About a third of people with depression do not respond to most common antidepressants. Ketamine has already shown positive effects on these resistant depressions. However, its mechanisms of action are still unknown. The researchers then focused on a particular symptom of the disease, namely the estimation of the occurrence of negative events in their lives.
It is a common symptom of depression. And when a subject suffers from it, even if he is exposed to the real risk of a situation, he does not update his estimate. Let’s take a concrete example: let’s say that a depressive patient thinks that the risk of having a plane crash is 20%. He is told that this risk is 2%. Despite this, he does not revise this percentage downwards. He remains pessimistic. On the other hand, a non-depressive subject will lower this percentage and update his information.
Result of this study, between before and after the treatment, in four hours, the 26 patients on ketamine were significantly less likely to have this negative view. In other words, they become more optimistic.
This is a very small group of patients so the results need to be replicated. What is the scope and follow-up of this study? Philippe Fossati is a professor at Sorbonne University, head of the adult psychiatry department at the Pitié-Salpetrière Hospital and co-author of the study.
MORNINGS OF CULTURE – 852 JDS /02 ITW Philippe FOSSATI okok
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58 mins
National survey finds over 16% of women are affected by postpartum depression
This is a survey conducted by Inserm and Public Health France. Conducted every 5 years, the particularity of this sixth publication is on the one hand to have been carried out in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and, on the other hand, to have added a section dedicated to the follow-up of women after their childbirth. . As a result, one in six women has proven depression during this period, and nearly 30% of women have at least some of the symptoms associated with postpartum.
This is the first time that we have this data. And France is a little behind compared to our neighbours. The United Kingdom, for example, has used this indicator for almost twenty years. In an attempt to make up for this delay, France has also introduced since July 1 a mandatory postnatal interview two months after childbirth, to detect signs of the disease.
54 mins
The discovery of a pair of stars with very short orbits
This is the shortest orbit ever discovered. By observing how these two stars eclipse, the researchers determined that they revolve around each other approximately every 51 minutes. You should know that these pairs of stars – binary stars – are very common in the universe. Indeed, more than half of our stars are in a relationship.
But the particularity of these is that they are part of a rare class of star, a “cataclysmic variable”: a pair formed by a star like ours and a white dwarf say a sun that has burned all its hydrogen. And as they are very close to each other, the second sucks the material from the first. The researchers then estimate that in 70 million years, the two objects will also be even closer to each other, with an ultra-short orbit estimated at just eighteen minutes, before they begin to expand and s away from each other.
Reviews on Amazon announce an upsurge in COVID-19 in the United States
With each new wave of COVID-19, this phenomenon is repeated in the United States. Dozens and dozens of consumers complain that the Yankee Candles they buy have no smell, which is explained by their loss of sense of smell, a warning sign of the onset of an infection. Researchers then really asked themselves the question: are negative comments on scented candles on the Amazon site correlated with epidemic peaks?
In this study, which started as a joke, scientists analyzed nearly 10,000 opinions about the four best-selling scented candles between September 2018 and December 2021. Results, yes, there is indeed an association between the two phenomena.
According to the lead author, tracking scented candle reviews could help spot covid-19 cases and anticipate new waves. An interesting indicator because regular testing tends to decrease around the world. However, this means of detection would not work in France because there are not enough buyers and not enough comments related to these candles to draw epidemiological conclusions.
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Thanks to Philippe Fossati for his valuable explanations
For further
The Main Subject Study on Depression and Ketamine (JAMA, in English)
Ketamine and depression: a mechanism of the antidepressant effect unveiled (Inserm)
Report of the national perinatal survey (Public Health France, Inserm)
Postpartum depression affects more than 16% of women (Le Figaro)
The star couple study (Nature, in English)
Discovery of a pair of stars with the shortest orbit to date (SciencePost)
“This candle has no smell” the study on the correlation between comments on Amazon and an upsurge in COVID-19 cases (Proceedings of the Sixteenth International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media)
Amazon reviewers saying candles are odorless may point to covid-19 cases (New Scientist)