BND
"Fatty liver disease is a growing problem in the U.S., and we currently have no approved medication to offer patients," said Dr. Brent Tetri, a hepatologist at the school's liver center. "With this study, we're pleased to find that vitamin E should help some of our patients.
Increasingly common, NASH is characterized by excessive fat that causes inflammation and damage in the liver. Linked to weight gain and obesity, it affects 3 percent to 4 percent of all American adults and can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and death.
During 96 weeks of treatment, patients with NASH were given either 800 International Units (IU) of vitamin E or a placebo. Nearly half -- 43 percent -- of those who took the vitamin E showed significant improvement of the liver compared to 19 percent of those who took the placebo.
In a separate part of the study, researchers also found that patients who took the drug pioglitazone also improved, although it was associated with weight gain. Researchers caution that neither treatment improved liver disease in all patients and that diabetic patients were not included.
New Fetal Care Center
Countless babies born throughout the Midwest each year may have a better chance of survival thanks to the new Fetal Care Center in St. Louis.
The center was launched earlier this month as a collaboration of Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis Children's Hospital and Washington University. It is targeted at the nearly 10,000 babies born with serious medical conditions requiring every year in Missouri and eight surrounding states.
"We don't think a mother-to-be should wait for answers," said Dr. Anthony Odibo, the center's co-director. "That's why we've designed our program to provide results, develop a plan -- even begin treatment, if necessary -- right on the spot."
The goal is to provide pregnant women facing the birth of a baby with major health problems to have all necessary tests done at one time and provide answers and options before the end of the day.
"Delivering at a hospital that doesn't have the capacity to address some of these really important things then mandates the baby be transported from one facility to another," said Dr. Brad Warner, the surgical director. "That can sometimes make the difference between life or death"
Alzheimer's conference Saturday
St. Louis University will share the latest information on preventing Alzheimer's disease during an all-day conference Saturday at the Doisy Learning Resources Center, 3545 Vista Ave., St. Louis.
Open to the public, the program will explore such topics as the role of exercise and diet in promoting brain health, drug therapies in the pipeline, the importance of sleep and such alternative therapies as yoga, mediation and herbs.
"The brain has a tremendous capacity to change," said Dr. Abhilash Desai, director of the school's Center for Health Brain Aging. "We believe that exercise, nutrition, stress management and healthy habits can help postpone dementia."
For more information, consult an Alzheimer's specialist in St. Louis
Virtual colonoscopy study
A new, large study of virtual colonoscopy has uncovered a pleasant surprise: Of the more than 10,000 people without symptoms tested, more than one out of every 200 had malignant cancer -- and most of those cancers were outside the colon.
"We are finding that virtual colonoscopy screening actually identifies more unsuspected cancer outside of the colon than within it," said Dr. Perry J. Pickhardt, the chief of GI Imaging at the University of Wisconsin and the study's lead author. "As with asymptomatic colorectal cancers identified by virtual colonoscopy, these cancers are often detected at an early, curable stage.
Virtual colonoscopy uses CT scans to examine the entire length of the colon, making it quicker than the standard test while essentially removing the risk of bleeding or colon perforation. Now, doctors are finding its ability to assess nearby structures in the abdomen and pelvis is reaping additional benefits.
"Optical colonoscopy cannot provide for any assessment beyond the colon itself," Pickhardt said. "Virtual colonoscopy can detect a wide array of unsuspected extracolonic disease, most notably cancers and aortic aneurysms.
The study, reported in this month's issue of Radiology, found cancer in 58 patients -- 22 inside the colon and 36 outside. Of those, 31 cases were stage 1, the most curable.
Recording surgical consultations
If you ever need to talk to a heart surgeon in St. Louis, you may want to take along a tape recorder. A new Scottish study has found that patients who taped surgical consultations were better informed and had less anxiety.
"Patients facing heart surgery are understandably anxious ... and, as a consequence, are unlikely to absorb all the information presented to them," the study authors noted. "They also find it difficult to remember the various percentage figures quoted for risk of complications, success rate of alternative therapeutic options and other pertinent facts."
