The drug, Xofigo, is targeted to patients with late-stage, metastatic disease that has spread to the bones but not to other organs, the FDA said in a news release. It is meant for patients who have already undergone surgery and/or drug therapies such as hormone-based treatments.

In a clinical trial involving more than 800 men with symptomatic prostate cancer that was resistant to hormonal therapy and had spread to the bones, men on Xofigo survived a median of 14 months compared to a little over 11 months for men taking a placebo. Side effects from Xofigo included nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and swelling of the legs and feet. Low levels of red and white blood cells, as well as platelets, were also reported among some patients taking Xofigo, the FDA said.

According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer remains the leading cancer type among men outside of skin cancer, and about one man in every six will develop the illness during his lifetime. Caught early, it is often curable. About 239,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed among American men each year, and nearly 30,000 men die from the disease annually.

Xofigo is co-marketed in the United States by Wayne, N.J.-based Bayer Pharmaceuticals and Algeta US, of Cambridge, Mass.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about prostate cancer

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The American Council on Exercise suggests these techniques for proper lifting:

• Ask for help if you are trying to lift something that's too heavy.
• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, and stand as close as possible to the object you're lifting.
• Bend at the knees, never at the waist. Lift with your legs, not your back.
• Contract your abdominal muscles when you lift to support your back.
• Hold the object close to your body as you lift.
• Don't twist or bend while lifting a heavy object.

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WEDNESDAY, May 15 (HealthDay News) -- If you're a man, the pain-killing medications known as opioids may do more than relieve pain -- they may also put a damper on your sex life.

A new study found that men who were prescribed medications for erectile dysfunction or low testosterone levels were more likely to be taking opioid (narcotic) medications for chronic back pain.

"People who have persistent pain problems need to know that a potential side effect of long-term opioid use may be erectile dysfunction," said lead study author Dr. Richard Deyo, a clinical investigator for the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore. "This is not a well-known potential side effect among patients, and it should be considered when thinking about treatment."

Deyo also noted, however, that "the nature of this study as an observational study limits our ability to make a causal [cause-and-effect] inference. Opioid use and erectile dysfunction seem to go together, but we have to be cautious about saying one causes the other."

Results of the study were published in the May issue of the journal Spine.

More than 4 million people use opioids on a regular basis, Deyo said. Commonly prescribed opioids include hydrocodone, oxycodone and morphine. In this study, use of opioids was considered long-term if patients used them for more than 120 days, or more than 90 days if more than 10 prescriptions were filled for the drugs.

The study included data on about 11,000 men who had back pain. In that group, more than 900 received medications for erectile dysfunction or testosterone replacement. Those who were given prescriptions for erectile dysfunction medications or testosterone were older than those who didn't get such prescriptions. They also were more likely to have depression and other health conditions.

And those who were taking erectile dysfunction medications or testosterone tended to be smokers or users of sedative medications, according to the study.

Erectile dysfunction drug prescriptions were for sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis) and vardenafil (Levitra).

Age was the most significant factor in getting a prescription for erectile dysfunction, according to the study. Men between the ages of 60 and 69 were 14 times more likely to receive a prescription for an erectile dysfunction medication than men who were between 18 and 29.

After adjusting the data to account for other possible factors, including age, the researchers found that men who took opioid pain medications for long periods were about 50 percent more likely to take erectile dysfunction medications or testosterone replacement therapy.

Dr. Daniel Shoskes, a professor of urology at the Cleveland Clinic's Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute, said the study doesn't prove that the pain medications cause the erectile dysfunction.

"A direct association between long-term opioid use and [erectile dysfunction] has not been clearly defined," said Shoskes, who was not involved in the study. "The reason these men were having [erectile dysfunction] could be related to the pain or the things that are causing the pain. You can't conclude from this study that opioid use causes [erectile dysfunction]."

Study author Deyo said there's evidence that men who stop taking opioids after using them for a short time will see an improvement in erectile dysfunction, but he said it's not clear if the same is true after long-term use.

Deyo added that opioids can be effective for short-term use, but there's "growing evidence that long-term opioid use may not be effective for chronic pain. The body compensates for taking long-term pain medications, and changes in the brain and spinal cord may make people more sensitive over time."

Effective alternatives include a tailored exercise program and cognitive behavioral therapy designed to help reduce people's fear of pain, Deyo said.

Shoskes said other factors that contribute to erectile dysfunction include diabetes, heart disease, peripheral vascular disease and alcohol use. He said this study may prompt doctors who treat men with chronic pain to ask about erectile dysfunction, although he said it's not clear from this study whether the erectile medications were helpful for these men.

