Harvard Health Content API

Women who sleep too little or too much in middle age or later may be more likely to have memory problems, a new study suggests. The study included more than 15,000 women, ages 70 or older. All of them were part of the long-term Nurses’ Health Study. Women in this study answered questionnaires at regular intervals. Therefore, researchers knew a lot about their health and habits over time. Women who slept fewer than 5 or more than 9 hours each night had worse results on memory tests than those who slept 6 to 8 hours a night. The difference in memory was about equal to another 2 years of aging. Women whose sleep changed by more than 2 hours a night after middle age also had poorer memory than those who slept about the same amount over time. The study results show a link between sleep patterns and memory problems. They do not show that either one caused the other.

Low vitamin D levels may increase the odds of developing aggressive prostate cancer, especially for black men, a new study finds. The study included 667 men. All of them were having their first prostate biopsy after an abnormal prostate exam or prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. Researchers tested the men’s blood for vitamin D. Normal levels are 30 to 80 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml). Most of the men, both white and black, had vitamin D deficiency. Black men with the lowest levels, less than 12 ng/ml, were 5 times as likely to have aggressive prostate cancer as those with normal levels. White men with the lowest vitamin D levels were 4 times as likely to have aggressive disease. Black men also were more than twice as likely to have any type of prostate cancer if their vitamin D levels were 20 ng/ml or lower.

Having diabetes or high blood pressure in middle age may increase the risk of memory and thinking problems later, new research suggests. The study included more than 1,400 people. Their average age was 80. They had either normal brain function or mild cognitive impairment. This is a milder form of thinking and memory problems that can lead to dementia. People received MRI scans and tests of their memory and thinking skills. Researchers also looked at medical records. They noted who had been diagnosed with high blood pressure, diabetes or both during middle age (40 through 64). On average, people who developed diabetes in middle age were twice as likely to have mild cognitive impairment as those without the condition. Their brains were about 2.9% smaller. The hippocampus, a part of the brain important in memory, was 4% smaller.

Many people treated for kidney stones may have problems afterward that send them to the hospital, a new study finds. Researchers looked at data on 93,000 U.S. patients who received treatment for kidney stones. About 14% had problems that required a hospital stay or emergency room treatment during the next 30 days, the study found. The average cost of treating these problems was $30,000. The study looked at 3 types of treatment. Shock-wave lithotripsy uses shock waves, applied outside the body, to break up the stones. The pieces then pass out of the body through urine. Uteroscopy uses instruments attached to a long tube to find the stone and break it up. The pieces are removed with a tiny basket or through the urine. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy is used for larger stones. Instruments inserted into a small incision in the kidney are used to break up and remove the stone.