Why Time on Toilet Matters
Smartphones may be the new bathroom reading material, but your rectal cushions might not thank you for it. In a cross-sectional study of 125 adults undergoing colonoscopy at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 66% admitted to scrolling while on the toilet—and they sat significantly longer than their unplugged peers, with 37% lingering over 5 minutes compared to just 7% of non-users. Endoscopic findings showed that 43% of participants had hemorrhoids, and after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, exercise, straining, and fiber intake, smartphone use still carried a 46% increased risk. Favorite bathroom screen time activities included reading the news (54%) and social media (44.4%). Interestingly, straining did not independently predict hemorrhoids, suggesting it’s not the push but the prolonged perch that matters. So, while headlines and hashtags may entertain, limiting your toilet screen time might save you from an uncomfortable diagnosis.
Source: PLOS One
A Glue Gun for Bones?
Bone repair just got a serious upgrade with a sci-fi twist: researchers from Korea University, Sungkyunkwan University, MIT, and partners developed a portable bone “glue gun” that 3D-prints biodegradable implants directly into critical-sized defects. This handheld device prints biodegradable scaffolds made of polycaprolactone and hydroxyapatite directly into irregular bone defects, eliminating the need for prefabricated implants or solvents. The scaffolds can be fine-tuned for strength, flexibility, and even infection control when loaded with antibiotics like vancomycin or gentamicin. In rabbits with 1-cm femoral gaps, the printed implants supported collagen formation, new bone growth, and greater mechanical stability compared with standard bone cement. Because the material degrades slowly while encouraging osteoconduction, it gives native bone time to remodel and strengthen. While not a full skeletal fixer-upper yet, this customizable, solvent-free printing system hints at a future where surgeons can literally “draw in” bone repairs on demand, tailored to each patient’s anatomy and healing needs.
Source: Device
Salmonella’s Secret Partner
Move over, bacteria:fungi want in on the gut drama, too. A recent study from the University of Illinois Chicago and collaborators revealed that the common commensal yeast Candida albicans can turbocharge Salmonella Typhimurium infections. In mice, co-colonization meant 50% greater weight loss, higher cecal colonization, and increased systemic spread compared with Salmonella alone. So, what happens? Salmonella clings to C. albicans with type 1 fimbriae and then slips in a SopB effector, which pushes the fungus to churn out millimolar levels of arginine. This amino acid acts like rocket fuel for Salmonella’s invasion machinery and, sneakily, also tones down the host’s inflammatory response by dampening IL-17 and neutrophil activity. Even straight arginine in drinking water mimicked the yeast’s effect, worsening infection outcomes. The takeaway: C. albicans—present the guts of more than 60% of healthy people—may be a hidden risk factor that turns a foodborne bout of diarrhea into a systemic infection.
Source: Nature
Tea, Porridge, and Plummeting Sodium
Hyponatremia usually gets pinned on meds or syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH), but researchers in India served up a twist: “tea and porridge syndrome.” A 68-year-old woman on thiazides landed in the hospital with insomnia, vomiting, and a sodium level of just 109.8 mEq/L. The real culprit? Days of plain rice porridge and black tea, leaving her kidneys starved of solute and unable to clear water. Labs sealed the deal—urine osmolality 71.9 mOsm/kg and sodium 14 mEq/L—pointing squarely to low-solute hyponatremia, not SIADH. With 3% saline, fluid restriction, and a protein-rich diet, her sodium climbed to 126 mEq/L in four days and her symptoms resolved. The case is a reminder that not all low sodium in thiazide users is from the drug—sometimes, the blandest diet can be the boldest offender.
Source: Cureus
Brains on Bullying Mode
Bullying is not just a playground problem—it sets off alarm bells in the brain. In a study from the University of Turku, adolescents (n = 51) aged 11 to 14 years oldand adults (n = 47) watched first-person videos of school bullying while undergoing functional MRI, while another group of adults (n = 57) had their eye movements tracked. Compared with friendly social scenes, bullying clips activated the brain’s socioemotional distress circuits along with sensory, interoceptive, and motor regions—essentially putting the nervous system on high alert. Eye-tracking told a similar story, with dilated pupils and more fixations signaling heightened vigilance. What made it personal? Participants past or current experiences of victimization, showed stronger responses, suggesting the brain remembers and reacts accordingly. Sometimes the science of social pain is just as striking as the experience itself.
Source: Journal of Neuroscience
The intersection of medicine and the unexpected reminds us how wild, weird, and wonderful science can be. The world of health care continues to surprise and astonish.
