Harvard Health Content API

Computed tomography (CT) scans of the heart are becoming more popular. The scans also are called CT angiograms. Like an angiogram, they allow an inside view of blood vessels. But the test is not invasive. Advocates say it can find heart disease in people with no symptoms. But critics say there’s no proof it improves care or saves lives, the New York Times reported June 30. The test also is costly and exposes the patient to many times the radiation of a regular X-ray. Experts told the Times that this test is an example of the growth of new technology before its benefits have been proven.

Watching TV and videos does not improve babies’ brain development, a new study finds. The study included 872 children. At age 6 months, they were given tests of language and motor skills. They also took tests at age 3. Their mothers were asked about how much TV the children watched at ages 6 months, 1 year and 2 years. The average was about 1.2 hours a day. Researchers adjusted the data because of differences in the parents’ education, income and other factors. They found that watching more TV as babies had no effect on kids’ test scores at age 3. The study appeared in the journal Pediatrics. HealthDay News and Reuters news service wrote about it March 2.

About 50 million Americans have had H1N1 (swine) flu, health officials said December 10. That’s about 1 out of 6. Deaths have totaled about 10,000, the officials said. The new estimates came from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They cover the months of April through mid-November. In that period, nearly 200,000 people were hospitalized with swine flu, the report said. That’s about the same number as for an entire typical winter flu season. Unlike seasonal flu, older adults have not been the people most affected. About 3 out of 4 deaths were adults ages 18 through 64, the CDC said. The Associated Press wrote about the report.

Fewer U.S. children get rotavirus infections these days, a study has found. Researchers gave credit to a new vaccine. Rotavirus causes diarrhea. Most cases occur in winter. Some are severe and need hospital care. Data for the study came from 33 laboratories. Researchers looked at the years 2000 through 2006. Then they looked at 2007 and 2008, after the vaccine was introduced. The rotavirus season started 15 weeks later in the years after the vaccine. Total cases also dropped by two-thirds, tests showed. The study was published online July 6 by the journal Pediatrics.

Some drugs for depression may increase the risk of stomach or intestinal bleeding, a study suggests. Researchers looked at data on 1,321 people with bleeding. They compared them to 10,000 people who did not have bleeding. About 5.3% of those with bleeding took certain depression drugs. About 3% of those who did not have bleeding took the drugs. The drugs are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. They include Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft. Also, 1.1% of those with bleeding took a related drug called Effexor. Only 0.3% of the other group took this drug. Bleeding was even more common for those who also took certain pain-relievers, such as aspirin and ibuprofen. HealthDay News wrote about the study July 7. It was published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.

How quickly does your risk of death fall after you quit smoking? It depends on the disease. That’s the conclusion of a new study based on data from the Nurses’ Health Study. This study tracked 100,000 women for 24 years. Women who quit smoking reduced their risk of death from heart and artery disease by half within five years. But it took 20 years for the risk of death from emphysema to return to normal. It took 30 years for lung cancer. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Reuters Health news service wrote about it May 7.

Teens often don’t recognize the risks of inexperience and distractions while driving, a study has found. Researchers surveyed 5,665 U.S. high school students. About 60% said that experience is important in driving. But only 15% recognized that they rode with drivers who were inexperienced. About 2 out of 3 teens rode with passengers in the car. Only 1 in 10 saw this as a distraction. Most did not see cell phone use as distracting, either. HealthDay News reported on the study May 6. It appeared in the journal Pediatrics.

A childhood vaccine has reduced one form of meningitis in both children and adults, researchers say. The vaccine, Prevnar, was introduced in 2000. It protects against seven strains of pneumococcus bacteria. Those strains cause 8 out of 10 cases of pneumococcal meningitis. They also cause ear infections and pneumonia. The study looked at data on pneumococcal meningitis. It found that cases dropped 30% since 1998. The drop was 64% in children under 2 and 54% in adults 65 and older. Experts said older adults were protected by less disease in the community. The study appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine. Reuters Health news service wrote about it January 15.

Using a cell phone — even a hands-free phone — distracts drivers more than talking to a passenger, researchers say. The new study used driving simulators. Researchers tested 96 adults under age 50. Some people talked on a hands-free phone. Others talked to a passenger. People on the phone missed exits and drifted out of their lanes more often. Researchers said the passengers sometimes helped the drivers. For example, they pointed out exits or hazards. They also talked less in more intense driving situations. The study was in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied. Reuters Health news service wrote about it December 1.

Americans are more likely to die in traffic accidents on Election Day, researchers say. The study looked at presidential Election Days dating back to 1976. It compared accidents during polling hours with the same hours on the previous and next Tuesday. Election Days had an average of 158 traffic deaths. The other days had 134. The Associated Press (AP) wrote about the study October 1. AP asked experts about causes of the higher accident rate. They and study authors offered a few possibilities. For example, there may be more traffic on Election Day. People may rush to get to the polls. Or they may be distracted by politics. The study was in the Journal of the American Medical Association.