Medical Bulletin 28/ February/ 2025
Here are the top medical news for the day:
Hormonal Therapy: A New Frontier in Preventing Wrinkles and Hair Graying, reports study
Hormones may be leveraged to treat and prevent signs of aging such as wrinkles and hair graying, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society journal Endocrine Reviews.
Until now, only a limited number of hormones, mainly topical retinoids (retinol and tretinoin) and estrogen which is typically used to treat side effects of menopause, have been used in clinical practice as anti-skin aging compounds. This study reviews a new class of hormones and their anti-aging properties.
To better understand the connection between hormones and skin aging, the researchers studied the pivotal hormones controlling skin aging, including insulin-like growth factor 1, growth hormone, estrogens, retinoids and melatonin. Melatonin is especially interesting as a potential anti-skin aging substance as it is a small molecule, inexpensive, well-tolerated and a direct and indirect antioxidant as well as a regulator of mitochondrial metabolism.
Our paper highlights key hormone players that orchestrate pathways of skin aging such as degradation of connective tissue (leading to wrinkling), stem cell survival and loss of pigment (leading to hair graying),” said lead author Markus Böhm, M.D., of the University of Münster in Münster, Germany. “Some of the hormones we studied have anti-aging properties and may be used in the future as agents to prevent skin aging."
They also reviewed the emerging roles of additional endocrine players, including α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (responsible for skin pigmentation), members of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis, oxytocin, endocannabinoids (found in CBD products) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor modulators and found they have very promising effects, e.g. on UV-induced genotoxic stress crucially involved in the development of photoaging and pigment synthesis within skin and hair.
“Further research into these hormones may offer opportunities to develop new therapeutics for treating and preventing skin aging,” Böhm said.
Ref: Markus Böhm, Agatha Stegemann, Ralf Paus, Konrad Kleszczyński, Pallab Maity, Meinhard Wlaschek, Karin Scharffetter-Kochanek, Endocrine Controls of Skin Aging, Endocrine Reviews, 2025;, bnae034, https://doi.org/10.1210/endrev/bnae034
Study Reveals Young Women Endure Menopause Symptoms in Silence
More than half of women ages 30 to 35 are already suffering moderate to severe symptoms associated with menopause, yet most women are waiting decades before seeking treatment, new research from UVA Health and the Flo women’s health app reveals.
The research sheds important light on “perimenopause,” the transition period leading to menopause. Many women in perimenopause assume they’re too young to be suffering symptoms related to menopause, believing that symptoms won’t appear until they reach their 50s. But this mistaken belief, the researchers say, only causes women to suffer in silence.
The new study analyzes symptoms self-reported by more than 4,400 American women ages 30 and older who responded to a survey conducted online and in the Flo app. Among women 30 to 35, 55.4% reported symptoms that meet the criteria for “moderate” or “severe” on the widely used Menopause Rating Scale. This number increased to 64.3% among women 36 to 40. Yet most women don’t seek treatment for menopause symptoms until they are 56 or older.
The researchers found that psychological symptoms, such as anxiety, depression and irritability, took hold long before physical symptoms. These symptoms reached their peak among women ages 41-45, then ebbed to their lowest in women ages 56 and over.
Physical problems such as sexual problems, bladder issues and vaginal dryness peaked in women 51 and older. These types of problems were lowest in women ages 30 to 35.
Some of the symptoms most classically associated with menopause, such as hot flashes and sweating, peaked at ages 51 to 55 and were lowest among women 30 to 35.
The researchers hope their results will help fill what they call an “alarming gap” in the understanding of perimenopause, improving care and support for women approaching menopause.
Ref: Cunningham, A.C., Hewings-Martin, Y., Wickham, A.P. et al. Perimenopause symptoms, severity, and healthcare seeking in women in the US. npj Womens Health 3, 12 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44294-025-00061-3
Breast-Conserving Surgery Boosts Sexual Well-Being Over Reconstruction, Study Finds
For women with breast cancer, breast-conserving therapy (BCT) is associated with improved sexual well-being, compared to mastectomy followed by breast reconstruction, reports a study in the March issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Many women with breast cancer have sexual health concerns. In previous studies, up to 85% of breast cancer patients report sexual dysfunction but few receive any medical guidance for sexual dysfunction. For many patients, BCT – sometimes called "lumpectomy" – offers an effective alternative to mastectomy. For those who undergo mastectomy, breast reconstruction has established benefits in terms of quality of life and self-esteem.
Few studies of breast cancer treatment have focused on sexual well-being, especially in comparing the outcomes of BCT versus postmastectomy breast reconstruction (PMBR). Using validated BREAST-Q questionnaire, the researchers analyzed sexual well-being scores for 15,857 patients who underwent breast cancer surgery.
About 54% of patients underwent BCT and 46% had PBMR. Scores on a sexual well-being subscale – addressing sexual attractiveness, sexual confidence, and comfort level during sex – were compared between groups, including long-term follow-up when available.
Overall, scores averaged 7.6 points higher in the BCT group. Sexual well-being was significantly correlated with scores in other BREAST-Q domains, including physical well-being of the chest, satisfaction with breasts, and psychosocial well-being.
Despite the impact on sexual well-being, only 3.5% of the BCT group and 5.4% of the PBMR group received sexual medicine consultation, which was available from a dedicated service at the authors' cancer center
The authors also emphasize the need to consider and discuss the impact of breast cancer surgery on sexual well-being. They then concluded that although many patients have low sexual health, most do not receive sexual medicine consultation, suggesting an opportunity for providers to improve breast cancer patients' sexual health.
Ref: Stern, Carrie S. MD, Kim, Minji BS et al. Breast-Conserving Therapy Preserves Sexual Well-Being More than Postmastectomy Breast Reconstruction: Trends, Factors, and Interventions. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 155(3):p 407-420, March 2025. | DOI: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000011657
Pilot Study Suggests Promising Treatment for Cognitive Improvement in Alzheimer's Risk Group
A new pilot study known as STAMINA (Senolytics To Alleviate Mobility Issues and Neurological Impairments in Aging), that focused on the effects of senolytic medications, Dasatinib and Quercetin (DQ), which remove old (senescent) cells from the body, suggests that intermittent treatment may hold promise for improving cognitive function in older adults at risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Published in the eBioMedicine journal, the research explored the effects of DQ on cognition and mobility in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and slow gait, which are conditions linked to increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Over 12 weeks, 12 participants took a combination of Dasatinib (100mg) and Quercetin (1250mg) for two days every two weeks. Researchers observed a statistically significant increase of 2.0 points in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores in participants with the lowest baseline scores, hinting at potential cognitive benefits. Additionally, reductions in the inflammatory chemical called tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) correlated with cognitive improvements, suggesting that senolytics might enhance cognitive function by reducing inflammation.
The results showed an improvement in cognitive scores, particularly among participants with the lowest baseline cognitive function and a reduction in a key inflammatory chemical in the blood associated with cellular aging.
The team then concluded that these results are promising, but this is a very small pilot study and that they do not know if these findings occurred just by chance. Additional research is needed to confirm these preliminary benefits and further explore the therapeutic potential of senolytics.
Ref: A pilot study of senolytics to improve cognition and mobility in older adults at risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Millar, Courtney L. et al. eBioMedicine, Volume 113, 105612
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