Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction's 2019 News Round-up

It has been a great year for researchers in the MDR, with numerous new papers, projects and pieces of research taking place.

Here is a round-up of the biggest MDR stories from 2019.

One third of UK doctors may suffer from workplace ’burnout’

“These results point to an environment in UK hospitals that makes staff unwell and less able to carry out their jobs safely” Professor Tom Bourne Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Study author

One in three UK doctors working in obstetrics and gynaecology may suffer from workplace burnout.

This could affect their well-being and how they treat patients. This is the finding of new research, published in the journal BMJ Open, led by scientists at Imperial College London.

Burnout is a condition triggered by long-term stress and overload at work, and in particular is associated with emotional exhaustion, lack of empathy and connection with others, and feeling a lack of personal accomplishment.  Although burnout can affect individuals in any career, it particularly affects those in those in high-stress jobs – with previous studies suggesting that doctors are twice as likely to suffer burnout compared to those in other professions.

DNA test and phone app to ‘nudge’ Waitrose shoppers towards healthier food

“The potential for improving public health is very exciting, and we’re looking forward to examining the results from this world-first study.” Professor Nick Oliver Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction

A new app, developed by Imperial start-up DnaNudge, will use shoppers’ DNA to help them make healthier choices while food shopping.

In the first study of its kind, researchers at Imperial College London will study the effects of DNA-personalised food choices on health outcomes for people with pre-diabetes.

A major problem in diabetes prevention is that people are generally unaware they are at risk of developing the condition, or of the need to improve their nutritional choices.

Now, DnaNudge, Imperial, and Waitrose & Partners are launching a clinical trial based on a smartphone app that tells you whether any given food item is compatible with a shopper’s DNA and metabolism.

Ovarian cysts should be ‘watched’ rather than removed

“Our results may lead to a paradigm shift resulting in less surgery for non-cancerous ovarian cysts” Professor Tom Bourne Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Study author

Women may not need to undergo surgery for non-cancerous ovarian cysts, avoiding potential surgical complications.

This is the finding of new research, by a team of international scientists from institutions including Imperial College London and KU Leuven, published in The Lancet Oncology. 

The two-year study followed 1919 women from 10 different countries, including the UK, Belgium, Sweden and Italy, who were diagnosed with non-cancerous ovarian cysts.

Recurrent miscarriage linked to faulty sperm

“Traditionally doctors have focused attention on women when looking for the causes of recurrent miscarriage” Dr Channa Jayasena Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Study author

Multiple miscarriages may be linked to the poor quality of a man’s sperm, suggests new research.

The early-stage study, from scientists at Imperial College London, investigated the sperm quality of 50 men whose partners had suffered three or more consecutive miscarriage.

The research, published in the journal Clinical Chemistry, revealed that, compared to men whose partners had not experienced miscarriages, the sperm of those involved in the study had higher levels of DNA damage.

Faecal transplants, ‘robotic guts’ and the fight against deadly gut bugs

"It (FMT) can work surprisingly well. Some people may have been in hospital for months, receiving antibiotics. Then you give them this odd treatment and they start to get quite a lot better within a few days." Dr Ben Mullish Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction

Dr Ben Mullish understands more than most about the seriousness of gut bugs. Although many people will appear to have no more than an upset stomach for a couple of days, infections of the gut and intestines can prove deadly to vulnerable patients, such as the elderly or those undergoing cancer therapy.

“A typical story is someone is admitted to hospital with a stubborn chest or bladder infection and so have needed a prolonged course of antibiotics. But this treatment then also kills off their normal ‘healthy’ gut bacteria, leaving them much more vulnerable to infection from harmful bugs,” explains Dr Mullish.

But researchers at Imperial may have uncovered a key to the problem in the form of naturally occurring molecules, called fatty acids, found in our guts – including one that can keep the growth of these harmful bacteria in check. The hope is that we may one day be able to give these kinds of molecules to vulnerable patients in the form of a pill or supplement – to prevent them from developing a stomach bug in the first place.

Gut bacteria ‘fingerprint’ predicts radiotherapy side effects

Scientists have conducted the first clinical study to show a link between types of gut bacteria and radiotherapy-induced gut damage.

Taking a ‘fingerprint’ of the mix of bacteria in the gut can indicate how susceptible individual cancer patients are to gut damage as a result of radiotherapy for prostate and gynaecological cancers, the new study shows.

Researchers showed that having a reduced diversity of gut bacteria was associated with an increased risk of both immediate and delayed damage to the gut following radiotherapy.

If patients at higher risk of gut side effects could be identified before radiotherapy, they could be given procedures such as faecal transplants to treat or even prevent damage.