Harvard Health Content API

A new type of drug may help people whose high blood pressure is hard to treat, a study suggests. The new drug is darusentan. It is called an endothelin-receptor antagonist. It lowers blood pressure in a new way. The study included 379 people. Their blood pressure was still high despite taking three drugs for it. They were randomly divided into four groups. One group received fake pills (placebo). The others were given darusentan. Each group got a different dose. The study lasted 14 weeks. The darusentan groups had an average 17 to 18 point drop in systolic blood pressure. This is the higher number in a blood pressure reading. Diastolic pressure (the lower number) dropped 10 to 11 points. Blood pressure dropped 9 points systolic and 5 points diastolic for the placebo group. The journal Lancet published the article online September 13.

Obesity surgery may sharply decrease cancer risk, a study suggests. The study included 1,035 people who had had the surgery between 1986 and 2002. They were compared with 5,746 obese people who did not have surgery. About 4 out of 5 surgery patients had a gastric bypass to reduce stomach size. The others had a band put around the stomach. In the 5 years after the study began, 2% of the surgery patients were diagnosed with cancer. The rate was 8.5% in the other group. Breast cancer rates were 85% lower in the surgery group. Colon cancer was 70% lower. The Los Angeles Times wrote about the study June 18. It was presented at a meeting of obesity surgeons.

Taking a common antidepressant may help to repair thinking and memory functions after a stroke, a small study suggests. The 129 people in the study did not have depression. They were part of another study on prevention of depression after a stroke. Within three months after a stroke, they were randomly assigned to one of three groups. One group took escitalopram (Lexapro), an antidepressant drug. Another group took placebo (fake) pills. The third group took part in a depression therapy program. After 12 weeks, the group taking Lexapro scored better than the others on tests of learning, thinking and memory. Researchers said the reason is unclear. They said the drug may promote changes in the brain, such as production of new cells. The study appeared February 2 in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry. HealthDay and Reuters news services wrote about it.

Bypass surgery is better than a stent for people with severely blocked heart arteries, a new study concludes. But experts told HealthDay News that the choice should be up to the doctor and patient. The study looked at 1,800 people. Half were randomly assigned to receive a bypass. The others had each blockage opened with a balloon and a tube called a stent. About 12.4% of the bypass group had a serious artery-related problem in the next year. This compares with 17.8% of the other group. The problems included heart attacks, strokes and the need for another procedure. Heart attacks and strokes were the same in the two groups. But people who got stents needed another procedure twice as often as people who got bypass surgery. The study appeared online February 18 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Obstructive sleep apnea may raise the risk of stroke, new research finds. The effect was strongest in men. The study focused on 5,400 people who were age 40 or older. All were tested to see if they had sleep apnea and how severe the condition was. During the next 9 years, 85 men and 108 women had strokes. Men with moderate to severe sleep apnea were three times as likely to have a stroke as those with mild or no sleep apnea. Women’s stroke risk increased only if their sleep apnea was severe. Researchers said the sex difference may be because men tend to develop sleep apnea at an earlier age. The study was published online in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. HealthDay News wrote about it April 8.

Public health officials have linked an outbreak of Salmonella infection to African tree frogs kept as pets. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it had confirmed 85 cases so far. They were found in 31 states. HealthDay News wrote about the outbreak January 7. About 8 out of 10 cases were in children under age 10, the CDC said. Frogs are amphibians. But, like turtles and other reptiles, they carry Salmonella bacteria. Humans can be infected by touching the frog, the aquarium or the water in it.

Older adults should not take pain relievers as a way to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, researchers say. Previous studies suggested that the pills might lower the risk of Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. But the new study actually found a higher risk. Researchers used medical records of more than 2,700 people. All were age 65 or older. Some took the pain relievers ibuprofen or naproxen. About 450 people were classified as heavy users at some point during the 12-year study. About 1 out of 6 people in the study developed some type of dementia. But the rate was 66% higher for heavy users than for others. The study appeared in the journal Neurology. HealthDay News wrote about it April 22.

Children who weigh too much at age 9 actually gain most of the extra weight before age 5, a study finds. The British study included 233 children. Doctors measured their weight and height at birth, age 5 and age 9. Most kids with excess weight at age 9 also were too heavy at age 5. They also had higher cholesterol and blood pressure than children of normal weight. Researchers said efforts to prevent child obesity should focus on children under age 5. The study was in the journal Pediatrics.

What is the impact of closing schools long-term during flu pandemics? A recent analysis looked at evidence from earlier epidemics and pandemics around the world. The authors conclude that early and prolonged school closings can ease the burden on hospitals by reducing the number of cases at the peak of a pandemic. Overall, however, school closings are unlikely to have a significant effect on the total number of cases in a pandemic. Further, long-term school closings are associated with high social and economical costs, and may interfere with delivery of health care and other key services. The full article will appear in the August edition of The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Capsule endoscopy is a new method to explore the colon that uses an ingestible capsule equipped with a video camera at both ends. A recent study compared capsule endoscopy with regular colonoscopy for the detection of colorectal polyps and cancer. This study found that capsule endoscopy is not accurate enough to replace colonoscopy. It was published in the New England Journal of Medicine July 16.