Research roundup: the latest developments in women’s health

Femtech World explores the latest research developments in the world of women’s health.

Apple embarks on collaboration to understand if data can improve women’s health

Tech giant Apple is launching the Apple Health Study in collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital to further understand how technology can play a role in advancing and improving physical health, mental health, and overall wellbeing.

The study will explore relationships between various areas of health, such as mental health’s impact on heart rate, or how sleep can influence exercise.

Apple has said that the study builds on learnings from the Apple Women’s Health Study, the Apple Hearing Study, and the Apple Heart and Movement Study, and aims to understand how data from technology can be used to predict, detect, monitor, and manage changes in participants’ health.

UCL receives significant gift to advance women’s health

UCL has reported that it has received a significant gift that will support women’s health education and research at UCL by helping drive forward advancements in areas such as reproductive health, maternal care and gender disparities in healthcare.

The gift will establish The Professor Seang Lin Tan, Dr Grace Tan and Originelle Fertility distinguished Chair in Women’s Health, a role that will be held by Anna David, Professor in Obstetrics and Maternal Fetal Medicine and Director at the Institute for Women’s Health.

“By supporting our work at the Institute, Professor and Dr Tan are supporting the health of future generations,” said Professor David.

“Thanks to them, we can make a tangible difference to the health of women, babies and their families in the UK and internationally. It will ensure that UCL continues to be a world-leader in clinical practice, research, education and training in women’s health.”

Does the brain produce oestrogen to control appetite?

Although a woman’s ovaries produce the most oestrogen, various types of oestrogen are also synthesised throughout different tissues in the body, including the brain’s neurons. New research now indicates that such neuro-oestrogens help suppress appetite.

Knowing that the enzyme aromatase is important for the production of oestrogens, investigators depleted or knocked out the gene encoding aromatase in mice, so that the animals were unable to synthesise oestrogens in a systemic or body-wide manner.

The mice demonstrated increased food intake and body weight compared with their aromatase-expressing counterparts. Restoring aromatase expression specifically in the brain reduced food intake and increased sensitivity to leptin, the “fullness” hormone, confirming that neuro-oestrogens can influence appetite.

To further investigate the role of neuro-oestrogens independently of ovarian oestrogen involvement, the researchers removed the ovaries in female mice. The brain’s hypothalamus (the central hub for appetite signals) in ovariectomised mice showed increased expression of the gene encoding aromatase, and these mice decreased their food intake.

Women have a 60 per cent higher risk of infections after heart surgery

According to new research, one in five older adults gets an infection up to six months after heart surgery – with women far more likely to develop one.

The two studies examined thousands of cases involving Medicare beneficiaries who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting, also known as CABG or heart bypass, or aortic valve replacement.

The findings revealed that women had 60 per cent greater odds of developing postoperative infections, the three most common being urinary tract, pneumonia and sepsis.

The researchers say that the investigations highlight persistent disparities in outcomes for patients undergoing cardiac surgery that will require multidisciplinary efforts to correct.

Research collaboration on prenatal genetic screening to launch in Indonesia

A new collaboration will focus on the extended Non-Invasive Prenatal Test (NIPT-Pro) and Copy Number Variation Sequencing (CNVseq) to advance prenatal genetic screening technology in Indonesia.

The collaboration is between BGI Genomics, PT Naleya Genomik Indonesia (NGI), and Rumah Sakit Anak dan Bunda – National Women and Children Health Center (RSAB) Harapan Kita.

The collaboration team say that the research is designed to apply NIPT-Pro, a genetic test based on massively parallel sequencing technology, for detecting chromosomal aneuploidy and Copy Number Variations (CNV) among pregnant women in Indonesia.

In its implementation, high-risk NIPT-Pro results, along with ultrasound findings indicating potential risks, will be further confirmed using CNV sequencing (CNVseq) technology on the amniotic fluid of the respective pregnant women.

Taking vitamin E during pregnancy may decrease peanut allergy in children

Supplementing maternal diet with α-tocopherol, a form of vitamin E, can reduce the development of food allergy and anaphylaxis in newborn mice, shows new research.

The study shows the potential for α-tocopherol in prenatal vitamins during pregnancy and lactation to address this alarming increase and reduce development of food allergy early in life.

The study found that pups born to mice fed a diet supplemented with α-tocopherol during pregnancy and nursing showed reduced development of IgE antibodies to the food allergen and reduced peanut induced anaphylaxis. This sweeping improvement in outcomes was attributed to increased α-tocopherol levels in the pups of mothers taking the supplement, compared to those who were not.