Routine Lung CT Backed for Some Smokers

A government advisory group is recommending for the first time that heavy long-term smokers get regular tests for lung cancer. The advice comes from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Under the 2010 health reform law, insurance must cover cancer screening tests that the task force recommends. The new task force advice says that some smokers should get low-dose computed tomography (CT) scans of the lungs each year. The purpose is to find cancers early enough so they can be treated. The tests are recommended for people ages 55 through 79 who have smoked for at least 30 “pack-years.” This includes people who smoked a pack a day for 30 years or 2 packs a day for 15 years. It includes former as well as current smokers, but not those who quit at least 15 years ago. The advice is not final. Public comments will be accepted first, through August 26.

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Heart Doctors Urged to Talk about Sex

Doctors need to talk about sex with their heart patients. That’s the new advice from the American Heart Association and the European Society of Cardiology. For most people, sex is safe even after a heart attack, the statement says. But patients hesitate to bring up the subject. So do doctors, but that needs to change, the statement says. It suggests specific steps for doctors to take after someone has a heart attack, stroke or other serious event. They should check to see if the patient is healthy enough for sex, ordering tests if necessary. Counseling should be geared toward each person’s needs. If there’s any need for restrictions, doctors should suggest specific positions or how to be intimate without having sex. There are also suggestions for patients.

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Study Links Autism, ADHD to Game Addiction

Boys with autism or attention disorders may be more likely to become addicted to video games, a small study suggests. The study included 56 boys with autism spectrum disorder and 44 boys with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Their parents answered questions about video game habits. They also were asked about the boys’ autism or ADHD symptoms. Parents of 41 boys with more typical development also were asked about video game habits. The boys’ ages ranged from 8 to 18. Habits linked with video game addiction were more common among boys with autism or ADHD. Attention problems also were linked with problem video game use. Among boys with autism, signs of addiction were more common for those who preferred role-playing games. Boys with autism played video games an average of 2.1 hours daily.

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Latest Alzheimer’s Drug Fails

In another blow to the potential treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, human testing of a drug called semagacestat has been halted. It was hoped that the drug would block gamma secretase, an enzyme that makes beta amyloid. Beta amyloid is a protein that appears to “clog” the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. The study included more than 1,500 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s. Those taking the test drug had a faster mental decline than people taking the placebo or fake medicine. Those on the test drug also had serious side effects. But there is a silver lining. The drug maker, Eli Lilly, made all its results public. This can help other researchers. The study appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine. Health Day News wrote about it on July 24.

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