Categories : GastrointestinalTags :

A Touch-sensing Protein Helps the Gut to ‘Feel’

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Anatomy of the gut
Source: Pixabay CC0

New research published in the journal Gastroenterology has discovered that a touch-sensing protein is present in the gut, with its presence likely playing a key role in constipation. The protein, called Piezo2, was found using both human gut samples and mice is not just in our fingers, but also in our gut.

“Many people suffer from digestive issues on a daily basis, such as chronic constipation, however we still don’t understand the cause which underlies most of them,” said Lauren Jones, lead author and final year PhD student.

“Our research identified Piezo2 in cells that line the human digestive tract, allowing them to sense physical stimuli, such as touch or pressure, that would occur when food is present. The cells then respond by releasing serotonin to stimulate gut contractions and push the food along.”

Last year, international researchers Ardem Patapoutian and David Julius were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their research on receptors responsible for the perception of touch and temperature, including the discovery of Piezo2, now known to be responsible for sensing light touch on our skin.

Of potential clinical importance, the Flinders research team also discovered that the levels of Piezo2 decrease in the gut with age, and found that if the protein was removed only from gut serotonin cells, gut motility slowed down in mice, causing constipation.

The authors say this could be a potential contributing factor to age-related constipation and provide a possible path to treatment.

Researchers discover a nuclear import mechanism essential for organ growth and development

“Age-related constipation affects 1 in 2 adults over the age of 80, whilst constipation generally affects almost everyone at some point throughout their life,” says Ms Jones.

“It’s therefore extremely important we increase our understanding of the underlying mechanisms, so that we can find targeted solutions to improve the quality of life of the many people who suffer daily from various gut disorders, including constipation.

“This research provides the building blocks for both further research and the development of highly specific treatments to reduce the impacts of constipation.”

The authors say that, though more studies are needed to firmly link Piezo2 to constipation, the research overall is an important advancement into our understanding of gut physiology, opening up new targets for the treatment of digestive issues.

The insights allow for reduced side effects, explained Ms Jones: “More specifically, we now have the potential to create treatments that are taken orally and only directly impact these cells that line the gut, therefore significantly reducing side effects typically seen with many of the current medications.”

Source: News-Medical.Net

Categories : AgeingTags :

Cells in Mice Partially Reset to More Youthful States

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Mouse
Photo by Kanasi on Unsplash

Scientists have shown that they can safely and effectively reverse the epigenetic markers of age in middle-aged and elderly mice by partially resetting their cells to more youthful states – reducing many signs of ageing as they do so.

As organisms age, their cells have different epigenetic markers on their DNA compared to younger ones. It is known that adding a mixture of reprogramming molecules, also known as ‘Yamanaka factors’, to cells can reset these epigenetic marks to their original patterns. This approach enables researchers to turn back the clock for adult cells, developmentally speaking, into stem cells.

“We are elated that we can use this approach across the life span to slow down aging in normal animals. The technique is both safe and effective in mice,” said Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, co-corresponding author, professor at the Salk Institute. “In addition to tackling age-related diseases, this approach may provide the biomedical community with a new tool to restore tissue and organismal health by improving cell function and resilience in different disease situations, such as neurodegenerative diseases.”

The Salk Institute research lab reported in 2016 that, for the first time, they were able use the Yamanaka factors to counter the signs of aging and increase life span in mice with a premature ageing disease. More recently, the lab found that the Yamanaka factors can accelerate muscle regeneration even in younger mice. Building on these studies, other scientists have used the same approach to improve the function of other tissues like the heart, brain and optic nerve.

In the new study, the researchers tested variations of the cellular rejuvenation approach in healthy animals as they aged. One group of mice received regular doses of the Yamanaka factors from the time they were 15 months old until 22 months, approximately equivalent to age 50 through 70 in humans. Another group was treated from 12 through 22 months, approximately age 35 to 70 in humans. And a third group was treated for just one month at age 25 months, similar to age 80 in humans.

“What we really wanted to establish was that using this approach for a longer time span is safe,” said Pradeep Reddy, study co-first author. “Indeed, we did not see any negative effects on the health, behaviour or body weight of these animals.”

No blood cell alterations or neurological changes were seen in the mice treated with the Yamanaka factors compared to control mice. Additionally, no cancers were observed in any of the groups of animals.

