Medical Bulletin 12/November/2021

Here are Top Medical stories of the day

High dosage of herbs, spices lower BP

Cardiometabolic disorders are a global burden on health system and their management is of utmost importance. Dietary guidelines in many countries including the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia recommend flavoring foods with herbs and spices as a strategy to reduce salt intake.

A randomized trial by Kristina S Petersen and team has revealed that Adding Herbs and spices to meals may help lower blood pressure.In US-style diet, addition of a relatively high culinary dosage of mixed herbs and spices of 6.6 g tended to improve 24-h blood pressure after 4 week, compared with lower dosages of 0.5 and 3.3 g, in adults at elevated risk of cardiometabolic diseases.

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Adding High Culinary Dosage Of Herbs And Spices To Meals May Help Lower Blood Pressure

Antidepressants during pregnancy effect kid`s output

Antidepressants are a primary treatment option for most types of depression. But there are benefits and risks to consider when taking antidepressants during pregnancy. Concerns exist about long-term neuro developmental consequences of prenatal exposure to antidepressants.

A population based study by Dr Jakob Christensen, PhD and team revealed that children whose mothers had taken prescriptions for antidepressants during pregnancy, compared with children whose mothers did not during pregnancy, had a 2-point lower standardized test score in mathematics, which was statistically significant, but had no significant difference in language test scores.

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Antidepressants During Pregnancy May Affect Standard Test Performance In Kids: JAMA

Galectin-1 increases risk of type 2 diabetes

Researchers at the University of Gothenburg now associate elevated levels of the protein galectin-1 with increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes about 18 years later. At the same time, this protein seems to be a protective factor for the kidneys among type 2 diabetes patients at high risk for diabetic nephropathy.

Findings of the study, a collaboration with researchers at Lund University, have been published in the journal Diabetologia. The researchers point to both negative and positive links between the protein galectin-1 and type 2 diabetes. In a general population, galectin-1 may be associated with an increased risk of diabetes, but in patients with a subtype of diabetes that increases the risk of kidney damage, galectin-1 appears to be beneficial, as patients with high galectin-1 levels in their blood suffer less kidney damage.

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Galectin-1 Increases Risk Of Developing Type 2 Diabetes, Decreases Risk Of Nephropathy In Diabetics

Rare case of Thoracic Endometriosis reported

Dr Mei-Ling Chen, and Dr Chia-Ying Li, at Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan have reported a rare case of Thoracic Endometriosis that has been published in the New England journal of Medicine.

Endometriosis is the condition wherein endometrial tissue is present outside of the uterine cavity most commonly in pelvic structures such as the ovary, uterine ligaments, pelvic peritoneum, cervix, labia, and vagina. Thoracic endometriosis syndrome is the presence of endometrial tissue in or around the lung which can result in recurrent hospitalizations and other complications.

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Rare Case Of Thoracic Endometriosis Reported In NEJM

Minoxidil, Antiandrogen therapy help in chemotherapy

 A recent case series published in the journal JAMA Dermatology has outlined previously unreported features of persistent chemotherapy-induced alopecia (pCIA) in breast cancer patients, including a trichoscopic description. For a significant proportion of patients with topical or systemic treatments, cosmetically significant regrowth was achieved. This suggests that pCIA may be at least partly reversible.

According to the study, hair follicle miniaturization which is the hallmark of androgenetic alopecia is a prominent feature in pCIA; recognized androgenetic alopecia treatments, including minoxidil and antiandrogen therapy, can also improve hair density for patients with pCIA.

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Minoxidil And Antiandrogen Therapy Can Improve Hair Density In Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia: JAMA