USA TODAY articles from October 2007

USA TODAY archives from October 2007

Fad treatments on the rise.(Autism)
October 1, 2007... Ineffective or even dangerous fad treatments for autism, always a problem, seem to be growing more pervasive, according to researchers from Ohio State University, Columbus. "Developmental disabilities like autism are a magnet for all kinds of...

Athletes collapsing from sickle cell trait.(Sports Training)
October 1, 2007... Over the past seven years, collapse during exercise due to complications from sickle cell trait has killed nine athletes, Of 136 sudden, nontraumatic sports deaths of high school and college athletes over a decade, five percent were due to...

Key genetic finding for autism.(Human Genome)
October 1, 2007... The preliminary results from the largest genome scan ever conducted in autism research reveals the discovery of a previously unidentified region of chromosome 11, and neurexin 1, a member of a family of genes believed to be important in...

Autism programs are huge failure.(Psychology)
October 1, 2007... Programs designed to teach social skills to children with autism are failing to meet their goals, reveals a study by Indiana University, Bloomington, which found that outcomes for social skills training were poor overall, but programs held in...

New blood tests for panic disorder.(Psychiatry)(Clinical report)
October 1, 2007... Blood tests for panic disorder and other mental health conditions potentially are around the corner, according to a study by the University of Iowa, Iowa City. The findings were based on analysis of genetic information in immature white blood...

Multiple sclerosis.(HEALTH BEAT)(Disease/Disorder overview)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Multiple sclerosis, a neurodegenerative autoimmune disease in which the fatty covering of nerves becomes increasingly damaged, can manifest itself in many ways. "MS is like a chameleon--its signs and symptoms are so varied that it should be...

A soft margarine spread is the healthier choice in the long-debated butter-or-margarine controversy, maintains Jo Ann Carson, clinical nutritionist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.(HEALTH BEAT)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... A soft margarine spread is the healthier choice in the long-debated butter-or-margarine controversy, maintains Jo Ann Carson, clinical nutritionist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. Margarine made from vegetable...

People with astigmatism and cataracts may benefit from a revised Medicare rule extending coverage for the new type of implantable lenses that treats both conditions.(HEALTH BEAT)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... People with astigmatism and cataracts may benefit from a revised Medicare rule extending coverage for the new type of implantable lenses that treats both conditions. Astigmatism causes Hurry vision due to irregular shaped corneas. Cataracts...

Men age 65 and older who have smoked should have a one-time screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm, indicates cardiac surgeon Frank Arko.(HEALTH BEAT)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Men age 65 and older who have smoked should have a one-time screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm, indicates cardiac surgeon Frank Arko. High blood pressure and a history of smoking can increase your chances of having the condition. "Aortic...

In its first laboratory tests on human tissue, a light-based probe built by researchers at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering, Durham, N.C.(HEALTH BEAT)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... In its first laboratory tests on human tissue, a light-based probe built by researchers at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering, Durham, N.C., almost instantly detected the earliest signs of cancer in cells that line internal organs....

A groundbreaking system that could deliver surgery without scars has been developed by engineers at the Automation and Robotics Research Institute at the University of Texas, Arlington, in collaboration with physicians and the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center.(HEALTH BEAT)
October 1, 2007... A groundbreaking system that could deliver surgery without scars has been developed by engineers at the Automation and Robotics Research Institute at the University of Texas, Arlington, in collaboration with physicians and the Texas...

Infants with whooping cough (pertussis) were most likely infected by the people they live with, according to a multicountry study led by researchers from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.(HEALTH BEAT)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Infants with whooping cough (pertussis) were most likely infected by the people they live with, according to a multicountry study led by researchers from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Parents were the source in 55% of affected...

A Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City.(Doctors Without Borders)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] DOCTORS WITHOUT Borders is touring "A Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City," an interactive exhibit that asks the public to imagine they are among the 33,000,000 refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs)...

Student musicians should protect hearing.(Audiology)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Student musicians who protect their hearing today still may hear the beat of the drum after graduation, indicates Lata Krishnan, a clinical associate professor of audiology at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. "A number of famous...

Poor teen diet can lower lung function.(Asthma)
October 1, 2007... Teenagers who forego a healthy and balanced diet may have a harder time catching their breath, contends a study by the American College of Chest Physicians, Northbrook, Ill. It maintains that a low dietary intake of certain nutrients increases...

Key tests for COPD vastly underutilized.(Pulmonary Disease)(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
October 1, 2007... Spirometry testing is a widely accepted and encouraged diagnostic method for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but research shows that it is not used nearly enough. "Without proper testing, both underdiagnosis and misdiagnosis may...

Faulty membrane repair causes complications.(Cardiology)(dysferlin)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... During vigorous exercise, heart muscle cells take a beating. In fact, some of those cells rupture and, if not for a repair process capable of resealing cell membranes, those cells would die and cause heart damage (cardiomyopathy). Researchers...

