Category: news-perspectives

Frequent use of marijuana may triple the risk of severe gum disease, a study suggests. Tobacco already was known to raise the risk of periodontal disease. This is an infection of the gums and other tissues that support the teeth. It can lead to tooth loss. Researchers in New Zealand wanted to know if marijuana had a similar effect. The study included 903 people. Some had smoked marijuana an average of almost once a week for about 15 years. They were three times as likely to have severe gum disease as nonsmokers of marijuana. Reuters Health news service reported on the study February 5. It was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Can using an electronic personal health record (PHR) keep you healthier? That’s the question a new study will examine. The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is funding the project. Medical centers in four states will train patients to use a PHR for all their medical information. They will be compared with another group of patients who get standard care. A PHR allows patients to keep their records in one place. They can print the records or provide online access to doctors. The Associated Press wrote about the study on February 4.

Babies may be exposed to chemicals through baby products, a study suggests. The chemicals are called phthalates. They are found in many items, including fragrances and plastics. Animal studies suggest they may cause birth defects in reproductive organs. Health effects in humans are uncertain. The new study measured the chemical in urine from diapers of 163 babies. The highest levels were in babies whose mothers had used baby shampoos, lotions or powders on them in the last 24 hours. The Associated Press wrote about the study February 4. It is in the journal Pediatrics.

The Super Bowl could be a health hazard if you get too worked up over the game, a new study suggests. The study came from Germany. It found that heart attacks and other heart emergencies doubled when the German soccer team played in World Cup matches. But the hazard could apply to the Super Bowl as well. So said one of the researchers in an interview with the Associated Press. The authors blamed emotional stress for the heart problems. Excess eating, drinking, smoking and lack of sleep also could have been factors, they said. The study was published January 31 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Harassment and unwanted sex proposals don’t occur most often on social networking sites, a survey finds. Instead, kids are victimized more often through instant messages or in chat rooms. These findings come from a survey of nearly 1,600 Internet users, ages 10 to 15. About 1 in 8 said they had an unwanted online request in the last year to talk about sex or do something sexual. Almost half of the time this came in an instant message. About 1 in 3 incidents happened in a chat room and 1 in 4 on a social networking site. Kids also reported harassment. More than half of the time, this came through an instant message. The study was published online January 28 by the journal Pediatrics.

More older U.S. adults are getting diabetes, a study finds. The number of people diagnosed after age 65 rose 23% in a decade. The study looked at numbers from 1994 to 1995 and from 2003 to 2004. Most of those with new diabetes developed at least one more health problem in the next six years. Almost half developed heart failure. The study was published January 28. It is in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

Lead exposure throughout life could speed up the decline of brain function in old age, recent research suggests. A 2006 study enrolled 1,000 adults, ages 50 to 70. They grew up when gasoline still contained lead. Researchers tested shinbones for lead. People also took tests of mental ability. Those with higher levels of lead had lower mental scores. The difference was equal to six years of aging for the highest amounts of lead. Another study, from 2004, showed more mental decline in four years among people with more lead in their bodies. The Associated Press wrote about the research January 28.

Women who take birth control pills are less likely to get ovarian cancer, a study has found. The risk is lower even many years after they stop taking the pills. Researchers used data on more than 23,000 women with ovarian cancer. They compared it with 87,000 cancer-free women. About one-third of each group took birth control pills. They used them for an average of five years. About 12 in 1,000 women get ovarian cancer before age 75. But only 8 per 1,000 women who took birth control pills got the disease. The Associated Press reported on the study January 25. It was in the journal Lancet.

Washing out the nose with salt water helped children with colds in a new study. About 400 children with colds or flu were divided into two groups. Both received standard treatment. One group also was given a nasal solution made from processed seawater. These children reported less stuffiness than the others. After recovery, they used the salty solution to prevent colds. In this time, they used fewer cold medicines than the other children, researchers said. They also missed fewer days of school. The study lasted 12 weeks in all. Results were published January 22 in the journal Archives of Otolaryngology.

People with certain gene variations may do better with different blood pressure drugs, a study suggests. Researchers looked at data from a previous study. It included more than 38,000 people. People were randomly assigned to take a blood pressure drug. Some people had variations in a gene called NPPA. People with one version of the gene ended up with lower blood pressure if they took a diuretic drug. People with a different version of the gene did better with a calcium channel blocker. The study appeared January 23 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.