More information

Learn more about erectile dysfunction from the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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TUESDAY, May 14 (HealthDay News) -- A new combination drug therapy for osteoporosis appears to increase bone density more effectively than any treatment now on the market, according to the results of a small clinical trial.

Researchers found that postmenopausal women experienced significant amounts of bone growth by taking a bone-building drug called teriparatide with denosumab, a targeted therapy drug used to stop bone loss.

"A combination of these two medications increased bone density more than either does on its own, and it is more effective than any currently approved therapy," said study author Dr. Benjamin Leder, who is with the endocrine unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

The 12-month study, published online May 15 in The Lancet, was funded in part by the drugs' makers, Eli Lilly and Amgen. It involved 94 postmenopausal women being treated for osteoporosis, a bone-thinning disorder common in old age that makes bones more likely to break.

Researchers divided the group into thirds, with one third receiving a combination therapy of teriparatide (Forteo) and denosumab (Prolia), and the rest taking one medication or the other.

Those treated with both drugs enjoyed significantly better results than those receiving just one. For example, bone density measured at the lumbar spine increased 6.2 percent with teriparatide alone and 5.5 percent with denosumab alone, but combination treatment resulted in a 9.1 percent increase. Bone density at the hip increased 4.9 percent with the combination treatment versus 2.5 percent with denosumab and 0.7 percent with teriparatide.

Bones are in constant flux, with one set of cells forming new bone while other cells break down bone through a process called resorption. After women go through menopause, resorption begins to outpace the formation of new bone, leading to bone thinning and an increased risk of fractures.

Several types of drugs are approved to tackle the problem. Medications such as teriparatide stimulate new bone growth, and drugs such as denosumab reduce bone resorption, but none do both at the same time.

The combination used in this study works because the two drugs act in concert to overcome each other's shortcomings, Leder said.

"Whereas teriparatide increases bone formation, it also increases bone resorption," Leder said. "Denosumab completely blocks the ability of teriparatide to increase bone resorption, but does not block its ability to increase bone formation."

Dr. Felicia Cosman, senior clinical director for the National Osteoporosis Foundation, said the findings look very promising.

"I think it is time to reconsider the whole issue of combination therapy, based on this study and others, particularly for people with extremely high fracture risk," Cosman said.

However, she noted that it remains to be seen whether the effectiveness of the combination therapy will hold up beyond the first year, a concern shared by Dr. Richard Bockman, chief of endocrinology at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

"This is an interim report, and the data are what they are. I think you have to see the two-year data," Bockman said. "You don't see the full benefit with regards to bone benefit at the hip in the first 12 months. You do see the change at the spine."

And another expert pointed out another possible caveat.

There's some question about whether the new bone grown with this therapy will be better able to resist fractures, said Dr. Joseph Lane, chief of metabolic bone disease service at Hospital for Special Surgery and a professor of orthopedic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.

"It seems to work," Lane said. "This is an important step in the right direction. It proves you can make more bone."

But Lane wonders about the quality of that bone. Only data on fracture healing can address that question, he noted.

The study authors acknowledged that additional research is needed before the combination treatment should be used in clinical practice.

Leder noted that both drugs are expensive, which makes the therapy potentially most cost-effective for patients in dire need.

"Because we don't know what the effect is on fractures, it's a hard calculation to make," he said. "If it prevents x number of fractures, then it could be cost- effective."

More information

The National Osteoporosis Foundation has more about prevention and treatment.

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WEDNESDAY, May 8 (HealthDay News) -- Mutations in a gene involved in bone development appear to cause certain severe forms of bone loss, a finding that could lead to new therapies for the common bone-thinning disorder osteoporosis, researchers report.

The mutations were found in a Swedish family with 10 members affected by a severe, early onset form of osteoporosis, as well as a Hmong family from Laos in which two sisters suffered from osteogenesis imperfecta.

Osteogenesis imperfecta, which is also known as brittle bone disease, affects six to seven out of every 100,000 people worldwide. The disease causes the bones to break easily, often from little or no trauma. There are four main forms, the most severe of which is fatal before or soon after birth.

The most common -- and mildest -- form is Type 1, in which most of a child's bone fractures happen before puberty. Some other problems, such as weak muscles and brittle teeth, are also possible.

Researchers have long known that about 90 percent of osteogenesis imperfecta cases are caused by a single mutation in one of two genes involved in making collagen, a fibrous protein in bone, skin and connective tissue.

It is only in the past decade, though, that the mystery behind the other 10 percent has become clearer, said Dr. Francis Glorieux, chairman of the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation's medical advisory council.

The latest findings, published in the May 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, underscore the role of a gene family known as WNT, said Glorieux, who was not involved in the research.

WNT genes make proteins called ligands, which means they latch onto receptors on the surface of body cells. Scientists have known that WNT is important in bone development and the upkeep of bone mass.

