Psychological impact of COVID-19 quarantine measures in northeastern Italy on mothers in the immediate postpartum period.

The inclusion in this volume of over 600 references indicates the thoroughness with which Dr. Herbert has reviewed the literature on the megaloblastic anemias. A student of these disorders, the author has digested and evaluated the great variety of studies that have been made in this field and has crystallized this information effectively. This is a useful and thoughtful monograph.

The Megaloblastic Anemias

Metformin is the most widely prescribed oral hypoglycemic medication for type 2 diabetes worldwide. Metformin also retards aging in model organisms and reduces the incidence of aging-related diseases such as neurodegenerative disease and cancer in humans. In spite of its widespread use, the mechanisms by which metformin exerts favorable effects on aging remain largely unknown. Further, not all individuals prescribed metformin derive the same benefit and some develop side effects. Before metformin finds its way to mainstay therapy for anti-aging, a more granular understanding of the effects of the drug in humans is needed. This review provides an overview of recent findings from metformin studies in aging and longevity and discusses the use of metformin to combat aging and aging-related diseases.

https://www.cell.com/trends/endocrinology-metabolism/pdf/S1043-2760(19)30147-X.pdf

Metformin as Anti-Aging Therapy: Is It for Everyone?

Aging is a physiological process mediated by numerous biological and genetic pathways, which are directly linked to lifespan and are a driving force for all age-related diseases. Human life expectancy has greatly increased in the past few decades, but this has not been accompanied by a similar increase in their healthspan. At present, research on aging biology has focused on elucidating the biochemical and genetic pathways that contribute to aging over time. Several aging mechanisms have been identified, primarily including genomic instability, telomere shortening, and cellular senescence. Aging is a driving factor of various age-related diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, immune system disorders, and musculoskeletal disorders. Efforts to find drugs that improve the healthspan by targeting the pathogenesis of aging have now become a hot topic in this field. In the present review, the status of aging research and the development of potential drugs for aging-related diseases, such as metformin, rapamycin, resveratrol, senolytics, as well as caloric restriction, are summarized. The feasibility, side effects, and future potential of these treatments are also discussed, which will provide a basis to develop novel anti-aging therapeutics for improving the healthspan and preventing aging-related diseases.

/pdf/aging-and-age-related-diseases-from-mechanisms-to-500dsgn03o.pdf

Aging and age-related diseases: from mechanisms to therapeutic strategies

A Clinician’s Guide for Trending Cardiovascular Nutrition Controversies: Part II

Vitamin B12 deficiency is a common cause of megaloblastic anemia, various neuropsychiatric symptoms, and other clinical manifestations. Screening average-risk adults for vitamin B12 deficiency is not recommended. Screening may be warranted in patients with one or more risk factors, such as gastric or small intestine resections, inflammatory bowel disease, use of metformin for more than four months, use of proton pump inhibitors or histamine H2 blockers for more than 12 months, vegans or strict vegetarians, and adults older than 75 years. Initial laboratory assessment should include a complete blood count and serum vitamin B12 level. Measurement of serum methylmalonic acid should be used to confirm deficiency in asymptomatic high-risk patients with low-normal levels of vitamin B12. Oral administration of high-dose vitamin B12 (1 to 2 mg daily) is as effective as intramuscular administration for correcting anemia and neurologic symptoms. Intramuscular therapy leads to more rapid improvement and should be considered in patients with severe deficiency or severe neurologic symptoms. Absorption rates improve with supplementation; therefore, patients older than 50 years and vegans or strict vegetarians should consume foods fortified with vitamin B12 or take vitamin B12 supplements. Patients who have had bariatric surgery should receive 1 mg of oral vitamin B12 per day indefinitely. Use of vitamin B12 in patients with elevated serum homocysteine levels and cardiovascular disease does not reduce the risk of myocardial infarction or stroke, or alter cognitive decline.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency: Recognition and Management

Peripartum depression affects up to one in seven women and is associated with significant maternal and neonatal morbidity if untreated. A history of depression is the strongest risk factor for developing peripartum depression. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening pregnant and postpartum women for depression. Both two-step and one-step screening strategies are effective in identifying peripartum depression. Peripartum depression should be distinguished from the baby blues, which is characterized by short duration, mild symptoms, and minimal impact on functioning. Women with peripartum depression should be evaluated for bipolar disorder, postpartum psychosis, and suicidal risk. For first-time mothers, adolescent mothers, and mothers who have experienced a traumatic delivery, home health visits, telephone-based peer support, and psychotherapy may help prevent peripartum depression. Mild to moderate depression should be treated with psychotherapy or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, whereas moderate to severe depression should be treated with a combination of psychotherapy and medication. Citalopram, escitalopram, and sertraline appear to be the safest selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors during pregnancy, whereas fluvoxamine, paroxetine, and sertraline are preferred in breastfeeding women because they lead to the lowest serum medication levels in breastfed infants. Patients with psychosis, active suicidal thoughts, or thoughts of harming their newborns should receive same-day psychiatric consultation and referral for possible inpatient treatment.

Identification and Management of Peripartum Depression.

High-quality, office-based spirometry provides diagnostic information as useful and reliable as testing performed in a pulmonary function laboratory. Spirometry may be used to monitor progression of lung disease and response to therapy. A stepwise approach to spirometry allows for ease and reliability of interpretation. Airway obstruction is suspected when there is a decreased forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) ratio, but there is no strong evidence to clearly define what constitutes a significant decrease in this ratio. A low FVC is defined as a value below the 5th percentile in adults or less than 80% of predicted in children and adolescents five to 18 years of age. The FEV1/FVC ratio and FVC are used together to identify obstructive defects and restrictive or mixed patterns. Obstructive defects should be assessed for reversibility, as indicated by an improvement of the FEV1 or FVC by at least 12% and 0.2 L in adults, or by more than 12% in children and adolescents five to 18 years of age after the administration of a short-acting bronchodilator. FEV1 is used to determine the severity of obstructive and restrictive disease, although the values were arbitrarily determined and are not based on evidence from patient outcomes. Bronchoprovocation testing may be used if spirometry results are normal and allergen- or exercise-induced asthma is suspected. For patients with an FEV1 less than 70% of predicted, a therapeutic trial of a short-acting bronchodilator may be tried instead of bronchoprovocation testing.

Office Spirometry: Indications and Interpretation.

Pulmonary nodules are often incidentally discovered on chest imaging or from dedicated lung cancer screening. Screening adults 50 to 80 years of age who have a 20-pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit smoking within the past 15 years with low-dose computed tomography is associated with a decrease in cancer-associated mortality. Once a nodule is detected, specific radiographic and clinical features can be used in validated risk stratification models to assess the probability of malignancy and guide management. Solid pulmonary nodules less than 6 mm warrant surveillance imaging in patients at high risk, and nodules between 6 and 8 mm should be reassessed within 12 months, with the recommended interval varying by the risk of malignancy and an allowance for patient-physician decision-making. A functional assessment with positron emission tomography/computed tomography, nonsurgical biopsy, and resection should be considered for solid nodules 8 mm or greater and a high risk of malignancy. Subsolid nodules have a higher risk of cancer and should be followed with surveillance imaging for longer. Direct physician-patient communication, clinical decision support within electronic health records, and guideline-based management algorithms included in radiology reports are associated with increased compliance with existing guidelines.

Andrew J Goodbred

Papers

Vitamin B12 Deficiency: Recognition and Management

Identification and Management of Peripartum Depression.

Office Spirometry: Indications and Interpretation.

Pulmonary Nodules: Common Questions and Answers.