Vaping may look cool when you’re young, but it appears to be dulling the brains of college students, a new study warns. College students who vape have lower cognitive function scores than those who don’t, researchers reported Sunday at the American Neurological Association’s annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. And the more students vape, the lower they score on tests of learning, memory, problem-solving and critical thinking, researchers found. Students who vaped 10 to 20 puffs per day had scores 9% lower than those who did not vape or smoke, while those who vaped more than 20 puffs a day had scores nearly 14% lower, researchers found. “We believe our research marks a before-and-after in the field of studying cognitive function regarding vaping,” said lead researcher Linker Vinan Paucar, a medical student at Catholic University of Santiago de Guayaquil in Ecuador. Previous studies have shown that smoking can affect brain function by shrinking the brain and lowering blood flow to brain cells, researchers said in background notes. Nicotine also causes neurotoxicity that damages brain cells. The risk might be even greater in people who vape, Paucar said. “People in the study who had previously smoked cigarettes typically smoked three or four a week, but with vaping, they now smoke double, triple or more, especially if they smoke and vape,” Paucar said. “Electronic cigarettes with up to…  read on >  read on >

Ozempic and its weight-loss cousin, Wegovy, outperform another longstanding weight-loss drug that targets the same hormone associated with blood sugar and appetite, a new study finds. Ozempic and Wegovy (semaglutide) promoted the loss of 10% or more body weight in 61% of people being treated for obesity and 23% being treated for diabetes after a year on the drugs, researchers reported Sept. 13 in the journal JAMA Network Open. By comparison, Saxenda (liraglutide) prompted similar weight loss in only 29% of those being treated for obesity and 12% being treated for type 2 diabetes. Studies have shown that losing 10% or more of body weight provides clinically significant health benefits, researchers said. This sort of weight loss can improve blood sugar levels and even put diabetes into remission for some, according to the National Institutes of Health. It can also improve cholesterol levels and promote heart health. “We found that long-term weight reduction varied significantly based on the medication’s active agent, treatment indication, dosage and persistence with the medication,” said lead investigator Hamlet Gasoyan, a researcher with the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Value-Based Care Research. The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute.  Liraglutide was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2010 to treat type 2 diabetes and in 2014 to treat obesity. Semaglutide is more recent, having received approval in…  read on >  read on >

Initially approved to treat type 2 diabetes, Ozempic and Mounjaro also can help people with type 1 diabetes lose weight and control their blood sugar levels, a new study finds. Overweight or obese type 1 diabetics taking Mounjaro were able to reduce the amount of daily insulin they needed, researchers reported Thursday at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting in Madrid. And both drugs helped patients lose weight, which can improve blood sugar control, researchers said. Ozempic (semaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide) help the body produce more insulin when needed — something that won’t help type 1 diabetics, who have lost the ability to produce any insulin. However, the drugs also slow down digestion of food and reduce the amount of glucose produced by the liver, both of which should help some type 1 diabetics control blood sugar levels, researchers said. “Some of the mechanisms through which semaglutide and tirzepatide lower blood sugar in type 2 diabetes are also likely to be relevant in type 1 diabetes,” said lead researcher Janet Snell-Bergeon, a professor with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. For this study, researchers analyzed medical data for 100 adults with type 1 diabetes, half of whom where prescribed Ozempic and the other half Mounjaro. Both drugs prompted weight loss. Type 1 diabetics lost an average of 9% of their…  read on >  read on >

Humans could learn a few medical tips from their gorilla cousins, a new study says. Four plants used by wild gorillas in Gabon have antibacterial and antioxidant properties, researcher reported Sept. 11 in the journal PLOS One. Wild great apes often self-medicate, consuming medicinal plants that can treat their ailments, researchers said. Observing gorillas, researchers identified four native plant species they regularly use: the fromager tree (Ceiba pentandra), giant yellow mulberry (Myrianthus arboreus), African teak (Milicia excelsa) and fig trees (Ficus). The bark of all four plants demonstrated antibacterial activity against at least one antibiotic-resistant strain of E. coli, researchers discovered in lab tests. One in particular, the fromager tree, showed “remarkable activity” against all tested E. coli strains. All four plants also contain compounds that have medicinal effects, including phenols, alkaloids, flavonoids and proanthocyanidins, researchers said. Interviews with 27 people living in a nearby village found that these plants are used in local traditional medicine, the researchers added. Biodiverse regions like central Africa are home to a huge reservoir of potentially medicinal plants, researchers said. By paying attention to wild great apes, humans might be able to find new means of combatting antibacterial-resistant germs. “Alternative medicines and therapies offer definite hope for the resolution of many present and future public health problems,” wrote the research team led by senior investigator Sylvain Godreuil, a professor…  read on >  read on >

