Harvard Health Content API

Nearly 4,600 children had to stay in a U.S. hospital in 2006 because of child abuse, a new study says. About 300 of them died. The study was the first to estimate serious injuries from child abuse nationwide. It was based on numbers from the Kids’ Inpatient Database. It covers children under age 18. The study found that 6 out of every 100,000 children had a hospital stay for physical child abuse. The average stay was about a week. Injuries included head trauma, burns and broken bones. The rates were highest — 58 out of 100,000 — for infants age 1 or younger. That’s higher than the rate for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Hospital stays also were much higher in children on Medicaid. Other research has shown a spike in child abuse since the recession that began in late 2007. Researchers said economic stress often leads to more child abuse.

A smaller dose of the “morning after” birth control pill may help to control fibroids in the uterus as well. That’s the conclusion of two new studies. They were done in Europe, where the pill is awaiting approval. Fibroids are growths that can cause heavy bleeding, pain and fertility problems. Fibroids are not cancerous, but treatments often don’t work well. Esmya is a lower dose of the drugs in Ella, an emergency birth control pill. The new studies included a total of 550 women with fibroids. All had such severe symptoms that they were planning surgery. In one study, women were randomly assigned to take Esmya or placebo (fake) pills for 3 months. The other study compared Esmya with a monthly hormone-blocking shot. It controls fibroids, but can thin bones after long use. Women received either Esmya and a fake shot, or a real shot and a fake pill.

U.S. government researchers think they may have found out how a chemical in red wine appears to confer health benefits. The research looks at resveratrol. This chemical is found in red wine and some other plant products. Researchers from the National Institutes of Health traced how it acts in cells. They found that it interferes with the activity of a protein in muscle called PDE4. This protein helps to regulate cell energy. The drug rolipram is also known to interfere with PDE4. So researchers gave this drug to mice. They found that this produced the same results as resveratrol has in other studies. Mice were less likely to get fat. Their bodies were able to make better use of glucose, which can help prevent diabetes. They also were able to exercise longer. Knowing how resveratrol works may help researchers to develop drugs with the same effects.

A follow-up test for colon cancer can increase detection rates by nearly one-third, new research finds. The study looked at flexible sigmoidoscopy. This test uses a scope with a tiny camera. The scope is threaded through the lower part of the colon. Colonoscopy, the test most often recommended, uses a longer scope. It looks at the whole colon. But sigmoidoscopy requires a less extensive cleanout with laxatives ahead of time. Unlike colonoscopy, it doesn’t require sedation. Researchers wanted to see if 2 sigmoidoscopies would detect more cancers. They looked at what happened to 35,000 people who had 2 tests within 3 to 5 years. All of them were 55 to 74 years old. The first test found cancer or polyps that could turn into cancer in about 38 of every 1,000 people. That number grew to almost 50 per 1,000 after both tests. About 8 out of 10 cancers found were in early stages.

The recent stroke of U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk shows that these attacks can happen at any age. That’s the subject of an Associated Press (AP) article published January 30. Kirk’s stroke occurred after a tear in the carotid artery to his brain. Doctors still don’t know why that happened. Kirk, 52, an Illinois Republican, is fit and a devoted swimmer. But about 1 out of 4 U.S. strokes occurs in someone under age 65, AP said. The most common type of stroke is increasing among people under age 44. Hospital stays in this group for ischemic stroke have for risen by one-third in the last 10 years, AP said. An ischemic stroke is caused by a clot that blocks a blood vessel. Strokes are more common in younger people with high blood pressure and diabetes. These diseases are increasing along with the growth in obesity in the United States.