Medical Bulletin 12/October/2022 - Video
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Overview
Here are the top medical news for the day:
Pandemic babies' are indeed different and not in a good way
The enforced isolation imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns may have impeded the social communication skills of babies born during these periods, suggests research published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
Before the advent of coronavirus vaccines, mass lockdowns and mask wearing were deployed to curb the spread of COVID-19 infection, limiting babies' interactions with people outside the home and potentially restricting their access to visual and facial cues for language development.
To gauge the potential impact these measures might have had, the researchers assessed 10 parentally reported developmental outcomes for 309 'pandemic' babies at 12 months of age.
Reference:
Dr Susan Byrne et al, Social communication skill attainment in babies born during the COVID- 19 pandemic: a birth cohort study doi 10.1136/archdischild-2021-323441 Journal: Archives of Disease in Childhood
Geographical location may cause varying PCOS symptoms in women
Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in Alabama may be more likely to have excessive hair growth and insulin resistance, whereas women with PCOS in California may be more likely to have higher testosterone levels, according to new research published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Women are diagnosed with PCOS if they have two of the following criteria: androgen excess , ovulatory dysfunction and polycystic ovaries.
The researchers compared data from 1,620 back and white women with PCOS in Alabama an California. They found regional differences in the way these women met criteria for the diagnosis of PCOS and in symptoms associated with PCOS, with some variations among black and white women.
Reference:
Margareta D. Pisarska et al, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
Aneurysm rupture risk prediction model developed
Predicting the rupture of aneurysms is crucial for medical prevention and treatment. In Physics of Fluids, researchers from the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum, and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, developed a patient-specific mathematical model to examine what aneurysm parameters influence rupture risk prior to surgery.
Aneurysms occur when the weakest point of a blood vessel thins, expands, and, after a certain limit, bursts. In the case of cerebral aneurysms such as internal carotid artery bifurcation aneurysm, blood leaks into the intracranial cavity.
Reference:
"Influence of morphological parameters on hemodynamics in internal carotid artery bifurcation aneurysms," is authored by Mahesh S. Nagargoje, Chanikya Valeti, N. Manjunath, Bhushan Akhade, B.J. Sudhir, B.S.V. Patnaik, and Santhosh K. Kannath. The article will appear in Physics of Fluids on Oct. 11, 2022 (DOI: 10.1063/5.0117879). After that date, it can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0117879.
Later developmental concerns may be seen in Birthweights below the 25th percentile
Being born below the 25th percentile for birthweight may put a child at risk for developmental difficulties, according to a new study by Abiodun Adanikin of Coventry University, UK, and colleagues.
Babies that are too big or too small are believed to be at risk of poor birth outcomes and problems related to childhood development, but little is known about this relationship across the entire range of birthweights for non-premature babies. To fill this gap, researchers studied the development of more than 600,000 infants born after 37 weeks of gestation in Scotland. At around two or three years of age, the children underwent evaluation for social development and for fine motor, gross motor and communication skills.
Reference:
Adanikin A, Lawlor DA, Pell JP, Nelson SM, Smith GCS, Iliodromiti S (2022) Association of birthweight centiles and early childhood development of singleton infants born from 37 weeks of gestation in Scotland: A population-based cohort study. PLoS Med 19(10): e1004108. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004108
Speakers
Isra Zaman
B.Sc Life Sciences, M.Sc Biotechnology, B.Ed
Isra Zaman is a Life Science graduate from Daulat Ram College, Delhi University, and a postgraduate in Biotechnology from Amity University. She has a flair for writing, and her roles at Medicaldialogues include that of a Sr. content writer and a medical correspondent. Her news pieces cover recent discoveries and updates from the health and medicine sector. She can be reached at editorial@medicaldialogues.in.