Sunday, August 24, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

More Danish children rely on sleep medication

Published 7 November 2024
– By Editorial Staff
If the child is otherwise healthy, lifestyle changes are recommended instead of medication.
2 minute read

Children and adolescents in Denmark are increasingly using sleep medication to help them fall asleep, according to data from the Danish Health Data Authority. The use of the hormone melatonin is on the rise, while the use of stronger medications is decreasing.

The number of people under the age of 18 using some form of sleep aid has increased by 14% between 2022 and 2023, according to the agency. However, according to Poul Jørgen Jennum, professor and chief physician at the Danish Center for Sleep Disorders, there is no reason to interpret these figures as more children suffering from sleep disorders.

We have seen an increase in the use of sleep medication in children and adolescents for several years, but this is probably not because more young people than before have sleep disorders. There is probably a greater awareness of sleep problems in children and adolescents and an increased pressure on pediatricians to give and recommend sleep medication, he told Danish state broadcaster DR.

The most popular is melatonin, a hormone produced naturally in the body that mainly regulates circadian rhythms and sleep, while the use of stronger sleep aids such as benzodiazepine-like drugs and promethazine is declining, the figures show.

Although Jennum does not believe that more children than in the past are actually suffering from sleep disorders, he emphasizes that a number of studies show this, but that prescribing sleep medication is not the solution.

– If a child has an underlying condition such as mental illness, the situation may be different, but if the child is otherwise healthy, I recommend changing the lifestyle of the adolescent or child instead.

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Colorectal cancer affects more young Swedes

Published yesterday 10:52
– By Editorial Staff
The study also shows that mortality has increased among both younger and older patients for up to ten years after cancer diagnosis.
2 minute read

Colorectal cancer is increasing among young people in Sweden, according to research from the Karolinska Institute. Researchers suggest that lifestyle factors, such as sedentary behavior and obesity, may be the cause.

In the study, which was published in Annals of Oncology, researchers examined over 135,000 Swedish patients who had colorectal cancer between 1993 and 2019.

The results show that the number of younger people under 50 who develop this form of cancer has increased over the past three decades. For rectal cancer, the number of new cases among younger people has increased by 2.04 percent per year, and for left-sided and right-sided colon cancer, the increase is 2.41 and 2.64 percent per year respectively. Overall, the disease has become two to three times more common among younger people.

Detected later in younger patients

Younger patients also more often had metastatic cancer compared to older patients, suggesting they had lived with symptoms longer before the cancer was discovered. Researchers emphasize that it’s important for both the public and healthcare professionals to know that this type of cancer can also affect younger people. This is particularly important since the chance of curing cancer increases with early detection.

The study also shows that mortality has increased among both younger and older patients up to ten years after cancer diagnosis.

This is remarkable, since patients are often considered cured after such a long time. Our results challenge that view and underscore the need for more research into why this is happening, as well as long-term follow-up and support for both young and older patients, says Cecilia Radkiewicz, researcher at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

Lifestyle may be the cause

It’s unclear what actually lies behind the increase in colorectal cancer among young people, but researchers believe it doesn’t appear to be driven by traditional risk factors such as inflammatory bowel disease or heredity. Instead, the results suggest that lifestyle factors may be decisive.

Childhood obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and antibiotic use have been highlighted as contributing factors, although the underlying biological mechanisms remain unclear, says Radkiewicz.

Just a few puffs are enough – how quickly vaping damages the lungs

Published 21 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Researchers have for the first time been able to demonstrate a direct link between inhaled nicotine from e-cigarettes and inflammatory markers in the blood.
2 minute read

Just a few puffs of an e-cigarette, or vape, containing nicotine can trigger inflammation in the lungs, according to research from Uppsala University in Sweden.

The researchers, who received funding from the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, tested 22 healthy individuals on two different occasions. The participants then smoked e-cigarettes both with and without nicotine for half an hour each.

When the researchers analyzed the blood samples, they found that participants exposed to nicotine-containing e-cigarettes showed elevated levels of inflammatory markers in their blood. According to the researchers, this could mean that just a few inhalations are enough to trigger an inflammatory reaction in lung tissue.

