People who use methamphetamine are more likely to have health conditions, mental illness, and substance use disorders than people who do not use the drug, according to a new study.

The findings of the study were published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. The study was led by researchers at the Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV Research (CDUHR) at NYU School of Global Public Health. The use of methamphetamine, a highly addictive and illegal stimulant drug, has increased in recent years, as have overdose deaths. Methamphetamine can be toxic for multiple organs including the heart, lungs, liver, and neurological system, and injecting the drug can increase one’s risk for infectious diseases.

“Methamphetamine can complicate the management of existing chronic illnesses, but we know little about the chronic disease profile of people who use it,” said study author Benjamin Han, MD, a clinician-researcher in the Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology, and Palliative Care in the Department of Medicine at the University of California San Diego.

Using data from the 2015-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a nationally representative survey of US adults, the researchers estimated the prevalence of medical conditions, mental illnesses, and other substance use among those who reported using methamphetamine within the past year.

Compared to adults who do not use the drug, people who use methamphetamine were nearly twice as likely to have medical multimorbidity (two or more chronic medical conditions), more than three times as likely to have a mental illness, and more than four times as likely to have a substance use disorder. Many have a combination of medical, mental, and substance use issues, including all three concurrently.

Of the chronic illnesses studied, people using methamphetamine had a higher prevalence of liver disease (hepatitis or cirrhosis), lung disease (COPD or asthma), and HIV/AIDS. The researchers also found that those using methamphetamine had a considerably higher likelihood of substance use disorders for all drugs studied, including heroin, prescription stimulants, prescription opioids, cocaine, and sedatives.

“Our results certainly do not suggest that meth use causes most of these conditions, but they should inform clinicians that this population is at risk. Future studies are needed to determine how dose and frequency of use relate to these conditions–for instance, occasional use on a night out versus chronic use that can lead to a host of adverse effects on the body,” said study author Joseph Palamar, PhD, an associate professor of population health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and a CDUHR researcher.

Palamar added, “We also confirmed the well-known link between meth use and HIV, which can result from injection drug use or sexual transmission, but more research is needed to determine the extent to which meth use increases risk for STDs due to the drug’s libido-enhancing effects.”

The researchers noted the importance of a harm reduction and patient-centered approach to care for people who use methamphetamines and one that can coordinate management of mental illness, medical disease, and substance use disorders.

“Methamphetamine use adds complexity to the already-challenging care of adults who have multiple chronic conditions,” added Han, who is also a CDUHR researcher.

“Integrated interventions that can address the multiple conditions people are living with, along with associated social risks, are needed for this population,” concluded Han.

A new study has found that increased evening screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the sleep quality of people.

The findings of the study were published in the journal ‘Sleep’. During the lockdown period in Italy, daily internet traffic volume almost doubled compared to the same time in the previous year. Researchers conducted a web-based survey of 2,123 Italian residents during the third and seventh week of Italy’s first national lockdown.

The survey ran in the third week of lockdown (March 25th – 28th, 2020) and evaluated sleep quality and insomnia symptoms, using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Insomnia Severity Index as means of measurement.

The second assessment survey, in the seventh week of lockdown (April 21st – 27th, 2020), inquired about the usage of electronic devices in the two hours before falling asleep, in addition to repeating the sleep questionnaires.

Of the participants surveyed, 92.9 per cent reported an increase in their electronic device usage between the first and second surveys. These participants showed decreased sleep quality, an increase in insomnia symptoms, shorter total sleep times, and later bedtimes and rising times. Researchers found an increased prevalence of poor sleepers and respondents with moderate to severe insomnia symptoms only within this group of respondents.

Some 7.1 per cent of participants reported a decrease in evening screen time between the first and second survey, and conversely reported improved sleep quality and fewer symptoms of insomnia. This subgroup also demonstrated a decrease in the prevalence of poor sleepers and moderate/severe insomnia symptoms. These respondents went to bed consistently earlier after four weeks of home confinement.

Survey respondents who reported no change in their screen time exposure likewise showed no variations in their sleep habits. Notably, this group of responders had the best sleep quality and fewest insomnia symptoms in the first survey results, suggesting that the lockdown exacerbated negative sleep conditions for people already suffering from poor sleep quality.

Dr Federico Salfi, Ph.D. student and first author of the paper, said, “The overuse of electronic devices in the hours before sleep was a deeply rooted habit in our society already before the pandemic emergency, in particular among young people. In our opinion, the current period of social distancing added fuel to the fire.”

Prof. Michele Ferrara, Director of the Laboratory of Sleep Psychophysiology and Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of L’Aquila, said, “The evidence of a strong relationship between screen habits and the time course of sleep disturbances during the lockdown period suggests that, now, more than never, raising public awareness about the risks of evening exposure to electronic devices could be crucial to preserve general sleep health.”

