Science...

It permeates everyday life. Yet the understanding of advances in biomedical science is limited at best. Few people make the connection that biomedical science is medicine and that biomedical scientists are working today for the  medicine of tomorrow. Our weekly five-hundred word newspaper column and two-minute radio show provides insights into a broad range of biomedical science topics. Medical Discovery News is dedicated to explaining discoveries in biomedical research and their promise for the future of medicine.

Each release is designed to stimulate listeners to think, question and appreciate how science affects their health as well as that of the rest of the world. We also delve into significant biomedical discoveries and portray how science (or the lack of it) has impacted health throughout history.

Flesh-Eating Bacterium Attacks Another Woman in Georgia
As 24-year-old grad student Aimee Copeland improved in an Augusta, Ga., hospital after losing her leg to necrotizing fascitis, a few hours away a mother giving birth to twins was about to fight the same battle. About 13 hours after being released from an Atlanta hospital with two healthy newborns, Lana Kuykendall was admitted again and is being treated for a potentially fatal flesh-eating bacterium. Officials say the cases are unrelated as each woman is infected with a different kind of bacteria. Both women are in stable but critical condition.

Too Much Sugar May Lower IQ
In a study using rats, UCLA scientists found that a diet too high in sugar negatively affected learning and memory capabilities, and that omega-3 fatty acids counteracted these issues. The study used high-fructose corn syrup, which is six times sweeter than cane sugar and has already been linked to obesity, diabetes, and liver problems. On average, each year Americans eat 40 pounds of this syrup, which is a common ingredient in processed foods like soda and cereal.

Police Arrest Man for Not Taking TB Medication
A man with highly contagious tuberculosis, a bacterium that can become airborne, was arrested for failing to take medication to treat the disease. Public health officials in San Joaquin County, Calif., say that his actions are putting the community at risk. Armando Rodriguez, 34, started a nine-month treatment plan, but 47 days later he returned eight days worth of unused antibiotics to a health case manager, saying he didn't want them to interact with the alcohol and methamphetamine he had consumed.

Study Aims to Prevent Alzheimer's With Drug
For the first time, the federal government will collaborate with a drug company to test the effectiveness of an antibody called crenezumab in preventing Alzheimer's, a form of dementia that affects 5.4 million Americans. The government has committed $16 million to the first trial, which will cost $100 million, as part of President Obama's plan to find a cure by 2025. The National Institutes of Health, Genetech pharmaceutical company, and the University of Antioquia in Medellin, Colombia, will conduct the study.

Doctors Uninformed About Long-Term Effects of Chemo
After a cancer patient becomes a cancer survivor, a primary care physician usually steps in. But a recent survey found that most physicians are not familiar the long-term side effects of chemotherapy treatments. Only 22 percent of the 1,100 physicians surveyed correctly identified some effects of more commonly used chemo medications. The American Society of Clinical Oncology, which conducted the survey, hopes for more communication on the continuing care of America's 12 million cancer survivors.

Milestone: More Minorities than Whites Born in U.S.
Based on the 2011 census data, more children born in the U.S. were minorities than whites. During a 12-month period, 50.4 percent of children born belonged to Hispanic, black, Asian, Native-American, or other minority groups, while babies of non-Hispanic white race made up 49.6 percent. The year before, minorities accounted for 49.5 of all U.S. births. Demographers predict that minorities will outnumber whites by the year 2040.