"But we haven't known which protein is key, which WNT ligand is actually doing the work. This study addresses that," said lead researcher Dr. Brendan Lee, a professor of molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Specifically, Lee's team found two mutations in the WNT1 gene -- one that caused early onset osteoporosis in the Swedish family, and one that caused a more severe form of osteogenesis imperfecta in the Asian family.

The study is one of four in the past two months alone that have identified various WNT1 mutations in families affected by osteogenesis imperfecta. "It's a hot topic right now," said Glorieux, who worked on one of those studies.

Together, the studies "underscore the importance of this protein in controlling bone formation," Lee said.

Both Lee and Glorieux said studying severe forms of brittle bone disease also gives insight into the common form of osteoporosis that affects many older adults.

In the United States, about 16 percent of women older than 50 have full-blown osteoporosis of the hip or lower spine, as do 4 percent of men, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many more -- including 61 percent of women -- have lower-than-normal bone mass in those areas.

The hope is to eventually develop new therapies for not only osteogenesis imperfecta, but also osteoporosis, Lee said. Knowing the specific WNT proteins involved in bone formation and maintenance gives researchers targets for new drug development, he explained.

Right now, the most common medications for osteoporosis are bisphosphonates, including brands such as Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva. Those drugs slow bone breakdown; unfortunately, they also put the brakes on bone formation, Lee said.

So researchers are trying to develop medications that would help build bone.

"If we can understand the mechanisms key to developing and maintaining bone mass, that opens potential therapeutic avenues," Glorieux said.

The Swedish family in this study had 10 members affected by a rare, inherited form of early onset osteoporosis, the youngest being a 12-year-old boy. In the Asian family affected by osteogenesis imperfecta, two sisters had severe forms of the disease: One woman was in a wheelchair, less than 3 feet tall and had serious bone deformities; her sister had started suffering fractures while still in the womb, had been paralyzed since early childhood and was severely intellectually impaired.

The sisters had what is known as recessive osteogenesis imperfecta, meaning they inherited a mutated gene from both parents (who were not themselves affected). Most cases of osteogenesis imperfecta arise when a child has just one copy of the defective gene -- either inherited from one parent or because the gene spontaneously mutated.

There is no cure for osteogenesis imperfecta. Right now, treatment involves physical therapy, walking aids, a healthy diet and possibly surgery to place rods through the length of the long bones to strengthen them. Researchers also are studying other treatments, such as growth hormone therapy and IV and oral bisphosphonates.

More information

Learn more about osteogeneis imperfecta from the Osteogeneis Imperfecta Foundation.

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TUESDAY, May 7 (HealthDay News) -- Magnesium may be as crucial to children's bone health as calcium, according to a small, early study.

While it's known that magnesium is important for adults' bone health, few studies have examined the nutrient's role in children's bones. This study found a significant association between magnesium intake and absorption, and bone density in children.

"Lots of nutrients are key for children to have healthy bones. One of these appears to be magnesium," lead author Dr. Steven Abrams, a professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said in an American Academy of Pediatrics news release. "Calcium is important, but, except for those children and adolescents with very low intakes, may not be more important than magnesium."

The study included 63 healthy children, aged 4 to 8, who were not taking any multivitamins or minerals. Information about the children's eating habits was collected to determine their calcium and magnesium intake, and their calcium and magnesium levels were measured on two occasions.

The researchers found that the amounts of magnesium consumed and absorbed were key predictors of how much bone the children had, but calcium intake was not significantly associated with total bone mineral content or density.

The study was presented this past week at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies, in Washington, D.C. The data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

"We believe it is important for children to have a balanced, healthy diet with good sources of minerals, including both calcium and magnesium," Abrams concluded.

Foods with high levels of magnesium include salmon and almonds.

The study found an association between magnesium levels and bone density in children, but it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

More information

The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about magnesium in the diet.

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The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers these tips to ease the symptoms of shoulder arthritis:

• Make adjustments as you perform daily activities to ease strain on your shoulder.
• Consider physical therapy to help improve range of motion.
• Speak with your doctor about taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to reduce inflammation and control pain.
• Ice the shoulder two to three times a day for 20 minutes at a time.

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TUESDAY, April 30 (HealthDay News) -- It sounds like science fiction, but researchers are gaining ground in developing mind-controlled robotic arms that could give people with paralysis or amputated limbs more independence.

The technology, known as brain-computer (or brain-machine) interface, is in its infancy as far as human use -- though scientists have been studying the concept for years. But experts say that people with paralysis or amputations could be using the technology at home within the next decade.

It basically boils down to people using their thoughts to control a robot arm that then performs a desired task, like grasping and moving a cup. That's done via tiny electrode "grids" implanted in the brain that read the movement signals firing from individual nerve cells, then translate them to the robot arm.