The results are alarming, as they clearly show that e-cigarettes with nicotine are not a harmless alternative to cigarettes. We have long worked to spread scientifically-based knowledge about nicotine’s health effects, and this research strengthens our conviction that tobacco and new nicotine products should be treated equally under the law, says Kristina Sparreljung, Secretary General of the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, in a press release.

For the first time, researchers have been able to demonstrate a direct link between inhaled nicotine and specific inflammation markers in the blood that are connected to the lungs. The researchers believe the absorption rate is particularly concerning, as the body absorbs nicotine faster than with nicotine patches, for example.

Our results are in line with previous studies where nicotine from e-cigarettes has been shown to affect blood vessels by increasing levels of vascular damage markers in the blood. It’s remarkable that even single occasions can produce biological effects. In the long term, this could contribute to the development of both lung diseases and cardiovascular disease, says Fariborz Mobarrez, lecturer and researcher at the Department of Medical Sciences at Uppsala University.

Obesity the most common risk factor for heart attack among Swedes

Published 20 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Women who suffer heart attacks often have more risk factors and a worse prognosis than men.
2 minute read

Obesity has overtaken smoking as the primary cause of heart attack among young adults in Sweden, a new study shows.

In the study, which was published in European Heart Journal – Quality of Care and Clinical Outcomes, researchers followed 44,254 people aged 18–59 after they suffered their first heart attack. The study is a registry-based study and was conducted with support from the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation.

The results show that three out of four young adults who suffered a heart attack had at least one known risk factor – most commonly high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, or obesity. Furthermore, the study shows that obesity has overtaken smoking as the most common risk factor in this age group. The reason is that the number of smokers has decreased, but at the same time the proportion suffering from obesity has increased markedly. For example, one in four suffered from obesity in 2006, and more than one in three in 2021.

It is concerning that the proportion of people with obesity has overtaken the proportion of smokers as the most common risk factor among young adults. But it also shows that we can do much to prevent heart attacks by finding and treating risk factors in time, says Moa Simonsson, researcher and senior physician in cardiology at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, in a press release.

Difference between men and women

Men run a greater risk of suffering a heart attack compared to women and are often affected earlier in life. At the same time, the study shows that women who suffer heart attacks often have more risk factors, but also that they have a worse prognosis after a heart attack.

It seems that women who have a heart attack need to have a heavier burden of risk factors than men to be affected. This shows that we need to understand more about women’s particular risks, such as complications during pregnancy, says Simonsson.

Danish students build drone that flies and swims

Published 18 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
2 minute read

Four students at Aalborg University in Denmark have developed a revolutionary drone that seamlessly transitions between air and water. The prototype uses innovative rotor technology that automatically adapts to different environments.

Four students at Aalborg University in Denmark have created something that sounds like science fiction – a drone that can literally fly down into water, swim around and then jump back up into the air to continue flying, reports Tom’s Hardware.

Students Andrei Copaci, Pawel Kowalczyk, Krzysztof Sierocki and Mikolaj Dzwigalo have developed a prototype as their thesis project that demonstrates how future amphibious drones could function. The project has attracted attention from technology media after a demonstration video showed the drone flying over a pool, crashing down into the water, navigating underwater and then taking off into the air again.

Intelligent rotor technology solves the challenge

The secret behind the impressive performance lies in what the team calls a “variable rotor system”. The individual rotor blades can automatically adjust their pitch angle depending on whether the drone is in air or water.

When the drone flies through the air, the rotor blades work at a higher angle for optimal lift capacity. Underwater, the blade pitch is lowered to reduce resistance and improve efficiency during navigation. The system can also reverse thrust to increase maneuverability when the drone moves through tight passages underwater.

Most components in the prototype have been manufactured by the students themselves using 3D printers, since equivalent parts were not available on the market.

Although the project is still in an early concept stage and exists only as a single prototype, it demonstrates the possibilities for future amphibious vehicles. The technology could have applications in everything from rescue operations to environmental monitoring where vehicles need to move both above and below the water surface.

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