Category: news-perspectives

A small study suggests that a brain scan may give clues to people’s likely response to depression treatment. The study included 62 people with major depression. All were given positron emission tomography (PET) scans to show activity in different areas of the brain. Then people were randomly assigned to treatments. Half received cognitive behavioral therapy, a type of talk therapy. The others were given the medicine escitalopram. Treatment lasted 12 weeks. Only 38 people had a clear response to treatment and clear PET scan results. In the psychotherapy group, 12 people got better and 9 did not. On their PET scans, those who did well had shown less activity in an area of the brain called the insula than those who did not improve. The insula is involved with emotion and self-awareness. Among those taking medicine, 11 got better and 6 did not.

Several studies have shown that colon cancers diagnosed through routine screening are less likely to cause death. A new study finds that this is true even for cancers diagnosed at the same stage. The study included almost 1,100 people. Cancers found by a routine screening test called a colonoscopy were usually diagnosed at an earlier stage than those found because of symptoms. Those found because of symptoms were 2 to 3 times as likely to spread as those found through screening. And cancers diagnosed at the same stage were more likely to be deadly if they were found because of symptoms. The New England Journal of Medicine published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it June 19.

A new study adds more evidence that quick treatment can reduce death and disability after a stroke. The study shows that getting treated even 15 minutes faster makes a difference. Researchers looked at data on more than 58,000 people who had ischemic strokes. This is the type of stroke caused by a blood clot. The best treatment is a drug that dissolves the clot. Guidelines say the drug should be given within 4½ hours of the beginning of stroke symptoms. The study looked at how quickly people got treated with a clot-busting drug and how well they did afterward. For every 15 minutes saved between symptoms appearing and drgu treatment, the odds of dying in the hospital or having excess bleeding dropped 4%. Speedier treatment also improved how well people were doing by the time they left the hospital.

Wiser use of prescription drugs could bring big savings for the U.S. health care system. A new report estimates the total at $213 billion each year. That’s about 8% of the nation’s annual health care costs. The IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics published the report. The institute is part of IMS Health. This company uses its data on prescriptions written by doctors to provide advice to drug companies and others. The report defined 6 ways that better use of drugs could save money. For example, patients could help by taking medicines as prescribed. That would produce the biggest savings, $105 billion, the report said. Doctors and patients also could use generic drugs instead of brand names when available. They could avoid antibiotics for diseases caused by viruses. Doctors could prescribe medicines when guidelines recommend them and use tools to prevent prescribing errors.

Children’s doctors can help parents get help in quitting smoking, a new study finds. Pediatricians have an interest in helping parents quit smoking in order to reduce children’s risk from the smoke. The American Academy of Pediatrics supported the study. Doctors’ offices in the study were randomly divided into two groups. All of the offices asked parents whether they were smokers. In half of the offices, doctors were asked to provide advice on quitting smoking. The program also included referrals to quitlines and prescriptions for nicotine replacement medicines. The other group of doctors just provided usual care to children. Nearly 1,000 parents were in each group. They were interviewed at the end of the office visit to assess what happened. Researchers found that 24% of the offices in the test program provided counseling on quitting smoking.

People who eat more red meat may also increase their risk of type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests. Researchers focused on 3 large studies of health professionals. They included 149,000 people who answered questions about their diet every 4 years. Researchers kept track of them for 12 to 16 years. People who increased the amount of red meat they ate had a 48% increased risk of developing diabetes in a 4-year period. This was seen in people who ate as little as half a serving extra, or 1.5 ounces. People who decreased red meat in their diets had a 14% lower risk of diabetes than those with no change in meat eating. People who ate more red meat also tended to gain more weight. Researchers said this explained some but not all of their increase in diabetes risk. Some experts interviewed by USA Today and HealthDay News questioned the focus on red meat.

Men with restless legs syndrome may have a higher risk of early death, a new study suggests. The study included 18,425 older men. Their average age was 67. The study did not include anyone who had diabetes, arthritis or kidney failure at the start of the study. About 4% had restless legs syndrome. During the next 8 years, 2,765 men died. Death rates were 39% higher for those with restless legs syndrome than for other men. Researchers then adjusted the numbers to account for several factors that can affect death risk. These included obesity, exercise habits and smoking. The higher death risk for men with restless legs syndrome dropped to 30%. But when researchers excluded men with major diseases such as cancer and heart disease, the effect of restless leg syndrome on death rates increased.

Three low-cost blood tests may help to predict flare-ups of a serious lung disease, a new study finds. The study focused on a medical database of 61,000 people. All had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This disease is a combination of chronic (long-lasting) bronchitis and emphysema. The vast majority of COPD patients are smokers or ex-smokers. Some people with the disease have flare-ups. These are periods of more intense symptoms. People in the study were not having flare-ups at the time the study began. They were given blood tests that looked for 2 proteins: fibrinogen and C-reactive protein. Another test measured a type of white blood cell called leukocytes. People who had increased levels of all 3 were more likely to have frequent flare-ups during a follow-up period. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the study.

Older diabetics who have a sharp drop in blood sugar may be more likely to develop dementia, a new study suggests. And low blood sugar may occur more often in those with dementia, the study also found. Diabetes medicines are used to lower blood sugar. Medicines must be kept in balance with what people eat. If they don’t eat enough or take too much medicine, they can get very low blood sugar. This is called hypoglycemia. It can lead to confusion, fainting or even a trip to the hospital. The new study included 783 adults with diabetes. They were in their 70s and did not have dementia when the study began. Researchers kept track of them for 12 years. In that time, nearly 8% had hypoglycemia at least once. Nearly 19% of people in the study developed dementia. People who had an episode of hypoglycemia were twice as likely as others to develop dementia later.

An expert panel has recommended loosening restrictions on the diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia). The panel based its advice on a new analysis of a study about the drug’s effect on heart attack risk. Avandia was a huge seller before researchers raised questions about its effects on heart health. One major study pooled results of 42 previous studies. It concluded that people taking Avandia had a higher risk of heart attack than people taking other diabetes drugs. A later study directly compared heart attack rates for people taking different diabetes drugs. That study found no increased risk with Avandia. But critics questioned how well it was done. In 2010, the FDA sharply restricted access to the drug. Both doctor and patient must acknowledge they know the risks and cannot lower blood sugar enough with other drugs. Prescriptions plummeted.