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12.12.2022
THEME: HEALTH

Gene editing depleted acute leukemia from a girl and may have been able to cure her

Leukaemia is cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow, where blood cells are produced. It is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal white blood cells, which can crowd out healthy blood cells and prevent them from functioning correctly, leading to symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, infections, and easy bruising or bleeding. Several different types of leukaemia are classified based on how quickly the disease progresses and the type of blood cells affected. Treatment often involves chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or bone marrow transplant and may include targeted drug therapies or immunotherapy. The prognosis varies depending on the type of leukaemia and the stage at which it is diagnosed. Still, many people with the disease can be successfully treated and go on to lead healthy, everyday lives. Alyssa, 13, was diagnosed with T-cell acute leukaemia in May last year. Chemotherapy and bone-marrow transplant were unable to rid it from her body. A team of doctors at Great Ormond Street, led by Prof Waseem Qasim, used a technology called base editing - invented only six years ago - on Alyssa with outstanding results. They used the most advanced methods to build her a new living drug based on a personalized T-cell capable of hunting down and killing Alyssa's cancerous T-cells. Base editing allows scientists to zoom into a specific part of the genetic code and alter the molecular structure of just one base, converting it into another and changing the genetic instructions. After a month of treatment, she was in remission and given a second transplant to rebuild her immune system. As she was left vulnerable to infection, she spent 16 weeks in the hospital and couldn't see her brother, who was still going to school, in case he brought germs. There were worries after the three-month check-up found signs of cancer again. But her two most recent investigations have been positive. Alyssa is the first patient to be treated with this technology. This outstanding result undoubtedly suggests that science has found a way to reduce leukaemia mortality. However, more statistics are needed to determine if the method can be called a "cure", which would be close to a miracle compared to the alternatives. Genetic manipulation, a high-speed moving area of science, confirms its true potential - which experts say goes across many incurable diseases.

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07.12.2022
THEME: POLITICS

US midterm elections are over: Democrats control the Senate, Republicans control the House, and Trump launches his third campaign for Presidency

On December 6, the 2022 midterm elections officially concluded after the vote in Georgia. The final result is 51/49 Senate seats for the Democrats and 222/213 in favour of the Republicans in the House. Nearly a month ago, after the vote in Nevada, it was already clear that the Democrats had control on at least 50% of the Senate seats, meaning a majority thanks to the power of casting vote of the Vice President (now Kamala Harris, a Democrat). The voice in Georgia, however, is significant as the Democrats won a crucial seat that allows them to keep the majority in the Senate even if a Republican vice president takes over in the next presidential elections. While victory in the Senate is undoubtedly important, the situation changed in the opposite direction in the House of Representatives. The Republicans had won control of the US House already on November 16, returning the party to power in Washington and giving conservatives leverage to blunt President Joe Biden's agenda and spur a flurry of investigations. Just one day after retaking a majority in the US House of Representatives, Republicans have said they will investigate the president's family as a "top priority". The lawmakers said the inquiry would focus on the overseas business dealings of the president's son, Hunter Biden. The 52-year-old is already under federal investigation but has not faced any charges. The younger Biden is not involved with the administration in any capacity. But top Republicans insist their inquiry will determine the extent of Joe Biden's alleged involvement in his son's business dealings, including during the elder Biden's time as vice president. This situation will complicate the ability to govern both parties during and after the ongoing presidential mandate. However, the results are more favourable than predicted for the Democrats, as Republicans hoped to entirely reset the agenda by capitalizing on economic challenges and Biden's lagging popularity. Despite a worse-than-predicted outcome, former President Donald Trump launched on November 15 his third campaign for the White House: "To make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States," Trump said before an audience of several hundred supporters in a chandeliered ballroom at his Mar-a-Lago club, "America's comeback starts right now," he said, formally beginning the 2024 Republican primary. It is worth noting that Trump was the first president to be impeached twice, and his supporters violently stormed the Capitol during the transition of power on January 6, 2021. But the campaign of Donald Trump has to face more than "just" the proof of ballots. Recently, on December 7, a Manhattan jury found two Trump Organization companies guilty on multiple charges of criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records connected to a 15-year scheme to defraud tax authorities by failing to report and pay taxes on compensation for top executives. The Trump Organization could face a maximum of $1.61 million in fines when sentenced in mid-January. The guilty verdict comes as Trump is under scrutiny by federal and state prosecutors for his handling of classified documents, the effort to overturn the 2020 election results, and the accuracy of the Trump Organization's business records and financial statements. He is also facing a $250 million civil lawsuit from the New York attorney general alleging he and his adult children were involved in a decade-long fraud. The attorney general seeks to permanently bar them from serving as an officer or director of a company in New York state, among other penalties. Trump Org. attorneys said they plan to appeal.

