Category: news-perspectives

Soy-based formula has few advantages for babies, new medical guidelines say. The guidelines come from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Its members are doctors who specialize in caring for children. Breast milk is best, the report notes. But for those who use formula, the guidelines advise soy milk for only three groups of babies. These are babies who cannot tolerate the lactose in milk, come from strict vegan families, or have a rare condition called galactosemia. There’s no proof that soy soothes fussy or colicky babies, the report says. And babies with a milk allergy should get hydrolyzed protein formula. That’s because many of them also may be allergic to soy. The guidelines were released May 5. They were published in the journal Pediatrics.

Coffee and tea — even decaf — may help to prevent diabetes, a review of research suggests. Researchers used data from 18 studies that included 457,922 people. They found that people who drank 3 to 4 cups of coffee daily had a 25% lower risk of diabetes. Every cup reduced the risk by about 7%. Six studies included people who drank decaffeinated coffee. Seven studies included tea drinkers. Diabetes risk was one-third lower in people who drank three to four cups of decaf daily. Risk was about one-fifth lower in people who drank that amount of tea. The study appeared in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. HealthDay News wrote about it December 14.

Treatments that reduce anemia in people with cancer also may increase deaths, a new study finds. The study combined the numbers from 53 cancer studies. They included nearly 14,000 people. Some people were given a synthetic hormone called erythropoietin (EPO). This hormone stimulates the body to make more red blood cells. Some people with cancer don’t have enough red cells. This is a form of anemia. Taking EPO can reduce anemia. People may feel less tired and need fewer blood transfusions. But the new study found that people taking EPO had a 17% increased risk of death during the study. This means that 117 people taking EPO died for every 100 deaths among people who didn’t take it.

A blood test may help show who needs antibiotics for lung infections. In a study, the test reduced the use of antibiotics. The test looks for a chemical called procalcitonin in the blood. Infections caused by bacteria lead to higher levels of this chemical than virus infections do. The study included nearly 1,400 people. All came to hospital emergency rooms with lower respiratory infections. They were divided randomly into two groups. One group was given antibiotics, or not, based on standard guidelines. Decisions for the other group were based on their blood levels of procalcitonin. Overall, people in the blood-test group took antibiotics for fewer days than people in the other group. The study was in the Journal of the American Medical Association. HealthDay News wrote about it September 9.

About 800,000 doses of H1N1 (swine) flu vaccine for children are being recalled, U.S. health officials say. The vaccine is safe, and was strong enough when shipped, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. However, more recent tests showed the vaccine has lost strength over time. It now is slightly less strong than the government requires. The shots were made by Sanofi Pasteur. Most of them probably have been used. Children who already have received the shots should be protected, the CDC said. They don’t need to repeat the dose. The recalled shots are used for children 6 months to 3 years old. All are in pre-filled syringes that do not contain the preservative thimerosal. The recall does not affect vaccine packaged in other ways, the CDC said. The Associated Press wrote about the recall December 15.

Severe drops in blood sugar may increase the risk of dementia for diabetics, a new study concludes. Researchers looked at the medical records of more than 16,000 diabetics. They focused on times when they had a big drop in blood sugar. The drop led to an emergency room trip or admission to a hospital. People with one episode were one-third more likely to develop dementia later. People with three or more episodes had a doubled risk of dementia. McClatchy-Tribune Information Service wrote about the study April 15. The story quoted experts who said that low blood sugar may damage the brain. They said the study showed the risks of pushing too far to lower blood sugar. The study was in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

People with high levels of a protein in urine may have a higher risk of deep-vein blood clots, a study suggests. Researchers looked at data on 8,600 adults. During an 8-year period, 129 had a clot in a deep vein of the legs or lungs. A clot in a leg vein can travel to the lungs. A clot in a lung can be fatal. The study included urine tests for a protein called albumin. People with high levels of the protein were three times as likely to have deep-vein clots as people with normal urine. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association. HealthDay News wrote about it May 5.

People take drugs called statins to lower their cholesterol levels. Now a large study shows that statins may help people recover from pneumonia. Danish researchers looked at 29,900 people who were in the hospital with pneumonia. People who were taking statins were one-third less likely to die from the disease. Statins may tweak the body’s immune system. Or, people who take statins may be in better health to begin with. The study appears in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

Doctors have stopped adding people to a study of a treatment for heart disease. They did this because of an investigation, the Associated Press said September 26. U.S. officials want to know whether people were told about treatment risks. Some doctors also have been removed from the study. They had criminal records or had been disciplined by state boards. The study treatment is called chelation. It uses the drug disodium EDTA. Some believe it will bind to calcium in artery walls and remove it. About 1,500 heart attack survivors are in the study so far. They receive either EDTA or a placebo. But EDTA has been linked to kidney failure and other side effects. Some people taking it in the past have died.

Private and government sources are donating another $635 million to try to wipe out polio in the world. They hope to finish in the next five years. The private money will come from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Rotary International. The governments of Germany and the United Kingdom also will contribute. The 20-year campaign has reduced polio cases by 99%. But cases still occur in more than a dozen countries in Africa and Asia. War, politics and the nature of the disease have hindered efforts to wipe it out. The Washington Post wrote about the campaign January 22. The Associated Press wrote about it January 21.