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People who have had strokes and their family members can help detect an increased risk of a second stroke, a new study suggests. The technique used was a simple one: checking the pulse. The study included 256 people. Each person had a prior stroke caused by a blood clot. Stroke survivors and close family members were trained to detect atrial fibrillation by taking the pulse. This irregular heart rhythm can increase the risk of blood clots forming in the heart. A clot that travels to the brain may cause a stroke. All of the stroke survivors received EKG tests. They found that 57 people had atrial fibrillation. The EKG results were compared with pulse readings performed by stroke survivors, relatives and health professionals. Pulse readings done by patients correctly detected 54% of the cases of atrial fibrillation. Relatives detected 77% and health professionals 97%.

Though heart attacks have declined among older adults, a new study finds that rates have stayed the same for those under 55. And younger women continue to do worse than younger men after heart attacks. The new study covered the years 2001 through 2010. Researchers looked at records of nearly 231,000 hospital stays for heart attacks. All of the patients were ages 30 to 54. About one-quarter of them were women. Hospital-stay rates for heart attack remained about the same throughout the decade. This was true for both men and women. Women tended to stay longer in the hospital than men. They also were more likely to die in the hospital, though their death rates fell during the decade. Death rates remained the same for men. Black women were more likely than white women to have a hospital stay for a heart attack. There was not much difference between the rates for black and white men.

People infected with HIV in wealthier countries are 28% less likely to die early than they were in 1999, a new study shows. Only 29% of deaths were related to AIDS, the disease caused by HIV. They were still the most common cause of death, but death rates fell by about one-third. The study authors looked at medical data on about 50,000 HIV-infected people. They lived in Australia, Europe or the United States. The study covered the years 1999 through 2011. During these years, HIV medicines improved so much that many infected people who get regular treatment can live a normal life span. About 4,000 people in the study died. The rates of death from heart disease, stroke and related causes dropped by about two-thirds during the study period. Deaths from liver disease were cut in half. Death rates from cancers not linked with AIDS remained stable.

Going to a top-performing public high school can reduce very risky health behaviors among low-income teens, a new study suggests. These behaviors include binge drinking, substance use at school, risky sex and joining a gang. The study included high school students from low-income neighborhoods in Los Angeles who applied to top-performing charter schools. These schools choose students through a lottery. All of the students had similar test scores. They also came from similar family backgrounds. Researchers surveyed the health behaviors of two groups of students. One group included 521 students who got in to one of these top schools through the lottery. The other group included 409 students who applied but did not get in. The survey showed that 36% of the charter-school students compared with 42% of the other students admitted to very risky behaviors.