Tag: 23/4/25

Categories : Mental Health OphthalmologyTags :

Genetic Schizophrenic Susceptibility Could Show up in the Retina

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Photoreceptor cells in the retina. Credit: Scientific Animations

Could the eyes, which are directly connected to the brain, hold clues to brain changes? An international team of researchers led by the University of Zurich and the University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich has now tackled this very question. In their study, published in Nature Mental Health, the researchers examined whether changes in our nerve connections are linked to a genetic risk for schizophrenia, as impaired neural information processing is one of the main characteristics of the disorder.

Previous studies suggest that schizophrenia not only reduces volume of grey matter in the brains of those affected, but that it also leads to loss of retinal tissue. But whether these changes are the cause of schizophrenia or a consequence of the disorder has remained unanswered. Retinal health could also be affected by schizophrenia itself, for example, through antipsychotic medication, lifestyle factors or diabetes.

Extensive use of data from healthy individuals

“To investigate whether the risk of developing schizophrenia has an effect on the central nervous system, we examined tens of thousands of healthy individuals,” says Finn Rabe, first author of the study and postdoc at the University of Zurich. “We then calculated polygenic risk scores for each individual.”

The researchers were able to use extensive genetic and retinal data taken from the UK Biobank, a large biomedical database containing data from over half a million people. “You could say that the scale of the UK Biobank’s data has revolutionised biomedical research,” the researcher adds.

Thin retina, elevated risk

The study shows that higher genetic susceptibility to schizophrenia is indeed associated with thinner retinas. The effects are small, though, and can only be reliably demonstrated in large-scale studies. One of the study’s findings is that, unlike changes in the brain, changes in the retina are easy to detect using non-invasive and inexpensive retinal measurements. Thanks to optical coherence tomography, which can be described as a kind of ultrasound for the eye, retinal thickness can be measured in minutes.

This offers a promising outlook for prevention. “Our study shows the potential of using optical coherence tomography in clinical practice. But large-scale longitudinal studies are needed to examine how useful it will be for prevention,” says Finn Rabe.

Perspectives for new therapies

Another key finding of the study concerns genetic variants associated with inflammatory processes in the brain. These may also contribute to structural changes in the retina. The study thus offers further support for the inflammation hypothesis of schizophrenia, ie, the idea that inflammatory processes contribute to the development or progression of the disorder. “If this hypothesis is confirmed, inflammation could be interrupted by medication, potentially enabling us to improve treatment possibilities in the future,” says Rabe.

Source: University of Zurich

Categories : Ethics and Law UrogenitalTags :

Court Rules that UTI Drug Trade Names are Too Similar

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Photo by Bill Oxford on Unsplash

A court case over the trade names of two urinary tract infection (UTI) drugs has been settled. The court ordered that Cipla Medpro be restrained from using the trade name Furizome as it is too similar to Adcock Ingram’s UTI drug Urizone, leading to potential confusion by consumers. In his ruling, Justice James Lekhuleni of the High Court, Western Cape Division, who stated that despite safeguards against confusion in prescribing, ultimately “doctors are human”, so miscommunications could occur – and that the agency of patients cannot be ignored.

The trademark infringement case was brought by three applicants: Adcock Ingram Limited, Adcock Ingram Healthcare (Pty) LTD, and Italian company Zambon S.P.A. Zambon is the owner of the name Urizone, which is used under licence. Urizone had been launched in South Africa in 1993. The applicants stated that more than 3 million sachets had been sold between 2011 and 2023, with R5 million in advertising spent to promote the drug between 2018 and 2022 alone.

The applicants brought the case that Cipla Medpro’s Furizome, with the active ingredient fosfomycin, was too similar to their own product, Urizone, which contained the same ingredient in 3g sachets, and thus could confuse consumers. They alleged that Cipla Medpro sought to capitalise on the reputation earned by Urizone.

The applicants made the case that, despite Urizone being made available as a generic, none of the pharmaceutical companies producing it chose to use the name. When Furizome was launched, Adcock Ingram sent a letter of demand to Cipla to stop using the name due to its . Cipla, through its attorneys, rebutted the claim, saying that the two are sufficiently distinct to avoid confusion, with the “F” alluding to the fosfomycin ingredient. Cipla contended that it had already submitted the name through SAHPRA, and

Cipla also contended that the consumer – the patient – would not be misled during the prescribing and purchase of a schedule 4 medication as they would be informed by the pharmacist of the two different drugs.

