Health Institute Carlos III

A study published in PLOS Biology analysed whether supplementation with zinc, serine and branched-chain amino acids —valine, isoleucine and leucine— improves autism-related symptoms in three mouse models. These nutrients are believed to regulate synaptic formation and activity. The results show that the combination of the three nutrients, at low doses for seven days, improved affected brain traits —such as hyperactivity and hyperconnectivity of the amygdala— and the social behaviour of the animals. Individual supplementation did not show such improvements. 

Viruses that cause avian influenza are capable of replicating at temperatures higher than a typical fever, according to a study in in vitro models and mice. ‘Fever-resistant replication could help explain why avian viruses and pandemic influenza viruses with avian PB1 cause more severe disease in humans,’ the authors write in the journal Science.

An international team, including several Spanish groups and coordinated by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), has developed a pioneering technology that allows for the creation of multiple human kidney organoids, their combination with pig kidneys outside the body, and their successful transplantation back into the same animal. The method could contribute to improving future research and, according to the authors, allows us to envision a future clinical scenario in which organs destined for transplantation can be treated and conditioned before implantation. The work is published in Nature Biomedical Engineering. 

A team has analysed estimated data on exposure to pollution during and after pregnancy and its possible link to a diagnosis of autism in more than two million births in Canada between 2002 and 2022. Their findings are that greater exposure to small PM_2.5 particles containing sulphate or ammonium is associated with a higher likelihood of receiving a diagnosis of autism in the first five years of life. A slightly increased proportion was also observed with greater exposure to ozone during certain weeks of pregnancy and in the first year of life. The results are published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

A team from China has reported the results of the first liver transplant from a pig to a living human. Earlier this year, a procedure that served as a proof of concept was published, but it was performed on a brain-dead person. In this case, after modifying 10 genes in the porcine liver, an auxiliary transplant—not removing the entire organ—was performed on a 71-year-old patient with cirrhosis and liver cancer. It worked well for the first month, but on day 38, the graft had to be removed due to the development of complications, and the patient died on day 171. According to the researchers, who published the case in the Journal of Hepatology, this is "a fundamental step that demonstrates both the promise and the obstacles that remain to be overcome".

The Karolinska Institute has awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi for describing how the immune system is regulated so as not to harm us. His groundbreaking discoveries on peripheral immune tolerance have spurred the development of new treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases.

A new school year has begun, and pollution, which exceeds recommended limits in many urban centres, will once again affect children and their families. What consequences could this have on health? How does climate change affect it? What solutions can be implemented? SMC Spain organised an informative session with Julio Díaz and Cristina Linares to answer these questions.

Avian influenza has returned to Spain this summer. In addition to a few cases in wild birds, since 18 July there have been several outbreaks in poultry in different autonomous communities, causing the country to lose its disease-free status. To answer questions about the situation, its possible causes, evolution and consequences, SMC Spain organised an information session with researchers Inmaculada Casas, Ursula Höfle and Elisa Pérez Ramírez.

More than 350 million people in North America and Europe may have been affected by fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) pollution from the 2023 Canadian wildfires, according to estimates from a study published in Nature. The authors estimate that 5,400 acute deaths in North America and 64,300 chronic deaths in North America and Europe were attributable to exposure to these particles originating from Canadian forest fires.

The Planetary Health Diet promotes environmentally sustainable consumption, based, among other things, on increasing vegetable intake and reducing dairy and red meat consumption. Previous studies had found an association with better human health, although there were some conflicting results. Now, a study combining two cohorts of more than 150,000 people and a meta-analysis of 37 studies involving more than three million volunteers reinforces this association, finding that greater adherence to the diet is associated with lower all-cause mortality. The results are published in the journal Science Advances.