Media Coverage

This shift in age among first-time mothers impacts public health, says Dr. Priya Rajan, a specialist in maternal-fetal medicine at Northwestern University. She says teen moms are at higher risk of serious medical complications like anemia and hypertension, and are more likely to give birth prematurely and to have small babies.

A novel, minimally invasive way to treat severe breathing problems caused by lung disease showed modest but promising benefits in a small French study. The results suggest that coil treatment may provide real benefits for a select group but won’t work for many COPD patients, said Dr. Ravi Kalhan, a Northwestern University lung specialist who was involved in the U.S. study. “Every little increment of something that could work in COPD is significant. There are a lot of people with this disease,” Kalhan said.

“Live kidney donations generally come from family members, who are the most likely to be a genetic match, but [they] often come from spouses, friends and even strangers,” said Juan Caicedo, the director of the Hispanic Transplant Program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and a co-developer of the Infórmate site.

Elisa Gordon, an associate professor of surgery at Northwestern University who led the development and testing of Infórmate, said many Latino families are afraid that donation can decrease virility and fertility. Other concerns are that the Catholic Church opposes it or that becoming a donor could trigger a report to immigration officials. None of those are true. In addition, many Latinos worry about related costs and don’t know that insurance generally covers most of the expenses for both the donor and recipient.

Elisa Gordon, an associate professor of surgery at Northwestern University who led the development and testing of Infórmate, said many Latino families are afraid that donation can decrease virility and fertility. Other concerns are that the Catholic Church opposes it or that becoming a donor could trigger a report to immigration officials. None of those are true. In addition, many Latinos worry about related costs and don’t know that insurance generally covers most of the expenses for both the donor and recipient.

“I think this data is some of the first to report what we see in the clinic,” said Dr. Joshua Meeks, a urologist affiliated with the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

“Live kidney donations generally come from family members, who are the most likely to be a genetic match, but [they] often come from spouses, friends and even strangers,” said Juan Caicedo, director of the Hispanic Transplant Program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and a co-developer of the Infórmate site.

Men with sexual dysfunction after prostate cancer surgery are often surprised to learn that the surgery had put them at risk for those problems, a new study finds. “I think this data is some of the first to report what we see in the clinic,” said Dr. Joshua Meeks, a urologist affiliated with the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. Still, the results show that some men may not retain information from their doctor about the risks of prostate removal, said Meeks, who was not involved with the new study. “I think it really highlights why it’s important to have their spouse there, because I think having another set of ears is incredibly helpful,” he told Reuters Health

Studies that have looked at so-called Super Agers — people who stay cognitively sharp well into old age — have found these people have only one factor in common, says Sandra Weintraub, a professor of neurology, psychiatry and psychology and a neuropsychologist at Northwestern University’s Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center. “Some of them smoke, some of them drink, some of them are couch potatoes, some exercise every day, some eat pork bellies and some consume a Mediterranean diet,” Weintraub says. “What they do have in common is that they are very engaged and active. They’re so busy it’s hard to get them in for research visits.”

Getting natural light during the day is ideal, so your best bet is to sit near a window if possible. In fact, people with windows in their offices get better sleep and are more physically active than those without, according to a 2013 study from Northwestern University.