Omega-3 fatty acids don’t improve depression in heart patients

CarneyDepression is common in patients with heart disease but antidepressants often aren’t effective in these patients. In a new approach, scientists at the School of Medicine gave patients antidepressants plus omega-3 fatty acids, which are known both for their heart benefits and for alleviating depression in some people. However, the combination therapy was no better than antidepressants alone, they report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Expert discusses the next steps for health care reform in the U.S.

With health care legislation now up for debate in both the House and the Senate, comprehensive health care reform is closer than ever, says Timothy McBride, Ph.D., health economist and associate dean of public health at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. McBride says that there is still much work to be done with health care reform and contentious issues remain. Among those are the public option, how the legislation will be financed, the generosity of the coverage, Medicare Advantage reforms and whether there will be mandates for employers to offer coverage. (Video available)

DeBaun elected to Institute of Medicine

DeBaunMichael R. DeBaun has been elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors medical scientists in the United States can receive. DeBaun was recognized for his major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care and public health.

Skills tests like ‘connect the dots’ may be early Alzheimer’s indicator

A study of mental decline in the years prior to diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease suggests that changing the focus of testing may help physicians detect signs of the disease much earlier. School of Medicine researchers have found that visuospatial skills, evaluated with tasks such as connecting the dots or using a guide to build a structure with blocks, begin to deteriorate up to three years prior to a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s.
Older Stories