Medicine-2016
The outgoing year was definitely not deprived of important events: NASA's Juno spacecraft entered the orbit of Jupiter, the last video recorder was produced in Japan, and the longest and deepest transport tunnel in the world was opened under the Swiss Alps.
Over the past 12 months, we have said goodbye forever to an unexpectedly large number of legendary personalities, including Prince, Leonard Cohen, David Bowie, Gene Wilder and Muhammad Ali.
Simultaneously with all these events, medical research continued to develop at breakneck speed.
The list of discoveries of 2016 includes the fact that reading books is associated with a longer life expectancy. Also, the researchers finally proved that even if you pick up dropped food within 5 seconds, its consumption is still unsafe, since "bacteria can contaminate instantly."
Below is a far from complete list of the most discussed areas of medical research, the results of which were published and discussed in 2016 on Medical News Today.
Marijuana is not losing popularity
The status of legal circulation of marijuana has led to an increase in the number of relevant publications in the scientific literature. A total of 23 states (as well as the Federal District of Columbia) have passed laws allowing the use of marijuana for certain clinical purposes.
The active ingredient of marijuana – tetrahydrocannabinol – causes a state of euphoria due to interaction with the CB1 receptor. Published in October in the journal Cell, data obtained through the creation of a three-dimensional model of the CB1 receptor has deepened our understanding of the mechanisms mediating the mind-altering effects of marijuana.
One of the main goals of this work was to decipher the mechanisms of action of artificial cannabinoids (analogues of the active ingredient of marijuana). The use of these drugs, such as K2 and Spice, was the cause of approximately 8,000 calls to US toxicology centers in 2015. A more detailed understanding of the mechanisms of action of these drugs can save many lives.
Since marijuana is the most common illicit drug in America, studies on the health effects associated with its use often attract a lot of attention. For example, a paper published this year in the American Journal of Medicine demonstrated the existence of a relationship between frequent use of marijuana and a decrease in bone density, as well as an increased risk of osteoporosis.
Another study deciphered details of the mechanism triggered by marijuana that causes memory impairment by activating CB1 receptors in mitochondria.
Of the more pleasant, it should be noted the results of a study published in Aging and Mechanisms of Disease, the results of which confirm the neuroprotective properties of cannabinoids. The authors found that tetrahydrocannabinol reduces beta-amyloid levels and prevents the death of nerve cells.
The sobering spread of the Zika virus
Sadly, an important event in 2016 was the spread of the Zika virus, which turned from a medical problem into a global problem. This disease, spread mainly by mosquitoes, causes relatively mild symptoms similar to those of the influenza virus, such as a moderate increase in body temperature, rash, muscle and joint pain, and headache.
However, experts have already received evidence of its relationship with microcephaly – a condition characterized by abnormally small head size at birth – and Guillain-Barre syndrome (acute primary idiopathic polyradiculoneuritis) – a severe rare disease affecting the peripheral nervous system.
According to available data, up to 1.65 million pregnant women are at risk of Zika virus infection.
Johns Hopkins University scientists conducted a revolutionary study in which they described the mechanisms used by the Zika virus in fetal brain damage, and received irrefutable evidence that this virus really causes the development of a number of malformations.
To date, WHO has canceled the health emergency regime in relation to the Zika virus, but the problem is still far from being solved. Many researchers believe that this change in status will lead to a decrease in the amount of funding allocated for a detailed study of this not fully understood disease.
Dramas around the game Pokemon Go (Pokemon Go)
It is also worth briefly mentioning the furore caused by Pokemon Go – a simple but addictive smartphone game, during which people move around in the real world in search of virtual creatures. Despite the pleasure and, according to some reports, the benefits for psychological and physical health, this game has caused many unpleasant incidents, including multiple injuries and the discovery of a corpse.
Advances in cancer treatment
As in previous years, thousands of research projects have resulted in the publication of new innovative articles. Regardless of whether they were dedicated to finding methods of treating diseases or studying the mechanisms of cancer development, the data obtained always inspire great hopes.
In June, the journal Nature Communications published data obtained by researchers from Queen Mary University of London, which deepened the scientific understanding of the mechanisms that allow cancer cells to break away from the tumor and spread to organs and tissues far from it.
After separation from the primary tumor, malignant cells become significantly less sensitive to therapy. The authors found that cell surface proteins, known as integrins, bind and interact with their surroundings. Apparently, these proteins play an important role in the survival of cancer cells after their separation from the tumor. The researchers have created a video in which they explain in detail the mechanisms described by them.
Also, the pleasant news in the field of cancer research and treatment includes the ability demonstrated by scientists of a combination of two drugs – trastuzumab and lapatinib – to destroy malignant breast tumors within just 11 days.
Another breakthrough in this area was described in the March issue of the journal Science. Researchers at University College London have taken the first tentative steps towards developing an intervention that makes it possible to force the body's own immune system to destroy malignant cells.
