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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.

Some people have brain-scan abnormalities called white-matter hyperintensities. They show up as bright areas on an MRI. High levels of these abnormalities are linked with a future decline in brain function. A study of 167 older adults has found that exercise may counteract this decline. Researchers measured daily activity for 11 days. People also underwent multiple tests of motor function, and had brain scans. In people who were the most active, the number of hyperintensities had no effect on motor function test scores. In people with low to average amounts of exercise, high levels of hyperintensities were linked with poor motor-function scores. The study was published in the journal Neurology.

A review of many studies reinforces doctors’ current advice about hormone replacement treatment after menopause. It confirms that hormone treatment does not help most women’s hearts. But there may be a small benefit for women who take hormones soon after menopause. The review was done by an independent group, the Cochrane Collaboration. The group put together numbers from studies involving more than 40,000 women. Women taking heart disease did not have any reduction in the risk of death, including deaths from heart disease. There was also no difference in their risk of heart attack or chest pain. Hormone treatment was linked with a slight increase of stroke. But women who started treatment in the first 10 years after menopause seemed to have slightly lower risks of death and heart attack than other women.

Vegetarians may have a lower risk of colorectal cancer than meat-eaters, a new study concludes. Eating fish, but not meat, may reduce the risk even more, the study said. The study focused on more than 77,000 adults. They were part of a long-term health study. In 7 years of follow-up, 380 cases of colon cancer and 110 cases of rectal cancer were diagnosed. About half of those in the study ate meat at least weekly. The others were divided into 4 groups. Semi-vegetarians ate meat, but less than once a week. Pescatarians ate fish but no other meats. Lacto-ovo vegetarians ate eggs and dairy products, but not meat. Vegans also did not eat eggs or dairy. On average, these 4 groups had a 22% lower risk of colon or rectal cancer than non-vegetarians. Pescatarians had a 43% reduction in risk. Risk was 16% lower for vegans and 18% lower for lacto-ovo vegetarians.

A secure patient portal with information, decision support and tracking tools may help improve management of childhood asthma, a new study suggests. The study included 60 families. Each family had a child with moderate to severe asthma. Their ages were 6 to 12 years old. Families were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group received usual care. The other families were given access to a portal called MyAsthma. It was linked to the child’s electronic health records. The portal can be used to track treatment goals, symptoms and concerns. It also tracks medicine use and side effects. Doctors and patients can use it to support decisions about treatment. Of the 30 families assigned to use the tool, 57% used it in at least 5 of the study’s 6 months. These families reported fewer asthma flares than those getting usual care.