While melatonin can be useful in treating certain sleep-wake disorders, like jet lag, there is much less evidence it can help healthy children or adults fall asleep faster. With this increased use has come a spike in reports of melatonin overdose, calls to poison control centers, and related eemergency department visits for children. Federal data show that the number of US children who unintentionally ingested melatonin supplements jumped 530% from 2012 to 2021. More than 4000 of the reported ingestions led to a hospital stay, and 287 children required intensive care.

@leena Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a clinical diagnosis made via the exclusion of all other causes. No universally accepted diagnostic criteria, laboratory tests, imaging studies or other modalities definitively diagnose or exclude burning mouth syndrome (BMS).

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning letters to 12 companies selling over-the-counter (OTC) skin lightening products, the agency announced today. All the products contain hydroquinone as the active ingredient, and don't meet the requirements to be sold legally over-the-counter.

At least 228 probable cases of severe hepatitis in children have been reported across 20 countries worldwide, according to the World Health Organization on May 4. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating 109 cases of pediatric hepatitis of unknown cause, the public health agency announced May 6. As clinicians, epidemiologists, and other experts search for answers on what is causing serious liver inflammation in affected kids and how to prevent it, it might help to start with what can be ruled out. For one, researchers agree that hepatitis A, B, C, D, or E — viruses that more commonly cause acute hepatitis — are not to blame in these cases. Nor are these cases definitively linked to SARS-CoV-2 infection, at least not so far, and there also is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccination is to blame.

@sneha Identifying dysglycemia at an early stage allows for lifestyle intervention to prevent or slow progression to type 2 diabetes. Although A1c is widely used to screen for prediabetes (5.7%-6.4%; 39-46 mmol/mol) and type 2 diabetes (≥ 6.5%, 48 mmol/mol), it is insensitive for identifying the early stages of beta-cell dysfunction. People with incident type 2 diabetes are often diagnosed after significant beta-cell dysfunction has already occurred.

@mukund SODIUM-HF was a pragmatic, multinational, open-label, randomized trial conducted in six countries (Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and New Zealand), which included 809 patients (median age, 67 years) with chronic heart failure (NYHA functional class II–III) who were receiving optimally tolerated guideline-directed medical treatment. They were randomly assigned to usual care according to local guidelines or a low-sodium diet of less than 100 mmol (<1500 mg/day). Patients with a baseline sodium intake of less than 1500 mg/day were excluded. In the intervention group, patients were asked to follow low-sodium menus developed by dietitians localized to each region. They also received behavioral counseling by trained dietitians or physicians or nurses. Dietary sodium intake was assessed by using a 3-day food record (including 1 weekend day) at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months in both groups and, for the intervention group, also at 3 and 9 months to monitor and support dietary adherence.

@mukund Urticaria affects an estimated 20% of the population, Friedman said, and is more common in females than males. More than two-thirds of cases are self-limiting but 10% can persist longer than 5 years. Acute episodes are more likely to have an identifiable trigger, while chronic episodes, which last more than six weeks, typically do not. The longer the duration, the lower the chance of identifying the root cause. The foods/food products most commonly affecting children with acute urticaria include milk, egg, peanut, wheat, and soy, while the common culprits in adults are tree nuts, peanuts, and shellfish. Other triggers include the yellow food dye annatto, the red food dye carmine, contact with raw fruits or vegetables, animal saliva, and certain detergents or perfume

A genomic study has revealed new insights into the function of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) in the context of reproductive biology and fertility. Insights into the physiological, and potentially therapeutic, function were identified based on data from single-cell RNA sequencing, derived from transcriptomic analysis and immunolabeling of antral follicles.

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a new contact lens that elutes the antihistamine ketotifen as a treatment for ocular allergy. This is the world's first and only contact lens that's able to prevent itching associated with allergies, while at the same time providing vision correction. The new lens, Acuvue Theravision With Ketotifenis, is already on the market in Canada and Japan. The lenses are daily disposable contacts indicated for the prevention of ocular itch due to allergic conjunctivitis in people who do not have red eyes, are suitable for wearing contact lenses, and do not have more than 1.00 D of astigmatism.

Several long COVID symptoms could be linked to the effects of the coronavirus on a vital central nerve, according to new research being released. The vagus nerve, which runs from the brain into the body, connects to the heart, lungs, intestines, and several muscles involved with swallowing. It plays a role in several body functions that control heart rate, speech, the gag reflex, sweating, and digestion. Those with long COVID and vagus nerve problems could face long-term issues with their voice, a hard time swallowing, dizziness, a high heart rate, low blood pressure, and diarrhea, the study authors found.