Medical Bulletin 12/May/2023

Here are the top medical news for the day:

Online gaming social networks may have a positive impact on mental health: Study

A new study published in Sociological Focus builds on existing research hinting at the importance of social connectivity and support for online gamers. In this study researchers used social network analysis to examine the social structure of an online gaming site at two points in time. The goal of this analysis was to see how social support, sense of community and symptoms of depression affect social connections over time.

The research team analyzed a social network consisting of members of an online football simulation gaming site, surveying members at the beginning and end of the game’s season. In the game, players play as the head coach of a football team and compete against other members of the site over 10 months. Members are able to communicate directly with each other through the site’s forums, chat and direct messaging capabilities.

Reference:

Online Gaming Network Communication Dynamics, Depressive Symptoms, and Social Support: A Longitudinal Network Analysis,Sociological Focus, DOI 10.1080/00380237.2023.2199171

Bone biomarkers and prostate cancer survival strongly linked: Study

Prostate cancer falls the top ten leading sites of occurrence for cancer in India. Understanding the factors that influence patient outcomes is critical for improving treatment and survival rates.

Research led by UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center reveals a link between bone metabolism biomarkers and survival in men with newly diagnosed hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (HSPC) who received androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). The work was published in European Urology.

Reference:

Bone biomarkers and subsequent survival in men with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer: Results from the SWOG S1216 Phase 3 trial of androgen deprivation therapy with or without Orteronel,European Urology, DOI 10.1016/j.eururo.2023.03.036

Study finds polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to be strongly linked to raised rheumatoid arthritis risk

The amount of environmental exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAH for short, is strongly linked to a person’s risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, suggests research published in the open access journal BMJ Open.

These chemicals, formed from the burning of coal, oil, gas, wood, or tobacco as well as the flame grilling of meat and other foods, also seem to account for most of smoking’s impact on risk of the disease, the findings indicate.

To try and shed some light on the potential role of environmental exposure on rheumatoid arthritis risk, the researchers drew on responses to the nationally representative US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2007 and 2016.

Reference:

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and risk of rheumatoid arthritis: a cross sectional analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007-2016,BMJ Open, DOI 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-071514