Women with diabetes face significantly greater risk of a fatal heart attack
Diabetic women have a much greater risk of suffering a fatal Heart attack, according to Swedish research, which suggests women with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus face as much as a 3.1 times greater risk than healthy women, while diabetic men have a 1.9 times higher risk than their healthy counterparts.
Benefits of cataract surgery last in most patients
Visual function after cataract surgery may decrease over time in some patients, but many still show improvement years after surgery, Swedish researchers report in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.
Drs. Mats Lunstrom and E. Wendel, from Blekinge Hospital, Sweden, examined how long patients’ improved visual function lasts following a cataract surgery.
Hearing tests for all infants may improve outcomes
Universal newborn screening for hearing impairment is more effective than waiting to screen until 8 months of age in achieving early referral for complete hearing assessments, the results of a study in the UK suggest. Early referral for children with hearing loss is believed to be a critical element in minimizing speech impairment by the time the child reaches school age.
Although universal newborn screening for hearing impairment has been recommended by the National Institutes of Health since 1993, the benefit of such programs has been disputed, Dr. Colin Kennedy and his associates explain in the current issue of The Lancet.
Massage improves weight gain in preterm infants
Moderate-pressure massage therapy increases weight gain in preterm infants by improving stomach motion, investigators at the University of Miami School of Medicine report.
Clinical trials have documented greater weight gain in premature infants after 5 to 10 days of massage, even though food intake and total sleeping time are not increased, Dr. Miguel A. Diego and his associates point out in the Journal of Pediatrics.