In terms of normal signs of ageing, the treated mice resembled younger animals in a number of ways. In both the kidneys and skin, the epigenetics of treated animals more closely resembled epigenetic patterns seen in younger animals. When injured, the skin cells of treated animals had a greater ability to proliferate and were less likely to form permanent scars, unlike normal older animals. Metabolic molecules also did not reflect normal age-related changes.

This youthfulness was observed in the animals treated for seven or 10 months with the Yamanaka factors, but not the animals treated for just one month. What’s more, when the treated animals were analysed midway through their treatment, the effects were not yet as evident. This suggests that the treatment is not simply pausing aging, but actively turning it backwards–- although more research is needed to differentiate between the two.

The team is now planning future research to analyse how specific molecules and genes are changed by long-term treatment with the Yamanaka factors. They are also developing new ways of delivering the factors.

“At the end of the day, we want to bring resilience and function back to older cells so that they are more resistant to stress, injury and disease,” said Reddy. “This study shows that, at least in mice, there’s a path forward to achieving that.”

The study was published in Nature Aging.

Source: Salk Institute

Categories : HIV Medical IndustryTags :

Generic Options for HIV Prophylactic Cabotegravir Locked Out, MSF Warns

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Image of a syring for vaccination
Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned that pharmaceutical company ViiV’s recent decision not to pursue voluntary licensing for the long-acting HIV prophylactic cabotegravir (CAB-LA) means that lower cost generic production in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is effectively locked out for countries like South Africa.

CAB-LA was approved for the prevention of HIV infection by the USFDA in December 2021, and ViiV currently charges $3700 (R55 000) per vial in the US ($22 200/R333 000 annually per person). The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) has shown that generic manufacturers could produce this drug for around $2.60 (R39) per vial (less than $20/R3000 per person per year). Although ViiV has publicly said they would provide CAB-LA for their at-cost price in many LMICs, they have yet to announce what that price is.

According to MSF, generic manufacturer prices are often much lower than the patented drug – and they can even produce complicated formulations like CAB-LA.  The generic equivalent [PDF] of ViiV’s paediatric formulation of the HIV drug dolutegravir costs 22 times less.

Amanda Banda, Infectious Diseases Policy and Advocacy Advisor of the MSF Access Campaign, said: “What good is HIV prevention if the people who need it can’t afford it? This is the most effective form of HIV prevention for vulnerable and marginalised communities and yet ViiV is delaying the ability of generic manufacturers to supply the drug, meaning that many people across low- and middle-income countries who would benefit from the medicine to prevent HIV infection won’t be able to access it. CAB-LA will need to be available at a price that is comparable to currently available oral PrEP if country treatment programs and donors are expected to scale up its use to the levels needed – and it’s hard to imagine that ViiV will make CAB-LA available at less than $40 (R600) per year.  ViiV needs to immediately sign a licensing deal with the Medicines Patent Pool so that more affordable generics can be produced, and more lives can be saved.”

Dr Tom Ellman, Head of MSF’s South African Medical Unit said: “We want to urgently make this drug available for people at high risk of HIV infection in our programs in sub-Saharan Africa – we don’t want a donation with many strings attached from the corporation; it is not the role of ViiV to control the use of a drug that is approved by the USFDA. We want ViiV to sell us this drug at an affordable price.”

Source: MSF

Categories : Injury & TraumaTags :

Over 70% of TBI Patients Report More Symptoms a Year On

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Source: Pixabay

More than 70% of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) reported at least one problematic symptom at one year of follow-up that was new or worse than before injury according to a study published in the Journal of Neurotrauma. Half of the patients reported three or more such symptoms after a year.

Joan Machamer, from the University of Washington, Harborview Medical Center, and colleagues representing the TRACK-TBI Investigators, compared the frequency and persistence of symptoms in patients with TBI to two control groups: patients with orthopedic trauma and friend controls. The groups were evaluated at 2 weeks, and 3, 6, and 12 months after injury.

Physical symptoms such as headache, fatigue, and dizziness tended to occur earlier, according to the researchers, with cognitive symptoms becoming dominant later. While physical symptoms declined noticeably over time, cognitive symptoms remained more constant over time.

“Clinicians should inquire about symptoms in patients who have had a TBI, reassure them that experiencing symptoms is common, and direct them to seek treatment for symptoms that are disrupting their lives,” the researchers said.