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06.12.2022
THEME: HEALTH

Scientists identified a bacteria which uses a never seen trick to avoid antibiotics

Researchers have just caught bacteria sidestepping antibiotic treatment with a never-before-seen trick. Bacteria's talent for developing resistance against antibiotics is a rapidly growing health threat. This ability has ancient origins and allows drug-resistant bacterial infections like gonorrhoea to kill 1.3 million people globally yearly. Examples of strategies exploited by bacteria are: direct inactivation of the antibiotics, preventing drugs from accumulating in their system, and changing the antibiotic's targets, making them ineffective. Bacteria need their folates - a vitamin complex necessary for protein and DNA production - to develop and reproduce successfully. Some antibiotics block folate production to stop bacteria from growing and treat the infection. While investigating how a type of Streptococcus responds to antibiotics, Telethon Kids Institute microbiologist Kalindu Rodrigo and colleagues discovered a new mechanism for antibiotic evasion. Streptococcus commonly causes sore throats and skin infections but can also lead to systemic illnesses like scarlet fever and toxic shock syndrome. Scientists found a mechanism of resistance where, for the first time, the bacteria could take folates directly from its human host when blocked from producing their own. Streptococcus was acquiring folate, already processed, from outside its cells as these molecules are abundant in our bodies. The process completely bypasses the action of sulfamethoxazole, an antibiotic that inhibits folate synthesis within the bacteria, thus rendering the drug ineffective. The discovery's extent may impact preclinical research for antibiotics treatments. Indeed, bacteria that succumb to antibiotics in laboratory tests, where alternative folate sources are unavailable, may still thrive in their hosts' bodies. This study implies that most methods today may be inadequate for detecting resistance to some antibiotics.

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04.12.2022
THEME: HEALTH

The FDA approves the first faecal microbiota drug for the treatment of C. difficile infection

Infection by the bacterium C. difficile (CDI) is a severe and potentially deadly disease that impacts people across the globe. CDI causes debilitating symptoms such as severe diarrhoea, fever, stomach tenderness or pain, loss of appetite, nausea and colon inflammation. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared CDI a public health threat requiring urgent and immediate action. The infections cause an estimated half a million illnesses and tens of thousands of deaths annually in the U.S. alone. It is often the start of a vicious recurrence cycle, implying a significant burden for patients and the healthcare system. It has been estimated that up to 35% of CDI cases recur after initial diagnosis, and people who have had a recurrence are at significantly higher risk of further infections. After the first recurrence, it has been estimated that up to 65% of patients may develop a subsequent recurrence. On November 30, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved "Rebyota", commercialized by Ferring pharmaceuticals. What makes this drug exceptional and a first of its kind is its manufacturing and delivery method. The drug is manufactured in Minnesota from stool donations screened for dozens of infections and viruses. Health professionals deliver the therapy via the rectum as a one-time procedure. The studies worth the FDA approval demonstrated that 70% of patients taking Rebyota saw their symptoms resolve after eight weeks, compared with 58% of patients getting a placebo. The new treatment is only for patients who have already taken a course of antibiotics for recurrent infections. The condition is more common in seniors and people with weakened immune systems.

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01.12.2022
THEME: HEALTH

A global analysis demonstrates that nearly half stillbirths are caused by air pollution

A stillbirth occurs every 16 seconds somewhere in the world. It means that every year, about 2 million babies are stillborn – a loss that reaches far beyond the loss of life. It has a long-lasting traumatic impact on women and their families worldwide. Perhaps even more tragically, most of these deaths could have been avoided with high-quality care antenatally and during birth. Over 40 per cent of all stillbirths occurred during labour – a loss that could be prevented with improved monitoring and access to emergency obstetric care when required. This tragic loss of life remains a neglected issue, as worldwide data on stillbirths are mainly absent. A Neglected Tragedy: The Global Burden of Stillbirths, the first-ever stillbirth report by the UN Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (see link below), is a critical milestone in improving the availability of these data globally and driving political and public recognition of the issue. The report finds that despite progress being made since 2000, stillbirths have not declined as rapidly as maternal and newborn mortality. If current trends continue, an additional 19 million stillbirths will occur before 2030. A first global study, published November 29 in Nature Communications, may explain this negative trend as it reveals a link between stillbirths and air pollution. The research used data on stillbirths and air pollution between 1998 and 2016 from 54 low- and middle-income countries, including Pakistan, India and Nigeria. The researchers estimated the number of stillbirths attributable to PM2.5 exposure. PM2.5 are microscopic particles usually found in smoke, having a diameter of 2.5 micrometres (0.0025 mm) or smaller. The study concludes that in 2015 there were 830'000 stillbirths attributable to exposure to pollution (40% of the total). The proportion of stillbirths attributed to PM2.5 pollution was exceptionally high in Pakistan, India, Nigeria and China. The underlying biological mechanisms are not yet clear. The researchers hypothesize that pollution particles passing through the placenta could cause "irreversible embryonic damage" and harm the placenta itself. Air pollution could also restrict the ability of the mother's body to pass oxygen to the foetus. Overall, independently of the exact causes, the study shows that reducing air pollution levels would reduce the risks of stillbirth.

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