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Exercise can aid in recovery from breast cancer. But many women actually exercise less after their diagnosis, a new study finds. Regular exercise has been linked with longer and better quality of life after breast cancer treatment. The new study included 1,735 women recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Researchers asked them about their exercise habits. They asked again 6 months later. About 59% reported doing less physical activity than they did before diagnosis. Only 35% met current national guidelines for exercise 6 months after diagnosis. African-American women were 38% less likely to meet those guidelines than white women. They also had larger declines in exercise. The journal Cancer published the study online. HealthDay News wrote about it June 9.

Use of the rotavirus vaccine has dramatically reduced hospital stays for severe diarrhea among young children, a new study says. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did the study. The first rotavirus vaccine was approved in 2006. Before that, the CDC said, this virus caused 55,000 to 70,000 hospital stays each year among U.S. children under age 5. About 20 to 60 children died each year. But those numbers dropped off rapidly. By the 2009-2010 season, hospital stays for rotavirus were down 94%, the CDC study found. Visits to the emergency room and doctors’ offices for diarrhea also plummeted. Even children who had not been vaccinated were less likely to have rotavirus illness. That’s because less of the virus was circulating, the study noted. Two rotavirus vaccines are now in use. Both are given by mouth.

Although some pills for depression can spur weight gain, a new study finds that the long-term amount gained is small. Most prior studies have lasted only a few months. The new study was based on electronic records for more than 19,000 adults with depression. They had been treated with at least 1 of 11 different antidepressants. After 12 months, they had gained an average of 1 to 2 pounds. Weight gain was smallest for those who took bupropion (Wellbutrin and generics), amitriptyline and nortriptyline. But differences between average weight gains for different drugs were small. The journal JAMA Psychiatry published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it June 5.