Category: news-perspectives

Older adults with memory problems improved a bit after a program of brisk walking, researchers report. The study included 85 adults, ages 50 and older. All had signs of memory problems. They were assigned to walk or do other brisk exercise at least 2½ hours a week. They recorded activity in diaries. Newsletters and phone calls encouraged them to keep it up. After six months, they took a test of brain function. So did a similar group that was not urged to exercise. The exercise group performed 1.3 points better on a 70-point scale. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The Associated Press wrote about it September 3.

In a study, blood pressure improved for people who monitored it at home and sent results to a pharmacist. The pharmacist could adjust doses and prescribe new medicines. More than half of people in this group attained normal blood pressure readings. The study kept track of nearly 800 people with high blood pressure for a year. Some people were assigned to do home monitoring only, without the pharmacist’s help. Others were told just to work with their doctors. Only about one-third of these groups got pressure under control. HealthDay News reported on the study June 24. It was in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Elderly people with one form of heart failure may not benefit from their medicines, a study finds. The study included 142 older adults with diastolic heart failure. This means that the heart cannot relax fully and fill up with blood between beats. But treatments are geared toward another form, systolic heart failure. This is a problem with the heart’s pumping action. The average age of people in the study was 87. Researchers kept track of them for 5 years. Two-thirds of them died during the study. Taking standard drugs for this condition did not help them live longer, researchers said. Nor did the drugs prevent hospital stays. The study appeared in the American Journal of Cardiology. HealthDay News wrote about it March 12.

Vaccinating children can sharply reduce the risk of catching the flu in a whole community, new research finds. The study focused on people who follow the Hutterite faith in Canada. Hutterites live in small, isolated farming colonies of 80 to 120 people. Researchers focused on 46 colonies. They were randomly assigned to receive either flu shots or hepatitis A shots. Children, ages 3 through 15, got the shots in the fall of 2008. About 80% of the children received the shots. During the fall and winter, nurses visited the colonies. They tested people with flu-like symptoms to see if they had flu. Rates of flu were 60% lower in colonies that got flu shots. Researchers said “herd immunity” protected them. Children usually play a big role in spreading flu. But the children were vaccinated, so fewer cases occurred. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Secondhand smoke may increase the risk of poor circulation, a study has found. The study included 1,209 women. All were 60 or older and had never smoked. About 40% were exposed to smoke at home or work. They were exposed at least 15 minutes a day, 2 or more days a week. This exposure occurred for at least two years in the last decade. These women had a 67% higher risk of peripheral artery (or vascular) disease than other women. This is a narrowing of arteries in the arms and legs. The women also had higher risks of stroke and coronary artery disease. HealthDay News wrote about the study September 22. It appeared in the journal Circulation.

Five children who once had severe allergies now can eat peanuts because doctors retrained their immune systems. Researchers reported on the experiment at a conference March 15. In the study, children were given tiny amounts of peanut flour. Over months or years, they were able to tolerate greater amounts. The kids kept having some peanuts each day so their bodies would stay used to them. The newest part of the study tried to find out if they could go without any peanuts for a month and then eat peanuts without an allergic reaction. Five out of nine children were able to do this. The Associated Press wrote about the research March 16.

Pregnant women who get a flu shot can protect their babies too, a study suggests. This could help babies under age 6 months, in particular. Flu vaccine is not recommended for these babies because it hasn’t been proven safe for them. The study included 340 women and their babies. Half received a flu shot while pregnant. The others did not get shots. Researchers kept track of the women for 24 weeks after the births. Babies born to women who got flu shots were 63% less likely to get flu. They also had lower rates of other respiratory illness. HealthDay News wrote about the study September 17. It was published online by the New England Journal of Medicine.

More children are overweight these days, but heavy kids are still more likely to be bullied, a study finds. Researchers looked at data on 821 children. All were part of a larger long-term study. The children, their mothers and their teachers were asked questions about bullying. The surveys occurred when the kids were in third, fifth and sixth grades. Kids who were overweight were 63% more likely to be bullied than kids of normal weight. Researchers also looked at other factors that often affect which kids get bullied. In the case of overweight kids, though, these factors didn’t matter. They were more likely to get bullied regardless of their gender, race, income level, grades or social skills. The study was published online in the journal Pediatrics. HealthDay News and Reuters Health news service wrote about it May 3.

A drug being tested in animals appears to help protect them from the harmful effects of radiation. Researchers hope it someday could help people exposed to radiation during cancer treatment, or a nuclear disaster. Radiation can destroy cells in the bone marrow, stomach and intestines. Researchers found out that these cells commit suicide. This is how the body destroys defective cells. But cancer cells resist and keep growing. The new drug blocks cell suicide in a way similar to that used by cancer cells. The Associated Press wrote about the study April 10. It appeared in the journal Science.

Medicare now pays doctors less to give hormone injections to treat prostate cancer. The hormones stop testosterone from being made. This helps keep the cancer in check. After Medicare reduced these payments, fewer men got the shots. More men started getting surgery to stop testosterone instead. A study found that doctors gave fewer shots after Medicare cut payments in half. The study appears in the April 7 online version of the journal Cancer. The Associated Press wrote about the study the same day it was published online.