Medical News

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WASHINGTON -- Researchers say the fastest growing segment of the population is the over-85 age group. Dentists are finding these patients present some of the most difficult and challenging clinical situations, according to an Iowa prosthodontist. Patrick Lloyd, D.D.S., will present a scientific session on "What's Old is New: Clinical Issues in Treating the Older Adult," at the American Dental Association's (ADA) 138th Annual Session in Washington, D.C., Saturday, October 18.

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WASHINGTON -- Should a dental check-up be part of the "to-do" list for women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy? Yes, says Barbara J. Steinberg, D.D.S., of Philadelphia, who will address the special issues of female dental patients on October 19 and 20 at the American Dental Association's (ADA) 138th Annual Session in Washington, D.C.

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WASHINGTON -- Tobacco use has such a dramatic effect on the mouth that it makes sense for dentists to educate patients about tobacco's dangers. "Helping Your Patients to Quit Tobacco Use" is one of the scientific presentations at the American Dental Association's 138th annual session in Washington, D.C., October 18.

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WASHINGTON -- Great improvements continue to be made in the materials used for dental restorations, according to the head of the American Dental Association Health Foundation's Paffenbarger Research Center (ADAHF- PRC).

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WASHINGTON -- Considerable research has been conducted that documents the effect medications have on oral health, but new work is emerging that suggests some common drugs might affect periodontal health in surprisingly positive ways.

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WASHINGTON -- Your tooth hurts. It throbs. It's sensitive to hot or cold. You can't lie down or it hurts. You can't chew because it hurts. What should you do? The obvious answer is to call a dentist! The subject of dental emergencies will be discussed by a panel of dentists at the American Dental Association's (ADA) 138th Annual Session in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, October 19.

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For the past 10 years in central California, the Su Salud Health Education Fair has brought dentists, physicians, nurses and nutritionists to the people around the Central Valley of California. The number-one health problem among the thousands who have come for the free screenings has been dental disease, according to Guillermo Vicuna, D.D.S.

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WASHINGTON -- With more people developing multiple allergies, dentists have to know how to recognize the signs and be ready to handle potential emergencies in their offices. That's the focus of one of the scientific sessions at the American Dental Association's (ADA) 138th Annual Session in Washington, D.C., October 18 - 22.

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WASHINGTON -- A recent study estimates that one of every four people in the United States suffers an oral injury during their lifetime. And while many of these injuries occur in violent sports like football, boxing and hockey, an alarmingly high percentage of teeth get knocked out during bike riding, baseball, soccer, volleyball and basketball.

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WASHINGTON -- The way dentists detect and prevent tooth decay in infants and children may undergo a change in the near future. That's according to Dr. Norman Tinanoff, D.D.S., M.S., interim department chair, department of pediatric dentistry at the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine, who will present at the American Dental Association's (ADA) 138th Annual Session in Washington, D.C., on Monday, October 20.

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A psychologist at the University of Georgia has developed a new model that can help predict how well caregivers will be able to deal with the care of an older, ill relative.

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National Depression Screening Day, a keynote event during Mental Illness Awareness Week, has attracted nearly 350,000 people over the last six years. Interested participants can go to one of more than 3000 screening sites on October 9, 1997. To locate the closest site, call 1-800-573-4433 or visit the on-line site locator at www.nmisp.org. All screenings are free and anonymous.

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These are just a few of the many scientific sessions that will be presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists 1997 annual meeting, October 18-22, 1997, in San Diego.

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A trial now underway at Temple University Hospital will examine the efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness of using the Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) as a permanent treatment of end-stage heart failure. The LVAD -- about the size of an outstretched hand -- is a two-pound mechanical device that pumps blood out of the heart to the body. In recent years, it has been used as a temporary "bridge" to heart transplant, keeping the sickest transplant candidates alive until they receive a new heart. This trial will push the limits of the LVAD.

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By further tracking nitric oxide's actions in the brain, Johns Hopkins scientists report they have figured out what may be a universal sequence of biochemical events from stroke to brain cell death.

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A contaminated endoscope that may have transmitted tuberculosis (TB) between two hospital patients has highlighted the need for scrupulous adherence to endoscope cleaning procedures and the value of maintaining TB DNA fingerprint registries.

