Seattle, WA - A new study in Veterans Affairs (VA) patients has found no survival benefit associated with bariatric surgery among older, severely obese people when compared with usual care, at least out to seven years. Dr Matthew L Maciejewski (Durham VA Medical Centers, Durham, NC) presented the findings here yesterday at the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting, and they were published simultaneously in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

On her first day at work last month, when Dr Hemangi Sane stood before a group of junior doctors to give a lecture on internal medicine, she made sure that her voice was loud and clear. Two years ago, Sane's voice was barely audible and her weakening muscles had left her unable to walk. Sane, 35, was diagnosed with motor neuron disease (MND) - a degenerative disease - in 2004.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. By his early 60s, Michael Stieler had worn out the cartilage in his right hip with a lifetime of running, hang gliding and carpentry work. Surgery to replace the hip in 2007 provided enormous relief for the Sonora, Calif., man - for a year.

Scott Smith treats people who might not know they have a problem. Smith, who is a doctor of dental surgery, specializes in periodontics. Unfortunately, a lot of people who have periodontal disease don't know it. But there's good news for those who do suffer from the disease that can rob people of their teeth.

Cleveland — A new study suggests that an older person’s age should not be the sole determining factor in deciding whether plastic surgery is appropriate, HealthDay News reports.

St. Clair Shores— Leaning against the coffee table in his family's living room, 8-year-old Kaden Strek has a joke up his sleeve. Kaden, who has cerebral palsy and is legally blind, knocks on the table with a curled hand.

Dr. Rod Rohrich says objectives of ethnic rhinoplasty have changed – more patients want to preserve ethnic look of their noses.

Parkinson's disease patients have double the risk of developing potentially lethal melanoma, government researchers reported Tuesday. Researchers have long suspected such a link, but the new study, reported in the journal Neurology, provides the strongest evidence to date.

The weight loss industry makes big bucks in a losing proposition – losing weight that is. There are thousands of diets purporting to be the best plan for shedding the pounds, but do they work? Interestingly, U.S. News and World Report assembled an independent panel of 22 recognized experts in heart disease, diabetes, diet and exercise to review 20 diets.

While 3-D may be the latest, greatest thing in the realm of television and movie entertainment, a local dental surgeon is finding a more practical use for the technology.