HEALTH BEAT.

• Position: Includes multiple articles - Brief Article

Diagnosing peripheral vascular disease can be performed faster, safer, more affordably, and in a minimally invasive way, studies at New York University Medical Center, New York City, have found. Peripheral magnetic resonance angiography scanners use a combination of ultra-fast, high-resolution imaging sequences with a panoramic table and special peripheral coil to allow coverage from the renal arteries to blood vessels in the foot in a single scan.

Nerve cell death in Alzheimer's disease is caused by a failed attempt at cell division, indicates researcher Karl Herrup, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio. A significant number of brain cells in Alzheimer's patients have extra copies of chromosomes, showing an attempt at division in cells that are not supposed to do so. This effort is the likely cause of nerve degeneration and dementia associated with the disease.

COX-2 drugs are safer than nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory ones, but they have less analgesic effect for treatment of osteoarthritis. According to the American Pain Society, combining these drugs when there is inadequate analgesia from using them alone is a possibility for physicians, depending on a patient's clinical condition.

Victims of violence who suffer traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) do just as well in rehabilitation as other TBI victims--unless they are substance abusers. Researcher Jennifer Bogner, Ohio State University, Columbus, reports that patients with substance abuse histories are less satisfied with their lives and their recoveries from such trauma.

Vitamin E is important in the formation of red blood cells and protects muscle cell membranes from damage during aerobic exercise such as running, indicates Bruce Craig, professor of physical education, Ball State University, Muncie, Ind. He further indicates that vitamin E supplements may protect muscle cell membranes during resistance training such as weight lifting. Vitamin E also has long been touted as a way to smooth and reduce...