Study Digs Into Secrets of Keeping HIV in Check

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HIV may have returned in 'cured' patient: scientists

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Birth Control Linked to Heart Attack, Stroke

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Contraceptive pill, ring tied to higher stroke risk

Reuters – 6 hrs ago NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The largest study to examine the risks of hormone-based birth control has concluded the contraceptives carry a small risk of stroke and heart attack, depending on the method and type of hormone used.

But the risk for individual women remains extremely low, particularly in younger women.

Danish researchers wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine that the findings suggest a higher risk of stroke in particular for women using vaginal rings, and possibly hormonal skin patches -- though the second finding was based on a smaller group of women and could have been due to chance.

Dr. James Simon, a women's health researcher at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. told Reuters Health other factors -- such as the belief that a patch or a ring might be safer for women thought to be at risk -- may explain the higher rate of stroke in that group.

Simon, who wasn't involved in the new research, said the findings probably shouldn't change how doctors prescribe birth control. The risks seen in the study, he said, pale in comparison to the risks of stroke, heart attack or death faced by women who get pregnant.

"None of the hormonal contraceptives studied

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Birth Control That Uses Combined Hormones Raises Heart Risk: Study

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Sleep Apnea Treatment Might Boost Men's Sex Lives

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Heavy Drinking, Smoking Won't Harm Men's Sperm: Study

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Sleep Habits in U.S. Vary by Race, Native Country: Study

HealthDay – 4 mins 40 secs ago WEDNESDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- Race, ethnicity and country of origin appear to be factors in how much sleep Americans get each night, according to two new studies.

In one report, State University of New York researchers examined data from 400,000 participants in the U.S. National Health Interview Surveys between 2004 and 2010 and found that those born in the United States were more likely to report sleeping longer than the recommended seven to nine hours each night.

Previous research has found that adults who regularly sleep less or more than the recommended seven to nine hours may be at increased risk for health problems such as cardiovascular disease, stroke and depression.

In comparison, African-born Americans were more likely to report sleeping six hours or less per night, and Indian-born Americans were more likely to report sleeping six to eight hours a night.

However, foreign-born Americans were less likely than U.S.-born Americans to report getting too little or too much sleep after the researchers adjusted for the effects of age, sex, education, income, smoking, alcohol use, body mass index and emotional distress.

In the other study, researchers randomly selected 439 adults in Chicago and found that whites slept significantly longer than other racial/ethnic groups, blacks reported the worst sleep quality, and Asians were most likely to report daytime sleepiness.

"These racial/ethnic differences in sleep persisted even following statistical adjustment for cardiovascular disease risk factors that we already know to be associated with poor sleep, such as body mass index, high blood pressure and diabetes," study lead author Mercedes Carnethon, of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, said in an American Academy of Sleep Medicine news release.

"And we excluded participants who had evidence of mild to moderate sleep apnea. Consequently, these differences in sleep are not attributable to underlying sleep disorders but represent the sleep experience of a 'healthy' subset of the population," she added.

The studies were to be presented Wednesday at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Boston. Because this study was presented at a medical meeting, the data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute offers strategies for getting enough sleep.

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Omega-3 Supplements May Not Aid Aging Brain

HealthDay – 4 mins 38 secs ago WEDNESDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- Taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements, such as fish oil capsules, doesn't seem to help older people maintain their brain health, researchers report.

A number of studies have suggested that omega-3 fatty acids may help keep nerve cells in the brain healthy into old age, but there is limited evidence for the role of these fatty acids in preventing dementia or decreased mental abilities -- known as "cognitive decline."

To examine this issue more closely, Emma Sydenham and colleagues at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in England reviewed evidence from three studies that compared the effects of omega-3 fatty acids taken in capsules or margarine to the effects of placebo capsules with sunflower oil or olive oil, or regular margarine (the "control" group).

The studies included a total of more than 3,500 people over the age of 60 and lasted between six and 40 months. None of the participants showed any signs of problems with their thinking skills or dementia at the start of the studies.

People who consumed omega-3 fatty acid-containing capsules or margarine did no better on standard tests of mental abilities or on tests of memory and verbal skills, according to the findings published in The Cochrane Library.

"From these studies, there doesn't appear to be any benefit for cognitive health for older people of taking omega-3 supplements," report co-author Alan Dangour, a nutritionist at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said in a Cochrane news release.

"However, these were relatively short-term studies, so we saw very little deterioration in cognitive function in either the intervention groups or the control groups. It may take much longer to see any effect of these supplements," he added.

The researchers said further studies are needed to assess the long-term effects of omega-3 fatty acids on mental decline, particularly in people with low dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids.

Oily fish such as salmon and mackerel are a source of omega-3 fatty acids and other health benefits. "Fish is an important part of a healthy diet and we would still support the recommendation to eat two portions a week, including one portion of oily fish," said Dangour.

More information

The Society of Neuroscience has more about aging and the brain.

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Raucous Music May Tap Into Your Inner Animal

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Pregnancy-Related Deaths Fall Worldwide: Report

HealthDay – 4 mins 33 secs ago WEDNESDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- The number of women worldwide who died from pregnancy-related complications each year fell from 12 million in 1990 to 7.6 million in 2010, according to a new report.

It also found that child death rates in many African countries have dropped twice as fast in recent years as during the 1990s.

In Botswana, Egypt, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Rwanda and the United Republic of Tanzania, the rate of decline was an average of 5 percent or more a year between 2000 and 2010, according to the report released June 13 by the Countdown to 2015 Initiative, an international research and advocacy group.

Similar progress has occurred in reducing pregnancy-related deaths in certain developing countries. For example, maternal deaths fell by 75 percent in Equatorial Guinea, Nepal and Vietnam.

Despite this good news, too many women and children are still dying, according to the report written by an international group of academics and professionals.

Every two minutes, a woman somewhere in the world dies from complications of pregnancy and her newborn's chances of survival are poor. For every woman who dies, another 20 to 30 women suffer major and sometimes lifelong problems due to pregnancy.

Also every two minutes, nearly 30 young children die of disease and illness that could have been prevented or treated.

The report also noted that many countries in Africa and South Asia are not making progress. Of the 75 countries with the highest rates of maternal and child deaths, 25 have made insufficient or no progress in reducing maternal deaths and 13 have made no progress in reducing child deaths.

"Global efforts to save the lives of women, newborn babies and young children are not moving fast enough," Dr. Mickey Chopra, chief health officer of United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF) and co-chair of the Countdown to 2015 initiative, said in a news release. "Some countries are showing us what success looks like, but many other countries still have to learn the lessons of those successes."

More information

Here's where you can learn more about the Countdown to 2015 Initiative.

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Obesity, Depression Blamed for Daytime Sleepiness 'Epidemic'

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