But in a study of 84 patients at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, those who taped their conversations with their surgeon wound up much more informed, reported a greater sense of control over their health, and scored lower on measurements of anxiety and depression.
New program at Touchette
Touchette Regional Hospital in Centreville recently launched its Complete Care Program to help patients battling chronic diseases.
The initial focus of the program will be on diabetes with hospital staff offering education on ways to better manage the disease and prevent complications. The goal is to provide a better quality of life while reducing the need for health care services.
Lester Johnson, who has had trouble for a decade controlling his blood sugar, said the program already has helped him.
"The diabetes educators were very helpful," said Johnson, of East St. Louis. "They showed me what foods I should eat, the benefits of exercise and how to properly test my blood sugar. I feel much better now, and my blood sugar is testing much lower."
Beta blockers may be underused
New research at St. Louis University suggests that beta blockers are underused in heart failure patients who receive implantable cardiac devices.
Consuming too much "added sugar" not only can make you fat, it also may play havoc with your cholesterol levels.
That's the conclusion of a new study of 6,100 adults, which found that those with higher intakes of added sugars were more likely to have lower levels of high-density lipoproteins (the good cholesterol) and higher levels of triglycerides (blood fats).
"Added sugar" includes table sugar, brown sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, molasses and other sweeteners in prepared and processed foods. Soda, lemonade and sweetened tea are the No. 1 offenders.
"We need to get used to consuming foods and drinks that are less sweet," said Miriam Voss, an assistant professor at Emory University in Atlanta and the senior author. "People have been so focused on fat that we haven't been focused on sugar, and it's gotten away from us."
The results were published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Beta blockers are used to prevent the progression of heart failure and manage irregular heart beats and high blood pressure. Failure to use them before implanting a defibrillator or pacemaker can affect the patient's outcome and survival, said Dr. Paul Hauptman, a cardiologist and lead author of the study.
In addition, beta blockers may eliminate the need for the cardiac device entirely by improving heart function. The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association support their use. Yet of the nearly 2,800 patients in the study, one third received no beta blockers at any time within three months of receiving a cardiac device.
"Cardiac devices alone are not the answer," Hauptman said. "Implantable defibrillators in particular function as a safety net. Beta blockers, on the other hand, are a therapy. They can prevent progression of heart failure."
Keeping up appearances
Despite the Great Recession, a good many Americans are still keeping up appearances -- literally.
Nearly 10 million cosmetic surgical and nonsurgical procedures were performed in the United States in 2009, down just 2 percent from 2008, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
"Plastic surgery is feeling the effects of the recession, just like many other sectors of the marketplace," said Dr. Renato Saltz, society president.
"However, repeat patients and those putting off surgery are likely the reason for the small growth in nonsurgical procedures. Growth in demand will likely return as the recession eases and baby boomer's offspring begin to explore surgical options."
For women, breast augmentation topped the most sought-after surgery list with nearly 312,000 procedures followed by lipoplasty, eyelid surgery, abdominoplasty and breast reduction. For men, it was liposuction (40,519) followed by rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery, breast reduction and hair transplants. Nearly 3 million women and more than 250,000 men had Botox procedures.
A new, large study of virtual colonoscopy has uncovered a pleasant surprise: Of the more than 10,000 people without symptoms tested, more than one out of every 200 had malignant cancer -- and most of those cancers were outside the colon.
"We are finding that virtual colonoscopy screening actually identifies more unsuspected cancer outside of the colon than within it," said Dr. Perry J. Pickhardt, the chief of GI Imaging at the University of Wisconsin and the study's lead author. "As with asymptomatic colorectal cancers identified by virtual colonoscopy, these cancers are often detected at an early, curable stage.
Virtual colonoscopy uses CT scans to examine the entire length of the colon, making it quicker than the standard test while essentially removing the risk of bleeding or colon perforation. Now, doctors are finding its ability to assess nearby structures in the abdomen and pelvis is reaping additional benefits.
