02/06/2022 Top Medical News

Here are the top medical news for today:

Retinal layer thickness and cognitive decline in older adults linked?- LB      

Retinal layer thickness is hypothesized to be related to cognitive function in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease. However, longitudinal cohort studies of the healthy older population are very limited.

A new cohort study found that baseline macular retinal nerve fiber layer thickness is associated with baseline cognitive function scores and follow-up cognitive decline. These findings suggest that macular retinal nerve fiber layer thickness could be considered a predictive biomarker for evaluating cognitive function in older individuals.The Study is published in JAMA Opthamalogy.

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A rare connection between retinal layer thickness and cognitive decline

 COVID-19 tied to maternal stress with altered fetal brain development- LB    

according to a study published in Communications Medicine, self-reported maternal psychological distress during the COVID-19 may be associated with changes in the brain of developing fetuses,. The study assessed the potential impact of the pandemic itself on pregnant women and their developing fetuses before birth, rather than the impact of COVID-19 infections.

The study involved 65 women who were pregnant during the pandemic and 137 who were pregnant prior to the pandemic. None of the participants assessed during the course of the pandemic were known to have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

From the 202 participants, 173 mothers were questioned to investigate any distress experienced during pregnancy including anxiety, stress and depression. The authors found stress and depression were reported proportionally more in the mothers who were pregnant during the pandemic. Overall, 27.6%) women in the pre-pandemic cohort and 52.0%) women pregnant during the pandemic were considered to have high psychological distress.

The authors observed that three brain structure and volumetric measures were decreased in the fetuses from the pandemic cohort compared to the pre-pandemic cohort. They further suggested that this variability and inconsistency could indicate multiple factors that may be involved in fetal brain development.

 Difficulty in swallowing pills no longer a concern with advent of new gels- LB  

To make it easier to give those medicines, researchers have created a drug-delivering gel that is much easier to swallow and could be used to administer a variety of different kinds of drugs. The study is published in Science Advances journal.

The gels, made from plant-based oils such as sesame oil, can be prepared with a variety of textures, from a thickened beverage to a yogurt-like substance. The gels are stable without refrigeration, which could make them easier to get to children.They could also help adults who have difficulty swallowing pills, such as older people or people who have suffered a stroke.

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Easier ways to swallow tablets in various forms

Coffee consumption Reduces risk of death- LB   

Several studies have observed the health effects of coffee and they have also found that coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of death but did not distinguish between unsweetened coffee and coffee consumed with sugar or artificial sweeteners.

A cohort study published in in Annals of Internal Medicine has found that compared to non-coffee drinkers, adults who drank moderate amounts (1.5 to 3.5 cups per day) of unsweetened coffee or coffee sweetened with sugar were less likely to die during a 7-year follow up period.

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Consequences of both sweetened and unsweetened coffee consumption