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Association Between Choroid Plexus Morphological Alterations, Alzheimer Pathologies, and Cognitive ImpairmentA Longitudinal Study

Question What are the main predictors for high health care costs among patients with head and neck cancer?

Findings In this population-based cohort study, advanced cancer stage and receiving multiple treatment modalities were the strongest predictors of high health care costs. Female sex, older age, and lower socioeconomic status were associated with an increased likelihood for high health care costs, although with a weaker effect size.

Meaning Future research should focus on evaluating screening strategies and early diagnosis to assess their potential effects on cost reduction and improved outcomes for patients with head and neck cancer.

Psoriasis rates rise globally, with highest burden in wealthier regions

Researchers in China report that global incidence rates of psoriasis rose slightly from 1990 to 2021 and are projected to continue rising for both men and women through 2050.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that continues to impose a growing global burden. Understanding the rate of increase is critical for informing public health strategies, improving health care access, and supporting early diagnosis worldwide.

In the study, “Global Psoriasis Burden and Forecasts to 2050,” published as a Research Letter in JAMA Dermatology, researchers used a time-series forecasting analysis to project global psoriasis incidence through 2050 and to address age, sex, and regional differences in burden.

Cerebral Microvascular Perfusion Assessed in Elderly Adults by Spin-Echo Dynamic Susceptibility Contrast MRI at 7 Tesla

Perfusion measures of the total vasculature are commonly derived with gradient-echo (GE) dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) MR images, which are acquired during the early passes of a contrast agent. Alternatively, spin-echo (SE) DSC can be used to achieve specific sensitivity to the capillary signal. For an improved contrast-to-noise ratio, ultra-high-field MRI makes this technique more appealing to study cerebral microvascular physiology. Therefore, this study assessed the applicability of SE-DSC MRI at 7 T. Forty-one elderly adults underwent 7 T MRI using a multi-slice SE-EPI DSC sequence. The cerebral blood volume (CBV) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) were determined in the cortical grey matter (CGM) and white matter (WM) and compared to values from the literature. The relation of CBV and CBF with age and sex was investigated.

Sons of mothers with type 1 diabetes show early signs of vascular dysfunction

“Our work shows that vascular function is affected before metabolic dysfunction appears, which challenges current assumptions,” the last author of the study.

The study found that the dysfunction is driven by oxidative stress in endothelial cells, a potential early sign of future cardiovascular disease. The findings could help clinicians better assess risk and focus on preventive measures.

“We observed that early intervention can restore vascular function in affected animals, pointing to new opportunities for disease prevention later in life,” adds the first author.

A new study i reveals that sons born to mothers with type 1 diabetes may develop early vascular dysfunction – independently of metabolic health. The finding, published in Cell Reports Medicine, may help shape future strategies to prevent cardiovascular disease early in life.

Children of women with type 1 diabetes are known to be at increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. This new study is, according to the researchers, the first to show that the risk is linked to early dysfunction in blood vessel cells in sons, even before any metabolic issues arise.

Researchers used a combination of animal models, Swedish and Danish health registries, and a small clinical study to explore the link. Results show a sex-specific effect: only sons displayed early vascular changes.

Continue reading “Sons of mothers with type 1 diabetes show early signs of vascular dysfunction” | >

Schizophrenia-spectrum disorders may originate in specific brain regions that show early structural damage

Researchers at the University of Seville have identified the possible origins of structural damage in the brains of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs). These are regions that show the greatest morphological alterations in the early stages of the disease compared to neurotypical people of the same sex and age. The study also found that people with SSD have significant reductions in structural similarity between different regions of the temporal, cingulate and insular lobes.

The research is published in the journal Nature Communications.

Children With Autism, ADHD, And Anorexia Share a Common Microbe Imbalance

The ratio of two dominant groups of microbes in the human gut was higher across all three disorder groups than was typically seen in the control group.

A new, small study suggests children with autism, ADHD, and anorexia share similarly disrupted gut microbiomes, which, by some measures, have more in common with each other than with their healthy, neurotypical peers.

Led by researchers from Comenius University in Slovakia, the study used stool samples to assess the gut microbiomes of 117 children.

The exploratory study included 30 boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 21 girls with anorexia nervosa, and 14 children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The remaining samples were from age-and sex-matched healthy and neurotypical children, providing a control group.

Scientists Call Age-25 Cannabis Rules a Myth

“This Perspective concludes that an MLA between 18–21 years is a scientifically supportable and socially coherent threshold for non-medical cannabis use.”

What should be the minimum legal age for recreational cannabis? This is what a recent study published in The American Journal on Drug and Alcohol Abuse hopes to address as a team of scientists investigated the benefits and challenges of raising the legal age for using recreational marijuana to 25, with the current age range being 18 to 21, depending on the country. This study has the potential to help researchers, legislators, and the public better understand the neuroscience behind the appropriate age for cannabis use.

For the study, the researchers examined brain development for individuals aged 18–25, specifically regarding brain maturation and whether this ceases before age 25. They note it depends on a myriad of factors, including sex, geographic region, and physiology. This study comes as Germany recently published several studies regarding legalizing recreational marijuana nationwide and marijuana use rates post-legalization. In the end, the researchers for this most recent study concluded that raising the minimum legal age for recreational cannabis use to 25 is unnecessary.

The study notes, “This Perspective concludes that an MLA between 18–21 years is a scientifically supportable and socially coherent threshold for non-medical cannabis use. Policy decisions should be informed not only by neurobiological evidence but also by legal, justice, sociocultural, psychological, and historical considerations.”

Bisphenol A causes sex-specific changes in metabolism and the immune system, study reveals

Even small amounts of bisphenol A can lead to long-term health effects. When researchers studied adult rats exposed in the fetal stage, they found that females had developed a more masculine and males a more feminine gene expression pattern. This led to females progressing towards a cancer-like state, while males progressed towards metabolic syndrome, which can increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Bisphenol A is a synthetic chemical with estrogen-like properties that is commonly used in food packaging materials. The substance is banned in many products, but is still present in some packaging. Levels of bisphenol A in people’s bodies are often above levels considered safe, with previous research showing that the substance can cause adverse health effects.

Females masculinized and males feminized In the current study, published in Communications Medicine, researchers investigated how bisphenol A affects the body during the fetal stage.

Spaceflight study reveals men experience greater eye changes, while brain differences between sexes are subtle

A new study into how spaceflight impacts the human brain and eyes revealed notable sex differences in brain fluid shifts, with female astronauts showing a greater reduction in fluid around the uppermost part of the brain than their male counterparts.

Led by Rachael D. Seidler, Ph.D., director of the University of Florida’s Astraeus Space Institute and professor of applied physiology and kinesiology, the study analyzed data from astronauts to determine how factors such as sex, age and body metrics relate to structural and eye changes after .

The findings, published in npj Microgravity, provide key information for protecting astronaut health on long-duration missions to the moon and Mars.

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