Disability News Weekly Roundup -11/25-11/27
Health:
Science Daily— Meat, Egg, Dairy Nutrient Essential for Brain Development
Asparagine, found in foods such as meat, eggs, and dairy products, was until now considered non-essential because it is produced naturally by the body. Researchers at the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital found that the amino acid is essential for normal brain development. This is not the case for other organs.
Policy:
The New York Times— Medicaid Expansion Faces Major Logistical Challenges Among the Homeless
Today, most state Medicaid programs cover only disabled adults or those with dependents, so millions of deeply impoverished Americans are left without access to the program. But starting Jan. 1, President Obama’s health care law will expand Medicaid coverage to adults with incomes under 138 percent of the federal poverty line, and enrollment is expected to increase by about nine million next year. Thousands of homeless people will be among the newly covered.
Science:
Science Daily— Alcohol Use Disorders Linked to Death and Disability
Disorders related to the abuse of alcohol contribute significantly to the burden of disease in the U.S., finds a new study in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Researchers estimated that in 2005, about 53,000 men and 12,000 women died from issues related to alcohol use disorders (AUD).
Science Daily— Regular Physical Activity in Later Life Boosts Likelihood of ‘Healthy Aging’ Up to Sevenfold
The researchers tracked the health of almost 3500 people, whose average age was 64, for more than eight years. Four years of sustained regular physical activity boosted the likelihood of healthy aging sevenfold compared with consistent inactivity, the findings show.
MedPageToday— CMV Infection Tied to Response to Arthritis Tx
A specific immune response signature associated with latent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection may help predict response to treatment in very early rheumatoid arthritis, researchers reported.
Sports:
Washington Post— NFL, NHL concussion cases are not the same
Three months after the NFL agreed on a $765 million settlement with thousands of ex-players for concussion-related health problems, a group of their NHL peers is going to court, too. Ten former players, including All-Star forward Gary Leeman, are named as plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit. It alleges the NHL hasn’t done enough to protect players from concussions and seeks court-approved, NHL-sponsored medical monitoring for the players’ injuries as well as monetary damages.
Special Interest:
— Brave middle schooler tells peers she’s bald
It all started after Katarina wrote a letter to her school counselor: “I have a disease and it makes me lose my hair,” she wrote. The 11-year-old was born with alopecia areata, an autoimmune skin disease that results in hair loss on the scalp and other places on the body. The condition affects 2% of Americans, both male and female, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Politico—Sen. Creigh Deeds: ‘I am alive for a reason’
Last Tuesday, Deeds, 55, and his 24-year-old son, Gus, were involved in an altercation at Deeds’s residence in Bath County, Va. Gus died at the scene of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to law enforcement officials. Gus Deeds underwent a mental evaluation the day before the altercation at the Bath County Hospital, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Rockbridge Community Services Board told the paper he was not admitted to a facility because a bed could not be located within the western Virginia area.