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A recent cohort study published in the Journal of American Medical Association revealed significant insights into how childhood asthma affects cognitive development, particularly memory and executive functions. Approximately 5 million children in the US live with this chronic respiratory condition, but its potential influence on cognitive growth has remained largely unexplored. Thus, this comprehensive, multisite longitudinal research project that started in 2015 to highlight the lesser-known neurological impact of asthma.

The study involved nearly 11,800 children aged 9 to 10 at baseline, with follow-up assessments conducted 1 and 2 years later. The participants were grouped based on their asthma status. For the longitudinal analysis, the children were divided into 3 categories, where one group had those with asthma since baseline (earlier childhood onset), the other with those who developed asthma by the 2-year follow-up (later onset), and another being the control group without asthma. For the cross-sectional analysis, the children were grouped based on whether they had asthma at any time during the study or never had asthma.

Asthma status was established through parent reports, while primary outcomes focused on episodic memory. Secondary outcomes assessed processing speed, attention, and inhibition abilities, which are crucial components of executive function. In the longitudinal analysis involved 474 children, the ones with earlier-onset asthma expressed significantly slower progress in memory development when compared to their peers without asthma. Also, the data indicated that these children had a lower rate of memory improvement over time (β = −0.17, P = .01). The group breakdown showed diverse racial representation, with 56% of the earlier-onset group being male and notable proportions identifying as Black, Hispanic, or White.

The cross-sectional analysis included 2,062 children which reinforced these findings. Children with asthma (n = 1,031) scored lower on episodic memory (β = −0.09, P = .04), processing speed (β = −0.13, P = .01), and executive functions related to inhibition and attention (β = −0.11, P = .02). Demographics revealed that the asthma group had a higher male ratio (57%) and a balanced racial distribution.

Overall, this comprehensive study underlined the potential cognitive toll that asthma may exert on children, particularly the ones with an early onset. These findings point to the importance of early cognitive assessments and targeted interventions for children with asthma to support better educational and developmental outcomes.

Source:

Christopher-Hayes, N. J., Haynes, S. C., Kenyon, N. J., Merchant, V. D., Schweitzer, J. B., & Ghetti, S. (2024). Asthma and Memory Function in Children. In JAMA Network Open (Vol. 7, Issue 11, p. e2442803). American Medical Association (AMA). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.42803

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the primary cause of visual
impairment among working-age populations in industrialized nations. Vision loss
may result from various mechanisms, but the most prevalent cause is diabetic
macular edema (DME). The treatment landscape for DME has advanced significantly
over the past decade. Currently, the most frequently employed therapeutic approach
involves intravitreal administration of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor
(VEGF) agents, and the prognosis of patients with DME has markedly improved.
There are various commercially available anti-VEGF agents. Older options
include monoclonal antibodies such as ranibizumab and bevacizumab. While
ranibizumab and bevacizumab alone inhibit VEGF-A, aflibercept, a recombinant
fusion protein, inhibits VEGF-A, VEGF-B, and placental growth factor (Plgf),
and faricimab, a bispecific antibody, inhibits both VEGF-A and angiopoietin-2
(Ang-2).

Hyderabad: Taking strict action against ragging complaints from juniors, the authorities of the Nalgonda Government Medical College recently suspended 5 medicos for allegedly abusing, assaulting and harassing their juniors on the campus.

The action was taken based on the recommendation of the anti-ragging committee after confirming the allegations of the freshers who complained to the college management about being ragged verbally and physically by the seniors.

Also read- Forced to stand, dance for 3 hours! GMERS MBBS student dies after ragging, 15 seniors booked

Among the students who have been suspended, two are from the 2020 batch who are facing a 6-month suspension, one student for one month, a first-year student for three months and an intern from the 2019 batch suspended for six months, reports The Hindu. 

In their complaints, the junior students hailing from Kerala alleged that the accused seniors used foul language and assaulted them for not following their orders for the past few days. 

The incident happened in the boy’s hostel on November 11 where five students from Kerala were “ragged physically” by seniors, after which the juniors lodged a complaint with college authorities. 

After receiving the complaints, a preliminary enquiry was conducted by the Anti-Ragging Committee, headed by Principal Dr. N. Srivani and comprising faculty members, law enforcement representatives, and specialists. In a meeting, the committee presented evidence of the accused involvement in the ragging and confirmed the allegations of the juniors. Accordingly, the college management suspended the five students for a period ranging from one to six months, 

Speaking to TOI, Dr Naresh from the Junior Doctors’ Association said, “The ragging led to a fight between juniors and seniors. The seniors asked students to dance. They gave them some punishment. They became furious as juniors were disrespectful, and this led to a fight.”

GMC principal N Srivani told the daily, “The decision to suspend seniors was taken based on panel’s recommendation. We got a complaint from first-years that they were ragged in hostel by seniors. We called in anti-ragging committee. They conducted a review and, based on recommendations, we suspended students based on severity of ragging.”

All appropriate measures have been taken to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. Anti-ragging awareness meetings are proposed in association with the Police Department for the students, the college principal told PTI. 

Also read- 10 MBBS students of Mahabubnagar Medical College suspended for ragging juniors