"We have the ability to capture information from the brain and use it to control the robotic arm," said Dr. Elizabeth Tyler-Kabara, who presented her team's latest findings on the technology Tuesday, at the annual meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, in New Orleans.

However, she stressed, "we still have a ton to learn."

Right now, the robot arm is confined to the lab. After getting their electrodes implanted, study patients come to the lab to work with the robotic limb under the researchers' supervision. So far, Tyler-Kabara and her colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have tested the approach in one patient. Researchers at Brown University in Providence, R.I., have done it in a handful of others.

One of the big questions, Tyler-Kabara said, is "how much control is enough?" That is, how well does the mind-controlled arm need to work to bring real everyday benefits to people?

At the meeting on Tuesday, Tyler-Kabara presented an update on how her team's patient is faring. The 53-year-old woman had long-standing quadriplegia due to a disease called spinocerebellar degeneration -- where, for unknown reasons, the connections between the brain and muscles slowly deteriorate.

Tyler-Kabara performed the surgery, where two tiny electrode grids were placed in the area of the brain that would normally control the movement of the right hand and arm. The electrode points penetrate the brain's surface by about one-sixteenth of an inch.

"The idea is pretty scary," Tyler-Kabara acknowledged. But her team's patient had no complications from the surgery and left the hospital the next day. There've been no longer-term problems either, she said -- though, in theory, there would be concerns about infection or bleeding over the long haul.

The surgery left the patient with two terminals that protrude through her skull. The researchers used those to connect the implanted electrodes to a computer, where they could see brain cells firing when the patient thought about moving her hand.

She was quickly able to master simple movements with the robotic arm, like high-fiving the researchers. And after six months, she was performing "10-degrees-of-freedom" movements, Tyler-Kabara reported at the meeting.

That includes not only moving the arm, but also flexing and rotating the wrist, grasping objects and affecting several different hand "postures." She has accomplished feats like feeding herself chocolate.

The researchers initially used a computer in training sessions with the patient, but after that the robot arm is directly linked to the electrodes -- so there is no need for "computer assistance," according to Tyler-Kabara.

Still, before the technology can ultimately be used at home, she said, researchers have to devise a "fully implanted" wireless system for controlling the robot arm.

Another expert talked about the new technology.

"This is one more encouraging step toward developing something practical that people can use in their daily lives," said Dr. Robert Grossman, a neurosurgeon at Methodist Neurological Institute in Houston, who was not involved in the research.

It's hard to put a time line on it all, Grossman said, since technological advances could changes things. He also noted that several research groups are looking at different approaches to brain-computer interfaces.

One, Grossman said, is to do it noninvasively, through electrodes placed on the scalp.

Study author Tyler-Kabara said that noninvasive approach has met with success in helping people perform simple tasks, like moving a cursor on a computer screen. "But I don't think it will ever be good enough for performing complicated tasks," she said, noting that it can't work as precisely as the implanted electrodes.

A next step, Tyler-Kabara said, is to develop a "two-way" electrode system that stimulates the brain to generate sensation -- with the aim of helping people adjust the robot's grip strength.

She said there is also much to learn about which people will ultimately be good candidates for the technology. There may, for example, be some brain injuries that prevent people from benefiting.

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.

The research is being funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the University of Pittsburgh.

More information

The University of Pittsburgh has images of the brain-computer interface at work.

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TUESDAY, April 30 (HealthDay News) -- Ideal amounts of vitamin D supplementation for breast-feeding infants are unclear, according to a new study.

Vitamin D is important for infant bone growth, but breast-feeding infants are susceptible to vitamin D deficiency due to low levels of the vitamin in breast milk, according to background information included in the study, which was published in the May 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study, by Hope Weiler and colleagues at McGill University in Montreal, included 1-month-old healthy breast-fed infants who were followed for 11 months after being randomly assigned to receive different dosages of oral vitamin D supplements. Doses were either 400, 800, 1,200 or 1,600 international units per day.

None of the dosages raised and maintained vitamin D levels within a range recommended by some pediatric societies, but all the dosages raised and maintained vitamin D levels within a lower range recommended by the Institute of Medicine, according to a journal news release.

The study did not pinpoint the ideal dose of vitamin D for infants, Dr. Steven Abrams, of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said in an accompanying journal editorial. He wrote, however, that clinicians could be reassured from the findings that a daily vitamin D intake of 400 international units was adequate to maintain blood levels recommended for bone health.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers vitamin D supplementation recommendations for breast-fed infants.

