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Preteen children who babysit are prepared to handle most emergencies, a study finds. But 40% revealed in a survey that they have left a child alone. About 20% said they have opened the door to a stranger. Researchers surveyed 727 preteen babysitters. Nearly all knew whom to contact in the case of an intruder or a fire and how to find first aid supplies. About 85% knew whom to contact in the case of a poisoning. About 64% knew where to find a fire extinguisher. About half of those surveyed had training in first aid, CPR or both. About 10% said they had needed to call 911 while babysitting. The emergencies included house fires and child falls, severe cuts and head injuries. The lead author said the study showed both the strengths and weaknesses of these young caregivers. Researchers presented the study October 3 at a conference of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Healthy habits and weight loss can delay diabetes for 10 years in high-risk people, a new study has found. The new study was a follow-up. The first study included 3,234 overweight people. Their blood sugar was above normal, but not as high as in diabetes. They were divided at random into groups. One group took the diabetes drug metformin. Another got placebo pills. The third group got coaching on diet, exercise and weight loss. The third group had the lowest diabetes rates after an average of three years. Then everyone was given access to coaching on diet, exercise and weight loss. The people in the study were followed for 10 years. In that time, differences between groups narrowed. But overall the group first assigned to diet and exercise had a 34% lower risk of diabetes. The metformin group had an 18% lower risk.

A combination of diabetes drugs can help to prevent the disease in people at high risk, a new study concludes. The 207 people in the study had above-normal blood sugar, but it was not high enough to diagnose diabetes. This is called pre-diabetes. It often leads to diabetes. Everyone in the study took part in a program to encourage exercise and weight loss. These changes can help to prevent diabetes. People also were randomly assigned into two groups. One group got low doses of metformin and rosiglitazone (Avandia). These drugs reduce blood sugar in different ways. The other group received placebo (fake) pills. Researchers kept track of people for an average of four years. In that time, 14% of those who received the real drugs and 39% of the placebo group developed diabetes. Blood sugar fell to normal levels in about 80% of the treated group and 53% of the placebo group.

A new type of drug has shown promising results for pain relief in osteoarthritis. This is the most common type of arthritis. But other studies of the drug have been suspended because some people developed a serious side effect. The study included 450 people with osteoarthritis of the knee. They were randomly assigned to get either the new drug, tanezumab, or a placebo. They received 2 injections, 2 months apart. Researchers checked on how they were doing after 4 months. Those taking tanezumab reported improvements of 45% to 62% in their pain level. People who got the placebo reported an average 22% improvement. Joint function also improved more with the new drug. Later, however, arthritis got worse in 16 people who received the new drug. Some of their bone cells died, and they needed joint replacements. As a result, the U.S.

Levels of a blood protein linked to inflammation vary by race, a new study finds. The study looked at C-reactive protein (CRP). People with long-term high levels may be more likely to develop heart disease. Researchers reviewed 89 studies about CRP. They included more than 221,000 people. Researchers broke down CRP results for this large group by race. They found that blacks had the highest average level, 2.6 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of blood. Levels for Hispanics were nearly as high, 2.51. They were followed by South Asians (2.34) and whites (2.03). East Asians had the lowest levels, an average of 1.01. Some doctors look at CRP levels to help them decide when someone needs treatment with a statin drug. These drugs reduce LDL cholesterol and inflammation. They have been shown to reduce heart disease deaths.

Active teens are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables than other teens, and they tend to drink more sports drinks, a new study finds. In contrast, teens who spend more time watching TV or playing video games drink more soda. Health.com wrote about the study. It was published online September 27 by the journal Pediatrics. The study looked at data from a survey of more than 15,000 middle- and high-school students in Texas. More than 60% of boys and 50% of girls drank at least one sweetened beverage per day. The study asked about soda, sports drinks, sweetened iced tea and other sugary drinks. Sports drinks do contain a little less sugar than soda. But that doesn’t make them healthful, a researcher who did the study told Health.com.

People too frail for heart valve surgery may have another option, researchers say. A new study found that a new aortic valve can be put in place using a thin tube threaded through an artery. The old valve is propped open and the new one is wedged into the opening. The study included 358 people with a diseased aortic valve. They were judged to be too sick to have open-heart surgery to get an artificial valve. People were randomly assigned to receive the new “transcatheter” valve or just comfort care. Within a month, 5% of those with the new valve died, compared with 2.8% of the others. Within a year, about 30% of those with the new valve died. But the one-year death rate was higher, 50%, for those who did not get a valve. Edwards Lifesciences Corp. plans to seek approval to market the valve in the United States. The study appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine.