Medical Bulletin 05/October/2023

Here are the top medial news of the day:

Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis at age 30 may cut life expectancy by up to 14 years

An individual diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at age 30 years could see their life expectancy fall by as much as 14 years, warns an international team of researchers in their findings, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. Even those diagnosed at age 50 years may face up to a six-year reduction in life expectancy.

For the study, researchers from the University of Cambridge and the University of Glasgow analyzed data from two major international studies, the Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration and UK Biobank, encompassing a total of 1.5 million individuals.

Reference: Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration. Life expectancy associated with different ages at diagnosis of diabetes: 23 million person-years of observation. Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology; 11 Sept 2023; DOI: 10.1016/S2213-8587(23)00223-1

Romantic Relationships may hamper Sleep Patterns, finds study

A recent study conducted among Chinese adolescents has found that initiating and ending romantic relationships can contribute to sleep issues, particularly in younger girls, emphasizing the need for education on healthy romantic relationships to ensure sound sleep in early adolescence.

The research involved surveying 7,072 Chinese adolescents in November-December 2015 and then again one year later. Adolescents were asked about their romantic experiences, including starting a romantic relationship (SRR) and experiencing romantic breakups. The survey also assessed various factors such as sleep duration, insomnia symptoms, depressive symptoms, substance use, and demographics.

Early Metformin treatment in gestational diabetes shows mixed results in clinical trial

A recent double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted in Ireland has shown that early initiation of metformin during gestation did not significantly reduce the need for insulin treatment or improve fasting blood sugar levels in pregnant individuals with gestational diabetes.

The trial published in JAMA involved 510 participants (comprising 535 pregnancies) diagnosed with gestational diabetes based on World Health Organization 2013 criteria. These individuals were randomly assigned to receive either metformin (up to 2500 mg daily) or a placebo in addition to their usual prenatal care.

Reference: Dunne F, Newman C, Alvarez-Iglesias A, et al. Early Metformin in Gestational Diabetes: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. Published online October 03, 2023. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2023.19869

FDA approves new updated version of COVID vaccine

Novavax's updated COVID vaccine has been granted emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).The latest version of the vaccine has been updated to include the spike protein from the XBB.1.5 Omicron variant.

This announcement by FDA paves the way for people to start receiving the vaccine at pharmacies and doctor's offices. The updated vaccine addresses currently circulating variants to provide better protection against serious consequences of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death. Consistent with the totality of the evidence and input from the FDA’s expert advisors, the Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted, a monovalent vaccine, has been updated to include the spike protein from the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant lineage XBB.1.5 (2023-2024 formula).