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The American Council on Exercise offers this advice for supporting your back while you sit:

• Place a small pillow or rolled towel in your seat for support, or use a seat designed with back support.
• Sit up straight and avoid leaning. If you do lean, do so from the hips.
• Make sure your chair isn't lacking in sufficient support.
• Invest in a good-quality swivel chair that keeps you from having to twist and turn. Other features should include an adjustable seat, arm rests and back rest.

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FRIDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- Smokers and former smokers are at increased risk for rheumatoid arthritis, a new study says.

Researchers analyzed data collected from 34,000 women, aged 54 to 89, in Sweden, 219 of whom had rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis causes inflammation in the joints, resulting in swelling, stiffness, pain and reduced joint function. It can also affect other parts of the body.

The number of cigarettes smoked per day and the number of years a woman smoked both affected the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, according to the study, which was published April 22 in the journal Arthritis Research & Therapy.

Women who had smoked for up to 25 years were much more likely to develop the disease than those who never smoked. Even light smoking -- defined as one to seven cigarettes a day -- more than doubled the risk, said the researchers at the Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital, in Stockholm.

Quitting smoking did lower the risk, which continued to decrease over time. For those who gave up smoking 15 years ago, the risk had fallen by a third. Their risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), however, was still much higher compared to women who had never smoked.

Although the study tied smoking to an increased risk for rheumatoid arthritis in women, it didn't establish a cause-and effect relationship.

"Stopping smoking is important for many health reasons, including the increased risk of RA for smokers," study leader Daniela Di Giuseppe said in a journal news release. "But the clearly increased risk of developing RA, even many years after giving up, is another reason to stop smoking as soon as possible, and highlight the importance of persuading women not to start at all."

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about rheumatoid arthritis.

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The American Podiatric Medical Association says possible causes of heel pain include:

• Heel spurs, which are bony growths that develop on the heel.
• Inflammation of the fascia, known as plantar fasciitis.
• Excessive pronation, or inward tilt of the foot as you walk.
• Achilles tendinitis, in which the tendon at the back of the foot becomes inflamed.
• A deformity, injury or chronic disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

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FRIDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- The shape of an older person's spine may predict their future need for home assistance or admission to a nursing home, according to a new Japanese study.

The findings appeared online recently in the Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences.

The study included more than 800 people aged 65 and older in Japan, who underwent four types of spinal measurement. The researchers found that only one of the measurements was associated with becoming dependent on help for activities of daily living.

These activities include basic self-care tasks such as bathing, feeding, using the toilet, dressing and getting in or out of a bed or chair.

The measurement that predicted the need of assistance is called the "trunk angle of inclination." This is the angle between the true vertical and straight line from the first thoracic vertebra (near the head) to the first sacral vertebra (in the lower spine), the researchers said in a journal news release.

Over four and a half years of follow-up, about 16 percent of the participants became dependent on help for basic daily activities. Those with the greatest angle of spinal inclination were about three and a half times more likely to become dependent on help for basic daily activities than those with the least spinal inclination, the researchers found.

Although the study found an association between spinal angle and future disability in older adults, it did not establish a cause-and-effect relationship.

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Aging offers tips for healthy aging.

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FRIDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Media use is a serious distraction for college freshmen, with a new study finding young women devote up to 12 hours daily on pursuits such as texting, posting status updates and surfing the web.

And the more time spent using media, the research suggests, the worse their academic performance.

"The implication of these results would seem to be that reducing college students' media use might improve their academic performance," said study lead author Jennifer Walsh, an assistant professor at the Miriam Hospital Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine in Providence, R.I.

"However, given the central role media play in the lives of young people, this may not be a practical goal for educators and parents," Walsh added. Instead, she said, professors might try to integrate social media into their classrooms to remind students of assignments, suggest resources and connect them with classmates.

For the study, which was published in the April 11 online issue of the journal Emerging Adulthood, researchers surveyed nearly 500 female freshmen at a university in the northeastern United States.

They were asked to recall how they spent their prior week in terms of 11 activities: watching television or movies; listening to music; surfing the Internet; social networking; texting; talking on the phone; reading magazines, newspapers or non-school-related books; and playing video games.

GPA results were collected in January and June. The women were also asked to grade their academic confidence and to note potential problems such as lack of sleep, use of drugs or alcohol, and failure to attend class or complete homework.

When the likelihood of multi-tasking was taken into account (using media while engaging in other non-media-related activities), the authors found the students were devoting nearly 12 hours a day on average to media-based activities.

And those with more media usage were more likely to report behaviors likely to hurt their academic performance. The exceptions: listening to music and reading newspapers were linked to higher grades.

Walsh said it's not possible to draw a direct cause-and-effect relationship between excessive technology use and poor academic performance. More research is needed to do that, she said.

One communications expert challenged the findings, calling them misleading.

