Trending News: Hypothyroidism Linked to Increased All-Cause Mortality in Patients 60 Years or Older

A discovery about the immune system’s response to malaria may mean better treatments for patients with HIV or lupus, according to Contagion Live. Investigators examined the relationship between the host immune system and malaria, anticipating that inflammation would negatively impact B cells, and found that inflammatory signals inversely improved the quality of antibodies produced. The researchers determined that inflammatory signals simultaneously improve the quality of the antibody response, while limiting its magnitude; although the B cells are of “elite quality,” they are not able to have as much of an impact on future infections.

Two migraine prevention agents, cinnarizine and sodium valproate, were shown to be safe and effective in reducing incidence and severity of migraine within children and adolescents, according to the American Journal of Managed Care. In a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial including 149 Iranian pediatric and adolescent patients, patients were randomly assigned at 1:1:1 ratio to receive cinnarizine, sodium valproate, or placebo. Compared with placebo, the 2 preventive agents exhibited significant reductions in migraine incidence and severity, warranting further analyses into their efficacy among the global population.

New research indicates that hypothyroidism could be linked to increased all-cause mortality in patients aged 60 years and older, according to MD Magazine. An international team of researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Their findings indicate that patients aged 60 years or older with subclinical hypothyroidism (those who have a milder thyroid dysfunction) may not benefit from a treatment with synthetic thyroid hormone.