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Brain Stimulation Restores Movement in Paralyzed Patients 

United States: Wolfgang Jäger was 30 years old when a skiing accident resulted in a spinal cord injury that placed the young Austrian in a wheelchair in 2006. 

Fast forward to today, Jäger is 54 years old, and a new method of deep-brain stimulation allows him to walk and move once more, as reported by HealthDay. 

The Role  

“Last year on vacation, it was no problem to walk a couple of steps down and back to the sea using the stimulation,” Jäger said in a news release from the  Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland.  

“I can also reach things in my cupboards in the kitchen,” he added. 

A team from EPFL and Lausanne University Hospital reported that stimulating the lateral hypothalamus, an area that was “unanticipated,” helped Jäger and one other spinal injury patient to regain movement. 

These researchers detailed their findings in the Nature Medicine journal on the 2nd of December. 

How it Works 

As the team was able to explain, DBS is a surgical procedure that entails placing electrodes in various regions of the brain in order to guide the current generated by neurons. It has been used to treat diseases like Parkinson’s disease and tremors. 

Brain Stimulation Restores Movement in Paralyzed Patients. Credit | Alamy
Brain Stimulation Restores Movement in Paralyzed Patients. Credit | Alamy

However, for unknown reasons, only in the recent past have scientists realized that the lateral hypothalamus might be involved in motor skills. Earlier, neurologists assumed that this minor part of the brain had exclusive functions of arousal and feeding routines, the Lausanne team pointed out. 

Thus, might the lateral hypothalamus contribute to the rehabilitation of movement of people with damaged spinal cords? 

The Swiss team first did that idea in mice by conducting certain experiments. 

Those of the preclinical analysis stated, “The stem cell therapy was used to try and gain knowledge of the exact circuit involved in the compensation observed in the rodents.” 

It was then time to apply deep brain stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus in quadriplegic individuals

Electrodes were placed into the brains of two fully conscious subjects using scans made during their surgery. 

“Once the electrode was in place and we performed the stimulation, the first patient immediately said, ‘I feel my legs.’ When we increased the stimulation, she said, ‘I feel the urge to walk!’” said study co-leader and EPFL professor and neurosurgeon Jocelyne Bloch. 

“This real-time feedback confirmed we had targeted the correct region, even if this region had never been associated with the control of the legs in humans,” she said. “At this moment, I knew that we were witnessing an important discovery for the anatomical organization of brain functions.” 

A Promising Path for Future Treatments 

Bloch and Grégoire Courtine co-led the study and are hopeful about the new finding. 

“This research demonstrates that the brain is needed to recover from paralysis,” said Coutine, a professor of neuroscience at EPFL. “Surprisingly, the brain is not able to take full advantage of the neuronal projections that survive after a spinal cord injury. Here, we found how to tap into a small region of the brain that was not known to be involved in the production of walking in order to engage these residual connections and augment neurological recovery in people with spinal cord injury.” 

Courtine and Bloch also co-direct the university’s NeuroRestore center. 

Of course, two patients can hardly be called representatives, which is why more research must be done. 

The scientists say that you will likely see more detailed follow-up studies in the future on the coupling with other technologies, such as spinal implants, to enhance the mobility of patients, as reported by HealthDay. 

“Integrating our two approaches — brain and spinal stimulation — will offer a more comprehensive recovery strategy for patients with spinal cord injuries,” Courtine said. 

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FDA Approves Self-Injectable Vyvgart Hytrulo for gMG and CIDP 

FDA Approves Self-Injectable Vyvgart Hytrulo for gMG and CIDP 

United States: The U.S. FDA has approved Vyvgart Hytrulo’s (efgartigimod alfa and hyaluronidase-qvfc) self-administered form for treating adult gMG patients who carry anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies and adult CIDP patients, as reported by HealthDay. 

Fast and Easy Subcutaneous Injection 

The Vyvgart Hytrulo prefilled syringe now functions as an approved subcutaneous device that needs 20 to 30 seconds during patient, caregiver, or healthcare professional administration.  

Testing between the Vyvgart Hytrulo prefilled syringe, and the Vyvgart Hytrulo vial led to the approval of this product by the FDA. The human factors validation studies demonstrated that both gMG or CIDP patients, along with their caregivers, could execute acceptable prefilled syringe preparation and administration of Vyvgart Hytrulo safely and effectively, as reported by HealthDay. 

Designed for Independence and Flexibility 

“Today’s FDA approval provides a new self-injection option across both approved indications in the U.S. that is designed for patients who seek more independence with their treatment,” Luc Truyen, M.D., Ph.D., the chief medical officer at argenx, said in a statement. “Whether patients prefer to receive their treatment in a physician’s office, at home, or while traveling, they can experience treatment on their own terms and continue to benefit from Vyvgart Hytrulo’s favorable safety profile and strong efficacy.” 

