Medical Bulletin 16/September/2023

Here are the top medical news of the day:

ChatGPT Matches Doctors in Suggesting Likely Diagnoses in the Emergency Medicine Department

The artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT performed as well as a trained doctor in suggesting likely diagnoses for patients being assessed in emergency medicine departments, in a pilot study to be presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress, which starts on Saturday.

Researchers say a lot more work is needed, but their findings suggest the technology could one day support doctors working in emergency medicine, potentially leading to shorter waiting times for patients.

Reference: ChatGPT and Generating a Differential Diagnosis Early in an Emergency Department Presentation, Annals of Emergency Medicine, DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2023.08.003

Sexual Dysfunction highly prevalent in people with Schizophrenia , shows study

A recent systematic review and meta-analysis published in JAMA Psychiatry found a high prevalence of sexual dysfunction among individuals with schizophrenia, with considerable heterogeneity in associated factors. The findings also suggest that some dysfunctions may be explained by schizophrenia. The association between lower rates of dysfunction and antidepressant use suggests that treating comorbid depression could be an effective strategy to improve sexual health.

In individuals with schizophrenia, antipsychotic-induced dysfunctions are frequent but often underexplored in clinical practice. In order to fill this knowledge gap, the research aimed to synthesize the data of observational studies exploring the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders as well as associated factors.

Reference: Korchia T, Achour V, Faugere M, et al. Sexual Dysfunction in Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA Psychiatry. Published online September 13, 2023. DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.2696

Common Food Additives heighten chances of developing cardiovascular disease , shows BMJ study

A recent study published in the BMJ found positive associations between the risk of CVD and the intake of five individuals and two groups of food additive emulsifiers widely used in industrial foods.

Emulsifiers are among the most commonly used additives in industrial foods owing to their emulsifying and thickening properties that improve texture and lengthen shelf-life.

The study aimed to assess the associations between exposure to food additive emulsifiers and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). 95 442 adults (>18 years) without prevalent CVD who completed at least three 24-hour dietary records during the first two years of follow-up were enrolled for the study.

Reference: BMJ 2023;382:e076058

Social media use: A risk factor for depressive symptoms during pregnancy , finds study

Results from a recent study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders indicate that both higher intensity of Social Media Use and problematic Social Media Use may be a risk factor for higher levels of prenatal depressive symptoms during pregnancy.

Accumulating research has shown associations between excessive social media use (SMU) with depressive symptoms. Depression is common during pregnancy, but it is not known whether SMU plays a role in the etiology and clinical course of depressive symptoms during pregnancy.

Reference: Lotte Muskens, Lianne P. Hulsbosch, Marion I. van den Heuvel, Emmelyn A.J. Croes, Willem J. Kop, Victor J.M. Pop, Myrthe G.B.M. Boekhorst, Social media use as a risk factor for depressive symptoms during pregnancy, Journal of Affective Disorders, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2023.06.045