" The risk they found is lower than the one the Food and Drug Administration identified in 2004, the year the agency warned the public about the drugs' risks in children. After the warning, U.S. youth suicides increased and some mental health experts said reluctance to try antidepressants might be to blame."

" The new analysis includes data from seven studies that were not part of the previous FDA analysis, including information from two large pediatric depression trials that was unavailable three years ago."

" Researchers analyzed data on 5,310 children and teenagers from 27 studies. They found that for every 100 kids treated with antidepressants, about one additional child experienced worsening suicidal feelings above what would have happened without drug treatment. In contrast, the FDA analysis found an added risk affecting about two in 100 patients."

" There were no suicides in any of the studies. The antidepressants included Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro, Effexor, Serzone and Remeron."

" "The medications are safe and effective and should be considered as an important part of treatment," said study co-author Dr. David Brent of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "The benefits seem favorable compared to the small risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior.""

" The antidepressants worked best when used to treat anxiety, the analysis found. They worked moderately well treating obsessive-compulsive disorders. They worked less well but were still effective in treating depression."

" The analysis, supported by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, appears in the April 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Assn. For a summary of the study, go to "

"Influenza can trigger deadly heart attacks, researchers have reported in a study that supports what experts have long believed ? flu can kill people even if they do not die directly from the flu."

" The report shows that the seasonal virus can worsen heart disease and that deaths from heart attacks and heart disease are far more common during flu season. This can add up to 90,000 extra deaths a year in the United States alone, said Dr. Mohammad Madjid of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, who led the study."

" Writing online April 17 in the European Heart Journal, the researchers said their findings added to a growing list of reasons why people should get annual flu shots. They also said people with heart disease should stick to their medications religiously."

" Madjid and colleagues
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