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Chicago Brown: Navy makes something positive out of Chicago violence Mark Brown This is a good news story, but underlying it is a bleak reality. The volume of gunshot wounds and other trauma cases treated at Stroger Hospital is so high that the U.S. Navy has teamed up the past two years with the hospital’s prestigious trauma unit to keep its medical personnel better prepared for their next deployment. The Navy guys might see as much action in a typical night at Stroger as they would if they were in a combat setting. Let that sink in for a minute....

Characteristics passed between generations are not decided solely by DNA, but can be brought about by other material in cells, new research shows. Scientists studied proteins found in cells, known as histones, which are not part of the genetic code, but act as spools around which DNA is wound. Histones are known to control whether or not genes are switched on. Researchers found that naturally occurring changes to these proteins, which affect how they control genes, can be sustained from one generation to the next and so influence which traits are passed on. The finding demonstrates for the first time...

Scientists now know that our DNA is being altered all the time by environment, lifestyle and traumatic events. Genetic faults caused by trauma, poor lifestyle or environmental stress can be passed down to future generations, scientists at the University of Cambridge have discovered. Previously large studies have shown that devastating events such as famine can scar future generations, making them more prone to obesity and diabetes. However it is the first time that the biological mechanism for the effect has been seen. Although the same genes are passed down through generations, scientists now know that our DNA is being altered...

The stress of the attacks on 9/11 caused an estimated one million former smokers to pick the habit up again, according to a Weill Cornell Medical College public health study. The research is the first to look at the net costs to society of terrorism-induced smoking in the United States after 9/11 and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Though there is a general consensus that stress is a "very large motivator for individuals to use substances," the stress effects of large-scale events on substance use has not been widely studied. "This study provides the first unbiased estimate of the effect...

For decades, mice have been the species of choice in the study of human diseases. But now, researchers report stunning evidence that the mouse model has been totally misleading for at least three major killers — sepsis, burns and trauma. As a result, years and billions of dollars have been wasted following false leads, they say. The study does not mean that mice are useless models for all human diseases. But, its authors said, it does raise troubling questions about diseases like the ones in the study that involve the immune system, including cancer and... --snip-- “That started us thinking,”...

First, I'm a woman. (Seems to be an important qualification if one is to be allowed to have an opinion on "womens' bodies.")I'm used to being attacked by the harridans of the Left, who claim that if you're a pro-life, then you're NOT A WOMAN.But I'm not used to hearing conservatives knee-jerk to the idea that something is "idiotic" just because it's politically incorrect ... according to those same rabid harridans of the Left.I think, like Akin did, that a woman's endocrine system CAN sometimes "shut down" the process of conception, or implantation, as a result of traumatic stress suffered...

A physician and former president of the National Right to Life Committee, Willke was an “important surrogate” for Romney’s 2008 presidential bid. Willke is the oft-cited source of the theory that rape-related pregnancies are “rare.” The theory is sometimes used by antiabortion advocates to argue that abortion laws should not contain exceptions for pregnancies that result from rape or incest. Willke believes that trauma caused by violent rape causes a woman’s reproductive system to shut down. He presents this belief as fact in educational materials, including a book about abortion and a website called abortionfacts.com. Willke’s views – and his...

A 15-year-old girl had special help when she took the witness stand yesterday at the trial for the man accused of sexually assaulting her for four years. Rose, an 11-year-old golden retriever whose regular job is helping provide therapy in schools for troubled children, was there at her side, helping to calm a child who experts said is otherwise incapable of talking about her traumatic ordeal. It's an unprecedented arrangement in New York and now gaining acceptance elsewhere.

When the Transportation Security Agency began its intrusive new airport screening procedures last fall, I was sure Americans would rise up to the privacy violations and put an end to the program in short order. I predicted it would happen by Thanksgiving. Later I revised my prediction to Christmas. There was palpable anger expressed by Americans for two or three months. And then it subsided. One more nail in the coffin of American liberties. When was the last time you saw a news report about TSA abuses? It's yesterday's story. A new line in the sand has been drawn for...

For the losing side: How to handle the post-election hangoverBy Stephanie Chen, CNN November 3, 2010 4:57 p.m. EDT (CNN) -- For weeks -- even months -- you may have been caught up in the election frenzy. You've been jazzed about a candidate or a cause. Perhaps you've volunteered for a campaign or proudly planted a sign in your yard. The results are announced and the winners start celebrating their campaign victory, but for the losers, an election loss can easily turn personal. CNN spoke to Dr. Ivan Walks, a public health physician and psychiatrist who has studied stress for...

Overcoming post-election stress traumaWednesday, 02 June 2010 12:00 AM Ma. Andrea S. Tirazona When the early results of the recently concluded elections started trickling in, I felt a rush of excitement as I saw the numbers tipping in Noynoy’s direction. On the other hand, I was shocked at Binay’s early lead. Before anything else, let me point out that this is not an article as to whether or not Noynoy was the right choice for president, nor is this a debate as to whether or not the election was a clean and honest one. This is about seeing things from...