“This applies to both the ongoing pandemic and the future, as electronic technologies will find more and more space in our daily routine,” Ferrara concluded.

Did Dharavi defeat Covid-19 because of herd immunity or was it sheer luck? A recent research cleared this doubt. The research, ‘Dharavi Slums (Mumbai, India): The Petri Dish of Covid-19 Herd Immunity’, was conducted by Dr Deepali Bhardwaj, Centre for Skin and Hair Pvt Ltd, India, with Zameer Shervani, Food & Energy Security Research & Product Centre, Japan, and Roma Nikhat, Food & Energy Security Research & Product Centre, Japan. It showed how the herd immunity acquired in Dharavi residents stopped the new infection. One million Dharavi slum dwellers living in a crowded semi-isolated cluster mimic the petri-dish model of a human population which is now a near Covid-19 free zone due to the presence of antibodies in the residents. This research can prove to be useful in calculating the concept of herd immunity in the country. Excerpts of the interview with Dr Deepali Bhardwaj :

Dr Deepali Bhardwaj, Centre for Skin and Hair Pvt Ltd.

Q. What influenced you to conduct this study? Can you share the findings?

In Dharavi slums, the seroprevalence was found to be 57% and 45% in the first and second surveys. This amount of antibodies prevalence must be good for herd immunity. We investigated if herd immunity prevailed. In the other slums of Mumbai Cuffe Parade, the seroprevalence was 75%. The same 75% population of Dharavi also should have developed antibodies by now.  

Dharavi is now a Covid-zero zone with no new infection (zero infection) registered on many occasions. Because of semi-chamber-like crowded rooms, each shared by 10-12 persons with common toilets and water taps with poor ventilation has promoted the residents infecting each other thus developing antibodies for the virus. No vaccination in the population was done. 3Cs (avoid closed spaces with poor ventilation, avoid crowded places with many people, and avoid close-contact settings such as conversations) were also not maintained as it was not possible in the slums. As was suggested by many the Dharavi model does not exist. It is a case of antibodies prevalence in the residents of the slum that gave herd immunity to the population. So, it is now a zero-infection or Covid-zero zone. 

Q. How will this research prove to be beneficial in the long run? 

This research will be useful in calculating the concept of herd immunity in the country. India can be better prepared by doing an updated serosurvey to know what percentage of the population developed antibodies if herd immunity can be achieved to deny the third wave of infection.

Q. With the impending third wave of Covid-19, besides increasing Covid testing, vaccination, and ramping up the production of medical equipment, what are the other ways to curb the surge in cases?  

The third wave will come surely due to change in the environment if herd immunity would not be achieved till then either through the Dharavi slums-like manner or by vaccinating all. Lockdown, applying 3Cs, social distancing, hand hygiene, and mask usage will be needed to curb the third wave. 

Q. According to you how severe is the third wave of Covid-19 going to be? 

The third wave is due in five months at the onset of winters. The change in weather will cause the third wave, not the new variant as it was thought. It will be as damaging as the second wave or less but it’s unlikely that the third wave will be more damaging than the second wave. 

Q. What can be an effective Covid response of Central government and state governments to be better prepared to tackle it?

An effective response by the government for a large democracy like ours is tough to outline but more is less at this time. But as we know transmission of SARS‑CoV‑2 is like Tuberculosis, we shouldn’t allow more mutations and try to control and not take this virus the TB way for India. The dead bodies in Ganga shall medically haunt us and can lead to new infections scientifically speaking so controlling that is the need of the hour along with debunking myths and vaccinating more and more people. 

Also supporting them economically and especially with serosurvey indicating the third wave will be more dangerous in rural India. So preparing them for it, going to places with clusters like various urban slums, bastis, gaon, and galiyar. The way people in Dharavi slum maintained mask usage and hygiene as physical distancing wasn’t possible that often leading to controlled infection in all and eventually high antibody titre for all even without vaccine and no second wave or mutation was seen is needed for India. Government should be better prepared and improve the medical infrastructure for the third wave so people are not left gasping! People should also ensure not to take too many vitamins, tablets or too much steam and not panic. 

Water is one of the main constituents of a child’s body and in order to stay healthy a regular intake of liquid is essential. Water is one of the most important dietary elements for growing kids and teens. It’s essential that the parents need to develop healthy hydrations habits in kids right from the time when they are young. It has been seen that children get fussy when they are asked to drink water. But in hot and humid summers, when they lose water through sweat besides urination, intake of water is pivotal because it protects the children from getting dehydrated. Children are always at a greater risk of dehydration as compared to adults because irrespective of their size, children have the tendency of sweating more. And, the worst part is children don’t understand the feeling of being thirsty. That’s why we have to inculcate the habit of drinking a glass of water after urination.

