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Tuesday, March 6, 2018
[Morning Rounds by Megan Thielking]
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Welcome to Tuesday's edition of Morning Rounds! Andrew Joseph here in for Megan, bringing you what's new in health and medicine:
Where neurotechnologies and law enforcement meet
The National Academies is hosting a workshop today exploring the field of “neuroforensics” — essentially, what the legal implications are of neuroscience discoveries. Experts are trying to grapple with a range of questions as emerging neurotechnologies and a better understanding of the connection between genetics and behavior lead to new insights about how our brains function. Among them: Could law enforcement officials try to use neuroscience to predict who might be dangerous or who might commit another crime? Could new understandings of the brain lead to changes in how to assess competency in a criminal defendant? More details about the workshop here<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=6dfce70d1a&e=4aad33fd68>.
Kidneys from donors with hepatitis C transplanted
Doctors at Johns Hopkins report<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=361987af1e&e=4aad33fd68> that they've performed 10 successful transplants of kidneys from donors with hepatitis C, the latest evidence that transplanting such organs is a viable practice thanks to new medicines. The 10 recipients, who did not have hepatitis C, started taking one of the new hepatitis C treatments right before the transplant and continued the therapies for 12 weeks. None experienced any adverse effects from the medications and all were clear of the virus at the end of the 12-week period. Researchers say that if the findings are confirmed in larger studies, the approach could greatly expand the number of kidneys eligible for transplants.
Lab Chat: How neurons suppress immune responses
Neurons in our lungs often play a protective role, prompting us to cough, for example, when they detect chemicals or smoke. But in a new study<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=b4c2b7887e&e=4aad33fd68> in mice, researchers found that the neurons can make a certain infection worse by tamping down the body’s immune response. I chatted with study author Isaac Chiu of Harvard Medical School to learn more.
What did you find out about how these neurons behave during infection?
It turns out that, [in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, infections], they suppressed the recruitment of two immune cells in the lungs, and when the cells do get in, they’re less active. It's really important to consider, what kind of infection is this? MRSA infections are highly damaging to the lungs, whereas other bacteria and viruses don’t damage the lungs so much as they cause inflammation. So how the neurons play a role in each type of infection is completely unknown. It’s something we’re actively pursuing.
What happened to the infected mice when you silenced those neurons?
If you remove those sensory neurons, either with a genetic strategy or with a chemical toxin, the mice are much better off after infection. They have better survival outcomes and clearance of bacteria. That shows the neurons are playing a suppressive role. By removing them, you’re actually accelerating the immune response in the lungs.
Inside STAT<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=3bd39321cf&e=4aad33fd68>: How will this biotech bubble burst?
[87396691-e5ca-4560-8a09-e04a5b7a5bdb.png]
WHEEEEEEEEEE! (Hyacinth Empinado/stat)
It’s been a good couple years for biotech investors and the scientists whose ventures they fund, but as any longtime biotech insider will tell you, a correction always looms. This time, what will be the pin that bursts the bubble? Investors realizing some of this hyped science just doesn’t make sense? Failures to live up to promises? Or a simple clinical trial bust? STAT’s Damian Garde surveyed biotech veterans to learn what they fear coming around the corner — read his story here<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=397ba0af2e&e=4aad33fd68>.
Meanwhile, Damian and the rest of STAT's formidable biotech team are starting a weekly podcast. You can hear a preview here<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=783e33f9dd&e=4aad33fd68>, and be sure to look for the first episode Thursday.
New guidelines for type 2 diabetes management
There are new guidelines<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=cb73686348&e=4aad33fd68> for how type 2 diabetes should be managed: the American College of Physicians is now recommending that patients should aim to have A1C levels — a measure of average blood sugar — between 7 percent and 8 percent. It was previously recommended that patients keep their A1C between 6.5 percent and 7 percent. (An A1C of 6.5 percent is the threshold for diabetes.) The doctors’ group found that keeping A1C below 7 percent did not lead to fewer heart attacks or strokes versus keeping it below 8 percent, but that more intensive efforts to get A1C below 7 percent had other adverse effects, including weight gain and hypoglycemia. Some clinicians are pushing back<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=047eae6ef8&e=4aad33fd68> on the guidelines, however, noting that the American Diabetes Association generally recommends<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=b2b840cb87&e=4aad33fd68> A1C levels below 7 percent.
Uncovering the genetic roots of ALS
Researchers have pinpointed<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=11d4bfddea&e=4aad33fd68> certain genes with key roles in ALS, including those that leave neurons vulnerable to attacks and those that help the brain cells defend themselves. In one genetic cause of ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, mutations in the C9orf72 gene lead to clusters of proteins that kill off neurons, causing patients to lose muscle control. But scientists haven’t known how exactly those proteins lead to cell death. With the help of the genome-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9, the researchers combed through DNA and identified some genes that contribute to neuron loss, and also some that appeared to help the neurons stave off the protein attacks. Some of the genes could be worth exploring as therapeutic targets, researchers said.
What to read around the web today
§ The price they pay. ProPublica/New York Times<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=06e5e45cdc&e=4aad33fd68>
§ Babies with Down syndrome are put on center stage in the U.S. abortion fight. Washington Post<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=b2afc61bfc&e=4aad33fd68>
§ 'It's important to feel that bond.' Woman shares what it's like to give birth with a transplanted uterus. Dallas Morning News<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=9588123999&e=4aad33fd68>
More reads from STAT
§ Proposed federal limits on opioid prescriptions draw opposition<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=e07effaac9&e=4aad33fd68> from physicians and patients
§ Authors of premier medical textbook didn't disclose<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=615bca47df&e=4aad33fd68> $11 million in industry payments
§ Two opinion pieces<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=79ae8d2b17&e=4aad33fd68> on the value<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=c8ca0e4ec4&e=4aad33fd68> of short-term health plans
The latest from STAT Plus
§ Oregon legislature passes drug price transparency bill<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=26cac1f65a&e=4aad33fd68> as more states seek relief
§ Nearly 90 countries sidestepped patents<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=3e0eebe761&e=4aad33fd68> to bring down drug prices, surpassing expectations
Thanks for reading! Megan will be back with you tomorrow.
[Megan]
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