Mixed Bag

Research finds severe hot flashes reduced with quick neck injection
A shot in the neck of local anesthesia may reduce hot flashes by as much as 50 percent for at least six months, a recent Northwestern Medicine® study found.

To administer the treatment, the doctor used low dose X-ray to guide an injection of bupivacaine hydrochloride, a commonly used local anesthetic, into a nerve bundle called the stellate ganglion, located in the neck near the "voice box." It's a 30 second procedure that must be done by a trained physician because the injection is close to important structures like the carotid artery, the vertebral artery and the spinal nerves. Injecting any of those areas could cause a seizure, loss of consciousness or other complications. Eurekalert!

Microbleeds important to consider in brain-related treatments, UCI neurologist says
In two current papers published online in Frontiers in Neurology and Stroke, Fisher writes about the brain's intricate system to protect itself against hemorrhaging. This system seems to break down as we get older, resulting in microbleeds that develop spontaneously and become increasingly common with aging.

In his Stroke article, Fisher describes how newer medications interfere with blood clotting (to protect against stroke) while at the same time protecting the blood vessel wall (to help prevent bleeding). And in Frontiers in Neurology, he suggests that MRI screening be used more strategically to identify patients with microbleeds, allowing their physicians to adjust treatments accordingly. Eurekalert!

Pregnant women who snore at higher risk for C-sections, delivering smaller babies
Snoring during pregnancy may be bad for the new baby's health, according to research from the University of Michigan Health System. Moms who snored three or more nights a week had a higher risk of poor delivery outcomes – including Cesarean births and delivering smaller babies – according to the research that appears in scientific journal Sleep. The study is believed to be the largest of its kind to link maternal snoring to baby health by following moms from pregnancy through delivery. MedicalXpress

Knowing who their physician is boosts patient satisfaction
Knowing who your doctor is — and a couple of facts about that person — may go a long way toward improving patient satisfaction, according to a Vanderbilt study in the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma. Faced with the knowledge that between 82 percent and 90 percent of medical patients are unable to correctly name their treating physician following inpatient admission, orthopaedic trauma surgeon Alex Jahangir, M.D., and his Vanderbilt colleagues studied the effects of giving a randomized group of patients a simple biosketch card about their doctor. Eurekalert!

Lowering Uric Acid Reduces Kidney Risk
Patients who were able to stay on uric acid lowering therapy significantly reduced their risk of progressing toward chronic kidney disease compared with people who were untreated, researchers reported here. If patients took their prescribed anti-gout medication at least 80% of the time, they had a 37% reduced risk of registering an event -- at least a 30% reduction in glomerular filtration rate (GFR), initiation of dialysis, or a GRF of 15 mL/min -- said Gerald Levy, MD, a rheumatologist at Kaiser Permanente Medical Group, Downey, Calif. MedPage Today

Brushing your teeth could prevent heart disease
Taking care of your gums by brushing, flossing, and regular dental visits could help hold heart disease at bay. Researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health have shown for the first time that as gum health improves, progression of atherosclerosis slows to a clinically significant degree. Findings appear online in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Eurekalert!