines to avoid whole-fat dairy products. Investigations such as the one by Mente and colleagues remind us of the continuing and devastating rise in diet-related chronic diseases globally, and of the power of protective foods to help address these burdens. It is time for national nutrition guidelines, private sector innovations, government tax policy and agricultural incentives, food procurement policies, labelling and other regulatory priorities, and food-based healthcare interventions to catch up to the science. Millions of lives depend on it.”

Source: European Society of Cardiology

Categories : Diseases, Syndromes and Conditions New Compounds and TreatmentsTags : Leave a comment

Peptides May Solve the Sticky Problem of Bacterial Biofilms

On By ModernMedia
This image shows an intricate colony of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The bacteria have self-organised into a sticky, mat-like colony called a biofilm, which allows them to cooperate with each other, adapt to changes in their environment, and ensure their survival.
Credit: Scott Chimileski and Roberto Kolter, Harvard Medical School, Boston

Researchers have developed peptides that can help combat bacteria growing in biofilms, which occur in up to 80% of human infections. Their results, published in Nature Chemical Biology, may offer a way to tackle antimicrobial-resistant infections. 

Treating infections becomes significantly more challenging when biofilms are present, as they not only reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics but also give rise to several medical complications. These complications include infections following joint replacements, prosthetic devices, as well as contamination in catheters and other medical equipment. The lack of specific treatments makes the management and treatment of biofilms exceptionally difficult.

The team of researchers, led by Dr Clarissa Melo Czekster and Dr Christopher Harding from the School of Biology at St Andrews, in collaboration with researchers at University of Dundee, developed antimicrobial peptides that can target the harmful bacteria growing in biofilms.

The team determined how a key enzyme (PaAP) in biofilms work and developed a revolutionary new strategy to inhibit the protein. Their inhibitor is potent and targets cells from the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa in biofilms. P. aeruginosa, a WHO pathogen of concern, causes chronic infections in patients with cystic fibrosis and other conditions, which means a biofilm inhibitor is urgently needed.

Dr Czekster and the team are currently working in collaboration with the University of St Andrews Technology Transfer Centre and industry partner Locate Bio, a biomedicine spinout of the University of Nottingham, to commercialise the technology. The Locate Bio team are trialling the peptides to see how they work with the company’s Programmed Drug Release technology to develop new orthobiologic solutions and products. The Technology Transfer Centre has filed a UK priority patent application.

Dr Czekster said: “Our research reveals how designed inhibitors can target a key enzyme in bacterial virulence, offering molecular insights applicable to aminopeptidases in diverse organisms.

“This remarkable new research presents an innovative strategy to target bacterial biofilms and pave the way for better treatment of bacterial infection.”

Source: University of St. Andrews

Categories : ExerciseTags : Leave a comment

A Sensor Printed onto Clothing that Monitors Sweat Electrolytes

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels

Researchers from Japan have developed a novel wearable chemical sensor capable of measuring the concentration of chloride ions in sweat. The technology, described in the journal ACS Sensors, uses a ‘heat-transfer printing’ technique, the proposed sensor can be applied to the outer surface of common textiles to prevent skin irritation and allergies, and could also be useful in the early detection of heat stroke and dehydration.

Advances in miniaturisation have led to science-fiction like technologies such as wearable sensors which are usually placed directly on the skin. They can monitor important bodily parameters, including heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle activity and are often incorporated into devices such as smart watches.

Some wearable sensors can also detect chemicals in bodily fluids. For instance, sweat biosensors can measure the concentration of ions in sweat, providing information on their levels in blood. However, designing such chemical sensors is more complex than physical sensors. Direct contact between a wearable chemical sensor and skin can cause irritation and allergies. In contrast, if the sensor is fabricated directly on a wearable textile, its accuracy decreases due to surface irregularities.

In a recent study, a research team, led by Associate Professor Isao Shitanda of the Tokyo University of Science (TUS) in Japan, has developed an innovative sweat biosensor that addresses the aforementioned problems. Their technique involves ‘heat-transfer printing’ to fix a thin, flexible chloride ion sensor onto a textile substrate.

