Medical Bulletin 22/April/2023

Here are the top medical news for the day:

Weight loss surgery may harm adolescents’ bones: Study

In a prospective study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, imaging tests revealed that Sleeve gastrectomy or SG decreases strength and bone mineral density of the lumbar spine in adolescents and young adults.

SG, where about 80% of the stomach is removed, is effective for treating obesity and its complications, but it has been associated with bone loss in adolescents.

In the 12-month prospective nonrandomized study, 29 adolescents/young adults with obesity underwent SG and 30 were followed without surgery. At baseline and 12 months, participants underwent computed tomography of the lumbar spine for bone assessments and magnetic resonance imaging of the abdomen and thigh for body composition assessments.

Reference:

Biomechanical CT to assess bone after sleeve gastrectomy in adolescents with obesity: a prospective longitudinal study,Journal of Bone and Mineral Research,DOI: 10.1002/jbmr.4784

Study: drug may delay earliest symptoms of multiple sclerosis

MS is a disease in which the body’s immune system attacks myelin, the fatty white substance that insulates and protects the nerves. Symptoms of MS may include fatigue, numbness, tingling or difficulty walking.

A drug called teriflunomide may delay first symptoms for people whose magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans show signs of multiple sclerosis (MS) even though they do not yet have symptoms of the disease. The preliminary study, released April 19, 2023, will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 75th Annual Meeting, being held in person in Boston and live online from April 22-27, 2023. Called radiologically isolated syndrome, the condition is diagnosed in people who do not have MS symptoms but who have abnormalities in the brain or spinal cord called lesions, similar to those seen in MS.

Reference:

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY,meeting American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting

Regular consumption of walnuts could benefit adolescents' cognitive and psychological development: Study

Walnuts when eaten on a regular basis could benefit the cognitive development and psychological maturation of adolescents. These are some of the conclusions reached by a study led by the Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV), in which ISGlobal (a centre promoted by "la Caixa" Foundation) and the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) have collaborated. This is unprecedented research; while there have been previous studies on the effect of nuts on our health, the impact of their consumption at such a critical stage for cognitive development as adolescence has never been examined.

Walnuts are rich in alpha-linolenic fatty acid (ALA), a type of omega-3 that plays a fundamental role in brain development, especially at this life stage. In the words of Jordi Julvez, principal investigator and coordinator of the NeuroÈpia Research Group of the IISPV, "adolescence is a time of great biological changes: hormonal transformation occurs, which in turn is responsible for stimulating the synaptic growth of the frontal lobe. This part of our brain is what enables neuropsychological maturation, i.e., more complex emotional and cognitive functions. Neurons that are well nourished with this type of fatty acids will be able to grow and form new, stronger synapses."

Reference

Pinar-Martí A, Gignac F, Fernández-Barrés S, Romaguera D, Sala-Vila A, Lázaro I, Ranzani OT, Persavento C, Delgado A, Carol A, Torrent J, Gonzalez J, Roso E, Barrera-Gómez J, López-Vicente M, Boucher O, Nieuwenhuijsen M, Turner MC, Burgaleta M, Canals J, Arija V, Basagaña X, Ros E, Salas-Salvadó J, Sunyer J, Julvez J. Effect of Walnut Consumption on Neuropsychological Development in Healthy Adolescents: A Multi-school Randomized Controlled Trial eclinicalmedicine. April 06, 2023. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.101954.