Category: news-perspectives

Massage therapy may quickly relieve pain and lift mood among cancer patients, researchers say. The study included 380 people with advanced cancer. They were randomly assigned to receive massage or simple touch. People who got massages reported quick pain relief. But it did not last a long time. Massage may decrease inflammation and fluid buildup, improve blood flow and relax muscles. It also can release endorphins to improve mood. The study appeared September 16 in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

Using ultrasound along with a mammogram finds more breast cancers, a study has shown. About 2,800 high-risk women were in the study. The two tests found cancer in 12 out of 1,000 women. A mammogram alone found cancer in 8 out of 1,000. But the tests also found suspicious areas that turned out not to be cancer. The two tests combined found many more false alarms than mammograms alone. The American Cancer Society says high-risk women should get a mammogram and magnetic resonance imaging. Study authors said that an ultrasound is easier for most women to get. USA Today wrote about the study May 14. It is in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Boxers may have high rates of growth hormone deficiency, a study has found. Researchers said this probably is caused by repeated head trauma. The study examined 61 boxers from the national team of Turkey. Of these, 44 still competed and 17 were retired. About 1 in 7 boxers had low levels of growth hormone. Among retired boxers, about half had this problem. Growth hormone is produced by the pituitary gland. Low levels can cause loss of strength, muscle and stamina. This problem also can affect memory and mood. Reuters Health news service wrote about the study June 2. It was published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

A cholesterol pill helped prevent heart problems in people with no major risks, a study found. Almost 18,000 people with normal cholesterol got either a cholesterol-lowering pill called Crestor, or a dummy pill. Those on Crestor had about half the number of heart problems. But even people taking the fake pill had a low risk of heart problems. The study was reported November 9 at an American Heart Association conference.

Swine flu vaccine began arriving in doctors’ offices this week. But a poll shows that many children may not get it, though they are among the groups recommended for early vaccination. In the Associated Press-GfK poll, 59% of parents said they were likely to allow their children to get vaccinated at school. About 38 percent of parents said they were unlikely to give permission. Among all groups, about 72% said they worried about side effects from the new vaccine. No major side effects have showed up in tests so far. In a different survey, about half of parents said they didn’t think swine flu was any worse than seasonal flu. Vaccination against seasonal flu also is recommended for nearly all children. But most kids don’t get the shots. About 2.2 million doses of nasal spray vaccine for swine flu are available now. Injectable vaccine will begin to arrive next week.

People with chest pain can get long-term relief from medicines, even without angioplasty, researchers say. In angioplasty, a tiny balloon is blown up inside an artery to widen it. This increases blood flow to end chest pain. A tube called a stent is put in to keep the artery open. The new study included 2,287 people who had chest pain that was not getting worse. They were randomly assigned to two treatment groups. One was treated with drugs. The other received drugs plus angioplasty. Angioplasty relieved pain better at first. But both groups continued to improve. Within three years pain was about the same in the two groups. The Associated Press wrote about the study August 14. It was in the New England Journal of Medicine.

A vaccine that can prevent cervical cancer works in women as old as 45, a study finds. The vaccine prevents infection with four types of human papilloma virus (HPV). These types are most likely to cause cervical cancer. The vaccine is recommended for girls and women up to age 26. The new study included 3,200 women who had never been infected with HPV. Their ages ranged from 24 to 45. Women received three shots — either the vaccine or fake vaccine. In the next two years, four women who got the vaccine were infected with HPV. This compares with 41 women who got the fake vaccine. The journal Lancet published the study results online. HealthDay News and Reuters news service wrote about it June 2.

The body’s use of glucose for energy alters at least three to six years before diabetes is diagnosed, a new study has found. The study included 6,538 people who at first did not have diabetes. In the next 10 years, doctors did frequent tests of blood glucose (sugar) levels. Other tests related to how the pancreas makes insulin and how easily the body uses it to burn glucose for fuel (insulin sensitivity). More than 500 people developed type 2 diabetes. In these people, blood glucose after a fast and after a meal increased rapidly in the few years before diagnosis. Insulin sensitivity decreased steeply. The body’s ability to make insulin improved for about a year. Then it fell starting three years before diagnosis. All measurements changed much less in people who did not develop diabetes. The journal Lancet published the study. Reuters Health news service wrote about it June 8.

Diabetes and high blood pressure can shorten the lives of people with Alzheimer’s disease, a new study finds. The study included 323 people with Alzheimer’s. People with high blood pressure were 2½ times as likely to have a shorter life as people without the condition. People with diabetes were 2 times as likely to have a shorter life. HealthDay News wrote about the study November 3. It was published in the journal Neurology.

A new drug is as effective as an old drug in treating malaria, researchers report. And the new drug, Pyramex, needs to be given only once a day. The standard treatment, Coartem, has to be taken twice a day. Pyramex is a combination of two drugs, pyronaridine and artesunate. Coartem combines artemether and lumefantrine. The study included 1,272 people. Two-thirds of them were randomly assigned to receive the standard drug, Coartem. One-third were given Pyramex. More than 99% responded to treatment, regardless of the drug given. People taking Coartem became reinfected sooner than people taking Pyramex. Side effects were similar with the two drugs. Some people taking Pyramex had raised levels of liver enzymes. But this side effect was mild and did not last, the authors said. The study appeared in the journal Lancet. Reuters and Agence France Presse wrote about it April 22.