Category: news-perspectives

A type of pacemaker can help more women with heart failure than men, and yet women are less likely to get the devices, a study finds. Researchers pooled results from 3 earlier studies. They included 3,198 men and 878 women. Normally, both sides of the heart beat (contract) at the same time. Among people in the study, one side of the heart contracted slightly later than the other. The original studies were designed to test pacemakers that help both sides beat at the same time. Success was measured by a reduction in the risk of death or fewer heart-failure events that required a hospital trip or more medicine. Women with the devices had a 60% reduced risk of these events. Men’s risk declined 26%. The study also raised questions about who should get these devices.

Testosterone products must carry a new warning about a possible risk of blood clots in veins. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the change June 20. It is prompted by reports of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism among men taking testosterone treatments. Deep vein clots usually occur in the legs. A pulmonary embolism occurs if a clot travels to the lungs. Clots in the lungs can be deadly. Testosterone products already warn about a risk of clots in veins caused by polycythemia. This is an abnormal rise in the number of blood cells. But the more recent cases cited by the FDA were not related to polycythemia. The FDA also continues to investigate whether men taking testosterone products may have an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and death. Announced in February, this investigation was prompted by a research study that suggested a higher risk.

Teens and young adults took fewer antidepressants after the drug labels started warning about an increased suicide risk. And they also were more likely to attempt suicide, a new study says. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first required the warnings in 2004. They applied to antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These drugs include fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), citalopram (Celexa) and others. In 2007, the warning was expanded to include young adults. The new study used data from 11 U.S. health plans. Researchers looked at prescriptions for SSRI drugs. They also looked at cases of overdose with mind-altering drugs, such as tranquilizers and amphetamines. Researchers said overdoses were more likely to be reported consistently than the medical code for suicide attempts.

A newer drug improved symptoms for more people than the usual drug given first to people with rheumatoid arthritis, researchers report. Methotrexate, an old drug, is typically what people receive first when diagnosed with this disease. A newer drug, tofacitinib, helps to reduce inflammation in this disease. It works in a different way than methotrexate. The new study included 956 people with rheumatoid arthritis. They had not yet been treated with methotrexate. They were randomly divided into 3 groups. One group received methotrexate. The others took tofacitinib, in different doses. After 6 months, signs and symptoms of the disease had improved more in the groups receiving tofacitinib. About 26% of those taking the smaller dose and 38% of those taking the larger dose had at least a 70% improvement. About 12% of those taking methotrexate improved that much.

A study of women with a high risk of developing breast cancer has found that annual MRI scans find more cancers than mammograms. The study included 2,207 women, ages 30 to 69. All were at high risk of breast cancer. They had high-risk genes, a family history of breast cancer, a history of radiation treatment before age 30 or other factors that increased breast-cancer risk. All were screened with digital mammograms and breast MRI scans. In the first year, the screening found 35 breast cancers. Of those, 23 were detected by MRI alone and 12 were found on both tests. No cancers were detected by mammogram alone. A researcher, quoted by HealthDay news, said the findings suggest that high-risk women should have both tests each year, starting at age 30. But the testing program will continue, and researchers will report later on long-term results.

A “bionic pancreas” can help people with type 1 diabetes control their disease with fewer incidents of low blood sugar, 2 new studies find. The “pancreas” is a device that includes two pumps. One delivers small doses of insulin to keep blood sugar from going too high. The other delivers glucagon, another hormone, to prevent hypoglycemia (very low blood sugar). A smartphone wirelessly receives reports from a continuous glucose (blood sugar) monitor. An app on the phone controls the pumps and adjusts them based on blood sugar levels. One study tested the pumps on 20 adults. The other study tested them on 32 teenagers at a diabetes summer camp. People wore the devices for 5 days. On another 5 days, people wore normal insulin pumps. For both adults and teens, average daily blood sugar was lower with the new device than with the pump.

Having TV on in the background while you play with your toddler may hinder the child’s language development, a new study suggests. That’s because parents talked to their children less when the TV was on. Talking to young children is considered important for helping them learn to speak. The study included 49 parents and their children, who were 12, 24 or 36 months old. Parents were asked to play with their children for an hour in a study laboratory. Age-appropriate toys were provided. Half of the time, the TV was on. The programs were appropriate to adults or older children. For the other half hour, the TV was off. Researchers observed and kept track of parents’ interactions with their children. Parents spoke about 9 times per minute and said about 36 words per minute with the TV off. Each minute that the TV was on, parents spoke about 6 times and said about 24 words.

A case of the mosquito-borne virus chikungunya has been reported for the first time in a U.S. territory. The virus was acquired in the U.S. Virgin Islands, health officials there said. A second patient acquired the infection elsewhere, they said. The virus mostly has been found in Africa and Asia. But it has been spreading rapidly across the Caribbean in recent months. More than 135,000 suspected and confirmed cases have been reported in the Western Hemisphere since December. This is the first case anywhere in the United States. But health officials are concerned that it will spread to the mainland soon. The 2 types of mosquitoes that spread chikungunya are also found in southern and eastern U.S. states. Symptoms of chikungunya include a high fever, headaches and severe pain in joints. The virus is rarely fatal, but symptoms can linger for months. There is no vaccine.

Treatments for sleep apnea might help control factors, such as blood pressure, that increase the risk of heart disease, new research finds. The two new studies appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine. One study included 318 adults with sleep apnea. They had either heart disease or a high risk of developing it. Two groups were randomly assigned to use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine at night or just receive oxygen. The third group got education on good sleep habits. After 12 weeks blood pressure was 2 to 3 points lower in the CPAP group than in the others. The second study included 181 obese adults with sleep apnea. They were randomly assigned to 6 months of CPAP, weight-loss counseling or both. The group that used CPAP and lost weight had the largest drop in blood pressure. In the 2 groups that lost weight, the loss averaged 15 pounds.

A new study suggests that insulin might not be the best drug to add to metformin in the treatment of people with type 2 diabetes. But outside experts questioned the conclusions. The study was based on records from the U.S. Veterans Health Administration, Medicare and the National Health Index. People in the study had been taking metformin. Doctors added a second drug to better control their blood sugar. For about 2,400 people, that drug was insulin. Another 12,000 people added a type of drug called a sulfonylurea. In the next 14 months, both groups had similar rates of heart attack and stroke. But people who took insulin had a 44% higher death rate. Outside experts told HealthDay News that other factors may have caused the difference. People who got insulin were sicker, an American Diabetes Association official noted.