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Children who have delays in talking at age 2 don’t have an increased risk of social problems later on, a study finds. The study included more than 1,600 children. Their caregivers were asked to fill out surveys about the children. They answered the surveys when the children were 2 and every few years afterward. The surveys showed that 142 children had delays in learning to talk at age 2. These children were more likely to have problems with emotions and behavior than other kids at that time. But they did not have more problems than other kids later on. The journal Pediatrics published the study online July 4. HealthDay News wrote about it.

Massage may relieve back pain better than medicine or physical therapy, new research suggests. The study included 401 people with long-lasting low back pain. They were randomly divided into 3 groups. One group received “usual care.” This included as medicines and physical therapy. The other 2 groups received massage an hour a week for 10 weeks. One group received structural massage. This kind of massage focuses on pain-related back muscles and ligaments. The other group got relaxation massage, also called Swedish massage. This type aims for overall body relaxation. After 10 weeks, about 1 out of 3 people who received massage said their pain was much better or gone. Only 1 out of 25 in the usual-care group reported this result. People who got massage also tended to use less medicine than the usual-care group. They were more active and spent fewer days in bed.

A baby’s experience in the womb, including drugs the mother takes, might affect autism risk, two studies suggest. One study looked at two groups of women. One group had children with autism. Children of women in the other group did not have the condition. Women in the first group were twice as likely as the others to have taken antidepressant drugs during pregnancy. These drugs were in a group called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). But any link would be a limited one, researchers said. More than 93% of the women whose children had autism did not take antidepressants while pregnant. Untreated depression can also cause risk for both mother and baby. The journal Archives of General Psychiatry published the study July 5. The same issue also included a study of 192 sets of twins. At least one twin in each pair had autism.

The largest group of U.S. children’s doctors has called for a ban on ads for junk food and fast food during kids’ TV programs. The proposal is part of a new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The group urged that interactive advertising for these foods be banned from digital TV, cell phones and other media. The policy also outlined ways that doctors and parents can help to prevent child obesity by restricting TV and other “screen time.” Doctors should ask parents how much screen time their children have daily, the policy says. They also should ask whether there is a TV or Internet-connected computer in the child’s room. Doctors should encourage parents to talk to their children about food advertising and good nutrition, the AAP says. The AAP recommends no more than two hours of screen time a day for kids age 2 and up.

Lung cancer screening with CT scans can save lives, but with a vast number of false alarms, detailed results of a major study show. The new data were published June 30 in the New England Journal of Medicine. Initial study results were announced in November. The study was stopped early then because CT scans reduced death rates from lung cancer 20% compared with X-rays. The study included 53,000 current or former heavy smokers. They were 55 to 74 years old and had no signs or history of lung cancer. Researchers randomly divided them into 2 groups. One group received 3 annual low-dose CT scans. The other group received 3 annual X-rays. About 40% had at least 1 suspicious finding on a test. But more than 95% of those did not have cancer. Researchers kept track of people for another 5 years.

A drug for rheumatoid arthritis might help to slow down the loss of pancreas function in type 1 diabetes, a study finds. Both of these are autoimmune diseases. They occur when the immune system attacks the body. In type 1 diabetes, it attacks beta cells in the pancreas. These cells make insulin. After they are destroyed, people must inject insulin to allow the body to burn sugar (glucose) for energy. The new study included 112 people recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Their ages ranged from 6 to 45. They were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group received abatacept (Orencia) in a vein (intravenously). The other group received placebo (fake) medicine. Every 6 months, researchers measured levels of C-peptide in the blood. The level of this compound reflects how many beta cells are still active.

Blood pressure measured at home may show more about your health than readings taken in your doctor’s office, a study finds. The study included 436 people who had long-term (chronic) kidney disease. They were not on dialysis, however. People’s blood pressure was measured several times during 2 days at a clinic. Then they were sent home for 24 hours with a device that took their blood pressure automatically. It recorded pressure every 15 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes at night. Researchers kept track of people for about 4 years. In this time, 86 developed kidney failure and 69 died. There were also 63 heart attacks or related events, and 52 people died from these events. These health problems and deaths were more likely to occur in people who had high blood pressure readings at home.

People with type 1 diabetes live almost as long as other Americans, a new study finds. In this disease, the immune system attacks the body. It destroys cells in the pancreas that make insulin. People need to replace this insulin by injection multiple times a day. The study included 390 people who were diagnosed with type 1 between 1950 and 1964. They were compared with a younger group. This group was diagnosed between 1965 and 1980. Researchers kept track of both groups for several decades. For the first group, the average life expectancy was 53.4. But this has improved for the group diagnosed later. Their average life expectancy is now 68.8, the study found. That’s less than 4 years below average. U.S. life expectancy is 72.4 for people born between 1965 and 1980. Better diabetes care has narrowed the gap, researchers said.