Study: Kids likely to be depressed if father is, too

If dad's depressed, his kids are more likely to have behavioral and emotional problems in the future.

A study in the British medical journal The Lancet looked at the impact of fathers' postnatal depression on their children's development.

British researchers looked at more than 12,800 mothers and fathers eight weeks after the birth of their babies and again at 21 months. They also examined the children's mental health at 3 years.

The findings: Paternal depression was linked to emotional and behavior problems in children, particularly boys.

Women want data before mammograms

Forty-something women want lots of information before deciding whether to have their first mammograms.

And Harvard researchers found that 88 percent of women either want to make the decision themselves after hearing their doctors' opinion or want to share the decision-making with their physicians.

None of the 96 women surveyed wanted their doctor to decide for them. Most of the women also wanted to know what to do about an abnormal mammogram and how quickly they would be contacted about it. They also were interested in mammogram risks, false-positive results, false-negative results, the benefits of screening and the risk of breast cancer.

The women considered information about pain and cost less important.

The study appeared in the June 27 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

The study appeared in the current issue of the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.

During peak season for lightning, be cautious

Avoid lightning danger by following this rule: If thunder roars, go indoors.

July is the peak month for lightning strikes, which kill about 70 people a year and leave hundreds with health problems.

The rate of lightning deaths and injuries has dropped 40 percent in recent years, says Dr. Mary Ann Cooper, director of the lightning injury research program and professor of emergency medicine at the University of Illinois.

And while 90 percent of people struck by lightning survive, they often suffer chronic pain and brain damage. Most people seriously underestimate the risk of being struck, Cooper says.

She says lightning can travel up to 10 miles and strike even when the sky is clear. "If you can hear the thunder from a storm, chances are you're within striking distance."

Cooper says to seek proper shelter, such as a hard-top car or a fully enclosed building.

While indoors, stay away from windows and doors and avoid contact with plumbing, corded phones and anything plugged into electricity.

Wait 30 minutes or more after hearing the last thunder and seeing the last lightning to go outside.

Mitt-makers: Give baseball players a hand

Baseball players need a hand from mitt-makers.

Wake Forest University researchers have found that despite more padding, catchers' mitts still allow injury to players' hands.

The study examined 36 players on four minor league baseball teams in North Carolina. The researchers looked at blood circulation in the hands and enlarged fingers, and asked players about hand symptoms.

Catchers, who may catch 150 pitches per game at speeds of more than 90 mph, were more likely than any other position to have hand weakness, numbness, tingling and pain.

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