Medical Bulletin 30/November/2022

Previous studies have demonstrated clear links between oral health and common diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. However, there have been few longitudinal studies identifying which bacteria occur in infected oral- and maxillofacial regions.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have identified the bacteria is most commonly found in severe oral infections.

The study that I am toking about shows that the most common bacterial phyla amongst the samples were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, while the most common genera were Streptococcus spp, Prevotella spp, and Staphylococcus spp.

Reference:

“Clinical Microbial Identification of Severe Oral Infections by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry in Stockholm County: An 11-Year (2010-2020) Epidemiological Investigation”. Khaled Al-Manei, Mahin Ghorbani, Sabrina Naud, Kholod Khalil Al-Manei, Michał J. Sobkowiak, Bodil Lund, Gulsen Hazirolan, Margaret Sällberg Chen och, Volkan Özenci. Microbiology Spectrum, online 24 November 2022, doi: 10.1128/spectrum.02487-22.

Cancer-fighting nanoparticles co-delivering a chemotherapy drug & immunotherapy

Chemotherapy is a pillar of cancer treatment, but residual cancer cells can persist and cause tumor relapse. This process involves a lipid called phosphatidylserine (PS), which is usually found inside the tumor cell membrane’s inner layer but migrates to the cell surface in response to chemotherapy drugs. On the surface, PS acts as an immunosuppressant, protecting remaining cancer cells from the immune system.

University of Pittsburgh researchers have designed cancer-fighting nanoparticles that co-deliver a chemotherapy drug and a novel immunotherapy, according to a new Nature Nanotechnology. The new immunotherapy approach silences a gene that the researchers discovered was involved in immunosuppression. When combined with an existing chemotherapy drug and packaged into tiny nanoparticles, the therapy shrunk tumors in mouse models of colon and pancreatic cancer.

Reference:

Song Li et al, Targeting Xkr8 via nanoparticle-mediated in situ co-delivery of siRNA and chemotherapy drugs for cancer immunochemotherapy, Nature Nanotechnology, DOI 10.1038/s41565-022-01266-2

Wireless smart bandage shows promise in treating chronic wounds

Chronic wounds can last months and lead to anxiety and depression. In the worst cases, they are life threatening. Researchers at Stanford University now report that they have developed a wireless smart bandage that has shown promise in speeding up tissue repair by monitoring the wound healing process and treating the wound simultaneously.

The smart bandage is composed of wireless circuitry that uses impedance/temperature sensors to monitor the progression of wound healing. If the wound is less healed or an infection is detected, the sensors inform a central processing unit to apply more electrical stimulation across the wound bed to accelerate tissue closure and reduce infection. The researchers were able to track the sensor data in real time on a smart phone, all without the need for wires.

For more details, check out the link given below:

Wireless Smart Bandage May Help Heal Chronic, Refractory Wounds