Harvard Health Content API

Older drivers may have problems seeing cars, cyclists and walkers near them because they are so aware of movement farther away, a study suggests. The study focused on the medial temporal (MT) visual area of the brain. It found that this area helps people to ignore background motion. This allows them to focus on things near them. The study discovered this effect with tests on six young adults. Researchers used electric stimulation on the MT area to shut off its function for a short time. After this, people were more able to notice background motion in vision tests. Older adults are known to notice background motion better than younger people. Researchers said perhaps the MT area of the brain works less well as people age. The study appeared in the Journal of Neuroscience. HealthDay News wrote about it January 24.

Although women have a lower risk of heart disease compared with men, lowering blood pressure could save women’s lives, says a study. It included 9,357 people with an average age of about 53. Their blood pressure readings were monitored, sometimes 24 hours a day. After about 11 years, 1,245 of them had died. Of those, 472 died of cardiovascular disease. The women in the study had two-thirds the risk of cardiovascular problems or of death, compared with the men. But 36% of heart-related problems, including heart-related deaths, were preventable in women. Only 24% were preventable in men. The study appears in the March issue of the journal Hypertension. HealthDay News wrote about it January 25.

A breast cancer drug might also reduce the risk of dying from lung cancer, a small study suggests. Researchers looked at records for 6,655 women with breast cancer. Just under half of them took the drug tamoxifen. This drug blocks the effects of the hormone estrogen. It fights breast tumors that grow in response to estrogen. Of the total group of women, 40 also developed lung cancer. Those who took tamoxifen were 87% less likely to die of lung cancer than those who did not take it. Because of the study’s design and small size, researchers could not say if tamoxifen caused the lower death rate. The journal Cancer published the study online. HealthDay News and Reuters Health news service wrote about the research January 24.

Fever-related seizures seem to be on the rise among young children after they receive a flu shot. U.S. health officials are trying to find out why. There have been 36 reports of such seizures this flu season. The Associated Press wrote about them January 20. All occurred within a day of when the children received the FluZone flu shot. The children were 6 months to 2 years old. All recovered, but 10 of them did have a stay in the hospital. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it is trying to find out if the shot caused the seizures. They could have been caused by something else. This type of seizure is also called a febrile seizure. The child shakes and loses consciousness. Usually, the seizure lasts a minute or two. Children often recover quickly. The FDA has not changed its advice on using the vaccine.