"It is absolutely not the case that college women spend nearly half their day using media," said Jeffrey Hall, an associate professor in the department of communication studies at the University of Kansas, in Lawrence. Previous research has found that almost 30 percent of media time involves multi-tasking -- such as listening to music while texting, he said. If that figure were applied to this research, women would have spent closer to nine hours daily on media use. Hall called this "a more reasonable estimate."

Walsh said it's unknown whether the findings apply to male freshmen, given that this research focused solely on women.

"However, young women and men tend to spend approximately the same amount of time using media, and thus we might expect media to interfere with men's academic success in similar ways," she said.

Hall agreed. "There is no reason to believe that these results wouldn't apply to males, but there is also not research in this particular article to say that they would," he said. "We just don't know."

The research team's theories as to how cell phone use and social networking might be linked to worse academic performance do have merit, Hall added.

"Consider the fact that making priorities is very hard for students," he said. "And social networking is extremely compelling. Students feel that Facebook friends' comments on your status update can't wait, but class preparation can."

The other explanation, Hall said, "is that students who don't have the personalities that naturally lead them to be prepared for class are most vulnerable to the temptations of [social networking]. I think both are quite likely."

There is stronger evidence that cell phone use is directly and negatively associated with spring GPA than is social networking, Hall said.

"In some of my own research, students who talk on their cell phones more to close friends report feeling entrapped by the always-on nature of their mobile device," Hall said.

"They get the good part -- feeling close to and well connected to friends, a priority for young women especially," he said. "But [they get] the bad part too -- feeling trapped and guilty and unable to switch off."

More information

The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry has tips for parents about social networking and kids.

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The Harvard School of Public Health offers these suggestions for building stronger, healthier bones:

• Eat a variety of calcium-rich foods, including more than just dairy. Broccoli and leafy green vegetables, tofu and beans are rich sources of calcium.
• Get plenty of vitamin D, and take a supplement if you're not getting enough from natural sunlight and food sources.
• Exercise regularly, engaging in weight-bearing exercises such as jogging or walking.
• Watch your intake of vitamin A, as it can weaken bones.

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MONDAY, April 15 (HealthDay News) -- Adding computer-aided detection to mammograms finds more early, noninvasive cancers and helps detect invasive cancers at earlier stages, according to a large new study. But the jury's still out as to how worthwhile the extra technology is overall.

For one thing, computer-aided detection (CAD) increases the amount of diagnostic testing among women who turn out not to have breast cancer. And the technology makes mammograms more expensive.

CAD is becoming more widespread, said Dr. Joshua Fenton, an associate professor of family and community medicine at the University of California, Davis, and lead study author. "It's an add-on and now is used in probably three-quarters of U.S. mammograms," he said.

Computer-aided detection systems use a digitized mammogram image from either a traditional film mammogram or a digitally acquired mammogram, according to the American College of Radiology. The CAD software looks for areas that may indicate cancer so the radiologist can then look more closely at the mammogram.

Although it has rapidly become part of mammogram screening, Fenton said there is limited and conflicting research on its effect.

Under Medicare payment rates, doctors get an additional $11 for adding computer-aided detection to a mammogram, said Fenton, citing Medicare data. The Medicare rate for a film mammogram is $81 while a digital mammogram is $139.

His team evaluated more than 409,000 mammograms -- with and without computer-aided detection -- from more than 163,000 women aged 67 to 89. The study is published in the April 16 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Fenton took data from a large U.S. epidemiology database from 2001 to 2006. During that time, computer-aided detection use increased from 3.6 percent to 60.5 percent. Now, with about 75 percent of mammograms adding it, it is even more common, Fenton said.

"In our study, we assessed its impact in the Medicare program," he said. The researchers compared the results when mammograms included CAD to when they did not.

When computer-aided detection was used, doctors found a greater number of early cancers known as ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS. "But the [overall] rate of invasive breast cancer diagnosis was no different with or without CAD," Fenton said.

However, among the women who did have invasive cancer, computer-aided detection was linked with a greater likelihood of finding the cancer while it was stage 1 or 2 compared to stage 3 or 4, they found.

"CAD was also associated with increased diagnostic testing among women who turned out not to have breast cancer," he said. These women, because breast cancer was suspected, had to be called back for additional tests, such as repeat mammograms or biopsies.

So is the new computer technology worth it? "Our study doesn't answer that question; it raises that question," Fenton said. The findings, he said, are a mix of potential good news and not so good. The additional tests that turn out to be unnecessary, because no cancer is found, are not desirable, he said.

Some of the very early cancers diagnosed in older women, he noted, may not have caused them a problem during their lifetime. But doctors can't say with certainty which ones will progress and which ones will not.