Commenting on the study, David L. Brody, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Neurotrauma noted that is remarkable for several reasons. “First, it is among the largest studies of its type, with over 2,000 participants. Second, it confirms what many of us who practice brain injury medicine have observed for many years– a wide variety of symptoms can be very persistent and very troubling to our patients even after so-called ‘mild’ TBI. Third, the investigators used the right controls; people with orthopedic injury as well as friends of the patients with TBI. Symptoms in patients with TBI were substantially more common and more severe than in both control groups.”

Source: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

Categories : COVIDTags :

COVID Battle not Over as Many Countries Continue to Struggle

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Image by Quicknews

Two years into the pandemic, and the COVID battle is not over for much of the world, warns the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Many countries lack the capacities to transition to ‘a new normal’: high vaccination coverage, strong healthcare systems or testing capacities. The crisis will not be over until everyone has the same access to these tools, the IFRC says.

Francesco Rocca, IFRC President, said: “’Living with the virus’ is a privilege that many countries and communities around the world cannot enjoy. Ensuring equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics and treatments will not only save lives, but will also protect the world against the emergence of new and more dangerous variants. It is the only path to normalcy. None of us is safe until we all are.”

Red Cross Red Crescent staff and volunteers are constantly working to close the equity gap, ensuring that vaccines make it to the vulnerable individuals and communities that desperately need them. Their role is crucial, not only in vaccination but in informing communities, building trust, and dispelling COVID vaccine misinformation. They have now reached over 300 million people through immunisation activities.

In countries like Zambia, where health systems are fragile and rumours around vaccines are spreading fast, vaccine supply is just one of numerous obstacles. The Zambia Red Cross Society’s mobile COVID vaccination campaign takes vaccines directly to people in hard-to-access areas. Volunteers mobilise communities for vaccination, raise awareness about the mobile vaccination centres, provide information about vaccines and engage local leaders as advocates for healthy behaviour change.

Afghanistan’s health system is struggling as a new wave of COVID infections hits. Afghan Red Crescent is ramping up services at its health clinics across the country and its COVID hospital in Kabul, while supporting nationwide vaccination efforts and running information campaigns on preventing the spread of the virus.

A record surge of infections in the Pacific region is threatening to overwhelm hospitals and health systems which, until now, have largely avoided the worst of the pandemic. In countries like Fiji and Vanuatu, with more than 165 inhabited islands, Red Cross volunteers have been travelling by car, boat and foot to reach remote communities to increase awareness about COVID and get people vaccinated.

COVID not only thrives on inequality but deepens it. Women, urban communities and migrants have been disproportionately affected by the devastating socioeconomic impacts. More than 5 million children have also lost a parent or another caregiver to COVID. Psychosocial support has been at the centre of Red Cross Red Crescent work, and volunteers are seeing a significant rise in mental health support needs.

Source: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

Categories : Medical Research & TechnologyTags :

Study Implicates High Leptin Levels in Androgen Deficiencies

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Source: National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Researchers have uncovered new clues about the cellular processes that can lead to androgen deficiencies, in which high leptin levels appear to play a role. The findings are published in the journal Cell Death & Disease.

Symptoms of testosterone deficiency include low sex drive, erectile dysfunction, depression, and fatigue. TD afflicts approximately 30% of men aged 40-79 years, with an increase in prevalence strongly associated with ageing and common medical conditions including obesity, diabetes, and hypertension.

“Although testosterone deficiency may be present in one in five men 40 years or older, the driving factors remain largely unknown,” said Himanshu Arora, PhD, assistant professor of urology.

Dr Arora’s lab examined the effect of different concentrations of leptin on the microenvironment of the testes. The research builds on prior studies of how Sertoli and peritubular myoid cells (PMC) in the testicular microenvironment help drive Leydig stem cell differentiation via the cellular desert hedgehog signalling pathway, which transmits information to embryonic cells that guides proper cell differentiation.

The researchers extracted cellular samples from men undergoing testes biopsies for sperm retrieval. When the testes microenvironment secreted leptin in low doses, they found that Leydig stem cells differentiated into adult Leydig cells producing normal levels of testosterone. Higher doses of leptin were observed to depress testosterone levels.

“Our findings identify leptin as a key factor within the testes microenvironment,” said Dr Arora, adding that the insight “holds important implications for androgen deficiency and could have further application in prostate cancer research.”

