Latest News

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How social networking can help people garner support for weight loss.

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Leaving the potato salad out too long can lead to big problems.

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New technology provides more accuracy when it comes to aligning artificial joints.

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Through a major community partnership, the Houston Texans and quarterback Matt Schaub have joined the Methodist Concussion Center to educate thousands of student athletes, coaches and athletic trainers throughout the greater Houston area on the dangers and proper medical management of concussions.

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New research shows that doing a simple ultrasound scan of the carotid artery significantly improves the prediction of heart disease, giving doctors a better clue of who is at high risk for a heart attack. Results are published online today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).

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Dr. Christie Ballantyne is one of the world’s foremost experts on lipids, cholesterol and statins. His research has contributed to FDA approval for many of the stains on the market today, including Crestor.

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Gustavo C. Román, M.D., an internationally recognized expert in vascular dementia, joins the Methodist Neurological Institute (NI) to continue the quest to find a cure for Alzheimer’s, a disease diagnosed in the United States every 72 seconds.

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A $5 million gift from the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation will support research on progressive neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s Disease. The gift will establish The Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Center for Bioinformatics Research and Imaging for Neurosciences (BRAIN) at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute.

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Regularly participating in activities, like sports, can increase the risk of head injury. Physical blows to the head, even mild ones, can be common causes of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Dr. Todd Trask, neurosurgeon at the Methodist Neurological Institute, cautions those who participate in activities where head injuries are a possibility, and offers tips on how to protect the head and prevent injuries. (Note: March is National Brain Injury Awareness Month.)

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A new drug, eprotirome, has been shown to significantly lower bad cholesterol, triglycerides and Lp(A), without the side effects that statins cause in many people.

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A major study shows that a minimally-invasive procedure is as effective and safe as the gold standard for treating blockages of the carotid artery, giving patients who prefer a less invasive procedure a proven alternative.

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How avoiding the foods down the aisles at grocery stores and just shopping around the perimeter can help you keep off unwanted pounds.

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Research published in PNAS shows long-term response to strep throat on a genome-wide level, shedding light on how strep interacts with and circumvents the immune system.

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The Methodist Hospital Research Institute was awarded an $11.5 million Center Grant by the National Institutes for Health (NIH) today to study the best way to attack deadly cancer stem cells to enhance treatments for breast cancer.

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A simple, inexpensive test can determine whether it is safe to send home a patient who comes to the emergency room with chest pain.

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A surgeon and an electrophysiologist last week used a novel, minimally-invasive procedure to treat a dangerous arrhythmia in a 61-year-old lawyer from east Texas. The physicians used only two small incisions, rather than six, which is common.

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An article on how pitchers can ruin their careers by not properly training before the season.

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The FDA approved the first study of neurostimulation as a treatment for heart failure, a chronic disease that affects nearly six million Americans and is the leading cause of hospitalization in America.

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Type 2 diabetes is the silent killer...leading to heart disease and stroke. Some things to look out for and ways to prevent it.

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Dr. Karla Kurrelmeyer, a female cardiologist who focuses on women with heart disease, reveals tips and advice that she shares with her patients year round.

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This is a column by Stefanie Barthmare, psychotherapist with The Methodist Weight Management Center in Houston. The topic is about how food can overtake us and cause us to gain weight.

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A new genome study has provided the first precise explanation of the biological events contributing to deadly epidemics of severe infection. This method can be used to track and help prevent devastating epidemics in the future.

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Scientist to develop the first molecular image guided system to diagnose and treat small-cell peripheral lung cancer in one sitting.

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The Methodist Hospital System is ranked No. 17 among FORTUNE magazine’s 2010 “100 Best Companies to Work For,” making the list for the fifth year in a row and remaining the highest ranked health care organization in the country.

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New research program that is the first of its kind involving nanotechnology and orthopedics.

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A 68-year-old woman became the first patient in Houston to have her brain aneurysm treated with a recently FDA-approved liquid material instead of traditional open skull surgery or platinum coils.

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The Methodist Hospital is offering a web-based tool to help patients better understand their health care. The series of interactive programs explain what a patient should expect prior to, during and after a surgery, providing the patient with individualized information that explains in depth the procedure and steps taken during the surgery.

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Scientists recently discovered a simple gene mutation that decreases the chance people will get a flesh-eating disease called necrotizing fasciitis. Further, they proved that inactivating this section of the gene lessens the devastating disease in humans.

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New research shows a long-term benefit in screening people for CRP, a marker for inflammation, even if they have normal levels of bad cholesterol, because of increased long-term risk for heart attack, stroke and death.

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The Methodist Hospital System became the first in Houston this month to use new technology that dramatically reduces CT radiation doses without compromising the quality of the image.

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Dr. William Zoghbi was named vice president of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) today. His term will go into effect in March of 2010, and he is slated to become president of the ACC in 2012.

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Scientists and engineers from two of the nation’s largest industries – medicine and energy – will come together Dec. 7 with leading academicians to explore the synergies in moving oil and pumping blood.

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Stroke researchers at the Methodist Neurological Institute in Houston are the only ones in Texas to offer a novel device that might extend the acute stroke treatment window from three hours to 24.

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Platelet rich plasma injections are putting the injured back on the field much faster.

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A story about remembering that holiday eating is about a meal or a party, not a whole season.

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Live healthy and forget dieting.

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Some doctors fear people who think the seasonal flu shot gave them H1N1 won't come back for the seasonal shot next year, opening themselves and others up to serious illness.

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Focus on a healthy lifestyle instead of dieting during the holidays.

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A team of researchers and doctors from Rice University and The Methodist Hospital Research Institute have won a $2 million federal grant to design and test next-generation wireless platforms and remote patient monitoring devices in Houston's working-class Pecan Park neighborhood.

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In a first-of-its-kind procedure used a robotic catheter to save a patient’s transplanted lung.

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Dr. Gerald Lawrie, one of the world’s most experienced cardiac valve surgeons, has developed a new approach to the surgical treatment of Barlow’s disease, a condition that severely damages the mitral valve and causes a backward flow of blood between chambers in the heart.

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A meniscus transplant, a rarely performed arthroscopic procedure, might help delay the onset of arthritis and relieve knee pain for young, active people.

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Sustaining a second concussion shortly after a first one can lead to serious problems for young athletes, making it extremely important for players to be correctly diagnosed after being hit in the head.

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Surgeons remove gall bladders through the belly button to prevent scarring. The procedure also has the potential for less pain.

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A list of experts who can talk about all aspects of swine flu from The Methodist Hospital in Houston.

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How swine flu can affect pregnant women.

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How people should be aware of, but not panic about swine flu coming this fall. Also, how people should not forget about seasonal influenza.

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New computer software trains new and experienced surgeons by tracking every move they make during surgery training.

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Sorting out the facts from myths of swine flu...

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Two political icons who helped bring down communism will discuss their battles against the Soviet Union and heart disease. Former President of Poland and Nobel Laureate Lech Walesa and former U.S. Congressman Charlie Wilson will be interviewed by CNN's Larry King at the Leading Hearts gala in Houston. President George H.W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush will serve as honorary chairs. www.MethodistLeadingHearts.com.