"Women should recognize that CAD comes with some potential risks," Fenton said. "It has the potential risk of a false-positive mammogram. If you are an older woman, [there is] the risk of overtreatment of noninvasive lesions."

Dr. Daniel Kopans, a professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School and senior radiologist in the breast imaging division at Massachusetts General Hospital, said the study provides additional information to doctors and women, but has some limitations. He was not involved with the study.

"The good news is the use of CAD was related to finding invasive cancers at smaller sizes and earlier stages than before the CAD era," said Kopans, also a member of the American College of Radiology's Breast Imaging Commission. "There should be no argument that finding invasive cancers at a smaller size and earlier stage is beneficial," he said, as they are more likely to be cured.

While he calls finding more DCIS with computer-aided detection also ''likely a good thing," he acknowledged the debate about the possibility that a very early cancer in an elderly woman may not cause a problem in her lifetime. Although the treatment of DCIS is debated among experts, Kopans said, "In my mind, it is always worth it to find additional cancers."

One limitation of the study, he said, is that the researchers cannot say for sure it was the computer-aided detection that made the difference. Other factors could have played a role, such as the radiologists becoming more experienced, he said.

More information

To learn more about mammography, visit the American College of Radiology/Radiological Society of North America.

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FRIDAY, April 12 (HealthDay News) -- Special "mobility shoes" might ease the strain on the knees of people with knee arthritis, a small study has found.

This type of flat, flexible footwear is designed to mimic the biomechanics of walking barefoot, researchers from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago explained.

The study was funded by the Arthritis Foundation and included 16 people with knee osteoarthritis who wore specially made mobility shoes six hours per day, six days a week. The patients were evaluated after six weeks, three months and six months.

According to the researchers, long-term use of mobility shoes helped the patients adapt their gait (how they walk), which led to a reduction in what's known as "knee loading" -- the force placed on knees during daily activities.

This reduction in knee loading continued even after the patients stopped wearing the mobility shoes, according to the study published in the April 10 online edition of the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.

Arthritis experts were encouraged by the findings.

"The data show convincing improvements in the 'knee adduction moment,' which is a measure of how the knee moves to the side as the foot strikes the ground," said Dr. Jose Rodriguez, chief of reconstruction arthroplasty at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "By diminishing these forces, the potential is a reduction in the progression of arthritis in the knee."

He added that "the impressive part of the study was the fact that the biomechanical changes in gait pattern were also present using normal shoe wear at the end of the study, indicating a training effect."

Another expert noted that getting the foot and knee to a more "natural" state is often productive.

"Obviously the bare foot is the ultimate shock absorber and mobility footwear allows the foot to absorb the forces during ambulation in a much more natural fashion than other modes of footwear," explained Dr. Richard Iorio, professor and chief of adult reconstruction surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.

"There have been similar findings in the 'new running' movement, where distance runners are even going barefoot to avoid the injuries associated with shoes," Iorio added. "Anything that mechanically improves foot and ankle mechanics to minimize load on the knee will help an arthritic knee patient."

Study author Dr. Najia Shakoor agreed. "Our investigation provides evidence that footwear choice may be an important consideration in managing knee osteoarthritis," she said in a journal news release.

"There is much interest in biomechanical interventions, such as orthotic inserts, knee braces and footwear that aim to improve pain and delay osteoarthritis progression by decreasing impact on joints," Shakoor noted.

Rodriguez did have a couple caveats to offer, however.

Further study is needed to see if the benefits persist long-term after people switch back to normal footwear, and while the study "represents excellent science," it "needs to be repeated at a lab not associated with the design of the shoe," he said.

Osteoarthritis, a painful swelling and stiffness in joints (including the hands, feet, knees or hips), affects over 27 million Americans over the age of 25, according to the American College of Rheumatology. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 16 percent of Americans aged 45 and older develop symptomatic knee osteoarthritis, which is often due to injury or "wear and tear" on the joint.

More information

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has more about knee osteoarthritis.

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FRIDAY, April 12 (HealthDay News) -- Medical researchers are trying a new treatment for low back pain. Their hope is that harvesting and then re-injecting the body's own bone marrow -- which is rich in stem cells -- may repair worn-out discs in the spine.

In a small new study, the approach appeared to be safe -- and none of the patients reported that their pain got worse after the procedure.

But both the doctors who are testing the technique and outside experts say much more research is needed before they can say whether the treatment offers real relief.

"I tell everybody that this is experimental, with a capital E," said Dr. Joseph Meyer Jr., an anesthesiologist and pain medicine specialist at the Columbia Interventional Pain Center, in St. Louis. "We don't know if it works. I do believe that it's safe, but it might not do anything for you."

