Big Pharma

Vitamin D levels in the Spanish population are lower than those of many northern European countries A UOC and IDIBAPS study shows that vitamin D is not analysed or supplemented enough Despite the low levels of this hormone in the population, neither the required tests nor supplementation are carried out The study, of more than half a million people, shows that 75% of those analysed had lower than desirable levels Vitamin D is a hormone that is essential to a number of bodily processes, mainly absorbing and maintaining calcium, which is key for strong bones, but it also plays a...

LASIK Warnings Could Alter the Way Patients View Surgery Risks New York, NY, December, 2022 — LASIK eye surgeries are one of the most commonly performed elective procedures in the United States, with an average of 700,000 patients seeking the surgery annually, according to Market Scope. LASIK works by altering the shape of a patient’s corneas to correct farsightedness, nearsightedness, and more recently, astigmatism.   While long-term complications of LASIK are rare, no surgery is risk-free, cautions Dr. Daniel Laroche, a top New York City eye specialist. LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis.   “Although many people benefit from LASIK, there are some that have...

Educational background and previous brain injury may be associated with higher risk of FTD Two recent studies from the University of Eastern Finland show that educational background and previous traumatic brain injury may potentially affect the risk of frontotemporal dementia. Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is one of the most common causes of dementia in working-age people. FTD spectrum disorders have, depending on the subtype, major effects on behaviour, linguistic functions and cognitive processing. Many genetic mutations have been implicated as contributing to these disorders, but their non-genetic and thus potentially preventable risk factors remain unknown and scarcely studied. According to a...

Genetic background has an effect on the metabolism of essential fatty acids Genetic background has an effect on the metabolism of the essential polyunsaturated fatty acids alpha-linolenic acid and linoleic acid, a recent study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. Supplementing the diet with camelina oil rich in alpha-linolenic acid, or with sunflower oil rich in linoleic acid altered the concentrations of the metabolites of these fatty acids in the body; however, the changes were dependent on the study participants’ FADS1 genotype. The study was conducted among carriers of two different FADS1 genotypes. “Camelina oil increased the plasma concentration...

Atherosclerosis may be stopped if lipid screening and dyslipidemia intervention begin in adolescence Consistently elevated lipids and dyslipidemia in early life were associated with worsening subclinical atherosclerosis, but simulated lipid treatment in late adolescence stopped atherosclerosis progression, a paper published in Atherosclerosis concludes. The study was conducted in collaboration between Northwestern University in the US, Baker Heart and Diabetes Research Institute in Australia, the University of Bristol in the UK, the University of Turku in Finland, and the University of Eastern Finland. Abnormal blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels known as elevated lipids and dyslipidemia are major causes of atherosclerosis where...