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INQUIRING MINDS
Child Couch Potatoes
Want to prevent chubby kids? Turn off the TV. Research by
Thomas N. Robinson, an assistant professor of pediatrics and
medicine, shows that the less kids watch TV, the fewer
pounds they gain. Children who reduced their television time
by about one-third to one-fourth gained nearly 2 pounds less
on average than the kids in a control group over the same
period.
Grow Your Own
Physicians at the School of Medicine are investigating new
compounds that could allow patients to grow their own
mini-bypasses around clogged coronary arteries. The drug,
which is given through a catheter, naturally stimulates
blood vessel growth. This nonsurgical method of rerouting
the blood could provide an alternative to invasive heart
procedures like angioplasty and bypass surgery.
Herbal Cure
Call it ancient Chinese wisdom. Researchers in the School of
Medicine have discovered that an arthritis remedy made from
Tripterygium wilfordii hook, a vine that grows in
Southern China, can suppress an overactive immune system,
prevent inflammation and kill cancer cells. Western doctors
have known for 20 years that the herb has medicinal
properties, but the new study shows how it works inside the
body. The result: fewer side effects than conventional
drugs.
Fixing the Fuzzies
For the 20 percent of Americans who are farsighted, a
Medical School professor's work could eventually mean
clearer vision without corrective lenses. Edward E. Manche,
assistant professor of ophthalmology, is testing a fast,
painless outpatient procedure that uses radio-frequency
energy to reshape the front of the eye. The standard therapy
-- laser eye surgery -- takes longer, is technically more
challenging to learn and requires much more expensive
equipment.
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