Medical News

Truth AND Consequences

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Medical News: Cardiologist Who Revealed Echo Errors Out of a Job – in Cardiovascular, Atherosclerosis from MedPage Today

In an e-mail, an Aurora spokesman said Sagar’s firing was not related to her presentation.

“Dr. Sagar’s contract was terminated for a number of reasons, none related to her study. This was in no way a retaliatory action. As a matter of fact, the study supported our quality improvement initiatives and has resulted in heightened standards in the echo lab.”

If an employee termination is not a retaliatory action then why does an official spokesperson even mention the thought and go on to elaborate further?  Sadly, stories like this no longer surprise me.

Obesity and Vitamin D

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Obesity May Interfere With Vitamin D Absorption

The study found an inverse relationship between excess pounds and an insufficient amount of vitamin D, which is critical to cell health, calcium absorption and proper immune function. Vitamin D deficiency can raise the risk for bone deterioration and certain types of cancer.

The researchers also suggest that overweight and obese people may have problems processing the vitamin properly.

Watch Those Uric Acid Levels

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Medical News: ACR: Lowering Uric Acid Cuts Cardiac Death Rate – in Meeting Coverage, ACR from MedPage Today

There is a significant association between lowering uric acid in patients with high levels and a reduction of their mortality from cardiovascular disease, researchers said here. 

During the study period, hyperuricemia patients who were treated with urate lowering drugs such as allopurinol achieved a 44% reduction in death caused by heart disease and a 58% reduction in deaths caused by stroke (P<0.001 for both), according to Jiunn-Horng Chen, MD, PhD, of China Medical University, Taichung, Republic of China (Taiwan).