What's New on MedlinePlus

High Blood Pressure Education Month

Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

May is National High Blood Pressure Education Month. Check out the MedlinePlus high blood pressure topic page, which includes an interactive tutorial. Also, learn more by reading the latest news.

New on NIHSeniorHealth: Eating Well As You Get Older

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Visit the new NIHSeniorHealth page Eating Well As You Get Older. Also, visit the MedlinePlus nutrition for seniors topic page.

Director's Comments: Heparin Safety

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Listen to the NLM Director's Comments on Heparin Safety. The transcript is also available.

A medical mystery (why patients in several nations became ill or died after taking a widely used blood thinner) recently seemed closer to resolution — following some Congressional testimony by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials and two insightful studies. Eighty one Americans died and 785 persons had allergic reactions in winter 2007 through spring 2008 after receiving heparin, a blood thinner that prevents blood clots and is common in kidney dialysis...

National Women's Health Week

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

This is National Women's Health Week. Learn more. Also, check out the MedlinePlus women's health topic page and the latest news on women's health.

New Health Topic: Clostridium Difficile Infections

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Visit the new MedlinePlus Health Topic page on Clostridium difficile infections.

Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a bacterium that causes diarrhea and more serious intestinal conditions such as colitis. Symptoms include watery diarrhea (at least three bowel movements per day for two or more days), fever, loss of appetite, nausea, and abdominal pain or tenderness. People in good health usually don’t get C. difficile disease. You might get the disease if you have an illness that requires prolonged use of antibiotics. Increasingly, the disease can also be spread in the hospital...

New Topic Page: Lymphedema

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Visit the new MedlinePlus Health Topic page on lymphedema.

The lymphatic system is a network of tissues and organs. It is made up mainly of lymph vessels, lymph nodes and lymph. Lymph vessels, which are different from blood vessels, carry fluid called lymph throughout your body. The lymphatic system collects excess fluid and proteins from body tissues and carries them back to the bloodstream. Edema, or swelling, may happen when there is an increase in the amount of fluid or because of a blockage in the lymphatic system. The accumulation of lymph is called lymphedema...

Thinking of Mom

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Give your mother reliable health information for Mother's Day! Visit the women's health topic page and sign her up for This Week in Women's Health. Also, check out all the e-mail lists and RSS feeds available through MedlinePlus.

New on MedlinePlus: Consumer Health Information in Multiple Languages

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Check out the new collection of consumer health information in multiple languages on MedlinePlus. The new collection complements the English and Spanish content on MedlinePlus and MedlinePlus en español with links to health information in over 40 languages covering nearly 250 topics.

May NIH News in Health Now Available

Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The May issue of NIH News in Health is available. Featured stories cover living with food allergies and air pollution's effects. Also check out the health capsules and the featured Web site.

Live Webcast: Surgery for Skull-Based Tumors

Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Watch a live webcast of a surgery for skull-based tumors on May 8 at 3:00 PM EDT.

Also, browse through links to prerecorded webcasts of surgical procedures. These are actual procedures performed at medical centers in the United States.

May is Healthy Vision Month

Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

May is Healthy Vision Month! Learn more from theNational Eye Institute.

Director's Comments: NLM Global Health Exhibition

Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Listen to the NLM Director's Comments on the NLM Global Health Exhibition. The transcript is also available.

Dedicated persons who make a difference in improving global health are featured in a National Library of Medicine special exhibit that opens this spring. The exhibit, called 'Against All Odds,' notes how citizens and international organizations (plus scientists, physicians, and governments) have reduced 11 public health challenges in more than a dozen nations around the world...

Live Webcast: Total Knee Replacement

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Watch a live webcast of a total knee replacement surgery on May 2 at 12 p.m. EDT.

Also, browse through links to prerecorded webcasts of surgical procedures. These are actual procedures performed at medical centers in the United States.

May is American Stroke Month

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

May is American Stroke Month. Check out the MedlinePlus stroke topic page, which includes interactive tutorials on stroke prevention and stroke rehabilitation . Also, learn more by reading the latest news.

Live Webcast: Surgery for Abdominal Wall Reconstruction

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Watch a live webcast of a surgery for abdominal wall reconstruction on April 30 at 7 p.m. EDT.

Also, browse through links to prerecorded webcasts of surgical procedures. These are actual procedures performed at medical centers in the United States.

Director's Comments: Gum Disease and Marijuana

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Listen to the NLM Director's Comments on Gum Disease and Marijuana. The transcript is also available.

Marijuana smoking was linked to serious gum disease in young adults for the first time in a study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. A study of 903 young men and women from Dunedin, New Zealand suggests a serious loss of gum tissue is associated with (non-medical supervised) marijuana smoking irrespective of tobacco use and is unrelated to a person's dental plaque accumulation...

Plastics and Possible Health Effects Are in the News

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Plastics and their possible health effects are in the news. Check out Questions and Answers from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Also, learn more by reading the latest news.