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Oct 09, 2003 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- COUPLES FACE COMPLEX EMOTIONS AFTER MISCARRIAGE
Miscarriages may have a polarizing effect on a couple's relationship, say University of Washington researchers. Their study finds while two-thirds of women report no change or improvement in their relationship with their spouses one year after miscarrying, one-third of women feel emotionally distant. "It seems that when miscarriage affects couples, it may stimulate growth or, conversely, unearth inability to support each other through troubling times," says author Kristen M. Swanson. The study found women who felt distant were less likely to have other children and tended to be older. After miscarrying, they were less interested in sexual relations with their spouses.
DEAFNESS DRUG DOESN'T WORK
A new study finds the standard drug therapy for a rare form of autoimmune deafness may be ineffective. In a clinical trial, researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center found low-dose methotrexate, a drug commonly prescribed to manage hearing loss in autoimmune inner ear disease, was no better than a placebo. AIED, a progressive disease that accounts for 1 percent of all cases of hearing impairment or dizziness, occurs when the body's own antibodies damage the inner ear, resulting in ringing, roaring, dizziness, hissing and ultimately deafness. Methotrexate is typically prescribed to patients to prevent further hearing impairment after high doses of steroids have restored their hearing. The study establishes a need for more sophisticated drugs to combat AIED.
FORGIVENESS PART OF SPINAL CORD REHAB
People recover from spinal cord injuries far better if they take a forgiving attitude toward life. In a preliminary study supported by the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association and a National Institutes of Health grant, researchers surveyed the role of forgiveness and related positive mental outlooks in combating injury-related stress and behavioral disorders among people with spinal injuries.
IMAGING MOVEMENT AIDS STROKE REHAB
Imagination helps people regain the use of limbs after a stroke, a study finds. Researchers at the Feinberg School of Medicine used a motor imagery training program for stroke patients with hemiparesis, or weakened arms and legs on one side of their body. By imagining wrist movements and reaching for and manipulating objects, among other techniques, patients were able to activate the nerves responsible for actual motor control. "Actions generated using motor imagery adhere to the same movement rules and constraints that physical movements follow, and the neural network involved in motor imagery and motor execution overlap in areas of the brain concerned with movement," said co-author Jennifer A. Stevens.
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(EDITORS: For more information on MISCARRIAGE contact Pam Sowers at (206) 543-3620 or sowerspl@u.washington.edu. For DEAFNESS contact Karen Richardson at (336) 716-4453 or krchrdsn@wfubmc.edu. For FORGIVENESS contact Vicki Robb at (703) 329-3356 or vicki@jvrobb.com. For IMAGINATION contact Elizabeth Crown at (312) 503-8928 or e-crown@northwestern.edu.)
Copyright 2003 by United Press International.
