Harvard Health Content API

A blood test for ovarian cancer is being sold illegally, U.S. drug regulators say. The OvaSure test is made by the Laboratory Corporation of America. In a September 29 letter, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned the company that the test needs FDA approval. Not all medical tests need this approval. But the FDA said OvaSure does need it. OvaSure was first sold in June. It looks for six proteins in the blood. Based on the protein levels, the woman gets an estimate of her chance of having ovarian cancer. But some experts say the test has not been studied enough to prove it works. The New York Times wrote about the warning letter October 9.

If your parents had a stroke by age 65, you’re more likely to have an early stroke, too, a new study suggests. The study looked at data on 3,443 people in the long-term Framingham Heart Study. They were all children of the original study participants. Researchers also looked at data on their parents. Among the parents, 106 people had strokes by age 65. Among the children, 128 had strokes during a 40-year period. Researchers then adjusted the numbers to account for other factors, such as high blood pressure, that increase stroke risk. People whose parents had early strokes were nearly 3 times as likely as others to have strokes themselves. They were 4 times as likely to have strokes by age 65. The study was published online by the journal Circulation. HealthDay News wrote about it March 8.

Scientists have found a better way to make red blood cells in the lab, a new study suggests. They used human embryonic stem cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body. The manufactured blood cells act like natural red blood cells. The scientists said that this process could be used someday to make large amounts of red blood cells needed for transfusions. The red blood cells they made have an O negative blood type. This type is the most rare but can be transfused into anybody in an emergency. More study is needed. The Associated Press wrote about the study August 20. It appeared online in the journal Blood.

Most women should start getting tests for breast cancer later, and be tested less often, new guidelines say. The advice comes from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. This expert group provides advice to doctors and others. The new guidelines say women should get mammograms every two years, starting at age 50. In the past, the group had said the tests should begin at 40 and come every one to two years. There’s also no benefit from doctors teaching women to examine their own breasts, the task force said. Several medical groups still endorse mammograms beginning at age 40. But the task force said they may do more harm than good. Women may get biopsies they don’t need. They may get surgery for cancers that will never grow. Older women are more likely to get breast cancer. So mammograms of women ages 50 to 74 are most likely to prevent a death, the task force said.

Family history is known to affect a person’s risk of heart disease. But gene tests may not predict that risk, new research suggests. The study included 19,000 women, who received gene tests. The tests looked for 101 specific gene mutations. Previous research had linked the mutations to a higher risk of heart disease. The women were given a score based on how many mutations they had. In the next 12 years, women with high risk scores were no more likely than others to have a heart attack or stroke. This was true after researchers adjusted the numbers for other risks such as high cholesterol. But women with a family history of early heart attack were much more likely to have a heart attack themselves. Family history might be related to shared behaviors and environment, as well as genes. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

On June 13, Tim Russert died suddenly of a heart attack. He was 58 years old. Russert was NBC’s Washington bureau chief, and a moderator on the news show “Meet the Press.” He had been diagnosed with coronary artery disease, but had no symptoms. He appeared to be taking the usual medications, and had a normal stress test in April. His heart attack was caused by a blood clot in an artery. The clot blocked the flow of blood to the heart.

More than 1 out of 9 children and teens use some form of alternative medicine, a survey has found. Treatments used included herbal supplements, acupuncture, medication, and chiropractic care. The most common herbs used were echinacea and fish oil. Echinacea is given for colds. Some people give fish oil to kids with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Parents also gave kids herbs for pain, anxiety and sleep problems. U.S. health agencies did the study in 2007. It included more than 9,000 adults who spoke for their children. The survey also asked about adult use of alternative medicine. About 1 in 3 adults used these treatments. The Associated Press wrote about the survey December 10.

Green tea extract may help to delay oral cancer in people at risk, new research suggests. Researchers gave green tea extract to 41 people who had pre-cancerous cells in their mouths. The dose was equal to 8 to 10 cups of green tea daily. Another group received placebos. The study lasted 28 months. In that time, people who took green tea extract were just as likely as the other group to develop oral cancer. But in one group who took green tea extract, the cancer took longer to develop. This was the group of people who had mild to moderate abnormal cell growth at the start of the study. Study results were released online by the journal Cancer Prevention Research. HealthDay News wrote about the study November 5.

Exposure to secondhand smoke can lead to artery damage by the teen years, new research has found. The study included 494 children, ages 8 through 13. They were given regular blood tests for cotinine, a byproduct of nicotine. They also received ultrasound scans to measure thickness of arteries in the chest and neck. By age 13, those exposed to secondhand smoke tended to have thicker arteries. This a sign of damage that can lead to clogging of arteries. Children with more smoke exposure also had higher levels of apolipoprotein B. This blood protein is one part of LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol. Another test showed that teens exposed to more smoke had reduced function of arteries in the upper arm. The study appeared in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. HealthDay and Reuters news services wrote about it March 2.

B vitamins don’t slow down the decline of mental function in people with Alzheimer’s disease, a study finds. The study included 409 people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s. They were randomly assigned to take either vitamins or a placebo. The vitamins included were folate, B6 and B12. They took the pills for 18 months. People with Alzheimer’s have high blood levels of an amino acid called homocysteine. B vitamins can lower these levels. That’s what happened in the study, too. But tests showed that the B vitamins did not slow down people’s mental decline. HealthDay News and Reuters Health wrote about the study October 14. It appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association.