Noting that leptin is already used in treating patients for obesity, “Preclinical studies could indicate whether adjusting levels of this hormone would be helpful in patients with testosterone deficiency,” said Ranjith Ramasamy, MD, study co-author and associate professor and director of the Miller School’s Reproductive Urology Program.

Source: University of Miami Health System, Miller School of Medicine

Categories : Environmental EffectsTags :

Climate Change Will Increase Deaths Linked to Extreme Temperatures

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Heat cracked earth
Photo by Joshua Woroniecki on Unsplash

The death rate linked to extreme temperatures will increase significantly under global warming of 2°C, with even steeper rises for each degree of warming, finds a report published in Environmental Research Letters.

With a warming scenario of just 2°C from pre-industrial levels, temperature-related mortality in England and Wales during the hottest days of the year will increase by 42%. This means an increase from present-day levels of around 117 deaths per day, averaged over the 10 hottest days of the year, to around 166 deaths per day. The findings underline the importance of keeping global warming levels to below 2°C.

At current global warming levels of around 1.21°C there would be a slight decrease in temperature-related mortality in winter and a minimal net effect in summer, meaning that overall, at this level of warming we see a slight decrease in temperature-related mortality rate.

The researchers assessed the impact of climate change on mortality rates England and Wales, specifically risk from heat in summer and cold in winter. They found that as the global mean temperature increases, temperature-related mortality in summer will increase at a much faster, non-linear rate.

The rate of increase particularly speeds up at 2°C of warming, with a much higher risk appearing beyond 2.5°C. The researchers say that 3°C warming could lead to a 75% increase in mortality risk during heatwaves.

The relationship between temperature and mortality on a graph is roughly U-shaped, meaning that at extremely high temperatures, mortality risk increases sharply for each degree rise of daily mean temperature.

The rate in winter will continue to decrease, although this leaves out extreme weather events such as storms.

Lead author Dr Katty Huang said: “The increase in mortality risk under current warming levels is mainly notable during heatwaves, but with further warming, we would see risk rise on average summer days in addition to escalating risks during heatwaves. What this means is that we shouldn’t expect past trends of impact per degree of warming to apply in the future. One degree of global warming beyond 2°C would have a much more severe impact on health in England and Wales than one degree warming from pre-industrial levels, with implications for how the NHS can cope.”

In England and Wales, temperature is associated with around 9% of total population mortality, meaning that 9% of all deaths during 2021 could be associated with the temperature. Most of those deaths are related to the side effects of cold weather.

The team analysed the 2018 UK Climate Projections (UKCP18) with data on present-day temperature and mortality in order to predict changes in temperature-related mortality relative to degrees of global warming.

In order to isolate the effects of global warming on mortality risk, the researchers looked at the potential impact for the current population, and not attempting to predict future age distributions and medical conditions.

Project lead Professor Andrew Charlton-Perez said: “As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change impacts report recently showed, it is increasingly common to examine how different levels of mean global warming raise the risk of significant harm to people and society. Our study shows that because death rates will go up significantly if countries experience very high temperatures, limiting the average global rise in temperatures is likely to have substantial benefits for the overall health of the population.”

Source: University College London

Categories : CancerTags :

Completion Lymph Node Dissection Shows no Benefit in Advanced Melanoma

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Melanoma cells. Source: National Cancer Institute.

A review of data, published in Annals of Surgical Oncology, shows that completion lymph node dissection surgery for patients with stage III melanoma confers no benefit. This is especially true given that immunotherapy has shown success in treating metastases.

For years, surgery for patients with stage III melanoma, where the cancer had metastasised into lymph nodes, involved removing them along with the primary tumour. Known as completion lymph node dissection (CLND), the surgery was meant to ensure that no cancer remained after surgery.

More recently, however, cancer surgeons have discovered that CLND has the potential to cause more problems than it solves. In most cases, patients do better on immunotherapy alone than they do when their surgery involves removal of the lymph nodes, due to potential complications from lymph node surgery.

To address this, researchers reviewed their patient data to determine if immunotherapy alone resulted in better outcomes than CLND.

“In the few years prior to immunotherapy being available, some surgical trials were done asking if regional node dissection by itself improves overall survival for the patients,” said Martin McCarter, MD, a professor of surgical oncology at the University of Colorado (CU). “And the answer came back: no, it did not improve survival. That had been the standard forever, because we didn’t have other effective therapies, but once the definitive trials were done, we learned that CLND wasn’t helping, it wasn’t improving survival. Subsequent trials demonstrated that immunotherapy can improve survival in metastatic melanoma.”

