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Comorbid depression and sleep behaviour disorder puts patients and relatives at risk of neurodegeneration

Kanas Chan, 20230808023534

Comorbid major depressive disorder and rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (MDD-RBD) is a common subtype of MDD. These patients and their first-degree relatives (FDRs) are at risk of neurodegeneration, researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have reported.

Small vessel disease progression ups dementia risk

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A study with 14-year follow-up has pointed to baseline small vessel disease (SVD) severity and SVD progression as independent predictors of dementia.

Cognitive frailty predictors to aid dementia, adverse health outcome prevention

Jairia Dela Cruz, 20230627140000

Progression to cognitive frailty may be predicted by factors including vision, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, education levels, and participation in cognitively stimulating activities, according to a Singapore study.

Hong Kong’s first support programme for younger-onset dementia

Kanas Chan, 20230224024218

Hong Kong’s first younger-onset dementia (YOD) support programme is launched recently to provide free diagnostic, referral and follow-up services to individuals aged 40–65 years with suspected or diagnosed YOD.

Antipsychotic prescriptions for dementia soared during COVID-19 pandemic

Kanas Chan, 20230202024051

The overall rate of antipsychotic drug prescriptions to patients with dementia increased markedly during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and did not return to prepandemic levels when the acute phase was over, a multinational network cohort study has shown.

Original New Drug Application Approvals by US FDA (01-15 January 2023)

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New drug applications approved by US FDA as of 01-15 January 2023 which includes New Molecular Entities (NMEs) and new biologics. It does not include Tentative Approvals. Supplemental approvals may have occurred since the original approval date.

5α-reductase inhibitor treatment implicated in dementia

20230105150000

Men who are receiving treatment with 5α-reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs) are at increased risk of dementia in the immediate period after initiating treatment, a study has shown. Of note, both finasteride and dutasteride are associated with depression, but neither of them is linked to suicide.

Psychological distress contributes to increased dementia risk

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Individuals with symptoms of psychological distress are at increased risk of all-cause dementia, although this association is attenuated by the competing risk of death, according to a study.

Careful hand feeding in advanced dementia

Careful hand feeding reduces pneumonia risk vs nasogastric tube feeding in advanced dementia patients

Christina Lau, 20221128082525

In advanced dementia patients with feeding problems, careful hand feeding (CHF) is associated with a 40 percent lower risk of pneumonia and similar 1-year survival rate vs nasogastric tube feeding (NGF), a retrospective cohort study in Hong Kong has shown.

Psychotic disorders a potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia

20221025180000

Individuals with nonaffective psychotic disorders appear to have a twofold higher risk of developing subsequent dementia compared with those who do not have such disorders, as reported in a recent study.

NCDs in Focus Act Now! Summit 2022

16 Mar 2023

Viatris, a global healthcare company, collaborated with the Thai Hypertension Society and the Thai NCD Collaboration Group to organize the NCDs in Focus Act Now! Summit 2022 in Bangkok on October 29^th and 30^th. This summit brought together nearly 300 multidisciplinary experts from Southeast Asia and India to address the unmet needs in managing two critical noncommunicable diseases (NCDs): cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and mental health disorders (MHDs) in the region.

The summit had several key objectives. Firstly, it highlighted the effectiveness of clinical data in addressing gaps and unmet needs in clinical practice. Secondly, it emphasized the importance of sharing expertise and best practices through a platform that can optimize patient care. Additionally, it discussed the challenges of cardiovascular disease and mental health disorder care in a post COVID-19 world, and the need to re-examine them.

The summit also offered valuable insights into policy and practice changes, as well as innovative digital solutions that can lead to better outcomes. Lastly, it emphasized the significance of gaining a deeper understanding of the gaps in the patient journey to enhance patient care further.

Overall, the NCDs in Focus Act Now! Summit 2022 was a highly informative and productive event, with experts collaborating to improve the management of CVDs and MHDs in Southeast Asia and India.

Long COVID: What we have learned so far

Prof. Ghassan Dbaibo, 27 Apr 2023

The WHO defines long COVID as a condition that occurs 3 months from COVID-19 onset, whose symptoms last ≥2 months and cannot be attributed to an alternative diagnosis. In an interview with MIMS Doctor, Professor Ghassan Dbaibo of the Center for Infectious Diseases, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, describes the evolving attitudes towards long COVID among healthcare professionals (HCPs), some unexpected predisposing factors, potential biological mechanisms behind prolonged symptom duration and shares data on vaccination’s protective effects against long COVID.