@mala The observational study isn't able to show that gout flares themselves transiently raise the risk for MI or stroke, but it's enough to send a cautionary message to physicians who care for patients with gout.

@debrup The prospect of a cesarean birth “can be introduced early and often, which can be important in managing expectations,” she said, especially since women can feel depression and a sense of failure if it turns out they can’t give birth vaginally as they anticipated.

@soumalya The FDA is concerned that the risk of not having certain specialty and metabolic products available could significantly worsen underlying medical conditions and in some cases pose life-threatening risks for infants and individuals who rely on these products

A new study is providing what researchers are calling "unique and important insights" into potential mechanisms contributing to the Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) also known as "broken heart syndrome." Results from the retrospective case-control study suggest that chronically heightened stress-associated neurobiological activity may affect both the risk for, and timing of, subsequent TTS.

Baby formula trials are not reliable and have an "almost universal lack of transparency" which could undermine breastfeeding, according to the results of a systematic review published in BMJ. The findings underscore the need for significant change in the way such trials are conducted and reported, concluded lead author Bartosz Helfer, PhD, of the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London and the University of Wroclaw (Poland) Institute of Psychology and his coauthors. Citing a high risk of bias, selective reporting, and "almost universally favourable conclusions," the international team of investigators suggested "some trials might have a marketing aim and no robust scientific aim," concluding "much of the recent information generated about formula products might be misleading."

@taniya In a retrospective study, researchers from the University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York, compared vitamin D levels and iron status of 77 children with cow's milk allergy with 70 children with other food allergies and 87 children with atopy without food allergy. Data on vitamin D and iron levels were obtained from chart review of the randomly selected children, all of whom presented to the University of Rochester Medical Center Pediatric Allergy/Immunology Clinic. The ages of the patients ranged from 0.5 years to 17 years. Children with cow's milk allergy in this study were younger than children who had no food allergy (P < .001), which the researchers said was expected, insofar as younger children are more likely to have an allergy to milk.

@lalima The researchers followed the participants for up to 4 years and assessed effects on cognition (verbal learning/memory, auditory attention/working memory, visual attention/executive function, and speeded language/mental flexibility) and mood. The average age of study participants was 52.6 years, and the average time past the last menstrual period was 1.4 years. Neither treatment regimen improved cognition, but women who took pills only improved in depression and anxiety symptoms (tension-anxiety and depression-dejection) compared with women receiving placebo. Mood did not improve for women wearing patches. The researchers had hypothesized improvement in cognition and mood among the women wearing the patches, but not among those taking pills, on the basis of differences in how the body processes drugs from different routes of administration.

@shiladitya The study is the first known to use EEG to explore the mechanisms of PD-related anxiety and “the reported results provide new insights, supporting findings of previous studies using other modalities, mainly rs-fMRI, and show that EEG could be a relevant technique to explore these disorders.

@dhitishree A condition in which skin and the tissue just below the skin freeze. Frostbite mostly affects small, exposed body parts such as fingers and toes. Treatment depends on severity, mild cases can be treated with gradual warming. Severe cases require medical care to prevent complications. Frostbite occurs in several stages: Frostnip, a mild form of frostbite, superficial frostbite causing slight changes in skin color or deep (severe) frostbite affecting all layers of the skin as well as the tissues that lie below. Mild frostbite (frostnip) can be treated at home with first-aid care. For all other frostbite, after appropriate first aid and assessment for hypothermia, medical treatment may involve rewarming, medications, wound care, surgery and various therapies, depending on the severity of
the injury.

Hello, I am very much worried about the emergence of omicron. Will Omicron cause more severe illness? We have lost one of our family members due to delta variant of COVID. Please help me with your information.