In considering the judgment, the court noted that a test as to whether trademarks are be similar can be mode on a phonetic basis, or if they conceptually or visually similar. A trademark’s essential function is to indicate the origin of the goods in connection with which it is used. The “N” and “M” where seen as visually and phonetically similar, and “furi” was similar phonetically to “uri“. This could cause confusion and miscommunication even between doctors as to what drug they had prescribed a patient.

While Justice Lekhuleni acknowledged the safeguards of prescribing schedule 4 medications, he pointed out that the general public had become much more knowledgeable about prescription drugs in the past two decades. On this, he wrote “…the reality is that patients are involved in the process of deciding which medicines they will use, and that creates the risk of confusion. This situation in turn creates a responsibility upon pharmaceutical companies to make sure that they adopt trade marks that are not confusingly similar.”

Categories : Lab Tests and ImagingTags :

Simpler Blood Glucose Monitoring to Delay or Prevent Onset of Diabetes

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Photo by Photomix Company on Pexels

The highs and lows of blood glucose aren’t just an energy rollercoaster; they could be a key to detecting diabetes risk early and spare a needle prick or two.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo have identified a simple, noninvasive method for assessing blood glucose regulation – an essential factor in diabetes risk. Their approach, based on continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data, could improve early detection and risk assessment for diabetes without relying on blood samples and expensive or complex procedures.

The study is published in Communications Medicine.

Often called a “silent epidemic,” diabetes is an increasingly prevalent global health concern, with significant health and economic consequences. Early detection of impaired glucose regulation – an intermediate stage between normal blood glucose levels and diabetes – is essential for preventing or delaying the onset of Type 2 diabetes. Conventional diagnostic tools, however, often miss early signs because they rely on periodic blood samples rather than continuous monitoring.

“Traditional diabetes tests, while useful, do not capture the dynamic nature of glucose regulation under physiological conditions,” said Shinya Kuroda, a professor at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Science and co-author of the current study.

To find a more practical alternative, the team turned to CGM, a wearable technology that continuously tracks glucose levels in real time, providing a clearer picture of blood glucose fluctuations in everyday life. Their goal was to identify a CGM-based method for estimating glucose handling capacity, which maintains stable levels, without invasive procedures.

The team analyzed 64 individuals without a prior diabetes diagnosis, using a CGM device, oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT), and clamp tests that are used to assess insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism. They then validated their findings with an independent dataset and mathematical simulations.

Their analysis showed that AC_Var, a measure of glucose-level fluctuations, strongly correlates with the disposition index, a well-established predictor of future diabetes risk. Moreover, the researchers’ model, which combines AC_Var with glucose standard deviation, outperformed traditional diabetes markers – such as fasting blood glucose, HbA1c and OGTT results – in predicting the disposition index.

“By analysing CGM data with our new algorithm, we identified individuals with impaired glycaemic control – even when standard diagnostic tests classified them as ‘normal,’” said Kuroda. “This means we can potentially detect issues much earlier, creating an opportunity for preventive interventions before diabetes is diagnosed.”

The team also showed that the method was more accurate than conventional diagnostic indicators in predicting diabetes complications such as coronary artery disease. To facilitate broader access to this approach, the research team has developed a web application that allows individuals and health care providers to easily calculate these CGM-based indices.

“Our ultimate goal is to provide a practical, accessible tool for widespread diabetes screening,” Kuroda said. “By enabling early detection of glucose regulation abnormalities, we hope to prevent or delay disease onset and reduce long-term complications.”

Source: University of Tokyo

Categories : Substance UseTags :

Repurposed Anti-inflammatory Drug may Help Treat Pain from Alcohol Use Disorder

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Photo from Pixabay CC0

A Scripps Research study has found that a drug already FDA-approved for treating inflammatory conditions may help reduce both alcohol intake and pain sensitivity in alcohol use disorder (AUD).

The results, published in JCI Insight, suggest that the drug apremilast, a phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) inhibitor, or a compound that blocks an enzyme involved in inflammation, could be repurposed as a dual-acting therapy for AUD, particularly in individuals who have pain during and after alcohol use.

AUD affects an estimated 400 million people aged 15 years or older, according to the World Health Organization. Chronic pain is one of the strongest predictors of alcohol relapse, yet it’s often overlooked in AUD treatment strategies. People with AUD frequently experience mechanical allodynia as well, a condition in which even light touch is perceived as painful. This sensitivity can persist during abstinence and contribute to ongoing alcohol use and relapse.

“Our findings highlight the therapeutic value of apremilast to reduce co-occurring drinking and mechanical allodynia in long-term abstinence – a critical component of harmful drinking and AUD psychopathology,” says senior author Marisa Roberto, a professor of neuroscience at Scripps Research.

Currently FDA-approved for treating psoriasis (a chronic autoimmune skin condition) and psoriatic arthritis (a related joint disease), apremilast has previously been shown to reduce alcohol drinking in both mice and humans. The new study builds on that work by examining whether apremilast could also ease pain linked to alcohol exposure.

To investigate, the research team tested apremilast in a type of rat genetically predisposed to higher alcohol consumption and in a standard genetic strain of rats. Both rat strains were given access to alcohol and treated with either apremilast or a placebo.

Apremilast significantly reduced alcohol intake across strains and biological sexes. It also decreased pain sensitivity in most groups, both immediately after drinking and during abstinence, ranging from 24 hours to four weeks after alcohol had been removed.

“But at specific time points, the patterns of reduction differed between males and females, as well as between strains,” notes first author Bryan Cruz, a postdoctoral fellow at Scripps Research. For example, the pain-relieving effects of apremilast weren’t observed in some of the male rats, underscoring the importance of considering biological sex in future studies.

In another set of experiments, apremilast increased GABAergic transmission. a type of inhibitory signaling that helps regulate pain and stress signalling, in the central amygdala, which is involved in both addiction and pain. This effect was only observed in the standard strain of rats, suggesting that apremilast’s impact on brain signalling may depend on genetic background or vulnerability to AUD.

In both strains of male rats, alcohol exposure increased expression of PDE4 genes in the brain, further supporting a link between inflammation, pain and compulsive alcohol use. While other PDE4 inhibitors have been studied for pain unrelated to alcohol consumption, apremilast may offer a path toward more personalized therapies for those with both AUD and pain. But clinical research is still needed to determine the drug’s efficacy for such conditions in humans.

Going forward, the researchers also plan to explore whether apremilast can mitigate anxiety and other negative emotional states that commonly emerge during alcohol withdrawal.

“For over a decade, it’s been well-established that withdrawal-induced anxiety is a major driver of relapse,” points out Roberto. “Therefore, addressing other key components of the addiction cycle is critical, as many individuals use alcohol to cope not only with physical pain but with emotional distress as well.”

Source: Scripps Research Institute

Categories : Implants and ProsthesesTags :

Overlooked Factor Key to Good Recovery After Hip Replacement Surgery

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Photo by DanR. CC BY-NC-SA-2.0

Hip replacement surgery, or total hip arthroplasty (THA), can lessen pain and improve function in individuals with hip osteoarthritis. Some patients, however, continue to experience long-term physical deficits, including muscle weakness, decreased functional mobility, and increased fall risk, after the procedure. New research published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research reveals that a patient’s muscle quality before THA may predict their risk of such suboptimal recovery after surgery.

In the study, 10 people undergoing THA underwent imaging tests before surgery. Patients whose imaging results indicated poor muscle quality were more likely to perform poorly on movement tasks after surgery, compared with those with good muscle quality. The severity of patients’ osteoarthritis before surgery (as indicated by the imaging tests performed) was not linked to their functional abilities after surgery.

“The findings from this study indicate that hip muscle quality may be an important predictor of post-operative biomechanical recovery following hip replacement. Muscle quality is often overlooked, and magnetic resonance imaging is needed to visualise muscle composition, which is not routinely collected for hip replacement patients,” said corresponding author Jeannie F. Bailey, PhD, of the University of California, San Francisco. “Future studies will seek to understand possible implications for poor hip muscle quality on long-term functional outcomes.”

Source: Wiley