Medical Bulletin 05/ February/ 2025 - Video
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Overview
Here are the top medical news for the day:
Are the Effects of Different for Depressed Heavy Drinkers?
A new study from the University of Chicago Medicine reveals that people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and depression experience high levels of stimulation and pleasure when intoxicated, similar to drinkers who do not have depression.
The findings counter the long-held belief that the pleasure people experience when drinking alcohol decreases with addiction and that drinking to intoxication is mainly to reduce negative feelings as a form of self-medication. Findings are published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
The research followed 232 individuals across the U.S. between the ages of 21 to 35, corresponding to the period when most heavy drinking occurs in a person's lifetime. Half of the study group met criteria for alcohol use disorder in the past year and were evenly divided in terms of those who had or had not experienced a major depressive disorder in the past year.
Through their smartphones, participants answered questions every half hour for three hours during one typical alcohol drinking episode and a non-alcohol episode. The researchers found that alcohol consumption reduced negative feelings, although the reduction was small and nonspecific to their depression or alcohol use disorder status. The positive effects of alcohol were much higher in individuals with alcohol use disorder.
"As treatment providers, we're taught people with alcohol use disorder are drinking to self-medicate and feel better," said Andrea King, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at UChicago and lead author of the study. "But what exactly are they feeling? From our study, it seems to be high levels of stimulation and pleasurable effects, with a modest decrease in negative states.”
Reference: King, A. C., Fischer, A. M., Cursio, J. F., Didier, N. A., Lee, Z., & Fridberg, D. J. (2025). Real-Time Assessment of Alcohol Reward, Stimulation, and Negative Affect in Individuals With and Without Alcohol Use Disorder and Depressive Disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 182(2), 187–197. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.20240069
Systematic Review Shows Cold Water Immersion May Be Good for Our Health
Researchers in a new systematic review and meta-analysis found that cold-water immersion may lower stress, improve sleep quality, and boost quality of life.
The study analyzed data from 11 studies with 3177 participants.
UniSA researcher Tara Cain says the study reveals time-dependant and nuanced effects on health and wellbeing measures.
Cold-water immersion involves immersing the body partially or fully in cold water, in temperatures typically ranging from 10-15 degrees Celsius, and in this study, data was only included if exposure was at or above chest level, and for a minimum time of 30 seconds. It included cold showers, ice baths and cold plunges.
"In this study, we noted a range of time-dependant results. Firstly, we found that cold-water immersion could reduce stress levels, but for only about 12 hours post exposure.
"We also noted that participants who took 20, 60, or 90 second cold showers reported slightly higher quality of life scores. But again, after three months these effects had faded.
"Benefits may be gained from cold showers as well, with one study reporting that participants who took regular cold showers experiencing a 29% reduction in sickness absence.
"We also found some links to cold-water immersion and better sleep outcomes, but the data was restricted to males, so its broader application is limited.
"And while there have been many claims that cold-water immersion experiences can boost your immunity and mood, we found very little evidence to support these claims."
Co-researcher, UniSA's Dr Ben Singh says the study also showed that cold-water immersion caused a temporary increase in inflammation.
Researchers say that while the findings highlight the potential benefits of cold-water immersion, they also underscore the highly time-dependent and contextual nature of its effects.
Reference: https://www.unisa.edu.au/media-centre/Releases/2025/the-big-chill-is-cold-water-immersion-good-for-our-health/
Attending Parties and Visiting Friends Could Delay Dementia Onset: Study Finds
The study, posted online in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, shows that frequent social activity may help to prevent or delay dementia in old age.
The study included 1,923 dementia-free older adults with a mean age of about 80 who are participating in the Rush Memory and Aging Project, an ongoing longitudinal study of common chronic conditions of aging.
A total of 545 participants developed dementia, and 695 developed mild cognitive impairment. They each underwent yearly evaluations that included a medical history and neuropsychological tests.
In addition, a five-year delay in dementia onset has been estimated to yield an additional three years of life and an economic benefit of reducing dementia costs by 40% in the next 30 years, potentially $500,000 in lifetime health care savings for each person who would eventually develop dementia.
Social activity was measured based on a questionnaire that asked participants whether, and how often, in the previous year they had engaged in six common social activities that involve social interaction -- for example, whether they went to restaurants or sporting events, played bingo, took day or overnight trips, did volunteer work or visited relatives or friends.
Cognitive function was assessed using 21 tests for various types of memory as well as perceptual speed and visuospatial ability.
At the start of the investigation, all participants were free of any signs of cognitive impairment. Over an average of five years, however, those who were more socially active showed reduced rates of dementia. Other variables that might have accounted for the increase in cognitive decline -- such as age, physical exercise and health -- were all adjusted for in the analysis.
The findings suggest that more frequent social activity points to a 38% reduction in dementia risk and a 21% reduction in mild cognitive impairment risk, compared to the least socially active.
"This study is a follow up on previous papers from our group showing that social activity is related to less cognitive decline in older adults," said Bryan James, PhD, associate professor of internal medicine at Rush.
"In this study, we show that social activity is associated with an increased risk of developing dementia and mild cognitive impairment, and that the least socially active older adults developed dementia an average of five years before the most socially active."
Reference: https://www.rush.edu/news/being-social-may-delay-dementia-onset-five-years
Study Reveals Taking Oral Contraceptive Pills Could Reduce Risk of Ovarian Cancer
The primary role of oral contraceptive pill is to prevent pregnancy but it could also help reduce the risk of ovarian cancer, according to new research from the University of South Australia. The findings are published in International journal of gynecological cancer.
Screening for risk factors of ovarian cancer using artificial intelligence, UniSA researchers found that the oral contraceptive pill reduced the risk of ovarian cancer by 26% among women who had ever used the Pill, and by 43% for women who had used the Pill after the age of 45.
The study also identified some biomarkers associated with ovarian cancer risk, including several characteristics of red blood cells and certain liver enzymes in the blood, with lower body weight and shorter stature associating with a lower risk of ovarian cancer.
Researchers also found that women who had given birth to two or more children had a 39% reduced risk of developing ovarian cancer compared to those who had not had children.
The study used artificial intelligence to assess the data of 221,732 females (aged 37-73 at baseline) in the UK Biobank.
“We included information from almost 3000 diverse characteristics related to health, medication use, diet and lifestyle, physical measures, metabolic, and hormonal factors, each measured at the start of the study,” Machine learning specialist, UniSA’s Dr Iqbal Madakkatel, says.
“It was particularly interesting that some blood measures – which were measured on average 12.6 years before diagnoses – were predictive of ovarian cancer risk, because it suggests we may be able to develop tests to identify women at risk at a very early stage.”
Reference: Madakkatel I, Lumsden AL, Mulugeta A, Mäenpää J, Oehler MK, Hyppönen E. Large-scale analysis to identify risk factors for ovarian cancer. Int J Gynecol Cancer. 2025 Jan 6:ijgc-2024-005424. doi: 10.1136/ijgc-2024-005424. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39084694.
Speakers
Dr. Bhumika Maikhuri
BDS, MDS
Dr Bhumika Maikhuri is a Consultant Orthodontist at Sanjeevan Hospital, Delhi. She is also working as a Correspondent and a Medical Writer at Medical Dialogues. She completed her BDS from Dr D Y patil dental college and MDS from Kalinga institute of dental sciences. Apart from dentistry, she has a strong research and scientific writing acumen. At Medical Dialogues, She focusses on medical news, dental news, dental FAQ and medical writing etc.