Airport noise and heart problems Sickle-cell trial halted

A growing body of research suggests that aircraft and traffic noise can increase risk for heart problems, reports The Atlantic. One study found that people living near Germany’s Frankfurt Airport had a 7 percent higher chance of stroke than those in similar but quieter neighborhoods. Another analysis found that nighttime cardiovascular deaths were significantly higher among people living near Zurich’s airport after airplane flyovers. Researchers have observed that even when we’re asleep, a loud sound causes the brain to activate a stress response: blood pressure rises, hormones flood the body, some arteries constrict and others dilate. This stress response can inflame the endothelium, the inner lining of arteries and blood vessels, which in turn interferes with blood flow and other crucial functions. Research has shown that the endothelium is impaired after just a few nights of exposure to airplane noise. Mathias Basner, president of the International Commission on the Biological Effects of Noise, says further research is needed into this “silent killer.”

In a major blow for people with sicklecell disease, a trial of a breakthrough gene therapy has been halted after two study participants developed cancer. One was diagnosed with a condition that often leads to leukemia; the other developed acute myeloid leukemia. Sickle-cell patients—most of whom are African-American—are already at heightened risk for the cancer. But scientists say the odds of two people in a small trial developing such conditions are minimal. They have already determined that the first patient’s cancer was caused by busulfan, a powerful drug used to make space in bone marrow for the genetically modified cells. They are now investigating whether the second cancer had the same cause. If it did, the treatment isn’t necessarily doomed—sickle cell is a degenerative disease, so the potential rewards of gene therapy may outweigh the risks. But the setback is still a disappointment. “It feels like the sickle-cell disease community just can never get a break,” says Melissa Frei-Jones, from the University of Texas School of Medicine in San Antonio.