Medical Bulletin 17/November/2023

Here are the top medical news of the day:

Weight loss within first 2 years of treating type 2 diabetes associated with remission

Weight loss within the first 2 years of treating type 2 diabetes associated with remission suggests a new study published in the Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism.

Researchers used the health examination database of the Korean National Health Insurance Service. Patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus from 2009 to 2012 were enrolled and followed to 2017. The baseline body weight was measured at the health examination closest to the time the patient was enrolled, and the change was calculated by examining the weight measured at the subsequent examination within 2 years. Remission was defined as fasting blood glucose less than 126 mg/dl at two or more consecutive health examinations after stopping medication.

Reference: Kim, Jinyoung, et al. "Weight Change in Patients With New-onset Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Its Association With Remission: Comprehensive Real-world Data." Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism, 2023.

Genetic testing could greatly benefit patients with depression, save health system millions

A special kind of genetic test that helps determine the best antidepressant for patients with moderate-to-severe depression could generate substantive health system savings and greatly improve patient outcomes, according to new research from the University of British Columbia.

The study, published today in CMAJ, shows that in B.C. alone, implementing pharmacogenomic testing could save the provincial public health system an estimated $956 million over 20 years.

One in 10 Canadians will experience major depression at some point in their lives, making it one of the largest public health burdens. While more than 35 antidepressant medications are available in Canada, over half of patients don’t respond to the antidepressant they are initially prescribed and roughly 27 per cent report adverse effects.

Reference: Genetic testing could greatly benefit patients with depression, save health system million; Canadian Medical Association Journal; DOI:10.1503/cmaj.221785.

Women with depression have 20% lower taurine concentration in the hippocampus

For the first time, a research team in Korea has discovered there is a significant relationship between depression and the taurine concentration in the hippocampus, an area of the brain responsible for memory and learning functions. This discovery provides the opportunity to publicize the role and importance of taurine in future prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of depression.

Using ultra-high magnetic field 7T human MRI (7T MRI), researchers (Drs. Youngkyu Song, Jee-Hyun Cho and Chaejoon Cheong) in the Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI, President Seong-Kwang Yang) Biochemical Analysis Team have confirmed that the taurine concentration was significantly lower in the hippocampus of young females suffering from depression.

Reference: Association between taurine level in the hippocampus and major depressive disorder in young women: a proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study at 7 tesla; Biological Psychiatry

DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.08.02