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Women can get relief from uterine fibroids with any of three procedures, new research finds. But they prefer the ones that avoid removing the uterus. The study included 197 women with fibroids. These are tumors of the uterus, but they are not cancer. Many produce no symptoms. But some women have pain or heavy bleeding. Some have problems getting pregnant. Women in the study chose one of three treatments. Some had a hysterectomy. This is surgery to remove the uterus. Some women had uterine artery embolization. Doctors inject a material to block the blood supply to the fibroids. This is done through a small tube threaded into an artery. The third procedure uses ultrasound to block blood vessels to the fibroids. This is done from outside the body. It is guided by MRI images. Women treated with all three methods reported better quality of life.

About half of adult men may be infected with human papilloma virus (HPV), a new study suggests. This virus causes genital warts. Some strains cause cervical cancer in women. HPV also can cause cancers of the anus, penis, vagina, mouth and throat. The study included more than 1,100 men, ages 18 to 70. They were from the United States, Brazil and Mexico. All were tested for HPV when they enrolled in the study. Half of them were infected, the author told Reuters Health news service. They also were tested every 6 months for another 2 to 3 years. Researchers found that 6% of the men became newly infected each year with HPV 16. That’s one of the HPV strains that causes most of the cancers. The journal Lancet published the study online. Reuters wrote about it March 1.

British health authorities are telling people to eat less red meat. That advice is part of the United Kingdom’s first new nutrition guidelines since 1998. Eating fewer hamburgers, pork chops and sausages should reduce the risk of bowel cancer, officials said. The guidelines say people should eat no more than about 500 grams of red meat per week. That’s equal to just over 1 pound. It averages out to 2 ½ ounces (70 grams) of red meat per day. A large study released in 2005 found a higher bowel cancer risk among people who ate about twice that much red meat. Their risk was one-third higher than for people who ate the least red meat. Red meat includes beef, pork, lamb and some game. An expert told the Associated Press (AP) that people should substitute lean protein such as fish. AP wrote about the guidelines February 25.

New research offers a possible way to tell apart two conditions with similar symptoms. One disorder is chronic fatigue syndrome. The other is neurologic post-treatment Lyme disease. This is a set of symptoms that linger after the infection that caused Lyme disease is treated. People with both conditions feel fatigue. Many also say they have problems with thinking. The new study included 43 people with chronic fatigue and 25 with lingering Lyme disease. They were compared with 11 healthy people. Researchers looked at spinal fluid from everyone. In people with chronic fatigue, they found 738 proteins in spinal fluid that were not found in the other groups. People with lingering Lyme disease had 692 proteins not found in the other groups. This is the first time that body substances have been found to distinguish between the two conditions.

In a new study, people who got spinal fusion surgery had much poorer health results than those who got other treatments for back pain. The study looked at workers’ compensation records. Everyone had back pain as a result of on-the-job injuries. Researchers randomly selected 725 people who had spinal fusion surgery. They compared this group with 725 people who had treatments such as exercise and physical therapy. Two years after treatment, the spinal fusion group had worse results in every way. About one-quarter had returned to work, compared with two-thirds of the other group. Disability was permanent for 11%, compared with 2% of the non-surgery group. Nearly 85% of those who got surgery were still taking narcotic pain relievers. The rate was 49% for the other group. The surgery group also had far more related medical problems and lost work days.

A drug for chest pain may also help osteoporosis, new research suggests. The study included 243 women. All of them had passed menopause. They were andomly assigned to use either nitroglycerin ointment or a placebo (fake). They spread the ointment on part of the upper arm each night. The study lasted 2 years. By the end, women who used the nitroglycerin had increases in bone density compared with those who got the placebo. The increases were 6.7% in the spine, 6.2% in the hip and 7% at the top of the thigh bone. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it February 22.