Industrial finance and sugar under the microscope
In 2016, industry-funded research attracted close attention. Among other things, data were released showing that Coca-Cola and PepsiCo sponsored more than 90 public health organizations and campaigned against 28 health bills in the period from 2011 to 2015.
No less shocking was an article published in September describing the mechanisms by which large companies in the 1960s manipulated or fabricated data refuting the fact that the cause of the observed increase in the incidence of heart disease was the consumption of large amounts of sugar. The authors of this study concluded that "in combination with the results of other analyses of the documentation of the sugar industry, the data obtained indicate that in the 1960s and 1970s the industry sponsored research work that successfully questioned the risks associated with the use of sucrose, while exposing fats as a dietary cause of the development of ischemic disease hearts."
In general, the ubiquitous presence of sugar in food has become increasingly criticized. An analysis of the results of a survey of more than 19,000 American adults has demonstrated that replacing one glass of sweet soda with a glass of water a day can provide a significant reduction in the caloric content of the diet and improve human health.
Further confirmation of the harm caused by sugar was provided by a study published in the journal Circulation, the results of which showed that the consumption of sugar-containing beverages really increases the deposits of visceral fat in the body.
Opioid plague
One of the most unpleasant stories of the past year concerned the abuse of opioids. Deaths from opioid painkillers have been recognized as an epidemic. In 2012, more than 259 million prescriptions for opioid drugs were issued. Approximately 1.9 million US residents are addicted to opioid analgesics, with 80% of heroin addicts starting with opioid painkillers.
In 2014, the use of opioids (including heroin) caused the death of 28,000 people.
In response to these horrifying statistics, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has issued new guidelines for prescribing opioid medications.
In addition, the results of studies questioning the effectiveness of such drugs have been published. For example, the authors of one of them claim that opioids can actually aggravate chronic pain.
Of course, the search is currently underway for effective drugs that do not cause addiction. A study was published in the journal Nature, the authors of which deciphered the atomic structure of the morphine receptor of brain cells to create a new drug.
This drug – PZM21 – blocks pain without side effects that can lead to death, such as respiratory depression. Apparently, PZM21 is also less addictive. The path to reducing opioid addiction in the United States is likely to be tortuous, but new drugs like PZM21 can help in this.
Sports, sports, sports
In 2016, the fitness boom continued to gain momentum in the Western world. Sports club subscriptions and spandex clothing have gained unprecedented popularity, which looks quite strange against the background of the growing incidence of obesity.
The study, the results of which were published in March in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found that prolonged sitting is the cause of 3.8% of deaths globally.
Also, data were obtained according to which, for the elderly, it is physical form, and not physical activity itself, that helps prevent the development of heart disease and other diseases.
To complete the picture, we should mention a study by the American Association of Cardiology, according to the results of which physical exercise does not compensate for the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle, as well as a paper published in the Lancet journal, the authors of which claim that one hour of physical activity per day mitigates the effect of prolonged sitting on the body.
Despite the huge number of published works, the whole point boils down to the following: physical activity should be increased as much as possible, and the duration of sitting should be reduced.
The ongoing debate over statins
Statins – the most popular drugs for lowering cholesterol levels in the blood – practically did not leave the news feeds in 2016. The fact that almost a third of Americans over the age of 40 take statins is a significant reason for conducting a comprehensive assessment of their positive effects, as well as the risks associated with their use.
The authors of one of the studies conducted last year set themselves the goal of finding out whether the risks associated with taking statins are exaggerated in existing publications. Despite the fact that the researchers confirmed an increased risk of ischemic stroke, diabetes mellitus and myopathy against the background of statin intake, they eventually concluded that the benefits of taking statins outweighed the risks associated with it.
In another study, the results of which were published in JAMA, a meta-analysis of 49 studies was conducted, in which 312,175 patients participated. The data also confirmed that statins should be the first choice drugs in the selection of cholesterol-lowering therapy. However, the authors also stressed that for patients who do not tolerate statins well, there are other good approaches to lowering cholesterol levels, including diet, drugs that promote the excretion of bile acids, and hip-iliac bypass surgery.
Researchers at Stanford University who are evaluating the effectiveness of different statin dosages have found that higher doses of statins are associated with lower mortality rates.
Given the huge amounts of statins taken daily by people around the world, this debate will continue.
Peanut allergy
Between 1997 and 2008, the number of children with peanut allergies tripled. Today, approximately 3 million people suffer from allergies to peanuts and hazelnuts.
The exceptional popularity of peanut butter and fruit jam sandwiches in the United States has led to great interest in new recommendations for introducing peanuts into the diet of children.
The new guide recommends starting the introduction of peanuts into complementary foods at the age of 4-6 months. Similarly, according to the results of another study published in JAMA, the introduction of peanuts into complementary foods at the age of 4-11 months reduces the likelihood of developing allergies by 70% later in life.
There is no doubt that 2017 will also be replete with medical advances, debates, cautions and discoveries.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru Based on Medical News Today: A year in review: The most popular medical research of 2016.
13.01.2017