Medical Bulletin 9/September/2022

Colorectal cancer is more common in elderly above 50 years of age and comprise 2 percent of all cancers.

Its symptoms could be disturbed bowel habits like going to the loo more than a couple of times in a day and having alternate diarrhea.

In simpler terms, if you notice blood in stools and that is not related to hemorrhoids, recent onset of constipation, incomplete bowel evacuation and a feeling of dissatisfaction after one bowel movement, altered bowel habits, reduced appetite, narrowing of the stool that persists and pain in the abdomen, you must speak to your doctor.

An analysis of all relevant studies published in the medical literature published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society indicates that poor periodontal health and tooth loss may increase the risk of both cognitive decline and dementia.

The analysis, included 47 studies. Poor periodontal health was associated with a 23% higher odds of cognitive decline and a 21% higher risk of dementia. Tooth loss alone was linked to a 23% higher odds of cognitive decline and a 13% higher risk of dementia. The overall quality of evidence was low, however.

Ref:

Dawn Peters,"Periodontal Health, Cognitive Decline, and Dementia - A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Longitudinal Studies"Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, DOI 10.1111/jgs.17978

Children of women with gestational diabetes and obesity may be twice as likely to develop attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared to those whose mothers did not have obesity, according to new research published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

The estimated number of children aged 3–17 years ever diagnosed with ADHD is 6 million, according to data from 2016-2019. A major risk factor for ADHD in children is maternal obesity.

Roughly 30% of women have obesity at their first doctor's visit during pregnancy, and this number increases to 47% in women with gestational diabetes. Excessive weight gain during pregnancy in this population is a risk factor for children developing ADHD.

Ref:

Verónica Perea et al, Role of Excessive Weight Gain During Gestation in the Risk of ADHD in Offspring of Women with Gestational Diabetes, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism

Researchers from the National Eye Institute have developed a gene therapy that rescues cilia defects in retinal cells affected by a type of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a disease that causes blindness in early childhood. Using patient-derived retina organoids (also known as retinas-in-a-dish), the researchers discovered that a type of LCA caused by mutations in the NPHP5 (also called IQCB1) gene leads to severe defects in the primary cilium, a structure found in nearly all cells of the body.

The findings not only shed light on the function of NPHP5 protein in the primary cilium but also led to a potential treatment for this blinding condition. NEI is part of the National Institutes of Health.

Ref:

Kruczek K, Qu Z, Welby E, et al. "In vitro modeling and rescue of ciliopathy associated with IQCB1/NPHP5 mutations using patient-derived cells." Stem Cell Reports. Sept 8, 2022.