For the study, the researchers looked at data on 90 patients who underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy (a procedure to determine if a skin melanoma has spread microscopically) only for stage III melanoma but did not undergo CLND. Of those patients, 56 received immunotherapy and 34 did not. Those who received immunotherapy had better rates of distant metastasis-free survival, meaning their cancer was less likely to come back.

“As treatments for melanoma have evolved, the standard of care may be evolving as well,” Prof McCarter said. “This study took a look at the patients who had a sentinel lymph node biopsy, so we knew the patient had a positive melanoma metastasis to their regional node. Those folks historically used to go on and get the completion lymph node dissection, but recently, people started to forego doing that lymph node dissection, which did not improve survival, and instead moved directly to immunotherapy, which did improve survival in other clinical trials. We proved that this is acceptable, that we’re not causing more harm to patients by doing it, and that those who do go on to get the immunotherapy seem to benefit from it.”

Forgoing CLND is part of a recent movement in cancer treatment known as de-escalation (or de-implementation) — performing only absolutely needed surgery. It’s especially important when it comes to lymph node surgery, Prof McCarter said, as in addition to the usual surgical risks, CLND has a 20% to 30% risk of permanent lymphoedema.

“If you could avoid that complication and not compromise a patient’s survival, that would be beneficial,” McCarter said. “That’s what we guessed was happening outside of definitive clinical trial evidence, and that’s what we were able to show. We know that we often overtreat patients, and this fits in that paradigm of finding ways to de-escalate unnecessary therapies, which has been done in breast cancer and other cancers as well.”

The researchers hope the findings will sway surgeons for whom CLND is still routine, despite the earlier studies showing that the additional surgery was not improving survival.

“Previous clinical trials with the use of adjuvant immunotherapy for melanoma had required a CLND,” Prof McCarter explained. “This study used real-world data from our stage III melanoma patients who were treated with immunotherapy without having a prior CLND.

“It takes years to change people’s practice patterns. I still have conversations with community surgeons who treat melanoma, asking me, ‘Should I be doing these regional node dissections?’ even though this data has been out for five to 10 years now,” Prof McCarter continued. “They’re afraid to give up what they used to do, and they’re afraid that they are doing a disservice to the patients or not giving them the best chance, when in reality, our understanding of cancer biology has evolved. We now have effective immunotherapy, which is overcoming some of the limitations of surgery while improving outcomes.”

Source:  University of Colorado

Categories : CancerTags :

Taller Adults Have a Greater Colorectal Cancer Risk

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Photo by Monstera from Pexels

Taller adults may be more likely than shorter ones to develop colorectal cancer or precancerous colon polyps, according to a new meta-analysis published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. While the association between taller height and colorectal cancer has been previously investigated, the researchers say those studies offered conflicting results, used inconsistent measures of height and did not include the risk of adenomas.

“This is the largest study of its kind to date. It builds on evidence that taller height is an overlooked risk factor, and should be considered when evaluating and recommending patients for colorectal cancer screenings,” said Associate Professor Gerard Mullin, MD. Greater height is still not proven to be causative, nor is it a great a risk factor as genetics, he and his team cautioned. However, it does add to long-standing evidence linking height to colorectal cancer risk.

“One possible reason for this link is that adult height correlates with body organ size. More active proliferation in organs of taller people could increase the possibility of mutations leading to malignant transformation,” said co-first author Elinor Zhou, MD.

The researchers first identified 47 international, observational studies involving 280 660 cases of colorectal cancer and 14 139 cases of colorectal adenoma. They also included original data from the Johns Hopkins Colon Biofilm study, which recruited 1459 adult patients undergoing outpatient colonoscopies to investigate the relationship between cancer and biofilm on the colon.

Because the definition of tallness differs around the world, the researchers compared the highest versus the lowest height percentile of various study groups. “The findings suggest that, overall, the tallest individuals within the highest percentile of height had a 24% higher risk of developing colorectal cancer than the shortest within the lowest percentile. Every 10-centimeter increase (about 4 inches) in height was found to be associated with a 14% increased risk of developing colorectal cancer and 6% increased odds of having adenomas,” said A/Prof Mullin.

