- Science magazine was founded in 1880 and is part of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
- Every year it publishes a list with the most important scientific advances of the last 12 months and this time there were several related to doctors.
- After 20 years of follow-up, it was finally identified that the Epstein-Barr virus has a direct relationship with the development of Multiple Sclerosis.
One more year is about to come to an end and therefore it is time to reflect. As has happened in other periods, during the last 12 months great discoveries were made in all areas. From various investigations there were some medical advances that today are considered the most important of 2022, do you know what they are?
It is a reality that the Covid-19 pandemic remains a global concern due to all the impact it has caused. Although it must also be recognized that it is not the only problem but that there is more. For this reason, work is constantly carried out to offer solutions against diseases or disorders of all kinds.
With this in mind, as part of a tradition, the science magazine published its annual ranking with the most important scientific advances of the year that is about to end. These are 10 great discoveries that offer answers to questions that affect humanity.
Among those mentioned is the New James Webb Space Telescope. After 20 years of development and an investment of more than 10 billion dollars, it was finally achieved. As part of his initial work, thanks to his golden eye he allowed to obtain the more complete picture of the universe.
The most important medical advances of the year
However, within the top 10 of the publication, some that are directly related to Medicine stand out. One of them was the discovery of the largest bacterium in the world Although microbes are microscopic, this year it was first identified at Thiomargarita. It stands out because it is up to 5,000 times larger than many bacterial cells.
This unique bacterium was first discovered in decaying leaves in a mangrove swamp on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, in the French West Indies.
How did the black plague come about?
For its part, this year the origin of the most serious pandemic in recorded history was finally reached. It is the Black Death, which had its most serious point between 1347 and 1353. During that period it caused the death of a third of the world’s population.
Now, something that had never been precisely identified was the origin of this terrible catastrophe. While this 2022, after analyzing ancient DNA in the bones of more than 500 people buried before, during and after the Black Death in London and Denmark, a striking effect was observed.
Based on the work, survivors were more likely to carry genetic variants that boosted their immune response against Yersinia pestis, the flea-borne bacterium that caused the plague. In this way, they discovered that having two copies of one A specific variant of the ERAP2 gene was strongly associated with survival from the Black Death.
But that’s not all because this protective variant is currently present in 45% of the British. With this in mind, the work suggests that it continued to be favored by natural selection to the present day, probably because the Black Death was endemic in Europe and Asia until the 19th century.
First RSV vaccines
Among the list of the greatest medical advances of 2022 is also what aims to be the first vaccine against Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). To date, it is the most frequent cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in infants under one year of age and, although the probability is minimal, it can also affect adults.
There are currently two large-scale clinical trials by GSK and Pfizer of RSV vaccines and both have shown high efficacy and no serious side effects. One of them also protected infants for six months when given to their mothers late in pregnancy so they could pass the antibodies to their fetuses.
Possible cause of Multiple Sclerosis
Finally, during this 2022 it was finally identified and verified that the Epstein–Barr virus It has a direct relationship with the development of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This is a discovery of great proportions because it could lead to the development of new treatments against this mysterious disorder.
To confirm the relationship, several epidemiologists examined the medical records of more than 10 million Americans over 20 years. Thus they verified that practically all those who developed Multiple Sclerosis tested positive for the Epstein-Barr virus. And among those who initially tested negative, a subsequent infection multiplied by 32 the risk of suffering from this disease.
Also read:
Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Tips to prevent infections
4 Early Signs of Multiple Sclerosis You Shouldn’t Ignore
Graphic of the day: Celebrities and celebrities diagnosed with multiple sclerosis