For the study, Meyer and his colleagues reviewed the case histories of 24 patients who were injected with their own bone marrow aspirate cellular concentrate (BMAC). Bone marrow concentrate contains adult stem cells, which have been called the body's own repair kit because they can change into -- and potentially heal -- different kinds of tissues.

Meyer's patients reported suffering from chronic low back pain for anywhere from three months to 12 years. Imaging tests showed that all the patients had some evidence of degeneration, or damage, to the discs that cushion the bones of the spine. Disc degeneration is common with age, and it is thought to be a major cause of low back pain.

Many times, exercise and weight loss can help people with persistent low back pain. But if conservative approaches fail and the pain becomes debilitating, Meyer said, the next option is invasive spinal fusion surgery.

"Fusion is a big, big step with questionable effectiveness," he said. "Often, you're back in the same boat a year later."

Meyer said he offered patients the bone marrow treatment as something to try before resorting to surgery.

For the procedure, he used a long needle to extract bone marrow from the back of the hip. The bone marrow was spun in a centrifuge to concentrate the cells and then injected into the space around a damaged disc. Meyer said the treatment costs a few thousand dollars and is not covered by insurance.

Of the 24 patients who initially received the bone marrow injections, half went on to have other procedures over the next 30 months, making it impossible to know what might have affected their back pain.

Of the 12 who had no other kinds of treatment, 10 reported that their pain lessened in the two to four months after their injections. After a year, eight patients were still reporting significant pain relief, while three said their back pain had not improved. One patient had not yet reached the 12-month mark. After two years, five said their back pain was better, and three had no improvement. For the other four, it was still too early to tell.

Meyer said none of the 24 patients who tried the technique had complications from their procedures, but injections always carry the risk of infection.

The study was scheduled for Thursday presentation at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Studies presented at scientific conferences usually haven't been scrutinized by independent experts, and their results are considered preliminary.

An expert who was not involved in the study said people with back pain shouldn't get too excited about these results, particularly since there was no control group used for comparison.

"Low back pain often gets better over time," said Dr. Richard Deyo, a professor of evidence-based medicine and a back pain expert at Oregon Health and Sciences University, in Portland. "Even patients who have chronic pain, their symptoms tend to wax and wane and fluctuate. They seek care when their symptoms are worst, and very often they drift back to their average level of pain, which looks like improvement."

"People grasp at straws, and they shouldn't. We have a long history of treatments that look promising when they start and turn out to be no more effective than placebo interventions," said Deyo, who also is deputy editor of the journal Spine. "We also have a history of treatments that, in some cases, turned out to be harmful. It's really too early to know if this is going to be effective or safe."

The study's authors agreed. They said they hope this pilot project will encourage more research.

"We hope it will get people thinking and hopefully promote a future controlled study," Meyer said.

More information

There's more on low back pain at the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

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The American Podiatric Medical Association lists these tips to keep feet healthy in hot weather:

• Try not to walk around barefoot to help reduce the risk of injury and infection.
• Slip on a pair of flip-flops when you're at the pool, beach or locker room, and even in a hotel room.
• Protect your feet from sunburn by thoroughly applying sunscreen all over your feet, and reapplying after you've been in the water.
• Cut down on swelling by drinking plenty of water, and remember to stretch your ankles and calves and wiggle your feet frequently.
• Wear appropriate protective footwear for water sports that require it; pack an extra pair so you don't have to put on wet shoes.
• Pack a foot first-aid kit for vacation, and seek medical attention for any foot problems.

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WEDNESDAY, April 3 (HealthDay News) -- Men with low levels of the hormone testosterone may be at greater risk for rheumatoid arthritis, according to a new study.

Both men and women with rheumatoid arthritis have lower levels of testosterone in their blood than people without the disease. But it has not been known whether low testosterone levels are a cause or effect of rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis causes pain, swelling, stiffness and loss of joint function. Severe cases can last a lifetime.

In this study, Swedish researchers analyzed blood samples collected from 104 men who were later diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and 174 men of the same age who did not develop the disease. The average time between collection of the blood sample and a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis was just less than 13 years, but ranged from 1 to 28 years.

After taking into account known rheumatoid arthritis risk factors such as smoking and weight, the researchers found that men with lower testosterone levels were more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis. They did not, however, prove a cause-and-effect link between the two.

These men also had significantly higher levels of follicle stimulating hormone -- a chemical involved in sexual maturity and reproduction -- before they were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, according to the study, which was published online April 3 in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

The findings suggest that hormonal changes occur before rheumatoid arthritis develops and could influence disease severity, the researchers said in a journal news release.

Rheumatoid arthritis results from the immune system attacking the body's own tissues. Previous research suggests that testosterone may dampen the immune system, the researchers said.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about rheumatoid arthritis.

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