Using abbreviations while texting might save some typing time, but it won’t make a good impression, a new study finds. People who use texting abbreviations like IDK or GOAT are perceived as more insincere and are less likely to receive replies, researchers discovered. “Our findings are especially relevant when we want to appear more sincere and strengthen social ties, such as at the beginning of a relationship or when we need to make a good impression,” said lead researcher David Fang, a doctoral student in behavioral marketing at Stanford University. For the study, published Nov. 14 in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, researchers conducted a series of eight experiments involving more than 5,300 people. The team analyzed replies to conversations in Discord group chats and dating apps and sites, spanning 37 countries. Other experiments asked participants to rate their texting conversations with people who either were or weren’t using abbreviations. In the experiments, texters who used abbreviations received shorter and fewer responses, and they were less likely to receive contact information from the other texter. Young people tend to use more texting abbreviations, but even they weren’t fans of receiving texts loaded with abbreviations, results show. “While our overall results on age were mixed, it’s clear that younger people are not particularly fond of abbreviations, though the strength of this aversion may vary by…  read on >  read on >

The blockbuster GLP-1 drug semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) could curb drinking for people battling alcohol use disorder, helping them to avoid crises that require hospitalization, new research shows. Numerous studies had already hinted that semaglutide might act on appetite centers in the brain to suppress the urge to drink, just as it does the urge to overeat. Now, researchers in Finland say their nearly nine-year study of almost 228,000 Swedish people with alcohol use disorder who were taking semaglutide had a 36% lower odds of requiring hospitalization. Use of a second drug in the same class of GLP-1 medications, liraglutide (Victoza), was linked to a 28% reduction in hospitalizations, the team reported Nov. 13 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. The study couldn’t prove cause and effect, only associations. However, based on these and prior findings, the researchers say that “clinical trials are urgently needed to confirm these findings.” The research was led by Dr. Markku Lähteenvuo, of the University of Eastern Finland. Besides the finding that both semaglutide and liraglutide appeared to help keep people with alcohol use disorder out of the hospital, the study also found that semaglutide, in particular, was linked to a decreased risk for suicide. The researchers also noted that the two GLP-1 drugs appeared to outperform standard anti-alcoholism medications, such as naltrexone, disulfiram and acamprostate, in lowering hospitalizations among people with…  read on >  read on >

People are at higher risk of schizophrenia if they indulge in psychedelic drugs, a new study warns. Patients who land in the ER following hallucinogen use have a 21-fold higher risk of developing schizophrenia compared to the general population, Canadian researchers report. Even after controlling for a person’s existing substance use and mental health disorders, there remained a 3.5-fold increased risk of schizophrenia after ER treatment for psychedelics use. Hallucinogens include drugs like psilocybin, LSD, DMT (Ayahuasca) and MDMA (Ecstasy). “Our findings underscore a concerning link between hallucinogen use that requires care in the emergency room and increased risk of schizophrenia,” said investigator Dr. Daniel Myran, research chair in social accountability at the University of Ottawa. “While there is enormous enthusiasm for psychedelic-assisted therapy as a new mental health treatment, we need to remember how early and limited the data remains for both the benefits and the risks,” Myran added in a university news release. For the study, researchers analyzed health data for more than 9.2 million people ages 14 to 65 living in Ontario between 2008 and 2021. Researchers looked at emergency room visits involving hallucinogens, and whether patients had been diagnosed with schizophrenia afterward. Overall, annual rates of ER visits involving hallucinogens increased by 86% between 2014 and 2021, after remaining stable from 2008 to 2012, results show. About 4% of people were…  read on >  read on >

