Harvard Health Content API

Giving toddlers daily doses of xylitol syrup may help to prevent tooth decay, a study suggests. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol sweetener. Previous studies showed that xylitol chewing gum or candies could help to prevent cavities. The study included 94 children from the Republic of the Marshall Islands. They were 9 to 15 months old. One group received 8 grams of xylitol syrup a day, divided into two doses. One group got the same amount, but in three smaller doses. The third group got one dose of 2.67 grams. Local officials would not allow any group to receive a placebo. After about 10 months, 24% of the 2-dose group had cavities. The rate was 41% in the 3-dose group, and 52% in the single-dose group. The study appeared in the journal Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine. HealthDay News wrote about it July 7.

People with high blood pressure should use a home monitor for regular checks of their pressure, experts said May 22. The new statement came from the American Heart Association. It also was endorsed by groups representing doctors and nurses who treat the condition. About 72 million Americans have high blood pressure. Only 1 in 3 has it under control. The groups said data from home monitoring could help doctors adjust medicine doses. The Associated Press reported on the statement May 22. It was published in the journal Hypertension.

People whose hearts don’t relax normally between beats may be less able to exercise, a study finds. The study included nearly 2,900 people. They all were given an echocardiogram during exercise. This test uses ultrasound to show how well the heart works. Researchers focused on the heart’s left ventricle. They looked at whether it was able to relax and expand normally. This is called diastolic function. People with poor diastolic function in the left ventricle were less able to exercise. HealthDay News wrote about the study. It appeared January 21 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Older adults who take someone to the doctor with them are happier with their care, a study finds. The study used a survey of 12,000 people on Medicare. Nearly 4 out of 10 people said someone usually went with them to the doctor. These patients ranked their doctors’ medical, communication and people skills higher than people who visited alone. About 6 out of 10 helpers talked to the doctor or recorded instructions. Patients with this kind of help were even more satisfied. The study was in the July 14 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

A pacemaker-defibrillator combination kept more people with heart problems out of the hospital than a defibrillator alone. A study of nearly 2,000 people compared the two-device combination to the single device. Hospitalization rates in the two-device group were 41% lower. That means that for every 100 people in the single device group that went to the hospital, only 59 people in the two-device group went. The study was published in the September 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The Associated Press reported on it the same day.

Scientists have discovered why the drug tamoxifen doesn’t work against breast cancer in some women. Normally, tamoxifen “flips a switch” that stops a tumor from growing. But in about 1 in 3 women, this switch is turned back on, and the drug doesn’t work. Researchers say a genetic test based on the research is about five years away. That would allow doctors to predict which women should take tamoxifen for their breast cancer. About 182,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and 40,500 will die from the disease.

Therapy beginning as early as age 18 months can greatly improve symptoms of autism, researchers say. The new study included 48 children. Their ages ranged from 18 to 30 months as the study began. Some of the children received specialized therapy. They worked one-on-one with a therapist to improve social and communication skills. The other children received less specialized care. After two years, the group that got the intense therapy improved more than the other group in IQ and language skills. About 30% were given a new diagnosis, with a less severe form of autism. Only 5% of the other group had a new diagnosis. The Associated Press wrote about the study November 30. It was published online by the journal Pediatrics.

About 10% of Americans took an antidepressant drug in 2005, a new study finds. That’s up from about 6% in 1996. But only about one-quarter of the people who took the drugs were being treated for depression. That ratio hardly budged during the period studied. This means that most people are using the medicines for other conditions, such as anxiety. The study used data from U.S. government surveys. They included only people over age 6. Researchers also found that only one-fifth of those who took an antidepressant were receiving psychotherapy. That’s down from nearly one-third in the earlier survey. Blacks and Hispanics were only about half as likely as other Americans to take antidepressants. The study appeared in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry. HealthDay News wrote about it August 3.

For the first time, experts are recommending that some men take a drug to prevent prostate cancer. The drug costs up to $3 a pill. It is already used for prostate problems and baldness. To prevent one case of prostate cancer, 71 men would have to take the drug for 7 years. The experts say this is a decision that each man should make after talking with his doctor. About 186,000 American men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. In many men, the cancer grows so slowly that it is not a danger. The Associated Press reported on the recommendations February 25. They were published in two medical journals and discussed at a February 24 news briefing.

People who don’t sleep enough may be more likely to develop high blood pressure, a new study has found. The study included 578 adults. Their average age was 40. They wore sensors that recorded when they were at rest or active. Researchers also asked them how many hours they slept each day. The study lasted five years. In that time, people who slept less developed high blood pressure more often than others. This risk increased 37% for each hour of reduced sleep on an average night. For example, if 100 people who slept 8 hours a night developed high blood pressure, 137 people who slept 7 hours would develop it. The study appeared in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. HealthDay News wrote about it June 8.