Health

Tactical Medicine, Israeli-Style

By:

Diane McManus, Jewish Exponent Feature

The day begins calmly. Workers settle at their desks, turn on computers, busy themselves with the day's projects and exchange greetings as they grab cups of coffee. So far, the most pressing concerns in most minds are deadlines, lunch plans and getting to their child's school play after work. Suddenly, chaos erupts. A shooter has entered the building. Or perhaps...

Health

Men Risk More After Certain Surgeries

Men are twice as likely as women to experience complications after brain or spinal surgery, reports a study in the current issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. Men also spend more time in the hospital after the operation, according to the new study by researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School. They believe that...

Food

The 'What and Why' of Sugar

Walk down the baking aisle of your supermarket and all of the sweetener options can be overwhelming. Even plain old sugar comes in a variety of colors, sizes and textures; and then there's molasses, honey and the more esoteric agave syrup -- not to mention the growing variety of calorie-free sweeteners. When do you use what, and why? Granulated sugar...

Health

Unwinding a Stem Cell Breakthrough

Researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have generated a new type of human stem cell that can develop into numerous types of specialized cells, including functioning pancreatic beta cells that produce insulin. Called endodermal progenitor cells, they show two important advantages over embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells: They do not form tumors when transplanted into animals,...

Health

Brotherly Love -- and Sorrow

A sibling's mental illness can wreak havoc on a brother or sister

By:

Lynne Blumberg, Jewish Exponent Feature

The mental illness of a daughter or son affects the well-being of the entire family, including healthy siblings. Examples of this are illustrated in Jonathan's Return, the latest documentary by the Oscar-nominated Eran Preis, the Israeli-American film director and associate professor of film and media arts at Temple University. Jonathan, 33, the youngest of Preis' three sons, had behavior problems...