Harvard Health Content API

“Virtual colonoscopy” detects colon cancer well in some high-risk people, a new study has found. The test’s formal name is computed tomographic (CT) colonography. It uses X-rays to look for colon cancer. The study included 937 people. They received a CT colonography test and a colonoscopy on the same day. Colonoscopy uses an instrument that is inserted into the colon. It’s considered the best test for colon cancer. CT colonography found 85% of the cancers that the colonoscopy found. It was effective for people at high risk because of colon polyps or a family history of colon cancer. But the CT test had a 15% “false positive” rate for people who were labeled high risk because they had blood in their stool. For these people, the test said they had cancer, but they did not. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Cochlear implants improve deaf children’s speech most rapidly if they are put in before age 18 months, a new study concludes. These electronic devices pick up sound signals and send them to the auditory nerve and then the brain. They bypass the parts of the ear that don’t work. The study included 285 young children. About 2 out of 3 were deaf or had severe hearing impairment. These children received cochlear implants before age 5. The other children had normal hearing. Researchers tested speech before and after implants for children who received them. They kept track of everyone’s speech development for three years. Children with implants improved more than their pre-implant scores would have predicted. The earlier they got implants, the faster they improved. They did not achieve normal speech scores, however.

A study offers new information to help women with cancer in one breast. Some women decide to have the other breast removed to keep cancer from growing there. But it’s hard to know which women will have a second cancer. The new study looked at 542 cases. All of the women had cancer in one breast and decided to have both removed. Tests after surgery showed that 25 women had cancer in the second breast. Many of these women had more than one tumor in the first breast. They also had higher scores on a risk assessment called the Gail Model. Researchers said knowing this could help women make decisions. USA Today wrote about the study January 26. It was in the journal Cancer.

People who get very little sleep are more likely to have calcium deposits in their arteries. These deposits could increase the risk of heart disease. Researchers studied 495 people who had no calcium in their arteries. For five years, they kept track of how many hours of sleep they got each night. People who got less than five hours of sleep were much more likely to have calcium in their arteries, compared with people who got seven hours of sleep or more. The New York Times wrote about the study December 23. The research appears in the December 24/31 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Doctors should screen heart patients for depression, the American Heart Association says. Depression is three times more common in people who survive a heart attack or go into the hospital with heart problems. Depression can harm treatment and quality of life, the heart association said. Depressed patients may skip medicines. They may not exercise or improve their diets. The new statement was published in the journal Circulation. The Associated Press wrote about it September 30.

Artery damage in young adults is more common for those whose mothers smoked during pregnancy, a study suggests. The trend was worse if both parents smoked. Researchers measured the thickness of the walls of the carotid arteries in 732 young adults. The carotid arteries lead to the brain. About 3 out of 10 mothers and 6 out of 10 fathers had smoked during the pregnancies. Their children were more likely to have a thick lining inside the artery walls. This can be a danger sign of heart disease to come. The study was in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology. HealthDay News wrote about it November 20.

Safety warnings have been issued for 1 out of 4 newer “biological” drugs, a study has found. The warnings were in response to serious side effects. These drugs are made from living materials. They often aim to boost the immune system. The study looked at U.S. and European drug approvals from 1995 through 2007. Safety warnings were issued through June 2008 for nearly 24% of the drugs. They included arthritis, cancer and heart failure drugs. The Associated Press wrote about the report October 22. It was in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

A “polypill” combining five medicines for heart disease works as well as the drugs taken separately, a study has found. And side effects were no greater, researchers said. The pill is called Polycap. It combines three blood pressure medicines, aspirin and a statin to lower cholesterol. About 2,000 people were divided into groups of 200. Some received Polycap. Others were given some or all of its components as separate pills. Polycap alone dropped blood pressure as much as the three blood pressure pills alone. LDL (“bad”) cholesterol dropped 23% with Polycap and 28% with the statin. The study was presented at a conference. It was published online by the journal Lancet. The Associated Press wrote about it March 30.

Babies who gain weight quickly may be more likely to be obese as toddlers, a study has found. The study focused on the first six months of life. It tracked 559 children. Their height and weight were measured at birth, age 6 months and age 3 years. Researchers then calculated their body mass index (BMI) at these ages. BMI is a number that reflects the relationship between weight and height. It’s often used to measure overweight and obesity. Babies who increased their BMI before age 6 months were more likely to be obese at age 3. The study appeared in the journal Pediatrics. HealthDay News wrote about it March 30.

Young people who smoke pot are more likely than others to develop psychosis, a new study finds. And the earlier they begin, the greater the risk. The study focused on 3,800 people. Researchers assessed their health at ages 5, 14 and 21. During the study, 65 people were diagnosed with a psychotic illness, such as schizophrenia. At their last checkup, people were asked about marijuana use. About half of them had used it. People who smoked pot for six years or more were twice as likely to be diagnosed with a psychotic illness as people who never used the drug. They were three times as likely to have hallucinations — seeing or hearing things that were not real. They were four times as likely to have delusions — false beliefs that persist despite the facts. Both of these are potential symptoms of psychosis. The study appeared in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.