Articles related to Family Medicine/General Practice

Researchers from Texas Tech University discovered that participants who had only ever sent (but never received) sexts reported higher levels of depression, anxiety, and sleep problems than the other groups. They also suggested a link between sexting, marijuana use, and compulsive sexual behavior. According to the report, more than half of adults have sent a sext, and women are up to four times more likely than men to have received nonconsensual sexts. Many people say they enjoy consensual sexting because it empowers them and builds their self-confidence, but nonconsensual sexting can cause feelings of violation and awkwardness.

Some cans of Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea, StarKist, Safe Catch, and Wild Planet tuna contained higher than usual mercury levels, despite the average level being within standards.

The question of whether, when, and how children and adolescents with gender dysphoria should be treated medically or surgically is contentious. Gender dysphoria in the United States is being treated with “gender affirming care,” which may include gonadotrophin releasing hormone analogues (GnRHa) to suppress puberty, oestrogen or testosterone to promote secondary sex characteristics, and surgical removal or augmentation of breasts, genitals, or other physical features. At the same time, several European countries have issued guidelines limiting medical intervention in minors and emphasizing psychological care. There is little doubt in the medical community that children in distress require care, but there are concerns about the rapid widespread adoption of interventions and calls for rigorous scientific review from all corners.

PDE4 is linked to alcohol and nicotine addiction, so the researchers prioritized apremilast, a newer PDE4 inhibitor for psoriasis, as ideal for repurposing and tested it in multiple animal strains and models, as well as a human Phase IIa study. In mouse models of genetic risk for drinking to intoxication, they discovered that apremilast reduced binge-like alcohol intake and behavioral measures of alcohol motivation.

Long-term continuous monitoring for atrial fibrillation in older patients yielded an incidental diagnosis of sinus node dysfunction or atrioventricular block with bradycardia in 21% of patients over the age of 70. But the finding was not associated with any increased risk of syncope or sudden death.

In the study, 1,400 individuals were assessed multiple times between ages of 36 and 69 for level of physical activity. They were quantified as not active, moderately active, and most active. Cognition measurements in later life showed a dose-response relationship between sustained levels of physical activity and later-life cognition status.