Harvard Health Content API

A small study has found an association between poor sleep patterns and a reduction in brain volume over time. This does not mean that poor sleep caused the changes in brain size. Those changes may have caused the poor sleep patterns, or both things may be related to a third factor. The study included 147 adults. Over several years, they answered questions about sleep. They also underwent MRI scans of the brain. About one-third of people in the study had definite sleep problems. Those people tended to lose brain volume faster than people who slept well.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced approval for the third new diet drug since 2012. Contrave combines two drugs that were already approved. One, naltrexone, is used to treat alcohol and drug addiction. The other, buproprion, is used to treat depression and help smokers quit. Contrave is approved for use by obese adults. It also is approved for overweight adults who have at least one other condition related to excess weight, such as type 2 diabetes. In studies, 36% to 42% of those who took Contrave and 17% to 18% of those who took a placebo lost at least 5% of their body weight. The studies included a total of 4,500 people. Everyone also followed a reduced-calorie diet and a program of regular exercise. Contrave can increase blood pressure or cause seizures in some people. The drug is made by Orexigen Therapeutics of La Jolla, California.

Doctors prescribe antibiotics twice as often as needed for children with common respiratory infections, a new study concludes. The study was based on 24 previous articles. They were published between 2000 and 2012. This was after the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was approved. This vaccine has prevented many cases of childhood illness caused by bacteria. The studies looked at how often ear, throat and sinus infections were caused by bacteria. Researchers could not find any studies on nasal or lung (bronchial) infections that met their standards. They also looked at treatment guidelines. Guidelines do not recommend antibiotics in many cases for these 5 infections. Many cases are caused by viruses. Some infections caused by bacteria also may get better on their own.

Adults age 65 and older should get 2 vaccines to prevent pneumonia, U.S. health officials say. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued the new advice September 18. The CDC already recommends another pneumonia vaccine for older adults. That vaccine is called PPSV23 (Pneumovax). Now the CDC also recommends PCV13 (Prevnar 13), for extra protection. Both vaccines help to prevent pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumonia(pneumococcus) bacteria. These bacteria also can cause bloodstream infections and meningitis. The PCV13 vaccine already is recommended for children and certain high-risk adults. An expert panel that advises the CDC on vaccines voted in August to recommend this vaccine for older adults, too.  The new advice calls for everyone age 65 and older to receive both vaccines, but not at the same time.

Giving patients with chronic lung disease 2 drugs provides slightly better results than a single drug, a new study suggests. The study looked at drug treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This disease includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Most cases are caused by smoking. Current guidelines call for prescribing a long-acting beta agonist first. These drugs relax and widen airways. If that is not enough, guidelines suggest adding a corticosteroid. These drugs reduce inflammation. All of these drugs are inhaled. Some inhalers combine both types of drugs. The new study looked at “real world” practice. It included more than 12,000 patients over age 65. Contrary to guidelines, only 3,160 people were treated first with beta-agonists only. The other 8,712 got combination drugs. Death rates were 37.3% with beta agonists only and 36.4% with combination drugs.

At least 160 cases of a sometimes severe virus have been confirmed in 22 states, U.S. health officials say. The cause of the confirmed cases is enterovirus D68. It is part of a family of germs that cause the common cold. Most cases in this new outbreak are mild, with cold symptoms. But other people, especially children, have developed breathing problems. Many children have ended up in hospitals. The illness has been most severe for children with asthma. No one has died. Enterovirus D68 is spread by close contact with an infected person, or touching the same surfaces and then the nose or mouth. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the latest numbers on September 19. The number of states and cases has expanded rapidly since the CDC first reported an outbreak at one Midwest hospital on September 8.

Women who consume more potassium have a lower risk of stroke, a study has found. The study followed 90,000 women for an average of 11 years. All were between ages 50 and 79, and had gone through menopause. The average daily intake of potassium was about 2,600 milligrams (mg) per day. Nutrition recommendations say adults should get 4,700 mg per day. Women in the study who consumed the most potassium were 12% less likely to have a stroke, compared with women who consumed the least. The risk reduction was limited to ischemic strokes, which happen when a blood vessel in the brain is blocked. The risk for hemorrhagic strokes – when a blood vessel bursts – was not affected. Women who consumed the most potassium also were 10% less likely to die during the study period, compared with those consuming the least.