Medical Bulletin 19/May/2023

Here are the top medical news for the day:

Study finds marijuana users to be thrice more likely to develop peripheral artery disease

Marijuana use has increased in recent years with nearly 50 million people reporting using it at least once (CDC). While many studies have looked at the impact of marijuana use on health, little research has been done to study the effect of marijuana use on the vascular system. PAD, a condition in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the arms or legs, impacts 6.5 million people in the U.S. and can lead to a loss of mobility, reduced quality of life, heart attack, stroke and death, if not treated early.

Findings from a study examining the relationship between marijuana use and peripheral artery disease (PAD) were presented today at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) 2023 Scientific Sessions. Results found marijuana users are at a significantly increased risk of developing PAD, compared to the general population.

Reference:

SOCIETY FOR CARDIOVASCULAR ANGIOGRAPHY AND INTERVENTIONS,MEETING SCAI Scientific Sessions,ORIGINAL SOURCE: https://scai.org/media-center/news-and-articles

 Day timing may determine the amount of fat burned by cold exposure: Study

Brown fat or brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a distinct type of fat that is activated in response to cold temperatures. Its primary role is to produce heat to help maintain body temperature and it achieves that by burning calories especially from fat.

Short-term exposure to cold temperatures activates brown fat that burns calories and has become an attractive target to promote cardiometabolic health. Now new research being presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Dublin, Ireland (17-20 May) suggests that this biological response differs depending on the time of day and in men and women.

Reference:

Dr Mariëtte Boon et al,EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF OBESITY,MEETING European Congress on Obesity (ECO2023)

Nearly half of adolescents using semaglutide lost weight in new clinical trial

The full STEP TEENS trial, published in 2022 in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), showed the efficacy of semaglutide in helping adolescents lose weight. In this secondary analysis of the STEP TEENS trial, the authors examined the effect of semaglutide treatment on improvement in body mass index (BMI) categories.

The new secondary analysis of the STEP TEENS trial presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2023, Dublin 17-20 May) and published in the journal Obesity shows that almost half (45%) of the adolescents assigned to semaglutide in the trial managed to lose enough weight to drop below the clinical cutoff for obesity.

Reference:

Aaron S. Kelly et al,JOURNAL: Obesity,THE OBESITY SOCIETY

Tonsillectomy deemed both clinically and cost effective for adults in new study

A tonsillectomy, cutting out the two lumps of lymphoid tissue found at either side of the back of the throat, is an operation that has been widely used to improve the quality of life for patients.

Scientists say tonsil removal is both clinically and cost effective for adults who get recurrent severe sore throats.

The biggest study of its kind, carried out by Newcastle University, revealed that patients who had a tonsillectomy had 50% less sore throats over two years, compared to patients who did not undergo tonsillectomy. Publishing today (17 May) in The Lancet, the study was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Reference:

Conservative management versus tonsillectomy in adults with recurrent acute tonsillitis in the UK (NATTINA): a multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial.,The Lancet