Category: news-perspectives

Parts of the brain may shrink in long-term, heavy users of marijuana, a study has found. The study included 15 men who had smoked at least 5 joints daily for 10 years or more. They were compared with 16 non-users. All were given magnetic resonance imaging brain scans. The users’ brains were 12% smaller in the hippocampus. The amygdala was 7% smaller. Users also had lower scores on memory tests and showed some mild psychotic symptoms. The study was published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry. HealthDay and Reuters news services reported on it June 2.

Average U.S. life expectancy has passed 78 years, health officials say. This is the prediction for a baby born in 2006. It is 4 months longer than the prediction for a baby born in 2005. The forecast is based on death trends. In 2006, death rates fell for 9 of the 15 leading causes. These included heart disease, cancer, accidents and diabetes. The flu season in 2006 also was mild. This led to fewer pneumonia deaths. The Associated Press wrote about the new report June 11.

Your genes may affect your risk of fatty liver disease and insulin resistance, a study suggests. A buildup of fat in the liver can be caused by obesity or drinking too much alcohol. The disease also is common in Asian Indian men, for unknown reasons. Fatty liver disease can lead to more serious liver conditions. Insulin resistance is a problem with the body’s use of insulin to help turn sugar into energy. It is linked linked to obesity and can lead to diabetes. Researchers gave gene tests to 95 lean Asian Indian men and 163 men with mixed ethnic backgrounds. In both groups, 38% of those with a mutant version of one gene had fatty liver disease and insulin resistance. This was much higher than the average rate. The gene helps to regulate fat metabolism. People with the mutant gene were less able to break down fat. Therefore, it was stored in the liver.

Bans on smoking in public places reduce heart attack rates. That’s the conclusion of a new report from the Institute of Medicine. The institute is an independent group of experts that advises the U.S. government. The experts looked at 11 studies from the United States, Canada, Italy and Scotland. They found that heart attack rates dropped after smoking bans in restaurants and other public places took effect. The reduction ranged from 6% to 47%. Smoking and secondhand smoke release tiny particles of air pollution. Smoke can damage blood vessels and promote formation of blood clots that cause heart attacks. The Associated Press wrote about the report October 15.

A vaccine against urinary tract infections (UTIs) shows promising results in tests with mice, researchers say. The vaccine fights infections caused by Escherichia coli bacteria. E. coli causes most simple UTIs. Mice who got the vaccine were protected from UTIs. The vaccine is given in the nose. It causes an immune reaction in a type of body tissue called mucosa, which is found in the nose and the urinary tract. The vaccine is made so that specific proteins on the surface of E. coli bacteria trigger the immune reaction. Most types of E. coli have these proteins. Therefore, researchers think the vaccine will protect against many UTIs. Study results were published in the journal PLoS Pathogens. HealthDay News wrote about the study September 18.

Six new cases of pancreatitis in people taking the diabetes drug Byetta have been reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Two people died. The drug will get a stronger warning label, the FDA said. Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas. The FDA first warned about this problem with Byetta in 2007. At the time, there were 30 cases of pancreatitis. The Associated Press wrote about the FDA announcement August 18.

People with brain cancer in the family are more likely to develop it themselves, a study has found. Researchers looked at records of 1,401 people with brain cancer and their families. Risk of glioblastoma was double for people with a close family member who had this type of tumor. Risk of astrocytoma was four times as high for people with a family history of it. The study looked only at cancers that started in the brain. It did not include those that spread to the brain from elsewhere in the body. Results appeared September 23 in the journal Neurology.

Weight loss surgery may lead to bone loss, a study suggests. The study included 23 very obese men and women. All had gastric bypass surgery for weight loss. After surgery, researchers kept track of their levels of vitamin D and calcium. Calcium levels dropped and vitamin D remained steady despite increased intake of both. Bone density also fell. The decline was greatest for those who lost the most weight. The study was published September 23 in the Journal of clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Truck and bus drivers and merchant ship pilots should be tested for sleep apnea, a U.S. agency says. The National Transportation Safety Board proposed the new rule. The Associated Press wrote about the proposal October 20. The safety board sent its advice in letters to agencies that regulate trucks, buses and ships. The board said sleep apnea tests can help prevent accidents. It cited several examples of fatal accidents caused by drivers or pilots who had sleep apnea. The condition affects the quality of sleep. It can make people drowsy in the daytime. Earlier this year, the safety board endorsed sleep apnea tests for airline pilots and train operators.

Measuring the growth of small lumps in the lungs may help to detect lung cancer in some people at high risk, a new study suggests. The study included 7,557 people at high risk for lung cancer. Each received a computed tomography (CT) scan of the lungs. If the test showed a small lump called a nodule, it was repeated three months later. Further tests, such as biopsy, were done only for lumps that grew quickly between the two scans. About 40% of people with fast-growing lumps had lung cancer. Everyone else in the study received a follow-up CT scan after one year. That scan found cancer in 1 out of 1,000 people. Another scan after two years found cancer in 3 out of 1,000. These results show that the first round of tests missed few cancers, researchers said. The New England Journal of Medicine published the study December 3.