Harvard Health Content API

Most doctors don’t properly use one screening method for colorectal cancer, a survey suggests. Researchers surveyed 1,134 primary care doctors. About 3 out of 4 doctors said they perform or order an office fecal occult blood test for patients. The others rely on just the home-based fecal occult blood test. The home test uses three stool samples. It is more accurate than the office test. About half of doctors used both tests. The fecal occult blood test looks for hidden blood in the stool. This can be a sign of colon cancer. The study was published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. HealthDays News wrote about it April 15.

Vitamin E pills may help many people who have the most common long-term liver disease, new research suggests. The illness is nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. It is also called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. It can lead to a life-threatening liver condition, cirrhosis. The study included 247 adults with the condition. They were randomly assigned into four groups. One group received vitamin E pills. Another group got pioglitazone (Actos), a diabetes medicine. The other two groups received placebo pills that looked like one of these drugs. About 4 out of 10 people who took vitamin E improved, compared with 2 out of 10 who took the placebo. Fewer people who took pioglitazone improved. The difference compared with the placebo could have been caused by chance. The New England Journal of Medicine published the study online. The Associated Press about it April 29.

The most common flu bug so far this year is resistant to the leading medicine used to treat it, the federal government says. Tamiflu is one of two drugs called antivirals. Most people don’t take antiviral drugs when they get the flu. Government officials point out that other flu bugs could become more common as flu season continues. They say flu shots are the best protection. The government announcement was part of a weekly flu report released December 19. The Associated Press reported on the announcement the same day.

A 6-year study has found that the popular supplement Ginkgo biloba does not slow memory loss or memory problems in older people. More than 3,000 people were enrolled in the study. All were between the ages of 72 and 96. Half took Gingko pills. The other half took identical-looking pills with no Gingko in them. Equal numbers of people in each group suffered memory loss and memory problems. The study was published in the December 23/30 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. USA Today wrote about it December 30.

Holiday myths die hard, but a study in the British Medical Journal examines some of the most common. Researchers looked at evidence for six common beliefs related to the holiday season. They found the following: Sugar does not make kids hyperactive; suicides do not go up during the holidays; poinsettias are not poison; you don’t lose most of your body heat through your head; eating at night does not make you fat; and there’s no cure for a hangover. The Washington Post wrote about the study December 19.

Researchers have found mosquito and human genes that help dengue fever to cause infection and to grow. They said this finding could lead to new drugs against the tropical disease. The research began with fruit flies, because they are similar to mosquitoes but more often studied. Scientists turned off, or “silenced,” fly genes, one by one. This allowed them to find 116 genes that helped dengue cause infection and grow. These genes are known as host factors. Then researchers tried turning off the genes in mosquitoes. Turning off one particular gene made it much harder for dengue to infect the mosquitoes. Researchers also found similar genes in human cells. The study was published April 23 in the journal Nature.

Pregnant woman and children are among those who should get H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine first, an expert panel says. The vaccine advice came July 30 from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The U.S. government usually follows this group’s advice, USA TODAY said. The group also named a few other groups that should get top priority for swine flu shots. They include young adults, parents and others who care for infants, emergency medical workers, and non-elderly adults with certain medical conditions. U.S. officials hope swine flu vaccine will be ready by late October. Supplies may be limited at first. People also will be urged to get regular flu shots. They fight a different type of flu than the swine flu vaccine.

Measuring the growth of small lumps in the lungs may help to detect lung cancer in some people at high risk, a new study suggests. The study included 7,557 people at high risk for lung cancer. Each received a computed tomography (CT) scan of the lungs. If the test showed a small lump called a nodule, it was repeated three months later. Further tests, such as biopsy, were done only for lumps that grew quickly between the two scans. About 40% of people with fast-growing lumps had lung cancer. Everyone else in the study received a follow-up CT scan after one year. That scan found cancer in 1 out of 1,000 people. Another scan after two years found cancer in 3 out of 1,000. These results show that the first round of tests missed few cancers, researchers said. The New England Journal of Medicine published the study December 3.

Truck and bus drivers and merchant ship pilots should be tested for sleep apnea, a U.S. agency says. The National Transportation Safety Board proposed the new rule. The Associated Press wrote about the proposal October 20. The safety board sent its advice in letters to agencies that regulate trucks, buses and ships. The board said sleep apnea tests can help prevent accidents. It cited several examples of fatal accidents caused by drivers or pilots who had sleep apnea. The condition affects the quality of sleep. It can make people drowsy in the daytime. Earlier this year, the safety board endorsed sleep apnea tests for airline pilots and train operators.

Weight loss surgery may lead to bone loss, a study suggests. The study included 23 very obese men and women. All had gastric bypass surgery for weight loss. After surgery, researchers kept track of their levels of vitamin D and calcium. Calcium levels dropped and vitamin D remained steady despite increased intake of both. Bone density also fell. The decline was greatest for those who lost the most weight. The study was published September 23 in the Journal of clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.