An ingredient in the hair dye a French woman used caused her to develop a vision-robbing retinopathy, researchers report. When she switched to a dye without these ingredients, called aromatic amines, her vision troubles resolved, according to a team led by Dr. Nicolas Chirpaz, an ophthalmologist at Edouard Herriot Hospital, in Lyon. Such cases could be rare, the researchers said, but spreading awareness of the danger “may allow prompt consideration to remove exposure to such hair dye” so eyes aren’t permanently damaged, Chirpaz and colleagues said. They published their case report Sept. 12 in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology. As the French team noted, this isn’t the first time hair dye has been linked to retinopathy: Three prior cases were reported in 2022 among “middle-aged women following exposure to hair dyes containing aromatic amines.” In the latest case, a 61-year-old woman with no prior history of vision trouble came to doctors with progressively blurry vision in both eyes “a few days after dyeing her hair with hair dye containing aromatic amines,” Chirpaz’ group said. The aromatic amine in the dye used in this case was para-phenylenediamine. Upon examination, the woman was found to have multiple retinal detachments that resembled the damage that can occur in retinopathies that are tied to certain enzymes found in the eye, called MEK1 or MEK2. The woman’s eyes also displayed an…  read on >  read on >

Prescriptions for amphetamine stimulants to treat ADHD have increased significantly in recent years, particularly during the pandemic. Unfortunately, high doses of stimulants like Adderall can increase the risk of psychosis or mania by more than fivefold, a new study finds. Patients had a nearly 63% increased risk of psychosis or mania if they took any prescription amphetamine within the past month, researchers reported Sept. 12 in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Those on heavy doses of amphetamines were at even greater peril of a psychotic episode, with an 81% increased risk, results show. The highest risk occurred in patients taking 30 milligrams or more of dextroamphetamine, which corresponds to 40 milligrams of Adderall, the study says. “Stimulant medications don’t have an upper dose limit on their labels, and our results show that it is clear that dose is a factor in psychosis risk and should be a chief consideration when prescribing stimulants,” said lead investigator Dr. Lauren Moran, a pharmacoepidemiology researcher at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass. “This is a rare but serious side effect that should be monitored by both patients and their doctors whenever these medications are prescribed,” Moran added. Moran said she pursued this study based on her experiences as an inpatient psychiatrist. She and her Mclean colleagues would regularly see patients experiencing their first episode of psychosis. Medical records would reveal…  read on >  read on >

Two monoclonal antibody treatments to slow Alzheimer’s disease, lecanemab (Leqembi) and donanemab (Kisunla), have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over the past two years. It’s thought the drugs curb Alzheimer’s by reducing levels of toxic amyloid protein plaques in the brain. But what if another neurological effect could explain the benefit? Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have discovered that Leqembi and Kisunla boost levels of a healthy form of amyloid beta (Aβ42) protein in the brain, even as they reduce its more toxic form in amyloid plaques. “If the problem with Alzheimer’s is the loss of the normal protein, then increasing it should be beneficial, and this study showed that it is,” explained study lead author Dr. Alberto Espay, a professor of neurology at Cincinnati. “The story makes sense: Increasing Aβ42 levels to within the normal range is desirable,” he said in a university news release. Aβ42 is a complex protein made up of 42 amino acids, giving it its name. Sometimes these proteins can harden and clump together to form the brain tissue plaques that have long been associated with Alzheimer’s disease. However, Aβ42 in its natural state should not do that. It is normally soluble, and when in a soluble state Aβ42 plays a crucial role in maintaining the health of brain cells, the Cincinnati team explained. Espay’s…  read on >  read on >