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A family that witnessed the death of killer whale trainer Dawn Brancheau in February is now suing SeaWorld, a lawyer representing them said.Suzanne and Todd Connell were vacationing at SeaWorld with their 10-year-old son, Bobby, when they saw a 6-ton killer whale named Tilikum pull Brancheau into the water.The New Hampshire family said they were only 30 feet from Brancheau when the incident happened. The family shot home video just moments before the trainer’s death.The family has hired an attorney and is suing the park for negligence and damages from emotional trauma. Damages are not specified.The family...

Tuesday July 27, 2010 Study: Homosexuality Linked with Childhood Trauma By James Tillman DUNEDIN, New Zealand, July 26, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- A recent Otago University study has found that homosexual or bisexual individuals are more likely to have undergone a variety of of traumas in childhood, including sexual assault, rape, violence, and witnessing violence in the home. "People who either identify themselves as homosexual or bisexual, or have had a same-sex encounter or relationship, tend to come from more disturbed backgrounds," said Research Associate Professor Elisabeth Wells. The study analyzed results from a New Zealand Mental Health study that surveyed...

LONDON — A cheap drug that can stop bleeding in recently injured accident patients could potentially save the lives of tens of thousands worldwide, a new study says. Researchers studied the effects of tranexamic acid, or TXA, in more than 10,000 adult trauma patients in 40 countries who received the drug within eight hours of being injured. They compared those patients’ outcomes to more than 10,000 accident victims who got a placebo treatment. The study was published online today in the medical journal Lancet. Doctors found that patients who got TXA had a 15 percent lower chance of dying from...

So what is the matter with Obama? Conservatives have been asking this question for some time. I've written a number of articles trying to solve the mystery.   Even some liberals are starting to wonder. James Carville railed about Obama's blasé attitude after the catastrophic oil spill. The New York Times' Maureen Dowd revamped Obama's "Yes We Can" motto into "Will We Ever?" The liberal women of the TV show "The View" have expressed sympathy for Michelle Obama's living with a man so out of touch. Peggy Noonan, hardly a vehement Obama foe,  recently pronounced him disconnected.  Obama's odd mannerisms intrigue...

I've been feeling funky since Black Sunday, the day of the health care debacle. As a therapist, I'm usually able to identity my feelings. But this one had left me stumped. I went through the usual laundry list of emotions: Am I depressed? (A little, but that's not it.) Worried, scared? (Yes, but who isn't?) Angry (Very, but that's still not what's bugging me.) It took a conversation with a conservative friend, Nancy, for me to pinpoint the feeling. Nancy told me that a Jewish co-worker, a staunch Obama supporter, was feeling "shell shocked" by Obama's vilifying Israel. Bingo. That's...

No direct impact caused Paul McQuigg’s brain injury in Iraq three years ago. And no wound from the incident visibly explains why Mr. McQuigg, now an office manager at a California Marine base, can get lost in his own neighborhood or arrive at the grocery store having forgotten why he left home. But his blast injury — concussive brain trauma caused by an explosion’s invisible force waves — is no less real to him than a missing limb is to other veterans. Just how real could become clearer after he dies, when doctors slice up his brain to examine any...

This computer rendering shows the planned $2.6 million state-of-the-art Zakho Emergency Hospital and Trauma Center. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is overseeing the project, with completion scheduled for August 2009. Rendering courtesy of USACE. ZAKHO — Car accidents and trauma injuries account for a large percentage of the medical care administered in this Kurdish border town.  Although the town has adequate medical facilities, the treatment of trauma patients has placed a heavy burden on hospital medical staff.To ease the strain, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division is overseeing the construction of a $2.6 million state-of-the-art medical...

KIRKUK, Iraq – Medics from the Iraqi Army completed advanced training in emergency medical treatment of battlefield injuries here on Oct. 22. A group of twelve Iraqi medics graduated from the Iraqi Emergency Medical Trauma Lane, the second time the course has been hosted and the first time it was run completely by Iraqis. The IMETL is an advanced combat medic course modeled after the U.S. Army Expert Field Medical Badge course, stressing the types of injuries and conditions soldiers are likely to encounter on the battlefield, such as uncontrolled hemorrhaging and tension pneumothorax, or lung collapse, the two leading...

First responders rush onto ice Medical staff for Blue Jackets gets training to handle in-game emergencies in wake of nearly fatal NHL injury Monday, September 22, 2008 3:13 AM By Suzanne Hoholik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Mike Vogt, head athletic trainer of the Columbus Blue Jackets, demonstrates chest compressions in a training session for the medical personnel who staff the hockey team's games. Rich Phillips, who drives the Zamboni machine that smoothes the Nationwide Arena ice, portrays a stricken player. When the fastest game in sports comes to a halt because a hockey player is down on the ice or heads...