3D Printing of Replacement Organs
Scientists are developing 3D printing technology using human cells to build human organs. The technique could be used to grow organs for transplant, relieving the long waitlist. Experts discuss.
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Medical Notes: Week of August 8, 2021
A new study shows that antibiotic exposure early in life could alter a child’s brain development. Then, the stress of the pandemic has led to a sharp increase in teenage eating disorders. And finally, researchers have found a potentially lifesaving heart …
The Changing Face of Colon Cancer
Colon cancer is striking much younger people than it used to, leading experts to lower the age on screening recommendations. A noted colon surgeon discusses screening and treatment options, and the way COVID-19 has changed patients’ approach to getting …
Brain Aneurysm Through the Eyes of a Survivor (2021)
Brain aneurysms—bulging in a brain blood vessel, like an inflated balloon—affect 1 in 50 people and are generally without symptoms until they burst. This occurs in about 30,000 people per year in the US, accounting for 3-5 percent of all new strokes. Here is …
Why Knee Replacements May Go Wrong
Knee replacements are successful for 80 percent of recipients, yet many assume the success rate should be higher. Those who are not successful often are bitterly disappointed. However, patients and physicians can take steps to avoid a bad result. New …
Medical Notes: Week of December 13, 2020
Anti-Covid mandates have generally been seen as hurting business… but a new study shows that some of them, short of shutdowns, actually help the economy. And finally… playing brain games before surgery may help recovery.
Organ Thieves: The First Human Heart Transplant in the South
An investigative journalist explains how a black man’s heart was harvested without his family’s consent for the first human heart transplant in the South, and how incidents such as this help to explain ongoing African-American distrust of medicine.
Lisfranc Injuries: Not Just a Sprained Foot or Ankle (2020)
People who injure their foot often think they have a mere sprained foot or ankle when they actually have an injury that is potentially much more severe and disabling if not treated.
Medical Notes: Week of August 9, 2020
A study find that COVID-19 can damage the testicles. Then doctors have discovered a way to predict who is likely to be affected by organ rejection or damage. And finally, if social media makes you mad, it turns out that its heaviest users want you to feel that …
Lung Transplants: The Least-Transplanted Major Organ
Lung transplants are the least done of all major organ transplants because the lungs are so easily damaged in the death process. A lung transplant surgeon explains, using one particularly difficult case as an example.
Medical Notes: Week of January 26, 2020
A new report from the American Cancer Society finds that in 2017, the overall cancer death rate dropped more than two percent. Then, a new experimental technique using a special kind of imaging and machine learning has been developed to battle colon cancer. …
Medical Notes: Week of December 29, 2019
The last three flu seasons have been bad, but there’s a chance this year could be even worse. Then, sleeping too much can be a risk factor for stroke. Plus, more than 30 million people in the United States think they’re allergic to penicillin when they’re not. …