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Quick Walking May Prevent Heart Rhythm Issues 

Quick Walking May Prevent Heart Rhythm Issues 

United States: A new research finds that individuals who walk vigorously for long periods reduce their chances of developing heart rhythm abnormalities. 

Faster Walking, Healthier Heart 

The research in the Heart journal revealed that individuals walking over 4 miles per hour had a decreased chance of 43% developing heart rhythm abnormalities compared to walkers moving less than 3 miles per hour, as reported by HealthDay. 

According to researchers, the duration of movement together with average or brisk pace walking worked to decrease heart rhythm issues by 27%. 

Duration and Pace Matter 

“These new findings reinforce the promotion of faster walking pace in physical activity recommendations,” concluded the research team led by Jill Pell, chair of public health with the University of Glasgow in the U.K. “Walking at a brisk pace may have a role in … prevention of cardiac arrhythmias.” 

Inside the Research 

Study data originated from the UK Biobank health study, which encompassed 421,000 participants, with accelerometer-wearers representing 82,000 individuals who tracked their walking pace. 

A brisk walking pace existed in 41% of study participants, whereas an average walking pace occurred in 53%, and a slow pace was observed in less than 6%. 

The study results revealed that walking swiftly reduced heart rhythm issues by 43% or walking moderately reduced them by 35%. 

Atrial Fibrillation Risk Also Drops 

Analysis of data from UK Biobank demonstrates that brisk or average-paced walkers experienced a 46% and 38% decrease in atrial fibrillation risk rates, which elevates stroke risks, as reported by HealthDay. 

Quick Walking May Prevent Heart Rhythm Issues 
Quick Walking May Prevent Heart Rhythm Issues 

The connection between heart rhythm problems and walking pace appears to be shaped by 36% through inflammation alongside metabolic factors, according to expert estimation. 

What’s Behind the Benefits? 

Research from the past supports these findings because brisk walking leads to lower obesity levels and better blood sugar control, in addition to preventing diabetes and lowering high blood pressure, according to scientists. 

“This study is the first to explore the pathways underpinning the association between walking pace and arrhythmias and to provide evidence that metabolic and inflammatory factors may have a role,” researchers concluded. “Walking faster decreased the risk of obesity and inflammation, which, in turn, reduced the risk of arrhythmia.” 

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Smart Shirt Technology Monitors Heart Health in Real Time 

Smart Shirt Technology Monitors Heart Health in Real Time 

United States: The “smart shirt” coupled with an electrocardiogram (ECG) device enables researchers to detect people with elevated cardiovascular risks, according to recent study findings. 

The wearable shirt measures heart rate recovery after workouts, so it tracks how long it takes for the heart to stabilize, as reported by HealthDay. 

“The heart’s response to exercise provides us with an early indicator of changes in health, in particular cardiovascular function and mortality,” senior researcher Manuel Hernandez, a professor of biomedical and translational sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said in a news release. 

How It Works: Tracking the Heart’s Response to Exercise 

Researchers employed smart shirts developed by Carré Technologies based in Quebec for their investigation. Continuous heart performance measures are collected using sensors attached to the smart shirt that record heart rate and electrical cardiac activity. 

Study Participants Show Promising Insights 

The research team selected 38 participants from 20 to 76 years old to complete treadmill walking exercises. The seven participants underwent medical examinations, which revealed high blood pressure as their diagnosis. 

Sounds from the laboratory tests enabled researchers to establish risk prediction systems for targeting heart disease in individuals. 

Researchers declared the investigation kickstarts the development of heart health risk understanding for individuals. 

“We want to use it to provide us with some greater insight in terms of our underlying cardiovascular function,” Hernandez said. “And we want to make something that’s clinically actionable.” 

According to a co-author, wearable technology should give physicians access to a wealth of helpful data. 

A Game-Changer for Rural and Remote Healthcare 

“One would like to have a whole bunch of data from wearables, and then that data is transmitted to a doctor’s office, and the doctor can interpret it,” said co-researcher Richard Sowers, a professor of industrial & enterprise systems engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.  

Based on Sowers’ statement in the news release, these wearable devices would benefit most people who live in rural areas and places where medical resources are scarce. 

Future investigations plan to extend study participant numbers and monitor their progress longitudinally, according to researchers. 

Research groups investigate various applications of the “smart shirt” technology. 

Global Use Cases Emerging 

During the European Association of Urology conference a month ago, scientists from Italy introduced a new tracking system using smart shirts to monitor the vital signs of patients after hospital discharge, as reported by HealthDay. 

“Our patients found the T-shirt easy to use, and over 90% reported it allowed them to feel safe and cared for while recuperating at home,” lead researcher Dr. Antonio Pastore, an associate professor of urology at Sapienza University of Rome in Italy, said in a news release. 

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