Harvard Health Content API

Sitting in coach class doesn’t increase your risk of a blood clot after a long flight, an expert group says. Some people have called these clots “economy class syndrome.” But people in first class have about the same risk, new guidelines say. The guidelines come from the American College of Chest Physicians. They include advice on preventing deep vein thrombosis. This type of clot occurs in the leg. It is more common after a long flight or another long period without movement. The guidelines also cover prevention of clots in the lungs and in arteries. The risk of deep vein thrombosis is very low, the guidelines say. The average risk is 1 out of 1,000 people each year. That risk doubles on flights of at least 8 hours. But you can help prevent these clots if you get up and move around on the flight. Some people have a greater risk.

Metformin is the best medicine to use first for people with type 2 diabetes, a doctors’ group says. The American College of Physicians issued the new guidelines February 6. The college is a professional group for doctors of internal medicine. The group’s new guidelines say that doctors should first recommend weight loss and regular exercise for people with type 2 diabetes. But if these changes don’t control blood sugar, metformin should be the first drug used, the guidelines say. The doctors’ group found that it lowers blood sugar the most, with the fewest side effects. Doctors should prescribe a second drug if metformin is not enough. But there’s not enough evidence to recommend one specific drug for this second treatment, the guidelines say. Besides its effect on blood sugar, metformin helped to reduce people’s risk of heart disease and early death.

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.