"Optical colonoscopy cannot provide for any assessment beyond the colon itself," Pickhardt said. "Virtual colonoscopy can detect a wide array of unsuspected extracolonic disease, most notably cancers and aortic aneurysms.
The study, reported in this month's issue of Radiology, found cancer in 58 patients -- 22 inside the colon and 36 outside. Of those, 31 cases were stage 1, the most curable.
Recording surgical consultations
If you ever need to talk to a heart surgeon in St. Louis, you may want to take along a tape recorder. A new Scottish study has found that patients who taped surgical consultations were better informed and had less anxiety.
"Patients facing heart surgery are understandably anxious ... and, as a consequence, are unlikely to absorb all the information presented to them," the study authors noted. "They also find it difficult to remember the various percentage figures quoted for risk of complications, success rate of alternative therapeutic options and other pertinent facts."
But in a study of 84 patients at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, those who taped their conversations with their surgeon wound up much more informed, reported a greater sense of control over their health, and scored lower on measurements of anxiety and depression.
New program at Touchette
Touchette Regional Hospital in Centreville recently launched its Complete Care Program to help patients battling chronic diseases.
The initial focus of the program will be on diabetes with hospital staff offering education on ways to better manage the disease and prevent complications. The goal is to provide a better quality of life while reducing the need for health care services.
Lester Johnson, who has had trouble for a decade controlling his blood sugar, said the program already has helped him.
"The diabetes educators were very helpful," said Johnson, of East St. Louis. "They showed me what foods I should eat, the benefits of exercise and how to properly test my blood sugar. I feel much better now, and my blood sugar is testing much lower."
Beta blockers may be underused
New research at St. Louis University suggests that beta blockers are underused in heart failure patients who receive implantable cardiac devices.
Consuming too much "added sugar" not only can make you fat, it also may play havoc with your cholesterol levels.
That's the conclusion of a new study of 6,100 adults, which found that those with higher intakes of added sugars were more likely to have lower levels of high-density lipoproteins (the good cholesterol) and higher levels of triglycerides (blood fats).
"Added sugar" includes table sugar, brown sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, molasses and other sweeteners in prepared and processed foods. Soda, lemonade and sweetened tea are the No. 1 offenders.
"We need to get used to consuming foods and drinks that are less sweet," said Miriam Voss, an assistant professor at Emory University in Atlanta and the senior author. "People have been so focused on fat that we haven't been focused on sugar, and it's gotten away from us."
The results were published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Beta blockers are used to prevent the progression of heart failure and manage irregular heart beats and high blood pressure. Failure to use them before implanting a defibrillator or pacemaker can affect the patient's outcome and survival, said Dr. Paul Hauptman, a cardiologist and lead author of the study.
In addition, beta blockers may eliminate the need for the cardiac device entirely by improving heart function. The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association support their use. Yet of the nearly 2,800 patients in the study, one third received no beta blockers at any time within three months of receiving a cardiac device.
"Cardiac devices alone are not the answer," Hauptman said. "Implantable defibrillators in particular function as a safety net. Beta blockers, on the other hand, are a therapy. They can prevent progression of heart failure."
Keeping up appearances
Despite the Great Recession, a good many Americans are still keeping up appearances -- literally.
Nearly 10 million cosmetic surgical and nonsurgical procedures were performed in the United States in 2009, down just 2 percent from 2008, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
"Plastic surgery is feeling the effects of the recession, just like many other sectors of the marketplace," said Dr. Renato Saltz, society president.
"However, repeat patients and those putting off surgery are likely the reason for the small growth in nonsurgical procedures. Growth in demand will likely return as the recession eases and baby boomer's offspring begin to explore surgical options."
For women, breast augmentation topped the most sought-after surgery list with nearly 312,000 procedures followed by lipoplasty, eyelid surgery, abdominoplasty and breast reduction. For men, it was liposuction (40,519) followed by rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery, breast reduction and hair transplants. Nearly 3 million women and more than 250,000 men had Botox procedures.
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