Healio (1/25, Cooper) reports, “Patients with autoimmune disease demonstrate a 30% higher risk for perinatal depression, while those with perinatal depression have a 30% higher risk for subsequent autoimmune disease, according to” a study. Investigators came to this conclusion after conducting “a nested case-control study to evaluate links between autoimmune disease and subsequent perinatal depression risk, then a matched cohort study to find associations between perinatal depression and later risk for autoimmune disease.” The findings were published in Molecular Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Patients with autoimmune disease have 30% higher risk for perinatal depression,” Justin Cooper, Healio, January 25, 2024

NBC News (1/24, Lovelace ) reports the FDA “issued a new warning late Tuesday about supplements that contain the ingredient tianeptine, commonly known as ‘gas station heroin.’” The supplements – “sold under the name Neptune’s Fix and often found at gas stations, convenience stores and online – are linked to serious side effects including seizures, loss of consciousness and death.” The agency, “which first warned about the tianeptine-containing products in November, said it is still receiving reports of people being poisoned by the supplements.”

Related Links:

— “FDA issues new warning about supplements containing tianeptine,” Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, January 24, 2024

Healthcare IT News (1/24, Fox ) reports the KLAS Arch Collaborative “conducted a [healthcare professional] experience survey focused on clinicians’ use of electronic health records between January 2022 and August 2023” to assess physician and nurse burnout. The organization “says the data in its study, Understanding & Addressing Trends in Physician & Nurse Burnout 2024, indicates that burnout rates are slightly decreasing among doctors and nurses, but are still above pre-pandemic levels.” To address “burnout, doctors and nurses want improved staffing levels, better alignment with leaders and EHR efficiency, while nurses want better compensation.”

Related Links:

— “Fix daily irritants to reduce clinician burnout, KLAS says,” Andrea Fox, Healthcare IT News, January 24, 2024

HealthDay (1/24, Mundell ) reports that research suggests the blood pressure drug propranolol may “help ease anxiety in people with autism.” Investigators “found that people who received propranolol had significantly lower anxiety levels at their three-month checkup.” The study, in which “69 people between the ages of 7 and 24 who had autism were given the drug,” was published in Psychopharmacology.

Related Links:

— “Common Heart Drug Might Lower Anxiety in Kids With Autism,” Ernie Mundell, HealthDay, January 24, 2024

HCP Live (1/24, Brooks) reports, “The clinical impact of treatment interventions for mood may span beyond mental health, according to findings from a recent systematic review and meta-analysis.” The research “showed treatments addressing mood outcomes also demonstrated beneficial effects for general inflammation and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-specific biomarkers, further detailing the greater impact of psychological interventions for accentuating the effect on biomarkers and objective disease outcomes.” The findings were published in eBiomedicine.

Related Links:

— “Mental Health Interventions Reduce Inflammatory Biomarkers in IBD by 18%,” Abigail Brooks, MA, HCP Live, January 24, 2024