Kimberly Bjugstad

3 weeks ago | medcentral.com | Kimberly Bjugstad

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists, such as semaglutide or liraglutide, are widely used for supporting diabetic and weight management.1 Somatically, GLP-1 directs pancreatic insulin release and suppresses secretion of glucagon to balance blood sugar levels.2,3 However, there is a small neuronal population in the caudal medulla that also releases GLP-1, with action in the hypothalamus, assisting in regulating homeostatic feeding, and in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), which is involved...

1 month ago | medcentral.com | Kimberly Bjugstad

Hyperorality is a distinguishing feature in individuals with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). Morrow et al explored the psychiatric and neuroanatomical correlates of hyperorality among those with bvFTD, with a focus on disease progression, in a recently published study.1Hyperorality includes behaviors directly and indirectly related to the mouth.

2 months ago | medcentral.com | Kimberly Bjugstad

Genes associated with psychiatric disorders do not guarantee nor do they diagnose psychiatric illness. Yet, these misconceptions are prevalent among clinicians and patients. Genetic testing initially sought to diagnose psychiatric disorders in the same way some medical disorders are diagnosed, however, as Jehannine Austin, PhD, told MedCentral, “We may never be able to do that.

2 months ago | medcentral.com | Kimberly Bjugstad

A new international consensus statement on the treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases with Janus kinase inhibitors was published online last month in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, providing a key update to the prior 2019 statement.1,2 Put together by an international committee of rheumatology experts, the new statement provides a much-needed update given that several new Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) have been approved since 2019, many of them being indicated for...

Mar 2, 2025 | medcentral.com | Kimberly Bjugstad

“I feel burned out from my work” was the primary outcome measure in a recent study that sought to understand physician burnout as a function of managing the health-related social needs of patients.1 The bottom line found by Tabata-Kelly et al., which was published recently in JAMA Network Open, was that the more physicians help patients tackle their social needs, the greater their risk of burnout (P < 0.05).1 However, the researchers also uncovered some interesting trends that could help...