New Study Offers Insight Into Predicting A Stroke’s Ramifications
For many strokes, the location of lesions matters less than the disruptions a stroke causes in the flow of signals between the brain’s two hemispheres.
Los Angeles Times:
In Predicting A Stroke's Toll, Location Matters, But So Do Connections
Each year, roughly 666,000 Americans survive a stroke, and for them, the aftermath can be hard to predict. Some stroke patients have difficulty speaking or grasp for words that do not come. Some suffer problems with vision, balance or mobility. Some are addled by attention, memory and other cognitive deficits that can range from subtle to severe. To glean what kinds of disabilities a patient will probably face, neurologists have long looked at the location of the lesion a stroke leaves behind — on a brain scan, the darkened site where cells have died off. But when a system as complex as the human brain comes under attack, pinpointing the injury’s whereabouts isn’t always a very good guide. (Healy, 7/11)
In other public health news —
Sacramento Bee:
Deaf People Encounter Troubles With Medical Care
The struggle to communicate with medical providers is a common complaint among the deaf and hard of hearing and has resulted in dozens of legal settlements nationwide in recent years. Since 2012, when the federal Department of Justice launched its Barrier-Free Health Care Initiative, it has concluded investigations in about 36 cases – including several in California – involving lack of interpreter services. An estimated 37 million U.S. adults have hearing trouble, ranging from partial loss to complete deafness, according to a 2006 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Buck, 7/11)
Los Angeles Times:
Four In 10 UC Students Do Not Have A Consistent Source Of High-Quality, Nutritious Food, Survey Says
The startling results from the survey of nearly 9,000 students, believed to be the nation’s largest look ever at campus food security, found that 19% of respondents went hungry at times. An additional 23% were able to eat but lacked steady access to a good-quality, varied and nutritious diet. UC President Janet Napolitano, in conjunction with the survey’s release, announced a $3.3-million effort to expand the fight against campus malnutrition. Each campus will receive $151,000, adding to the $75,000 each received last year to build what officials say will be the nation’s most comprehensive, systematic plan to tackle the problem. (Watanabe and Newell, 7/11)
Los Angeles Times:
The People Taking Care Of American Children Live In Poverty
The people paid to watch America's children tend to live in poverty. Nearly half receive some kind of government assistance: food stamps, welfare checks, Medicaid. Their median hourly wage is $9.77 — about $3 below the average janitor's. In a new report, researchers at UC Berkeley say that child care is too vital to the country's future to offer such meager wages. Those tasked with supporting kids, they say, are shaping much of tomorrow's workforce. (Paquette, 7/11)