Harvard Health Content API

People with heart failure tend to overestimate how long they will live, a study suggests. Heart doctors at Duke University used a new tool to predict how long 122 patients were likely to live. Then they told the patients what the tool predicted. The average patient was told to expect about 10 more years. But nearly 2 out of 3 people disagreed. They predicted they would live 13 years or more. In the next few years, the patients tended to die at the rate doctors predicted. HealthDay News wrote about the study June 3. It appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Eating vegetables, nuts and a “Mediterranean” diet can help to protect your heart, researchers confirm after pooling a huge volume of evidence. The new study put together the results of 189 previous studies. Of these, 146 looked at people’s past habits. The other 43 assigned them to follow particular diets. Researchers found “strong evidence” that vegetables, nuts and monounsaturated fats (such as olive oil) protect against heart disease. The same was true for the Mediterranean diet, which includes these elements, plus fruits and grains. The study found that foods that quickly raise blood sugar can harm the heart. Examples include sweets and refined grains. Trans fats also are harmful. The journal Archives of Internal Medicine published the study. The Associated Press wrote about it April 14.

Some types of air pollution are not harmful enough to send people to the hospital, a study says. Researchers looked at pollution of the air by large particles. These come from dust and farm work. In 108 U.S. cities, this type of pollution was not linked with hospitalizations for heart or lung diseases. By contrast, places with a lot of small particle pollution are known to have more hospital stays. The study was published in the May 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The head of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute is warning his staff to limit cell phone use. Ronald B. Herberman, M.D., says he wants to “err on the side of being safe” from cancer. Many studies have found no link between cell phone use and cancer. Dr. Herberman says he is basing his action on unpublished data from research that is not complete. He says children should use cell phones only for emergencies. He urges adults to keep the phone away from the head and use the speaker phone or a wireless headset. The Associated Press wrote about Dr. Herberman’s memo July 24.

There were more measles cases in the United States between January 1 and July 31, 2008 than during the same period in any year since 1996. Health experts said many cases were in people who were not vaccinated due to religious or other beliefs. Measles can be serious and even deadly. The report comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Associated Press wrote about the report on August 21, 2008.

The risk of dying after obesity surgery is lower than once thought. A Swedish study looked at nearly 15,000 surgeries done between 1980 and 2005. One year after surgery, 1 of every 200 people had died. Studies done in the United States showed higher rates, closer to 10 of every 200 people. In Sweden, men were twice as likely as women to die after the surgery. Reuters Health reported on the study December 26.

Drug treatment can help to keep the cancer multiple myeloma from coming back after a stem cell transplant, a new study has found. Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. The study included 568 people. First, doctors removed stem cells from the patients’ blood. Then they were treated with drugs or radiation to kill their cancer. Finally, the blood cells were returned to their bodies. About 100 days later, people were divided into two groups. Half began to take a new drug, lenalidomide (Revlimid). The others received a placebo (fake drug). Cancer came back within just over two years for half of the people getting the placebo. But cancer returned more slowly for the lenalidomide group. In all, their risk of cancer’s return was 58% lower than for people getting the placebo.

Bedbugs are back, and the U.S. government is looking for solutions. Rare since World War II, the tiny insects now are widespread. They are bothering sleepers in college dorms, public housing, hospitals and even fancy hotels. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is getting involved. The agency began a two-day conference on the topic April 14. The Associated Press (AP) reported on the conference April 14. Pesticides are not an easy solution, AP said. Many that worked in the past have been taken off the market to protect the environment. The bugs also can resist some pesticides. The pest-control industry wants to test other sprays to see if they are safe for home use. Other ideas include heating, steaming or freezing the bugs.

Two drugs that help to prevent breast cancer are equally good options for high-risk women, a new study finds. The study looked at tamoxifen and raloxifene (Evista). Both drugs help to prevent breast cancer by blocking the effects of estrogen. This hormone fuels growth in most breast cancers. The new study included nearly 20,000 older women. All had a high risk of breast cancer because of family history, genes or other factors. They were randomly assigned to take one of the drugs for about five years. About half of the women took each drug. Doctors kept track of them for seven years. In that time, there were 310 cases of invasive breast cancer among women who took raloxifene. There were 247 cases among those who took tamoxifen. But the women on tamoxifen had more serious side effects. They developed more cases of uterine cancer, as well as abnormal growths in the uterus.

Drugs that lower cholesterol may also help prevent blood clots in veins, a study suggests. The study included 17,802 people. Half were randomly assigned to take Crestor, a statin drug. The others took placebos (fake pills). Statins reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and inflammation. People in the study did not have high LDL. They did have high levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the blood. High levels indicate inflammation. People took the pills for two years. In that time, 34 people taking Crestor and 60 taking the placebo had a blood clot in a leg vein. These clots are much less common than heart attacks, but can kill if they travel to the lungs. Researchers presented the study at a conference. The New England Journal of Medicine published it online. The Associated Press wrote about it March 30.