Harvard Health Content API

U.S. officials may take steps to help prevent cases of liver damage from a popular painkiller. Acetaminophen is sold with or without a prescription. Tylenol is the best known brand, but generics also are on the market. Large doses can cause liver damage. But a May 28 report says people may not be aware of the risk. A working group within the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the report. It supports a stronger warning label and a lower maximum dose, the Associated Press said. The current adult maximum is 4,000 milligrams a day. That would be reduced to 3,250. Outside advisers to the agency will discuss the report at a meeting in June.

The herbal supplement Ginkgo biloba does not prevent heart attacks or stroke, a new study finds. But it might reduce the risk of peripheral artery disease, study results suggest. This condition causes clogged leg arteries. The study included 3,069 people, age 75 or older. They were randomly assigned to two groups. One group received ginkgo twice a day. The other received placebo (fake) pills. Researchers kept track of both groups for six years. In that time, there was no difference between groups in the rates of death, stroke or heart attack. But there was a difference in peripheral artery disease rates. People taking ginkgo were only half as likely to develop this disease as people taking placebos. The study was released online by the journal Circulation. HealthDay News wrote about it November 24.

Children who don’t get vaccinated are 23 times more likely to get whooping cough, a study has found. Researchers looked at medical records for 156 children who got whooping cough and 595 who did not. About 1 in 20 kids whose parents refused the vaccine got whooping cough. About 1 in 500 kids who had their shots got the disease. Whooping cough also is called pertussis. Some parents have safety concerns about the vaccine. But doctors say the current vaccine, developed in the 1990s, is very safe. Refusing the vaccine increases the number of whooping cough cases. This can endanger babies too young to get their shots, experts say. The study appeared in the journal Pediatrics. The New York Times News Service wrote about it May 26.

U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy has been diagnosed with the worst form of brain cancer, experts told the Associated Press (AP). Kennedy has a glioma in the left parietal lobe. This is in the upper part of the brain. It plays a role in sensation, speech, vision and movement on the right side of the body. Survival with gliomas usually is less than three years. For some types, it is less than a year. Treatments include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. However, Kennedy’s doctors did not mention surgery. Survival odds are reduced if surgery is not an option. AP wrote about Kennedy’s case May 21.

People should avoid some imaging tests unless they’re absolutely needed, the American Heart Association says. That’s because the tests use radiation. The levels are low, but still could increase the risk of cancer. The group urged caution for X-ray tests and nuclear medicine studies. X-rays are used in computed tomography (CT) scans and fluoroscope (video) tests such as angiograms. These tests should be used only after a close look at their potential benefits. Certain tests should not be used in people at low risk of heart disease who don’t have symptoms. The new statement was published in the journal Circulation. HealthDay News wrote about it February 2.

U.S. cases of diabetes will nearly double in the next 25 years, a study predicts. Spending to treat people with the disease will triple, researchers estimated. They previous estimates have been too low. About 23.7 million people in the United States today have diabetes. The study predicts there will be 44.1 million by 2034. By then, spending will hit $336 billion a year, researchers said. About half of this total will be paid by Medicare, they said. The study appeared in the journal Diabetes Care. HealthDay News wrote about it November 27.

Several doctor groups and advocacy groups publish their own guidelines for cancer screening. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force also issues guidelines. Last week, the task force changed its advice about breast cancer screening. Right away, some experts and groups disagreed. But experts don’t always agree on screening for other types of cancer either, the Associated Press reported November 20. Group guidelines may differ on who should be tested and how often. The AP story summarized guidelines for breast, cervical, prostate and colon cancer.

A California surgeon is on trial this week, charged with speeding up a man’s death in order to take his organs for transplant. Ruben Navarro had severe disabilities. He was 25 years old when he died in 2006. First, he had a heart attack. Then he was in a coma for a while before death at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Opisbo. Hootan Roozrokh, M.D., a transplant surgeon, was involved with the case. He is charged with one count of felony adult dependent abuse. Two other charges were dismissed. The Associated Press wrote about the case November 2.

Having four bad health habits can age you by 12 years, a new study concludes. The study included nearly 5,000 British adults. First, researchers asked them about smoking, alcohol use, exercise and diet. In all, 314 people had bad habits in all 4 of these areas. They smoked. They had more than 3 alcoholic drinks a day (2 for women). They exercised less than 2 hours a week. And they ate fewer than 3 fruits and vegetables each day. About 29% of this group died in the next 20 years. Another group, 387 people, had none of these bad habits. Only 8% of them died during the study. The difference in death rate is equal to about 12 years of aging for the people with the bad habits, researchers said. The study appeared in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. The Associated Press wrote about it April 27.

Researchers have found the first genes linked to stuttering, and they say this could lead to a treatment someday. Stuttering is known to run in families, so a genetic link had long been suspected. To learn more, researchers looked at a large Pakistani family. Many members of the family stuttered. Researchers found a mutated gene on chromosome 12. Then they looked at the genes of 400 other stutterers from Pakistan, the United States and England. Researchers found the same mutated gene and two others. They also looked at the genes of people who did not stutter. Only one person had the mutations. Researchers said two of the genes also have been linked to rare disorders of cell metabolism. These conditions are being treated by replacing a missing enzyme. Something similar might help stuttering. The study appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine.