Category: news-perspectives

Men who are fit in middle age may have lower risks of some cancers in later years, a new study finds. The study included nearly 14,000 men who were part of a long-term health study. Their average age when the study began was 49. Nearly all were white. Men were given treadmill tests to assess their fitness. After the men turned 65, researchers looked at Medicare records to see who was diagnosed with cancer. On average, they looked at 6½ years of records for each man. Men who had the top fitness scores in middle age were 55% less likely to develop lung cancer than those who were least fit. They were 44% less likely to develop colorectal cancer. But they were 22% more likely than less fit men to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. The men who were most fit also had a 32% lower rate of death from lung, colorectal or prostate cancer.

Propping open a narrowed artery in the brain actually may lead to more strokes than giving medicines alone, a study has found. The study included 112 people. All of them had a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA or mini-stroke) within the last 30 days. A mini-stroke causes stroke symptoms that last less than 24 hours. People in the study were randomly divided into 2 groups. Everyone received standard “blood thinner” medicines to prevent clots. One group also received angioplasty. This procedure used a tiny balloon to open a narrowed artery in the brain. Then the artery was propped open with a wire-mesh tube called a stent. In the next month, 24% of those who got stents had a stroke or TIA, compared with 10% of those who got medicines only. Nearly 9% of those who got stents had bleeding in the brain. About 5% died. Nobody in the medicine-only group had bleeding or died.

A structured exercise program may reduce the risk of serious injury from falls in older women, a new study suggests. The study included about 400 women, ages 70 to 80. All of them had normal vitamin D levels when the study began. They were randomly divided into 4 groups. One group took daily pills containing 800 international units of vitamin D. Another group took part in a structured exercise program. They focused on improving balance, agility and movement. They also worked on strength and the ability to lift weight. Classes occurred twice a week for a year, then once a week for a second year. A third group took vitamin D and also took exercise classes. The fourth group did neither. During the 2-year study, women in all 4 groups were equally likely to fall. But those in the 2 groups that did exercise were only about half as likely to have a serious injury when they fell.

Training parents to care for their children with ADHD may lead to improved behavior, a new study suggests. The study included 156 low-income children, ages 6 to 12. Their doctors had referred them to specialists to find out if they had attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Children were randomly divided into 2 groups. Both groups received care management that offered parents help in making decisions. One group also received “enhanced care.” These parents learned how to be involved in their child’s treatment, manage behavior challenges and address their own mental-health needs. Care managers provided the training. They were not health-care professionals but had been trained to teach this program. They served as go-betweens for the parents and the medical team. Parents completed questionnaires about symptoms in the middle of the 1-year study and at the end.

In Mexican-Americans, problems with cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure are better predictors of artery disease than excess weight, a new study finds. Researchers measured all of these factors, and others, among 503 Mexican-American adults. Their average age was about 50. They also gave everyone carotid ultrasound tests. This test can detect atherosclerosis (plaque) in the arteries of the neck. Usually that means someone has plaque inside other arteries as well. This can lead to heart attack and stroke. About 78% of those in the study were found to be metabolically unhealthy. This means they had at least 2 of the following problems: insulin resistance (which can lead to high blood sugar) or already high levels of blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides or C-reactive protein. About half of those in the study were obese.

People with sudden (acute) liver failure do just as well if they receive a partial liver from a live donor as they do with a traditional transplant, a study finds. The donors seem to do well, too. The study found they had no serious problems after the procedure. People with sudden liver failure often can’t wait for a transplant from a live donor. About 80% of those who can’t get a transplant die. The new study compared results from transplants at a large hospital in a 7-year period. In that time, 26 people got liver transplants from recently deceased donors. Another 7 people got transplants from live donors. Risks and results were similar for both procedures. About 31% of those who got live-donor transplants had infections, bleeding or other problems afterward. These problems occurred in 43% of those with traditional transplants.

Early imaging tests don’t help older adults with new back pain feel better any faster, a new study finds. But the tests do lead to higher costs. The study included 5,200 people over age 65. All of them went to see doctors for new pain in the lower back. More than 1,500 of them received an X-ray, CT scan, MRI or other imaging within 6 weeks of the first doctor’s visit. Everyone in the study filled out questionnaires about back pain and their overall function. Results were similar for people who did and did not get the early imaging tests. Researchers also reviewed medical records to see what back-related services people got in the year after their doctor’s visit. Costs were an average of $1,400 higher for those who got the early tests. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it March 17.

Raising the legal age to buy cigarettes to 21 would reduce smoking rates 12% by the time today’s teenagers are adults, a new report estimates. The report comes from the Institute of Medicine. It studied the issue on behalf of the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates tobacco. The report says raising the age to buy tobacco to 25 would cut smoking rates by even more, about 16%. But raising the age to 19 would reduce smoking rates by only 3%. Many 19-year-olds are in the same social circles as younger teenagers. So they could buy cigarettes for their younger friends, the report says. But most teens don’t have friends who are 21. Nearly every smoker starts before age 25. About 90% begin in their teens. Raising the legal age to buy tobacco would have the biggest effect on reducing smoking rates for youth ages 15 to 17, the report says.

A new type of drug lowers cholesterol and may also reduce heart attack and stroke rates, study results show. The 2 new studies look at drugs known as monoclonal antibodies. Both of the study drugs work by shutting down a protein in the liver. The larger study included 4,465 people. They were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group got injections of evolocumab every 2 weeks or every month. People also got standard treatment to lower LDL (“bad cholesterol”). Usually this was a statin drug. The other group got standard treatment only. In the next year, LDL fell 61% more in the evolocumab group than in the standard-treatment group. About 2% of the statin-only group died or had a heart attack, stroke or related event during the study. The rate was 1% in the group taking the new drug. The other study included 2,341 people.

Seniors with severe hearing loss who received a cochlear implant to restore hearing also had improved mood and thinking skills, a new study finds. A cochlear implant is a small electronic device that provides sound to a person who is severely hard of hearing or deaf. It requires surgery to place in the inner ear. The study included 94 people ages 65 to 85. Researchers tested them before they got the implant, as well as 6 and 12 months later. After one year, the people could better understand words in both loud and quiet settings. Six month after getting the implants, average scores on test of thinking abilities improved. After one year, more than 80% of people with the lowest scores before the implant had better scores. The implants also seemed to improve depression in people. Before the implant, 59% showed no signs of depression. A year later, 76% were free of depression.