“The proposed sensor can be transferred to fibre substrates, and thus can be incorporated into textiles such as T-shirts, wristbands, and insoles,” explains Dr Shitanda. “Further, health indicators such as chloride ion concentration in sweat can be measured by simply wearing them.”

The heat-transfer printing approach offers several advantages. For one thing, the sensor is transferred outside of the piece of clothing, which prevents skin irritation. In addition, the wicking effect of the textile helps spread the sweat evenly between the electrodes of the sensor, creating a stable electrical contact. Moreover, printing the sensor on a flat surface and then transferring it prevents the formation of blurred edges that commonly occur when printing directly onto a textile.

The researchers carefully selected non-allergenic materials and electrochemical mechanisms of the sensor. After developing the sensor, they conducted various experiments using artificial sweat to verify its accuracy in measuring chloride ion concentration. The change in the electromotive force of the sensor was −59.5 mTV/log CCl−. Additionally, it displayed a Nernst response and a linear relationship with the concentration range of chloride ions in human sweat. Moreover, no other ions or substances typically present in sweat were found to interfere with the measurements.

Lastly, the team tested the sensor on a volunteer who exercised on a static bicycle for 30 minutes, by measuring their perspiration rate, chloride ion levels in blood, and saliva osmolality every five minutes to compare with the data previously gathered by the sensor. The proposed wearable sensor could reliably measure the concentration of chloride ions in sweat.

The sensor can also transmit data wirelessly, making real-time health monitoring easier. “Since chloride is the most abundant electrolyte in human sweat, measuring its concentration provides an excellent indicator of the body’s electrolyte balance and a useful tool for the diagnosis and prevention of heat stroke,” remarks Dr Shitanda.

This research thus demonstrates the potential of using wearable ion sensors for the real-time monitoring of sweat biomarkers, facilitating personalised healthcare development and athlete training management.

Source: Tokyo University of Science

Categories : Respiratory DiseasesTags : Leave a comment

Long-term Improvement in Cystic Fibrosis Symptoms Using Triple Therapy

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Robina Weermeijer on Unsplash

Triple combination therapy can achieve positive, lasting effects in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), according to the results of a study published in the European Respiratory Journal. Researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Max Delbrück Center found that, in many patients, the therapy reduced mucus stickiness and lung inflammation, improving lung function and quality of life.

Two years ago, a research group headed by Charité and lead researcher Prof Marcus Mall showed that combination therapy involving three drugs – elexacaftor, tezacaftor, and ivacaftor – is effective in a large portion of patients with cystic fibrosis, a hereditary disease, meaning that the treatment noticeably improves both lung function and quality of life. Now, the team has investigated whether this form of treatment is also helpful in the long term, meaning over a period of 12 months or more. To examine this, the researchers focused on the sputum.

“In patients with cystic fibrosis, the mucus in the airways is very sticky because it doesn’t contain enough water and the mucins, the molecules that form mucus, adhere too much due to their chemical properties. This results in thick, sticky mucus, which clogs the airways, making it harder for patients to breathe and leading to chronic bacterial infection and inflammation of the lungs,” explains Mall, Director of the Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Immunology and Critical Care Medicine and the Christiane Herzog Cystic Fibrosis Center at Charité.

In the current study, the researchers showed that a combination of elexacaftor, tezacaftor, and ivacaftor results in less viscous respiratory secretions and decreasing inflammation and bacterial infection in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. “What’s more, the effects lasted over the entire one-year study period. This is really important because previous medications caused a rebound in the bacterial load in the airways,” explains Dr Simon Gräber, who also works in the Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Immunology and Critical Care Medicine at Charité and was one of the co-leaders of the study. 79 adolescents and adults with cystic fibrosis and chronic lung disease participated in the trial.

A major step in treating cystic fibrosis, further research important

“This is a major step forward in treating cystic fibrosis,” Mall says. “At the same time, it would be premature to say that patients have been normalised, let alone cured. Chronic lung changes arising over many years of living with the disease cannot be reversed, unfortunately.” This means patients with advanced lung disease will still need to rely on established treatments involving inhaling mucus-thinning medications, taking antibiotics, and physical therapy.

