Stephen Burgess

A Danish team has analysed a small dataset comprising 685 pregnant women and 302 of their daughters at three months of age to assess possible associations between foetal exposure to paracetamol and the infants’ ovarian function. Their study, published in the journal Human Reproduction Open, suggests that girls whose mothers took paracetamol during pregnancy had smaller ovaries and uteri, fewer ovarian follicles and lower levels of reproductive hormones. The authors point out that this is an observational study and therefore cannot assess whether the drug causes reproductive problems or whether these early differences are clinically significant.

A team from the United Kingdom has conducted an umbrella review, or review of reviews, on the risks of vaping among young people. After analysing 56 reviews including 384 studies, their conclusions are that vaping is subsequently associated with increased consumption of tobacco, marijuana and alcohol. It is also associated with an increased risk of asthma, coughing, injuries and mental health problems. The results are published in the journal Tobacco Control.

Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a group of astronomers has detected the chemical fingerprints of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) in the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18b, which orbits its star in the habitable zone. The detection has been published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 

In research using a WHO database of adverse drug reactions, the authors identified a signal of disproportionality of suicidal ideation with semaglutide, one of the drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, did not find this signal for liraglutide, another drug indicated for these treatments.