Harvard Health Content API

Researchers have found another way to do stomach-stapling surgery. The surgery is done to treat obesity. Stapling the stomach makes it smaller. People lose weight because they are not able to eat as much. At a conference, researchers reported a way to reach the stomach through the mouth. One hundred Europeans got either the stomach stapling or a fake procedure. Those who got the real treatment lost an average of 45% of their body weight in 18 months. A U.S. study is still in progress. The Associated Press wrote about the studies June 4.

High blood pressure may be linked to a decline in thinking ability, a study suggests. The research used data from a long-term study of 20,000 people. All were over age 45. It found that for every 10-point increase in diastolic blood pressure, the odds of having problems with thinking increased 7%. Diastolic pressure is the bottom number in a blood pressure reading. It measures pressure while the heart relaxes between beats. The study appeared in the journal Neurology. HealthDay News wrote about it August 24.

More than 264,000 U.S. children were injured in an 18-year period by falling furniture. The number has grown 40% since 1990. And nearly half of the injuries came from falling TVs, a new study found. The popularity of heavy, flat-screen models may be one cause, MSNBC reported May 12. These TVs often sit on narrow bases. Or they may be poorly anchored to the wall. Most of the furniture injuries were minor. But about 300 kids died. An expert told MSNBC that parents can help to protect their children. For example, place TV sets low to the ground and push them back on their stands. Use straps or brackets to attach TVs and large furniture to the wall. And, of course, always watch your children. The journal Clinical Pediatrics published the study online.

A large group of children’s doctors is urging members to do more to discourage kids from drinking alcohol. The American Academy of Pediatrics issued the advice as part of a new policy on teen drinking. Alcohol damages kids’ developing brains, the policy notes. Drinking also can lead to addiction and deadly accidents. Alcohol contributes to other causes of teen deaths, such as homicide and suicide. And it can lead to other risky actions, such as unsafe sex. The policy urged doctors to discuss these facts with children. It said parents have a major role, too. They should provide a good example, set clear rules and enforce them. The journal Pediatrics published the policy. USA Today wrote about it April 12.

Private and government sources are donating another $635 million to try to wipe out polio in the world. They hope to finish in the next five years. The private money will come from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Rotary International. The governments of Germany and the United Kingdom also will contribute. The 20-year campaign has reduced polio cases by 99%. But cases still occur in more than a dozen countries in Africa and Asia. War, politics and the nature of the disease have hindered efforts to wipe it out. The Washington Post wrote about the campaign January 22. The Associated Press wrote about it January 21.

Doctors have stopped adding people to a study of a treatment for heart disease. They did this because of an investigation, the Associated Press said September 26. U.S. officials want to know whether people were told about treatment risks. Some doctors also have been removed from the study. They had criminal records or had been disciplined by state boards. The study treatment is called chelation. It uses the drug disodium EDTA. Some believe it will bind to calcium in artery walls and remove it. About 1,500 heart attack survivors are in the study so far. They receive either EDTA or a placebo. But EDTA has been linked to kidney failure and other side effects. Some people taking it in the past have died.

People take drugs called statins to lower their cholesterol levels. Now a large study shows that statins may help people recover from pneumonia. Danish researchers looked at 29,900 people who were in the hospital with pneumonia. People who were taking statins were one-third less likely to die from the disease. Statins may tweak the body’s immune system. Or, people who take statins may be in better health to begin with. The study appears in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

People with high levels of a protein in urine may have a higher risk of deep-vein blood clots, a study suggests. Researchers looked at data on 8,600 adults. During an 8-year period, 129 had a clot in a deep vein of the legs or lungs. A clot in a leg vein can travel to the lungs. A clot in a lung can be fatal. The study included urine tests for a protein called albumin. People with high levels of the protein were three times as likely to have deep-vein clots as people with normal urine. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association. HealthDay News wrote about it May 5.

Severe drops in blood sugar may increase the risk of dementia for diabetics, a new study concludes. Researchers looked at the medical records of more than 16,000 diabetics. They focused on times when they had a big drop in blood sugar. The drop led to an emergency room trip or admission to a hospital. People with one episode were one-third more likely to develop dementia later. People with three or more episodes had a doubled risk of dementia. McClatchy-Tribune Information Service wrote about the study April 15. The story quoted experts who said that low blood sugar may damage the brain. They said the study showed the risks of pushing too far to lower blood sugar. The study was in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

About 800,000 doses of H1N1 (swine) flu vaccine for children are being recalled, U.S. health officials say. The vaccine is safe, and was strong enough when shipped, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. However, more recent tests showed the vaccine has lost strength over time. It now is slightly less strong than the government requires. The shots were made by Sanofi Pasteur. Most of them probably have been used. Children who already have received the shots should be protected, the CDC said. They don’t need to repeat the dose. The recalled shots are used for children 6 months to 3 years old. All are in pre-filled syringes that do not contain the preservative thimerosal. The recall does not affect vaccine packaged in other ways, the CDC said. The Associated Press wrote about the recall December 15.