Noninvasive approach provides better "image".(Coronary Obstruction)(positron emission tomography myocardial perfusion imaging)
October 1, 2007... Physicians need to know how badly heart vessels are blocked before they can decide how to treat patients at risk of having a heart attack. One standard approach to "imaging" suspected blockages involves injecting a radioactive substance with a...

Pot belly is key indicator.(Cardiovascular Risk)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... A tape measure, not just a bathroom scale, may help better assess heart disease risk, indicate researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, who found that people with a larger waist-to-hip ratio may be at...

The many mysteries of the human heart.(Health Care Documentary)(Interview)
October 1, 2007... THE HEART IS THE ENGINE of human life. Beating almost 100,000 times a day, more than 36,000,000 times each year, it endures abuse and trauma with extraordinary resilience. However, as more nations become prosperous and lifestyles change, heart...

Determining when the time is right.(Assisted Living)(living arrangements for the elderly)
October 1, 2007... When is the right time to suggest parents or loved ones no longer can live safely on their own? Sometimes, this difficult decision is forced by illness, an accident, or other circumstances related to aging. For other elders, changes are subtle....

Ten symptoms not to ignore.(Medical Care)
October 1, 2007... Chest pains, abdominal discomfort, and unexplained bleeding are good reasons to seek immediate medical care. Other reasons are less well-known. The Mayo Clinic Health Letter covers 10 symptoms not to ignore: Unexplained weight loss....

Ways to alleviate acute shortage of RNs.(Health Care)(registered nurses)
October 1, 2007... The acute shortage of registered nurses in the U.S. could be lessened by adopting tactics used successfully in other segments of the economy, including sweetening incentives for experienced nurses to stay on the job and enticing nurses who have...

Poor employee health costs employers plenty.(Medical Expenditures)
October 1, 2007... Employers may be underestimating significantly the overall costs of poor employee health, while failing to assess fully the diseases and health conditions that drive these costs, maintains a study by the American College of Occupational and...

Make medical and financial preparations.(Hospitalization)
October 1, 2007... Whether you or a loved one is going for a scheduled hospital stay, do not stop with your doctor's orders--get your financial orders in place, too. While most people exit the hospital without incident, no matter what your age, it is important to...

Success depends on spouse and workplace.(Smoking Cessation)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... A nonsmoking spouse and smoke-free workplace play key roles in long-term success for young adults who quit smoking, according to research from Indiana University, Bloomington, which found environmental factors to be more influential than...

Miniature devices treat epilepsy, glaucoma.(Implants)
October 1, 2007... New miniature devices designed to be implanted in the brain to predict and prevent epileptic seizures and a nanotech sensor for implantation in the eye to treat glaucoma have been developed by researchers at Purdue University, West Lafayette,...

Key milestone of the last 100 years.(Public Health)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
October 1, 2007... Public health is what our society does collectively to assure the conditions in which people can be healthy. Because public health success in prevention and protection often is invisible to the society it serves, its value is hidden. The...

When will television finally get it right?(Organ Donation)
October 1, 2007... Research about how organ donation is portrayed on television has inspired a Hollywood advocacy group. Susan Morgan, associate professor of health communication at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., has found that inaccurate storylines...

Putting bacteria on birth control.(Antibiotics)(stopping the spread of bacteria)
October 1, 2007... Putting bacteria on birth control could stop the spread of drug-resistant microbes, and researchers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, have found a way to do just that, as they have discovered a key weakness in the enzyme that...

Will teenage girls have more sex?(human papillomavirus vaccine)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Adolescent girls who are vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus that may cause cervical cancer, are not likely to engage in sex more often than adolescent girls who are not vaccinated, according to a study...

Better to emphasize health over appearance.(Exercise)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Women with chronic issues with their body image are more likely to benefit from an exercise class where the instructor emphasizes the health benefits of the workout over improved appearance, even if those women chose the class in hopes of...

Myths spreading like an epidemic.(Flu Season)(debugging flu myths)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Flu tracking specialists say technology, like online shopping and scanning at tollbooths, is reducing our exchange of money and, therefore, our exposure to the flu virus. However, there are other ways to spread the flu--and doctors say the key...

Procedure among safest in U.S.(cataract surgery)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Here is an eye-opening statistic from the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.: By age 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery. A cataract occurs when the normally clear lens in the eye becomes cloudy,...

Pregnancy may increase risk.(vulnerability to eating disorder during pregnancy)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Pregnancy may open a window of vulnerability for developing binge eating disorder, especially for women from lower socioeconomic situations, according to a study from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, researchers and colleagues in...

Girls surpass boys in deadly practice.(inhalant addiction)
October 1, 2007... Almost five percent of girls between the ages of 12 and 17 now use inhalants to get high, an increase from 4.1% in 2002, while boys remained fairly constant with 4.2% reporting use. Together, the data shows that an estimated 1,000,000...

A fish tale.(benefits from eating fish)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AS CLINICAL and epidemiological studies suggest, omega-3 fatty acids are extremely important to our overall health. Because our bodies cannot make enough of these special fats to meet our needs, we are dependent on...