HealthDay (12/12, Norton) reports men who played high school football during the 1950’s and 1960’s are not more likely to suffer from dementia or memory problems compared to men who played other sports, according to a small study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Senior researcher Dr. Rodolfo Savica at the Mayo Clinic said, “What we can say is, for that era, football did not increase the risks of neurodegenerative disease compared with other sports.” Researchers reviewed the medical records of almost 300 men who had played football during the time period and almost 200 men who had played other sports during the same period.

Related Links:

— “Was Football Safer Back in the Day?,”Amy Norton, HealthDay, December 12, 2016.

ABC World News Tonight (12/12, Story 10, 0:20, Muir) reported, “A new study shows that high use of…statins” may be associated with “a lower risk of Alzheimer’s for patients over the age of 65.”

CNN (12/12, Howard) reports that the research, published online Dec. 12 in JAMA Neurology, “involved Medicare data on 399,979 statin users.” Investigators “found that those who were exposed to higher levels of statins…were 10% less likely to have an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis in each of the subsequent five years than those with lower statin exposure.”

HealthDay (12/12) reports that researchers found, however, that “it may depend on the specific statin, and the gender and race or ethnicity of the person taking it.” For instance, “black men appeared to gain no benefit from taking any statin, while white women may lower their risk regardless of which statin they take, the researchers said.”

Related Links:

— “Are statins a key to preventing Alzheimer’s disease?,”Jacqueline Howard, CNN, December 12, 2016.

Healio (12/20, Oldt) reports that “a recent literature review identified several mental health screening tools validated for Spanish and use in individuals with limited English proficiency.” In order to evaluate “Spanish-language validity and implementation of Bright Futures pre-visit mental health screening tools and models of care for Latino children, researchers reviewed studies published between 2005 and 2015 that reported screening results for Latino or Spanish-speaking population.” After their assessment, the study authors recommended use of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist, including pictorial versions (PSC-35), and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) “as they are validated in Spanish and freely accessible.” The review’s findings were published online Nov. 23 in Clinical Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Review indicates reliable mental health screening tools for Latino children,”Oldt , Healio, December 20, 2016.

Reuters (12/1, Kennedy) reports that research indicated “teens in Hong Kong whose high school delayed the start of the day by just 15 minutes got to sleep a little longer, were late to school less often and showed better mental health and focus.” The findings of the 1,377-student study were published online Nov. 16 in Sleep Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Small delay in school start time may improve teens’ sleep and focus,”Madeline Kennedy, Reuters, December 01, 2016.

Healio (12/1, Tedesco) reports, “Women who have experienced a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy are at a greater risk for” post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) “and should be screened regularly for the condition,” researchers concluded after conducting “a prospective survey study to examine the type and severity of emotional distress that women with an early pregnancy loss (n = 128) experience compared with women with viable ongoing pregnancies (n = 58).” The findings were published online Nov. 2 in BMJ Open.

Related Links:

— “Miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy associated with PTSD, “Alaina Tedesco Healio, December 01, 2016.