Harvard Health Content API

A test that does not require surgery can be used to diagnose endometriosis, a study finds. This condition can be painful and cause infertility. It occurs when cells from the uterus lining (endometrium) grow outside the uterus. The new test looks for nerve fibers in the endometrium through a biopsy. Researchers inserted a device through the vagina and took tissue samples from 99 women. The women also had surgery through a small cut (laparoscopy). This is the standard way to diagnose endometriosis now. The surgery found disease in 64 women. The biopsy found nerve fibers in all but one sample from this group. The surgery found no disease in the other 35 women. Biopsy samples showed no nerve fibers for 29 of these women. A second study found that nerve fibers are 14 times more common in the uterus lining among women with endometriosis.

A drug tested to prevent prostate cancer did seem to reduce risk, a study says. More than 10,000 men were in the study. Some took dutasteride (Avodart) and others took a fake pill. After 4 years, men who took the drug were less likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. They also had fewer problems with enlarged prostates. But men who took the drug were more likely to have sexual side effects, as well as heart failure. And men who took the drug and still got prostate cancer were more likely to have an aggressive form of cancer. The study was published in the April 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The Associated Press reported on it March 31.

A brain scan may show signs of multiple sclerosis years before symptoms occur, a study has found. But not everyone with abnormal brain areas developed MS symptoms. The study included 44 people. All of them had magnetic resonance (MRI) scans of the brain for a variety of reasons. Doctors noticed abnormal areas in the brain like those seen in MS. They kept track of the people for 5½ years. In that time, about one-third developed MS symptoms. One-third developed additional abnormal areas, but had no symptoms. The study was published December 10 in the journal Neurology. USA Today and HealthDay News wrote about it.

H1N1 flu is still around and people should consider getting vaccinated, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Flu cases are increasing in the Southeast, even as spring weather appears. In the past week, Georgia has reported 40 hospitalizations for flu-like illness. H1N1 does not appear to follow the usual pattern of flu outbreaks. Seasonal flu is more common in cold weather, but H1N1 was first identified in April 2009. In the United States, infections appeared to peak in late October and early November. H1N1 vaccine is still available. About 86 million Americans have been vaccinated.

U.S. health officials are urging doctors to ask patients about alcohol use before a problem turns into alcoholism. The Washington Post reported on the effort June 17. The latest tool is a video. It shows doctors how to screen their patients for alcohol abuse. The guidelines urge doctors to ask each man a basic question: “How many days in the past year have you had five or more drinks?” For a woman, the number is four drinks. Officials hope doctors will screen for alcohol abuse as many of them do now for depression, the Post reported. The guidelines come from the National Institutes of Health.

Talking with young children is important to their language development, a study has found. Researchers looked at 275 families. All had children ages 2 to 4. Children with high language scores had a lot of conversations with adults. Watching more TV lowered language scores. In conversations, kids will make mistakes. Then adults can correct them, and language skills can improve, researchers said. The study was published in the July issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Long-term exposure to lead may increase the risk of death from heart and artery disease, a study shows. The study included 868 male veterans. Their average age was 67 when the study began. Researchers measured lead in their knee and shin bones. During the 9-year study, 241 men died. Men with the most lead in their bones were six times more likely to die from heart attack, stroke and related conditions than those with the lowest amount of lead. Their risk of death from any case was 2.5 times as high as for men with low lead levels. Current U.S. standards for excess lead exposure are based on lead in blood. But lead remains much longer in bones — perhaps as long as decades. Researchers said current standards probably need to change. The study appeared in the journal Circulation. HealthDay News wrote about it September 8.

Non-drug therapies can help to relieve pain in hospital patients after surgery, a new study suggests. The study included 1,837 patients who had surgery at a hospital. They were given various treatments for pain. The treatments included acupuncture, acupressure, massage, music or aroma therapy, reflexology, healing touch and therapies to help them relax. They were asked to score their pain before and after treatment. The score range was 0 to 10. Researchers said the non-drug treatments reduced pain by up to half in some people. The study appeared March 5 in the Journal of Patient Safety.

Children need twice as much vitamin D as previously recommended, their doctors now say. The new advice came from the American Academy of Pediatrics. This is the nation’s largest group of children’s doctors. The group said kids should receive 400 units of vitamin D daily. This includes even breastfed infants. Most kids will need a supplement to provide this much vitamin D. The doctors based their advice on new research. These studies suggest that the vitamin may help prevent diseases as well as keep bones strong. The Associated Press wrote about the new advice October 13.

A salmonella outbreak involving large tomatoes and roma tomatoes has hit people in 17 states. At least 23 people were hospitalized, and one tomato eater died. The Associated Press reported on the outbreak June 10.