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New data from a clinical trial of the injectible antibiotic MERREM I.V. a (meropenem for injection) demonstrate that the drug is effective against the major pathogens associated with pediatric meningitis and is well tolerated among patients participating in the study.

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US FDA cleared Zeneca Pharmaceutical's Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate) tablets for marketing on Sept. 29, 1997. Seroquel is a new oral medication indicated for the management of the manifestations of psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia. Schizophrenia affects nearly three million Americans and results in as much as $65 billion annually in direct medical costs and lost productivity.

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Cartilage is the body's shock absorber, a cushion of durable tissue that protects the knee from a lifetime of walking, bending and running. Now a team of bioengineers at the UC San Diego School of Engineering has described in detail for the first time what happens to each of these regions when cartilage is squeezed and flattened as it absorbs impact.

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To loosely paraphrase Shylock, the lead character from Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, bleeding is something we all do, regardless of heritage. So it is with clotting, a process that in the parlance of the theater, prevents bleeding from lowering the final curtain on us all.

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"The dietary supplement industry can and will proceed to implement full nutrition labeling for our products now that FDA has published final dietary supplement labeling regulations, said John Cordaro, President and Chief Executive Office of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN). "The new label format will help consumers better understand and compare dietary supplements," he added.

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A revolutionary treatment for chronic urinary incontinence, developed by a University of Colorado Health Sciences Center urologist, has been approved by the US Food and Durg Administration (FDA).

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Tips from Annals of Internal Medicine, published by the American College of Physicians: 1) No increase or decrease in the rate of myocardial infarction was found in postmenopausal women currently on hormone replacement therapy, 2) Social class has a substantial effect on the rate of recovery from myocardial infarction, 3) Paper reviews advances in geriatrics, 4) Nearly 100 medical journals are calling on investigators to register results from randomized, controlled trials that have not been published.

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When African women work outside the home, their families reap more income but often with potentially deleterious consequences on the health of their very young children and at the expense of daughter's education, according to new Cornell University research.

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James Garbarino, Cornell University's top child abuse expert, advocates viewing parental smoking as child abuse.

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Neurosurgical specialists, reporting at the 47th annual meeting of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) next week, will describe how the Digital Holographyô System from VoxelÆ (NASDAQ:VOXL) is helping them plan and perform complex neurosurgical procedures.

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Nationwide study indicates a 15% increase in drug resistance over the last three years, suggesting that office physicians need to look out for antibiotic resistance in their patients and prescribe antibiotics appropriatley. Investigators collected over 8,000 samples from around the country of the Haemophilus influenzae bacteria which causes chronic bronchitis, middle-ear infections and sinusitis.

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Scientists at Columbia University have developed a new topical hand cream that may prevent the two most common latex allergy reactions-- sensitization to latex after prolonged exposure and contact dermatitis. Over 100,000 people in the United States are at risk for latex allergies, which causes itching and redness and in severe cases can lead to respiratory distress or even death.

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Newborn babies may avoid lifelong vision problems thanks to a discovery in rhesus monkeys at the Yerkes Primate Center at Emory University. Scientists there have found that a dramatic reorganization of brain cells occurs in infant monkeys in the first three weeks of life, corresponding in humans to the first three months. These neural connections turn out to be the building blocks of a healthy visual system, allowing for a baby's sudden ability to see three-dimensionally, and as the years go by, to avoid a series of irreversible visual defects.

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Tobacco and pharmaceutical drug companies to compete for the hearts and lungs of nicotine-dependent consumers in emerging, multi-billion dollar, nicotine maintenance market, says U-M health policy researcher.

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Busy emergency room doctors now have a new ally in their fight to save heart attack victims from dying. The ally is a computerized decision-making aid built into the standard electrocardiograph (EKG) machine that instantly prints predictions, based on the patient's EKG and other clinical information, of whether that individual is likely to benefit from potentially lifesaving treatment with thrombolytic (clot-dissolving) drugs.

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The following are findings described in the September issue of Research Activities from the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research: 1) Prophylactic Mastectomy Provides Substantial Gains in Life Expectancy for Women With Cancer-Disposing Genes, 2) Amoxicillin is Often Prescribed to Prevent Middle Ear Infections in Young Children, But it is Only Marginally Effective, 3) Many Physicians Have Not Fully Adopted Recommended Cholesterol Management Practices, 4) Duration of Maternity Work Leave Significantly Affects Maternal Health

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The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research and the American Association of Health Plans' Foundation today announced a joint call for studies to determine the impact of different features of health plans on the quality of care provided to patients with chronic illnesses and on outcomes. The two groups will together provide up to $7 million over a three-year period to support peer-reviewed, outcomes-focused studies.

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University of Maryland researchers have confirmed the link between a calcium-handling enzyme and the strength of the heart's beat. They also have been able to enhance the heart's beating strength using a genetically altered adenovirus to give heart muscle cells extra copies of the gene that produces the crucial enzyme, ATPase.

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Tips from the American Psychiatric Association -- September, Part 2: 1) Two Decades of Psychiatric Leadership: An Interview with Melvin Sabshin, M.D., 2) Meeting on Psychiatric Services Held in October, 3) Mark Your Calendars: American Psychiatric Association Calendar Listings, 4) Free APA Resources for Media

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Tips from the American Psychiatric Association, -- September, Part 1: 1) Schizophrenia Tied to Complications at Birth, 2) Antidepressants in Breast Milk: No Negative Impact, 3) Homeless People with Mental Illness Find Support in the Community, 4) Mental Illness Seen in Young Adults Abusing Drugs and Alcohol, 5) Violence May Be Predictable

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African Americans with higher income and education levels are less likely to suffer the consequences of hypertension because of their awareness of the benefits of a heart healthy diet.

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Nick Irons swam the length of the Missisippi River, from Minneapolis to Baton Rouge, to raise awareness of the neurological disease multiple sclerosis (MS) and to raise money for MS research. His father, Dr. John Irons, has lived with MS for over a decade, and currently uses one of the latest treatments available, called AVONEX, to delay the progression of disability which normally occurs with the disease.

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Tips from the American Psychiatric Association Journals - Part 3: 1) 49th Institute on Psychiatric Services Provides Dozens of Story Ideas, 2) Mark Your Calendars - APA Event Listing, 3) Free Resources for Media from the APA

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Tips from the American Psychiatric Association - Part 2: 1) 10 Percent of Patients Report Insomnia, 2) Confining Sex Offenders: the Supreme Court Decision, 3) New Technique Bridges the Communication Gap for Patients with Schizophrenia, 4) Persons with Mental Illnesses Benefit from Community Care

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Tips from the American Psychiatric Association Journals: 1) New Insights into Late Life Depression; 2) Screening Leads to Treatment for Depression; 3) Life Expectancy Shortened by Mental Disorders

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Cornell gerontologist, Karl Pillemer, has developed a program and published a manual called "Partners in Caregiving" to improve communication between nursing home staff and families of residents.

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Winston-Salem -- In what could be the most exciting advance in the treatment of AIDS to date, Bowman Gray School of Medicine scientists today reported a novel way to block the deadly HIV virus from ever invading white blood cells.

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Experimental psychologists have discovered that babies as young as 8 months are quite good at learning and remembering words.

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A genetically engineered thyroid-stimulating compound may be used safely and effectively to screen for recurrence of thyroid cancer after surgery and cause fewer side effects than the traditional test, according to a national study led by two Baltimore physicians.

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First lady Rosalynn Carter was awarded the National Mental Health Association's "Into the Light" award for her decades of dedication to mental health advocacy. The award was presented at NMHA's annual tribute dinner in Washington, DC, September 25.

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Notes in Brief: 1. A BU School of Medicine research team has deemed a transplant involving pig cells to be safe. The transplant is designed to treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease, and will shortly begin controlled trials. 2. Teenagers in Massachusetts are unlikely to seek HIV testing, although a majority believe that they are at least "a little likely" to become infected with the virus, a BU School of Public Health researcher finds.

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To meet the special needs of both adoptive parents and their children, Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital has developed a new program called the Rainbow Center for International ChildHealth. Children who are adopted from overseas sometimes carry rare diseases, or have psychological or behavioral problems associated with neglect or deprivation common to institutionalization.

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The American Dental Association invites you to participate in a telephone news conference highlighting some of the most dynamic areas of dentistry: trends in cosmetic dental services such as tooth whitening; new technology that improves patient's understanding of their treatment options; and recent advancements in oral care for seniors and women.

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Topics: 1) Take a systematic approach to solving bedwetting; 2) LSD can produce symptoms years later, says drug rehab expert; 3) Get out and walk says a cardiologists who has answers for common excuses not to.