Month: May 2015

Switching diets may make a big difference in African Americans’ risk of colon cancer, a small study suggests. African Americans have a higher risk of colorectal cancer than whites. But rural African blacks have an extremely low risk. The new study included 20 African Americans and 20 blacks from rural South Africa. Researchers gave everyone colonoscopies. They removed polyps that could develop into cancers from 9 Americans. None of the Africans had polyps. Researchers also looked at inflammation, chemical activity and bacteria in the colon. What they found was different between the 2 groups. The Americans’ results have been linked in other research with a higher risk of colon cancer. The Africans showed lower risk. Researchers had the groups switch diets for 2 weeks. The African Americans ate the Africans’ normal high-fiber, low-fat diet.

New guidelines may help decide who should take medicine after a first seizure. About 10% of people in the world have at least 1 seizure in a lifetime. But the risk of having more seizures varies. The updated guidelines come from the American Academy of Neurology and the American Epilepsy Society. They outline how to estimate the risk that someone will have another seizure. Taking anti-epileptic drugs can help prevent seizures, but they have side effects. After a first seizure, the chance of having another one is highest in the next 2 years. The chance is 21% to 45%, the guidelines say. Risk varies based on each person’s medical history and test results. Two groups have the highest risk of another seizure, the guidelines say. They include people who have had another brain problem, such as a stroke or head injury, and those whose test results show signs of epilepsy.

Obesity appears to increase the risk of aggressive prostate cancer, especially in black men, a new study finds. The study included nearly 3,400 black men and almost 22,700 white men. When the study began, they were at least 55 years old and did not have prostate cancer. In the next 5½ years, blacks were 58% more likely to develop prostate cancer than whites. The increase in risk was greatly affected by weight. Among men of normal weight, blacks had a 28% higher risk of prostate cancer than white men. For very obese black men, the risk was 103% higher. And very obese black men were 81% more likely to have aggressive prostate cancer than black men of normal weight. This type of prostate cancer grows quickly. The link between obesity and prostate cancer was not as strong for white men.

Physical therapy may relieve one type of back pain as well as surgery does, a new study finds. The study included 170 people in their late 60s. All of them had lumbar spinal stenosis. This is a narrowing of the channel inside one or more bones of the spine. People had severe back pain and problems with movement. They were randomly assigned to receive either surgery or physical therapy. The surgery removed areas of bone that were narrowing the spine and pressing on nerves. The physical therapy program lasted 6 weeks. But people in the physical therapy group were allowed to get surgery instead. More than half of them did so. People in both groups had tests of movement 10 weeks, 6 months and a year after surgery or physical therapy. They also were asked about pain. After 2 years, they filled out a survey to assess overall results.

It can be hard to teach kids to swallow pills, but a few techniques can be helpful, a study shows. The study looked at previous research on pill swallowing among children. Few studies had been done. Researchers found 5 small studies with successful results. Two studies worked on teaching or showing kids how to swallow pills. In one, 17 of 29 children were able to take large capsules for at least 6 months. The other study reported success for all but 1 of 23 children. Another study included 67 children who could not swallow pills at first. Of these, 47 learned with the use of specific instructions. Nine others succeeded with the instructions plus a small pill cup. A study of 11 children helped 7 of them to swallow small candies with the aid of a throat spray. Another study taught 33 children the best ways to hold their heads to take pills.

Doctors often find it hard to talk with patients about end-of-life care, a new study shows. And differences in culture, ethnic group and language make things even more difficult, they told researchers. The study was based on a survey. In all, 1,040 doctors in training (residents) answered the questions. They were asked if they had difficulty talking about end-of-life care with seriously ill patients and their families. Almost everyone said yes. They also were asked about the top 3 problems that came up when they had these talks with someone from a different ethnic group. They named language differences, the patient’s or family’s spiritual beliefs about death and dying, and the doctor’s ignorance of the patient’s cultural values and practices. Other problems listed were the patient’s or family’s limited understanding of medical information and mistrust of the health-care system.