Medical Bulletin 20/September/2023

Here are the top medical news of the day:

Combination of job strain, high efforts, and low rewards doubled the risk of heart disease in men

Men who say they have stressful jobs and also feel they exert high efforts for low reward had double the risk of heart disease compared to men free of those stressors, according to new research published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, a peer-reviewed American Heart Association journal.

Research has shown that two psychosocial stressors — job strain and effort-reward imbalance at work — may increase heart disease risk. However, few studies have examined the combined effect.

Reference: Psychosocial Stressors at Work and Coronary Heart Disease Risk in Men and Women:18-Year Prospective Cohort Study of Combined Exposures, Circulation Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, DOI 10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.122.009700

Amoxicillin Vs Amoxicillin clavulanate for treating acute sinusitis in children

For treating Acute sinusitis in children both amoxicillin and amoxicillin-clavulanate were equally effective, but amoxicillin-clavulanate had higher rates of gastrointestinal symptoms and yeast infections, a recent study published in JAMA has shown.

Acute sinusitis is one of the most common causes for children to be put on antibiotic medications. The drugs amoxicillin and amoxicillin-clavulanate make up most of those prescriptions, but there is a lack of consensus on which should be first-line for children.

Reference: Savage TJ et al. “Treatment Failure and Adverse Events after Amoxicillin-Clavulanate vs. Amoxicillin for Pediatric Acute Sinusitis” JAMA DOI: 10.1001/jama.2023.15503

FDA issues urgent warning against Nature's Ozempic or "India seeds for weight loss"

In a joint announcement, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Maryland Department of Health have issued a stark warning about certain weight loss products labeled as "Nuez de la India." These products, which may be misleadingly marketed as "botanical food," "India Nuts for Weight Loss," "slimming seeds," "India seeds for weight loss," or "diet seeds," have been found to contain a highly toxic substance - yellow oleander. This poisonous plant, native to Mexico and Central America, can have severe and potentially fatal health effects when ingested.

AI and machine learning dyad can successfully diagnose polycystic ovary syndrome

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can effectively detect and diagnose Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), which is the most common hormone disorder among women, typically between ages 15 and 45, according to a new NIH study.

Study authors suggested integrating large population-based studies with electronic health datasets and analyzing common laboratory tests to identify sensitive diagnostic biomarkers that can facilitate the diagnosis of PCOS. Because some of the features of PCOS can co-occur with other disorders such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiometabolic disorders, it frequently goes unrecognized during diagnosis.

Reference: Barrera FJ, Brown EDL, Rojo A, Obeso J, Plata H, Lincango EP, Terry N, Rodríguez-Gutiérrez R, Hall JE, Shekhar S, 2023. Application of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in the Diagnosis and Classification of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Endocrinology. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2023.1106625/full