Obesity, alcohol use and other factors are driving up rates of fatty liver disease among American adults, new research warns. By 2018, federal data showed that 42% of adults had some form of fatty liver disease — higher than prior estimates, according to a team led by Dr. Juan Pablo Arab, a liver specialist with at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health, in Richmond. Hispanic adults were at especially high risk, the team noted, with nearly half (47%) affected. The findings were published recently in the journal Nature Communications Medicine. As Arab’s team explained, fatty liver disease comes in many forms, but involves the slow buildup of fat deposits within the blood-cleansing organ. There are three main kinds of fatty liver disease: metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD, caused by metabolic factors such as obesity and diabetes), alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) and a combination of both syndromes, called MetALD. According to the American Liver Foundation, advanced liver disease can cause jaundice, fluid retention, eye trouble and brain dysfunction. Over time, liver failure and fatal kidney complications can also occur. The new study was based on 2017-2018 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, looking at the health of 5,523 adults. MASLD is by far the most common form of liver disease, affecting 42% of adults. ALD and MetALD affect…  read on >  read on >

Therapy provided via telehealth can reduce a person’s risk of suicide, a new study reports. Cognitive behavior therapy reduces suicide attempts and suicidal thoughts even if delivered for a short time via telehealth, according to results published Nov. 12 in the jouirnal JAMA Network Open. That’s good news, given that therapy these days is more often delivered virtually, said researcher Justin Baker, a clinical psychologist at Ohio State University. “The impetus for this research question was the nearly overnight shift from mostly in-person to mostly virtual therapy appointments following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Baker said in an Ohio State news release. “Historically, high-risk patients were considered inappropriate candidates for virtual healthcare, due to risk and liability concerns.” For the study, researchers randomly assigned 96 U.S. adults to randomly receive via telehealth either: Suicide-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, which taught them how to manage and change distressing emotions and negative thinking Present-centered therapy, which helps participants respond to stresses in their life Present-centered therapy has been proven an effective way to reduce depression and suicidal thoughts, researchers noted. But in this study, cognitive behavioral therapy outperformed present-centered therapy in reducing suicide attempts among telehealth patients, researchers found. Still, both therapies reduced suicidal thoughts in patients, results showed. “For those suffering with suicidal thoughts and behaviors, we have good, tested treatments that will lead to significant…  read on >  read on >

Grandchildren are a true blessing for seniors, helping them avoid loneliness and keeping them on their toes, a new poll reports. Overall, 72% of people with grandkids say they hardly ever feel isolated, compared with 62% of those without grandchildren, according to results from the University of Michigan’s National Poll on Healthy Aging. People without grandchildren also are more likely to say their mental health is only fair or poor — 13% compared to 9% with those who have grandkids. “For many older people, becoming a grandparent is a major milestone in their lives. Our findings show there are many dimensions to grandparenting, and possible positive effects of grandparenting, some of which may not be widely recognized,” researcher Kate Bauer, an associate professor of nutritional sciences in the University of Michigan School of Public Health, said in a news release. About 60% of adults 50 and older have at least one grandchild, including 27% who say they have five or more. Seniors older than 65 were more likely than those in their 50s and early 60s to say they have at least one grandchild, 76% versus 46% The survey also found that: About half (49%) of grandparents provide care at least once every few months for grandchildren under 18. About 18% of grandparents see a grandchild once a day or nearly every day, versus 23%…  read on >  read on >

Beta blockers are go-to meds for many people who’ve survived a heart attack. However, new Swedish research has found that they might not be needed for heart attack survivors whose hearts have retained a normal pumping ability.  Using them in this group might even raise patients’ odds for depression, the data showed. “We found that beta blockers led to slightly higher levels of depression symptoms in patients who had had a heart attack but were not suffering from heart failure,” said study lead author Philip Leissner, a doctoral student in cardiac psychology at Uppsala University.   “At the same time, beta blockers have no life-sustaining function for this group of patients,” he said in a university news release. His team published its findings recently in the European Heart Journal. Heart doctors have for decades relied on beta blocker medications to help heart patients — the drugs work by lowering the effects of adrenaline on the heart.  But recent advances mean there are now more pharmaceutical options for cardiologists to pick from for people who’ve survived a heart attack, putting the use of beta-blockers into question. According to Leissner’s team, that’s especially true for folks who have survived a heart attack but whose cardiac pumping action has retained its efficacy. In a study published in April, the Swedish researchers found beta-blockers to be unnecessary for this…  read on >  read on >