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In a small study of leg fractures, nearly all of the people with an unusual type of fracture were taking bone-building drugs. The drugs are called bisphosphonates. They include alendronate (Fosamax), risedronate (Actonel) and ibandronate (Boniva). The drugs are prescribed for people with osteoporosis. In general, they help to strengthen bones and prevent fractures. But recently, doctors have noticed that some people taking them have an unusual type of fracture of the thigh bone (femur). The new study looked at 152 femur fractures. Of these, 20 were the unusual type. And 17 of the 20 people with these fractures had been taking bisphosphonates. People with these fractures also were more likely than others to have rheumatoid arthritis. Many also had taken steroid medicines for at least six months.

A new drug improves treatment response for people with hepatitis C, two studies show. One study included 1,097 people who had not been treated for hepatitis C before. They had genotype 1, which is hard to treat. Two groups of patients were given boceprevir, a new drug. They took it for either 24 or 44 weeks. The third group received a placebo (fake pills) instead. All 3 groups also got standard drugs for the whole study period and 4 weeks before it began. Researchers looked at how many people had a sustained biologic response. This means they had no genetic material (RNA) from hepatitis C in their blood 24 weeks after treatment ended. Blacks and non-blacks responded differently. About 68% of non-blacks taking boceprevir had a sustained response. The rate was 40% for those who got the placebo.

A treatment for spine fractures doesn’t seem any more effective than placebo, a study has found. Vertebroplasty involves injecting a special cement into the spine of people with fractures. But people who got a fake procedure — an injection with no cement — did just as well in terms of pain relief and recovery. The study focused on spinal fractures caused by osteoporosis, or thinning of bones. It was published in the August 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Several media wrote about the study, including Reuters and the New York Times.

Very low levels of vitamin D in the blood may increase the risk of artery disease and death, new research suggests. The study included 27,686 people. All were age 50 or older. They had no history of heart or artery disease. Researchers measured vitamin D in people’s blood and then kept track of them for a year. In that time, people with very low vitamin D were 77% more likely to die than people with normal levels. This means there would be 177 deaths in people with very low vitamin D for every 100 deaths in people with normal levels. The risk increase for stroke was similar. People with very low vitamin D also were 45% more likely to develop coronary artery disease. The Salt Lake (Utah) Tribune wrote about the study. Results were presented November 16 at a conference.