Drug Results: Researchers have found that anti-psychotic drugs are used in up to 45 per cent of nursing homes to treat agitation, a distressing symptom of dementia.
However, they also found that Quetiapine, a drug commonly prescribed in nursing homes to treat agitation and related symptoms in people with Alzheimer's disease, actually worsens patients' illness, speeding up their rate of decline significantly.
The researchers say their findings are especially significant as Quetiapine had been regarded as one of the safer drugs in its group.
FAMILY MEALS: Eating family meals together protects against disordered eating behaviours among teenagers, according to a study of almost 5,000 high school students.
Unhealthy weight control behaviours were present in 22 per cent of girls who said eating meals together as a family was a low priority, compared with 8 per cent of girls who said this was a priority.
Having a positive atmosphere at family meals and having a more structured family meal environment were also associated with fewer disordered eating behaviours.
The study was reported in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
HELP FOR HAY FEVER: Acupuncture can significantly improve hay fever in children, according to a study in Hong Kong.
A double blind study by doctors from Kwong Wah Hospital and the University of Hong Kong found that patients had more symptom-free days when given 'active' acupuncture as compared with a group who received sham acupuncture.
They continued to have more symptom-free days at a 12-week follow-up. The authors of the study, which was reported in Paediatrics, called for a large scale study to further explore the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of allergic rhinitis (hay fever).