Harvard Health Content API

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.

Lack of vitamin D may increase the risk of high blood pressure, a study suggests. The study included 559 women. In 1993, only about 6% of them had high blood pressure. But more than 80% had low levels of vitamin D in their blood. By 2008, about 25% of the women had high blood pressure. Researchers compared high blood pressure rates with the rates of low vitamin D in 1993. They also adjusted their results for other factors, such as smoking, that increase the risk of high blood pressure rates. High blood pressure was three times as common in women who had prior low levels of vitamin D. The difference was seen in systolic blood pressure. This is the higher of the two numbers in a blood pressure reading. Researchers reported on the study at a heart conference. HealthDay News wrote about it September 24.

Breaking a hip increases an older person’s risk of dying. The results are from a Canadian study. Researchers followed more than 7,000 older adults. One of every four people who broke a hip died over the next five years. About one of every six who had a spine fracture died during the same time period. Most of these fractures in older people are due to osteoporosis, or thinning bones. The study was published in the August 4 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal. HealthDay News wrote about it August 4.

Surgery to help people lose weight is a good treatment for some people with diabetes. That’s the view of an expert group, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). The group issued its endorsement March 28. The new guidelines cover procedures known as bariatric surgery. They make the stomach smaller so people eat less. This surgery can return blood sugar levels to normal for some diabetics, the IDF said. Some also can reduce or avoid the need for medicine. The new guidelines say surgery is OK when someone with diabetes has a body mass index (BMI) of at least 35. Someone with this BMI is very obese. Diabetics who are less obese also could qualify for surgery. People in this group should have a BMI of 30 to 35. They also should have tried and failed to control diabetes with medicine, diet and exercise. The IDF guidelines are similar to those issued last month by the U.S.

There are positive and negative effects when children and adolescents use social media websites, says a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Websites such as Facebook and Twitter can help kids connect with friends, share ideas and find health information. But they also can expose children to dangers, such as cyberbullying and sexting, and increase the risk for depression. The AAP says parents need to get more involved. Pediatricians can help by encouraging parents to become more familiar with social networking sites and technologies, talk to their children about the risks, and supervise children’s online behavior. The Associated Press wrote about the report March 28.

Another type of drug-resistant bacteria is spreading in California, officials say. This “super bug” is carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP). The infection spreads from person to person. It resists almost all antibiotics. The Los Angeles County health department released a report on the illness March 24. It said 356 cases were reported from June to December 2010. About 42% were in hospitals that provide long-term care. About 6% were in nursing homes and the rest in general hospitals. Symptoms vary but often resemble pneumonia. The infection can be deadly. But the health department did not find out how many people died or recovered. That may be the topic for a future study. An official said this may be the first time a health department has required reporting of such cases. The New York Times News Service wrote about the report.

The drug pioglitazone may reduce the chance of diabetes in people at high risk of developing it, new research finds. The new study included 602 adults. All of them had been diagnosed with pre-diabetes. Their blood sugar was higher than normal, but not as high as in people with diabetes. This condition often leads to diabetes. But diet and exercise can help to prevent it. So can taking the diabetes drug metformin. Half of those in the study were randomly assigned to take a different diabetes drug, pioglitazone (Actos). The others took a placebo (fake pills). Researchers kept track of them for about 2 ½ years. In that time, 2.1% of the group that took the real drug developed diabetes, compared with 7.6% who took the placebo. Nearly half of those taking pioglitazone went back to normal blood sugar levels. This happened for only 28% of those taking the placebo.