Category: news-perspectives

Vitamin D pills may help reduce blood pressure in blacks, a new study suggests. Many blacks have low blood levels of vitamin D. With darker skin, less sunlight is available for the body to use to make vitamin D. Blacks also are more likely to have high blood pressure than whites. The study included 250 African-American adults. They were randomly divided into 4 groups. Three of the groups received daily vitamin D pills, in different doses. The fourth group took placebo (fake) pills. Three months later, researchers checked their blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure had dropped by 4 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) for people taking the largest vitamin D dose, 4,000 international units (IU). It fell 3.4 mmHg for those taking 2,000 IU. The drop was 0.7 mmHg for the smallest dose, 1,000 IU. Systolic pressure rose 1.7 mmHg for those who got placebo pills.

Veterans with symptoms of Gulf War Illness have more activity in part of their brains. Researchers saw the activity using functional MRI scans. They did the scans on 31 veterans, as well as 12 people without symptoms. Gulf War Illness is also called Gulf War Syndrome. As many as 30% of veterans deployed to the Persian Gulf have reported similar symptoms. They include pain, headaches, digestive problems and fatigue. The study was published March 20 in the journal PLOS ONE. USA Today wrote about it March 21.

Getting a mammogram every other year, rather than every year, did not increase the risk of advanced breast cancer in women ages 50 to 74, says a study. The study looked at data from more than 900,000 women. Data were collected between 1994 and 2008. Women who got less frequent mammograms were not more likely to be diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. This was true even for women taking estrogen replacement therapy, and for women with dense breasts. In 2009, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said that women should have mammograms every other year starting at age 50. The American Cancer Society still recommends annual mammograms starting at age 40. The study was published in the online version of JAMA Internal Medicine. Reuters wrote about it March 18.

Parents’ resistance to the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine for their daughters has increased over time, surveys suggest. And there’s been a big jump in the number who cite safety concerns with the vaccine. The HPV vaccine protects against virus types that cause most cases of cervical cancer. It also prevents some cases of genital warts. The study was based on two national surveys. Parents’ answers on the 2010 survey showed about 25% of teen girls had received all 3 doses of the HPV vaccine. That was up from 16% in 2008. But the percentage of parents who said they did not intend to get the vaccine for their daughters increased from 40% to 44%. Some said that it wasn’t needed or that their daughters were not sexually active. About 16% cited safety concerns, up from 4.5% in 2008. That puzzled researchers, who said the vaccine is very safe and side effects are mild.

A follow-up MRI doesn’t help evaluate results after treatment for sciatica, a new study finds. Sciatica is caused by pinching, irritation or damage in the sciatic nerve. Symptoms include pain or weakness in the lower back or leg. Most people feel better in a couple of months. Others need surgery to get relief. Doctors often order an MRI to show if there’s a bulging (herniated) disk pressing on or irritating the nerve. The new study included nearly 300 people with sciatica. All of them showed signs of a bulging disk on an MRI scan. They received surgery or more conservative treatments, such as exercise. After a year, they were given follow-up MRIs. About 85% of people reported that their treatment was successful. But researchers couldn’t tell from the MRIs who had good results and who didn’t.

Researchers have raised doubts about whether hormone replacement therapy increases women’s risk of breast cancer. A large study, the Women’s Health Initiative, found such a risk for women who used estrogen plus progesterone. After that study was published in 2002, use of hormones dropped dramatically. Breast cancer rates also fell. Some experts thought the decline in hormone treatment was the reason. But the new study disagrees. The authors took another look at data from this study and two others. They found that the drop in breast cancer rates started in the late 1990s and ended after 2003. They concluded that the evidence is not strong enough to say hormone treatment causes breast cancer. An editorial published with the study agreed. The author said today’s lower doses of hormones should be compared with placebo (fake) pills in a new study.

Gaining weight after quitting smoking won’t reduce the benefits of quitting for your heart, a new study finds. People often gain a few pounds after they quit smoking. Some cite that as a fear that keeps them from quitting. The new study included more than 3,200 adults. They were part of a long-running heart-health study. More than half of those who smoked quit during the 27 years of the study. In all, 631 people had a heart attack, stroke, clogged leg arteries or heart failure, or died of related causes. These problems occurred only half as often in former smokers as in smokers. And that benefit was not reduced among people who gained weight after they quit. Typically, people gained about 5 to 10 pounds. These figures apply to people without diabetes. The trend was similar among people with diabetes.

Protection against whooping cough drops quickly after children receive their last dose of vaccine, a new study finds. The study focused on children in Minnesota and Oregon. All were born between 1998 and 2003. More than 400,000 of the children received all 5 doses of the DTaP vaccine by age 6. This vaccine protects against whooping cough (pertussis), diphtheria and tetanus. Researchers looked at records on whooping cough cases in the 6 years after the children got their last vaccine dose. Cases went up each year. In the first year after children completed their vaccine series, there were 15.6 cases of whooping cough per 100,000 children in the study group in Minnesota. By the sixth year, the rate was 138.4 per 100,000. In Oregon, whooping cough cases rose from 6.2 cases to 24.4 cases per 100,000. The journal Pediatrics published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it March 11.

Powerful new medicines used to suppress the immune system don’t increase the risk of the skin disease shingles, a study finds. People who have had chickenpox can develop shingles. The virus that causes chickenpox stays hidden in the body. If it becomes active again, it can cause shingles. The study focused on people with autoimmune diseases. These diseases are caused by an attack of the immune system on part of the body. Examples include rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease. The newest medicines for some of these conditions are called anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drugs. They suppress the immune system. As a result, they can increase the risk of some infections. The new study looked at records for about 60,000 people with autoimmune diseases. It compared shingles rates for those who took anti-TNF drugs and those who took other drugs.

Changing the test used for pregnancy diabetes could diagnose more women. However, an expert panel is urging caution. About 5% of pregnant U.S. women are diagnosed with gestational (pregnancy) diabetes. This problem usually goes away after the birth. However, it can cause problems, such as an increase in larger babies and cesarean section deliveries. These mothers also are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life. Diagnosis allows for treatment with diet, exercise and sometimes medicines. The most common test used in the United States is a two-step process. But the American Diabetes Association supports a one-step test. This test also lowers the blood sugar level required for diagnosis. The National Institutes of Health gathered a group of experts this week to look at the issue. They supported keeping the two-step test for now.