“We plan to forge ahead with our research on how to make treatments that address cystic fibrosis via the molecular defects that cause the disease — like the triple medication combination studied here — even more effective. This includes starting treatment in early childhood with the goal of preventing chronic lung changes wherever possible,” Mall notes. “Aside from that, this therapy is not available to about ten percent of our patients right now due to their genetic conditions,” Gräber adds. “That’s why we are also hard at work on research involving new molecular treatments so we can treat all people with cystic fibrosis effectively.”

The researchers are also working to advance their understanding of mucus defects in cystic fibrosis and develop new mucolytics, drugs that thin and loosen the mucus. This research could also benefit patients with common chronic inflammatory lung diseases such as asthma and COPD.

Cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is one of the most common fatal hereditary diseases worldwide. As many as 8000 children, teens, and adults are living with the disease in Germany today. An imbalance in salt and water transport across mucosal surfaces of the body causes people with cystic fibrosis to produce thick, sticky secretions that harm organs such as the lungs, intestine and pancreas. This leads to progressive loss of lung function and shortness of breath, which still significantly lowers life expectancy despite advances in treatment. Some 150 to 200 children are born with this rare disease in Germany each year.

About the triple combination therapy

A combination of three drugs – elexacaftor, tezacaftor, and ivacaftor – became available in Europe in August 2020. The therapy noticeably improves lung function and quality of life in patients with the most common genetic defect involved in CF, F508del. This means the treatment is an option for nearly 90% of those living with cystic fibrosis. The combination therapy was approved for children starting at the age of six years in early 2022.

Source: Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Categories : Neurodegenerative Diseases OphthalmologyTags : Leave a comment

Thinning of the Retina is an Early Marker of MS

On By ModernMedia
Retina and nerve cells. Credit: NIH

For the first time, a study has shown that diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) can be significantly improved by additionally measuring the thickness of retinal layers in the eye in a currently existing procedure. Use of the procedure helps to detect the condition at an earlier stage and predict its progression more accurately, which can help to improve patient outcomes. The findings have been published in the journal Neurology.

As part of their investigation, the research team headed by Gabriel Bsteh and Thomas Berger collaborated with ophthalmology colleagues examine 267 MS patients over five years. Their research built on study results published in 2022, which showed that MS relapse-related damage to the retina reflects the degree of damage caused to the patient’s brain. The previous study also demonstrated that a 5µm reduction in the thickness of the retinal layer following optic neuritis indicated a doubling of the risk of permanent disability after the next relapse. Thanks to the latest research with the large cohort of MS patients, the research team has confirmed that the thickness of the retinal layer can be used as a precise biomarker to assist early diagnosis.

Diagnostic procedure already available

The researchers used a procedure known as optical coherence tomography (OCT) to measure the thickness of the retinal layer. An imaging method that uses infrared light, OCT allows for the generation of high-resolution, three-dimensional images of extremely thin layers of tissue measuring just a few µm. OCT is also a tool for diagnosing and evaluating the progression of eye diseases such as glaucoma. “So we already have this procedure at our disposal,” commented Gabriel Bsteh, first author of the study. He added: “If we use optical coherence tomography alongside the current criteria to diagnose MS, we obtain significantly more accurate results at a much earlier stage. This means we can initiate treatment measures sooner, which considerably improves the long-term prognosis for patients.”

The retina: a window to the brain

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune, chronic inflammatory disease that causes inflammation and loss of nerve cells throughout the nervous system. For the most part, patients are unable to feel the consequences of this damage to begin with, so the condition often goes undiagnosed until a late stage, meaning that valuable time is lost during which effective treatment could have been administered. Given that early detection and prognosis of the disease’s progression play a decisive role in MS cases, medical researchers have been trying to find improved detection methods for some time now to help avert serious consequences such as impaired mobility and blindness as far as possible. “We have identified a new biomarker for MS diagnosis, namely the retinal layer thickness, which can be likened to a window to the brain,” said Gabriel Bsteh, summing up the study’s key finding. In the next phases of research, the focus will turn to the importance of retinal layer thickness in measuring responses to MS treatment.

Source: Medical University of Vienna