Chemicals from medications and personal care products are making their way into streams, lakes, and other bodies of water, but water treatment facilities are not currently equipped to filter pharmaceutical waste from our water supply.
Drinking lots of coffee might help to protect men from the most dangerous form of prostate cancer, new research suggests. The study focused on 48,000 men in a study of health professionals. Researchers asked about their coffee drinking habits. The study lasted 20 years. In that time, more than 5,000 men developed prostate cancer. Of those, 672 died of the disease or had cancer that spread beyond the prostate. Men who drank at least 6 cups of coffee daily had a 60% lower risk of these dangerous cancers. The risk was 30% lower for men who drank 1 to 3 cups a day. Only about 5% of the men drank 6 or more cups a day. Caffeine was not a factor. Cancer rates were similar whether the men drank regular or decaf. Coffee contains antioxidants, which could fight cancer. It also may help the body make better use of insulin.
Brief reports on temporary heart damage caused by running marathons, the effect of kidney disease on the necessary dose of warfarin, and a possible increased risk of heart trouble for women taking a breast cancer drug.
Dr. Michael Miller, editor in chief of the Harvard Mental Health Letter, discusses post-traumatic stress disorder and research into a biomarker that may identify those at increased risk of developing it.
Both surgery and medicines can successfully treat acid reflux, a head-to-head comparison finds. The study focused on gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In this condition, a muscle in the esophagus does not stay closed. Acid and digestive enzymes back up in the throat. This causes heartburn and other symptoms. The study included 554 people who already had done well with the drug esomeprazole (Nexium). They were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group kept taking Nexium. The other group received surgery to strengthen the muscle. Five years later, GERD symptoms were under control for 85% of those who had surgery and 92% who took Nexium. People taking Nexium were more likely to have acid reflux than those who had surgery. People who had surgery were more likely to have gas, bloating and problems with swallowing.
A bunion is a deformity of the foot that causes the big toe to turn inward toward the other toes. This can result in damage to the other toes, calluses, and trouble walking.
An experimental drug may slow the decline of breathing ability in a fatal lung disease, new research finds. The studies focused on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. This condition causes scarring in the lungs. As the scars get worse, people can breathe in less and less air. About 4 out of 5 people die within 5 years of diagnosis. In the new studies, people were randomly divided into two groups. One group took the drug pirfenidone. The other got placebo (fake) pills. The first study lasted 72 weeks. Researchers looked at changes in a measurement of breathing called forced vital capacity. A decline of 10% is a major milestone in this disease. About 20% of people in pirfenidone group had this large decline, compared with 35% in the placebo group. The average drop in breathing ability was 8.4% in the pirfenidone group and 12.4% in the placebo group.
Children who take drugs for attention disorders don’t have a higher risk of heart problems or death, a new study concludes. The study looked at insurance records for two groups of children. More than 240,000 of them had attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). They took medicines to treat the condition. This group was compared with more than 965,000 children who did not take ADHD medicines. Researchers looked at records for the first 6 months after ADHD drugs were prescribed. There were no strokes or heart attacks among the children taking the medicines. Researchers calculated there would be 6 sudden deaths or cardiac arrests per 1 million children taking the medicines for a year. They estimated there would be 4 per million in the comparison group. But the numbers were very small. Therefore, they said the difference could be the result of chance.
People with mental health issues may not seek treatment out of fear of losing their jobs, but their problems affect the workplace in lost productivity and possible damage to their careers.
HIV patients who get very early treatment are 96% less likely to spread the virus to a sex partner, new research has found. Results of the study were so dramatic that it was ended early so everyone could get treatment. The study included 1,763 couples on 4 continents. In each case, one partner was infected with HIV and the other was not. Those with HIV were randomly divided into two groups. One group received immediate treatment with drugs to suppress the virus. People in the other group were treated only when they reached milestones that showed the immune system was declining. All couples were urged to use condoms. An early review showed 39 new HIV infections. Of these, 28 were genetically linked to the infected partner. Only one of the 28 people infected had a partner who got early drug treatment. This was a 96% decrease in risk linked to the treatment. The U.S.