In the US, the average height for men is 175.3cm, and for women it is 162.6 inches. This means men who are 185.4cm and women who are 172.7cm (10cm above the average US height) or taller are at a 14% increased risk of colorectal cancer and a 6% increased risk of adenomas.

The percentage results were adjusted for known risk factors of colorectal cancer, including non-modifiable factors such as age, familial colorectal cancer history and a personal history of chronic inflammatory bowel disease. Though not directly comparable due to differences in measurement scale, tallness may impart an order of magnitude of colorectal cancer risk similar to better-known modifiable factors such as cigarette smoking, moderate alcohol consumption and high processed red meat intake. At present, gastroenterologists focus on genetic and age-related risks for colorectal cancer screenings recommendations.

While colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in both men and women in the US, fewer people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year has dropped overall since the mid-1980s, mainly due to prevention and screening. However, the downward trend is mostly in older adults. Among adults under 50, colorectal cancer deaths have increased 2% per year from 2007 to 2016, an as yet unexplained phenomenon.

“Greater awareness by the public and government will help promote more interest and funding for more research, which ultimately could change guidelines for physicians to consider height as a risk for cancer,” said A/Prof Mullin. “There are well-known modifiable dietary associations for colorectal cancer, such as processed red meats and smoking, but guidelines currently are fixated on family history, and height is clinically neglected when it comes to risk screening.”

Dr Zhou says more research is needed to define particular taller populations at risk for colon cancer. “For instance, tall athletes and individuals with inherited tallness, such as those with Marfan syndrome, could be screened earlier and the impact of height further explored,” she said. “We need more studies before we can definitively say at what height you would need earlier colorectal cancer screening.”

Source: John Hopkins Medicine

Categories : Cardiovascular Disease Lab Tests and ImagingTags :

Comprehensive Bloodstream Lipid Level Test Can Predict CVD Decades Early

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Source: Pixabay CC0

Lipidomics, measuring many different bloodstream lipid levels, can predict the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) years in the future, according to a new study in PLOS Biology. Such early prediction through lipidomic profiling may provide the basis for recommending diet and lifestyle interventions before disease develops.

At present, patient history and current risk behaviours are the main predictors for T2D and CVD, along with high- and low-density cholesterol ratios and levels. But there are over one hundred other types of lipids in the blood, which are thought to at least partially reflect aspects of metabolism and homeostasis throughout the body.

Nowadays, it is possible to measure thousands of individual lipids that make up the lipidome. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry (NMR) metabolomics is also being increasingly used in large cohort studies to report on total levels of selected lipid classes, and relative levels of fatty acid saturation.

To find out if detailed lipid profiles could be better predictors, the authors drew on data and blood samples from a longitudinal health study of over 4000 middle-aged participants, first assessed from 1991 to 1994, with follow-up to 2015. Using baseline blood samples, the concentrations of 184 lipids were assessed. During the follow-up period, 13.8% of participants developed T2D, and 22% developed CVD.

The authors performed repeated training and testing on the data to create a risk model. Once the model was developed, individuals were clustered into one of six subgroups based on their lipidomics profile.

Compared to the group averages, the risk for T2D in the highest-risk group was 37%, an increase in risk of 168%. The risk for CVD in the highest-risk group was 40.5%, an increase in risk of 84%. Significant reductions in risk compared to the averages were also seen in the lowest-risk groups. The increased risk for either disease was independent of known genetic risk factors, and independent of the number of years until disease onset.

Rsk could be individually defined decades before disease onset, possibly in time to take steps to avert disease. Lipidomics could be combined with genetics and patient history to provide new insights into the beginnings of the disease. Additionally, new drug candidates could be identified from the lipids  contributing the greatest risk.

“The lipidomic risk, which is derived from only one single mass-spectrometric measurement that is cheap and fast, could extend traditional risk assessment based on clinical assay,” said lead researcher Chris Lauber of Lipotype. “In addition, individual lipids in blood may be the consequences of or contribute to a wide variety of metabolic processes, which may be individually significant as markers of those processes. If that is true, Lauber said, “the lipidome may provide insights much beyond diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk.”

Lauber added: “Strengthening disease prevention is a global joint effort with many facets. We show how lipidomics can expand our toolkit for early detection of individuals at high risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.”

Source: EurekAlert!