Medicine in the News – July 2014

Acute Depression May Be Prodrome (early symptom) for Alzheimer’s
Elderly patients with acute depression who show deficits on brief structured tests of memory and executive function are at high risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease within the next 5 years, mounting evidence indicates.
-Frontline Medical Communications, April 2014
Plasma Biomarker Panel Predicts Amnestic MCI or AD
Researchers have identified a panel of 10 lipid metabolites that can predict the development of either amnestic mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease within 2-3 years, with 90% sensitivity and 90% specificity. The defined ten-metabolite profile features PCs (phosphatidylcholines) and ACs (acylcarnitines), phospholipids with essential structural and functional roles in the integrity and functionality of cell membranes.
-Nat. Med., March 2014
MS Progression Linked to Whole Brain Atrophy
The progression of disability in patients with multiple sclerosis was associated with whole brain, cortical, and putamen atrophy during the first 5 years after diagnosis, driven chiefly by a greater decline in gray matter than in white matter volume, a report shows.
-Clinical Psychiatry News, April 2014
Folate Deficiency Linked to Major Depression
Recent data strongly suggest that L-methylfolate is an effective augmentation strategy for major depression at both the initial onset of symptoms and in patients with treatment-resistant depression.
-Psychiatry Annals, April 2014
Cannabis and Stimulant Disorders Impact Diagnostic Stability in Psychosis
Cannabis disorders are associated with diagnostic instability and greater likelihood of progression to schizophrenia; by contrast, comorbid stimulant disorders may be associated with better prognosis in psychosis.
-J Clin Psychiatry, April 2014
Recent Cocaine Use Quadruples Risk of Ischemic Stroke
Cocaine use within the past 24 hours was associated with a fourfold increase in the odds of ischemic stroke, after adjusting for the effects of age, current smoking status, sex, and ethnicity.
-Frontline Medical Communications, April 2014
Systemic Approach Needed for Geriatric Depression
Low success rates and significant collateral damage in treating geriatric depression are mainly caused by poor patient adherence to prescribed medication. High treatment response rates are seen after persuading the patient to fill the prescription, take the drug as prescribed, and stay on it despite initial side effects or lack or efficacy.
-American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
Poor Sleep Quality May Affect Cannabis Cessation
Poor sleep quality was associated with higher rates of mean cannabis use and lower rates of cessation during the first 6 months following a self-guided attempt to quit, although sleep efficiency/duration was not linked to cannabis use, a study of U.S. veterans has shown.
-Clinical Psychiatry News, April 2014
Mental Illness Stigma is a Family Problem
The World Health Organization estimates that neuropsychiatric disorders are the leading cause of disability in the US, followed by cardiovascular and circulatory diseases and neoplasms. By association, not only does mental illness stigma affect individuals, it affects family members.
-Clinical Psychiatry News, April 2014
Study Links Sleep Deprivation with Obesity in Children
Children who get less sleep in infancy and early childhood may be at greater risk of being overweight or obese during mid-childhood.
-Pediatrics JAMA, May 2014
Increased Prevalence of Atrial Fibrillation in the Endurance Athlete
Recent emerging evidence indicates that endurance athletes may be at particularly high risk of developing atrial fibrillation.
-The Physician and Sports Medicine, February 2014
Comorbidities Lower Life Expectancy for Older People
The median survival for a 75-year old white person in US is 10.7 years for men and 12.8 years for women, while the medial survival for a 65-year old is 17.2 years for men and 20 years for women, depending on comorbid conditions and functional status.
-JAMA, December 2009 
Abundance of Non-nutritious Foods Leads to Current ‘Obesogenic’ Environment
Increasing access to more nutritious foods as a way to shape the food environment, along with preventive care and more cohesive public awareness campaigns, will help in setting the stage for treating obesity.
-Clinical Psychiatry News, April 2014 
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