STAT Medical News
(ABC News)
RACISM BREEDS DISEASE The sting of racism could lead to depression and behavior problems for African-American children, reports a study today in the journal Child Development. The study followed more than 700 black children for five years, starting at about 10 to 12 years old, interviewing both them and their families about racism and other life experiences and events. The researchers found those who reported more discrimination -- name-calling, insults, etc. -- were more likely to experience depression as they became teens. Those children who had been discriminated against also had more sleep problems and trouble at school. Kids who had emotional buffers seemed to fare better. Those whose homes, friends and schools supported and protected them from discrimination had fewer problems as they grew older.
KEEP YOUR OVARIES IF YOU CAN Researchers at the Mayo Clinic now find that taking out a woman's ovaries to prevent later ovarian cancer may not be safe after all. Their study of women under 45 years old who had their ovaries removed because of their high risk for cancer finds that instead of being protected, the women actually had a higher risk of death than other women their age. The highest risk was in those women who did not receive hormone drugs to replace those previously made by their ovaries. The authors say this could change the way high-cancer-risk women are treated. About 300,000 women have both their ovaries removed every year for preventing cancer; an additional 900,000 women have them removed because of cancer or other reasons. This report is published in the journal Lancet.
LEAD HEAD Being exposed to lead early on can lead to cognitive problems later in life, report Johns Hopkins scientists. A random study of almost 1,000 Baltimore residents between 50 and 70 years old finds that people who had been exposed to lead in the 1980s and earlier had worse performance on tests of language, hand-eye coordination, higher thinking and memory. Lead exposure was measured by how much of the metal was still hidden in the subject's leg bones. The study, published in the journal Neurology, also found higher lead levels in African-Americans, which they say may be because of greater lead exposure or bone differences between racial groups.
STAT is a brief look at the latest medical research. This version was compiled by Amy Malick, who works in the ABC News Medical Unit, evaluating medical studies, abstracts and news releases and holds a master's degree in medicine and a PhD in neurobiology.
