Dental x-rays may be a new tool in predicting stroke risk, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association. Researchers from the University of California-Los Angeles say that panoramic or wide-angle radiography can detect calcifications within neck arteries which, left untreated, can block blood flow from the heart to the brain and precipitate a stroke. Nutritional therapy and medications help reduce arterial plaque.
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New research from the United Kingdom shows that warming patients before breast, varicose vein, or hernia surgery helps prevent postoperative wound infection. In the randomized study, 14 percent of nonwarmed patients developed wound infections compared to 5 percent of patients who were given local or systemic warming for at least 30 minutes before surgery. Previous research suggests that warming patients during colorectal surgery reduces infection rates.
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Researchers at the University of Florida say that people with recurrent kidney stones may lack a particular bacterium necessary to break down oxalate--a byproduct of digestion that is a major cause of the painful disorder. In animal studies, high doses of oxalobacter formigenes safely lowered chronically high levels of oxalate. The naturally occurring intestinal bacterium may be eradicated by antibiotics and health conditions.
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