The amount of water a child needs depends on his/her age, size and level of activity. Pediatricians across the globe recommend at least 4-6 glasses of water for children under 8 years of age, whereas, a minimum of 6-8 glasses is recommended for kids above 8-year. There are certain criteria when kids need more hydration. Like, if your child is playing sports or is very active they will need extra fluid. Even during summers, a child’s water intake should be increased to protect him/her from dehydration.

Indicators to understand if the child is well-hydrated

Luckily, there are parameters to understand whether your child is going through dehydration if they exhibit following symptoms:

Frequent headache

Poor concentration

Cracked lips

Constipation

Dark Urine

Lethargy

Inculcating water-drinking habit in kids

It’s one of the toughest habits to introduce it to your kids. Parents need to be patient and consistent in their efforts to make their kids learn the habit. There are some kids, who don’t like water and for them, parents can add a slice of lemon and orange in it. It will add a flavor to the water, which the kid will like to drink. Sometimes, giving them water in a colorful bottle or glass also excite them to drink water. So, let them choose their own bottle or glass. Even the parents can become the role model. Make sure that you are also drinking water when you’re asking your kids to do the same. There are other supplements of water, which your kids might like, but plain water is the best to stay away from dehydration in summers. Water contains no extra energy and can quench your thirst.  

Water should be the kids’ go to drink

Parents often offer their kids aerated drinks or sugar-laden juices to quench their thirst, but, both could be detrimental to your kids’ health in the long run. And, increased sugar intake is a big factor in the rising rates of childhood and adult obesity. Sugary sodas are even worse and should always be avoided. These drinks don’t quench your thirst easily, leaving the kids’ take more of it. Water and skimmed milk are the absolutely best thirst quenchers. Raise your child in such a way that water should be their first drink of choice. In this way, your child will slowly develop the taste of clear and healthy water. This is one of the lifelong habits a parent can instill in their children.  

The author is a Consultant Neonatologist, Motherhood Hospital, Noida

Researchers have been exploring the link between memories and sleep for a long period of time. During a recent study, they found that the two activities in the brain, slow oscillations and sleep spindles, help keep the memories strong.While we sleep, the brain produces particular activation patterns. When two of these patterns gear into each other, previous experiences are reactivated. The stronger the reactivation, the clearer will be our recall of past events, a new study reveals. Scientists have long known that slow oscillations (SOs) and sleep spindles – sudden half-second to two-second bursts of oscillatory brain activity – play an important role in the formation and retention of new memories.But experts in the UK and Germany have discovered that the precise combination of SOs and sleep spindles is vital for opening windows during which memories are reactivated; helping to form and cement memories in the human brain.Researchers at the University of Birmingham and Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich today published their findings in Nature Communications.

The findings of a new study suggest that though overweight and obesity are risk factors for many diseases, a higher BMI can be linked to higher survival rates in patients hospitalized for severe bacterial infections. Scientists at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, and Skaraborg Hospital in Skovde carried out the research, and their study has now been published in the journal PLOS ONE. The data were collected before the COVID-19 pandemic. The population-based study involved observations, over a nine-month period, of all 2,196 individual adults receiving care for suspected severe bacterial infection at Skaraborg Hospital in Skovde. The researchers followed the patients in this study population over time, during, and after their hospital stay. The results show that the raised chances of survival were associated with a higher body mass index (BMI) in both the short and long term, at 28 days and one year after hospitalization respectively. The differences in survival rates were clear. In the normal-weight group, 26 percent were dead within a year. The corresponding figures in the groups with higher BMI were 9-17 percent.Occasional surveys of limited patient groups have previously shown similar results. The new findings clarify and confirm the “obesity survival paradox”: that overweight and obesity afford protection against severe bacterial infections.Asa Alsio, adjunct senior lecturer in infectious diseases at Sahlgrenska Academy and senior consultant in infectious diseases at Skovde, is the study’s first and corresponding author. “In the context of most other diseases, overweight and obesity are disadvantageous. This applies to several types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and, in particular, COVID-19, in which a higher BMI is associated with higher mortality. Paradoxically, it’s the other way round here. “What we don’t know,” Alsio continues, “is how being overweight can benefit the patient with a bacterial infection, or whether it’s connected with functions in the immune system and how they’re regulated. More knowledge is needed about how being overweight affects the immune system. One patient category it could be studied in is individuals undergoing bariatric surgery.”

Gunnar Jacobsson, Sahlgrenska Academy and senior consultant in infectious diseases at Skaraborg Hospital in Skovde is the senior author of the study: “The pandemic has highlighted vulnerable patient groups, and overweight people have been hit hard. Maybe experience and handling of care for patients with severe bacterial infections can be used to improve the prognosis of COVID-19 and overweight.” Jacobsson says.