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Mayo Clinic Minute: Correcting the curve with scoliosis surgery

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:12:43 GMT

Jason Howland | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News NetworkScoliosis is a condition that causes the spine to curve. It often is diagnosed in children — perhaps during a growth spurt or in and around the time of puberty. However, it can be associated with other conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, infection or injuries to the spine. There are also other conditions, including congenital or neuromuscular diseases, that con contribute to a curvature.Surgery is usually a last resort to fix the problem. And as Dr. Jamal McClendon Jr., a Mayo Clinic neurosurgeon, explains, new technology and techniques have improved the safety and recovery time for patients who have surgery to correct the curve.Most people with scoliosis have a mild spinal curve that can be monitored by their healthcare team over time or treated with a back brace and physical therapy.“Most individuals who we see, or I see, in the office, greater than 90% do not need any form of a procedure,” says Dr. McClendon.But wh...

Gretchen’s table: Green chili with salsa verde chases away that fall chill

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:12:43 GMT

Gretchen McKay | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)Now that it’s officially fall, and the weather is getting cooler, many of us are turning to foods that are a little heartier.A rich and warming pot of chili is a good dish to make the transition from summer to autumn in part because it’s a perfect football food — it feeds a crowd and it’s so easy to eat on the couch in front of the TV. Chili is also versatile, and can satisfy a vegetarian as well as a carnivore, depending on the mix of ingredients.It’s also equal opportunity when it comes to spice. If you love a dish that makes your lips and taste buds burn, throw a few more chili peppers or tablespoons of chili powder into the pot. If you’re more reserved, use less or choose a milder chili pepper, such as poblano.This green chili combines chunks of pork tenderloin with white onion, garlic and salsa verde. Cannellini beans, a type of white kidney bean, add protein and fiber without overpowering the other flavors. I also add fresh jalapen...

With Matthew Judon out, Patriots rookie Keion White expected to play bigger role

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:12:43 GMT

Losing either one of Matthew Judon or Christian Gonzalez to injury would have been a massive blow, but to lose both at once could potentially be catastrophic.How will the Patriots move forward after losing two of their best defensive players to serious injuries? Linebackers coach Jerod Mayo said Tuesday that others will have to step up in their absence.“Judon’s been great for us in the locker room, in the meeting room and on the field, but we have other players,” Mayo said. “It’s not going to be just one guy, it’s going to be multiple guys trying to fill that role. We’ll see what happens, we’ll see if he comes back but in the meantime we feel pretty confident about the guys on the roster.“We have great players, we always talk about how the rush and the coverage have to marry up, so look, we have guys who can play in those roles,” Mayo continued when asked about Gonzalez specifically. “Obviously it hurts to lose a guy ...

Who polices hospitals merging across markets? States give different answers

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:12:43 GMT

Samantha Liss | (TNS) KFF Health NewsSt. Louis’ largest health system, BJC HealthCare, plans to merge with Kansas City’s second-largest, Saint Luke’s Health System, uniting more than 28 hospitals on both sides of Missouri by the end of this year.The merger, which would span markets 250 miles apart and include facilities in neighboring Kansas and Illinois, is just one of the latest in a quickly consolidating hospital industry. Cross-market deals accounted for more than half of all hospital mergers and acquisitions during the last decade, according to a paper from experts on antitrust law. Today, nearly 60% of health systems operate multiple hospitals in different geographic markets.Not only are such deals more common, they can increase costs for patients. Merged hospitals in the same state but in different markets raised prices as much as 10% compared with other hospitals, researchers found after analyzing past deals. A separate study found stand-alone hospitals raised prices 17% aft...

For a classic Italian comfort food, try meatballs

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:12:43 GMT

By Carla Vigos | Laguna Woods Globe cooking columnistSeptember is my birthday month. It’s a time for reflection of all the special times and people in my life. I love my Italian heritage, and I am a huge fan of the food – which for most Italians go hand in hand.There are so many memories tied to the food my mother made. I think that’s one reason I love to cook.Spaghetti and meatballs is a comfort food memory. When the garlic hits the olive oil, it brings back memories of when I helped my mother in the kitchen.Sunday was sauce day. We would invite relatives over for spaghetti, and play cards after the meal.This month, meatballs are the star of this column, with a plain red sauce.For questions or comments, email [email protected] pounds 80% ground beef2 eggs2 to 3 large garlic cloves, minced1 cup bread crumbs softened with 3/4 cup water13/4 teaspoons salt3/4 teaspoon pepper1 teaspoon dried oregano3/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese1/4 cup chopped parsley1 ta...

Speaker McCarthy’s job at risk after House votes to move ahead with hard-right effort to oust him

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:12:43 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ability to remain in leadership is now seriously at risk after the House voted Tuesday to move ahead with an effort by hard-right Republican critics to oust him.The narrow vote forced by McCarthy’s chief rival, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, brought together a handful of conservative Republican critics of the speaker and many Democrats who say he is not worthy of leadership.By refusing to table the motion, or set it aside, the House now opens an extraordinary floor debate ahead of the next round of voting. A final outcome could be delayed.McCarthy insists he will not cut a deal with Democrats to remain in power.The House quickly opened debate on whether to oust McCarthy as speaker after the Tuesday vote, his job at risk from a conservative rebellion.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Kevin McCarthy is confronting his hard-right critics head-on Tuesday as he faces a historic challenge to o...

Idaho and Missouri shift to Republican presidential caucuses after lawmakers cancel primaries

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:12:43 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Republicans in Idaho and Missouri will have to attend caucuses to make their presidential picks next year after the two states’ GOP-led legislatures canceled their presidential primaries and then missed a deadline to reinstate them. Presidential caucuses in both states are planned March 2, putting them near the front of the national presidential selection process. Both states would have been scheduled to hold March 12 primaries, had lawmakers not eliminated them. Members of Idaho’s Republican-led Legislature had talked about calling themselves into a special session to reinstate a primary but failed to agree on a proposal before Sunday’s deadline, imposed by the Republican National Committee, for states to submit their 2024 presidential nominating plans. Idaho lawmakers this year passed cost-saving legislation backed by Republican Secretary of State Phil McGrane that was intended to push the presidential primary to May 21 to coincide with...

Florida man convicted of killing two women over 25 years ago set to die by injection

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:12:43 GMT

STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A man is scheduled to die by injection more than 25 years after he killed two women he met in north Florida bars during a dayslong spate of crimes.Michael Zack III was scheduled to be executed at 6 p.m. Tuesday for the murder of Ravonne Smith, a bar employee he befriended and later beat and stabbed with an oyster knife in June 1996. He also was convicted and separately sentenced to life in prison for murdering Laura Rosillo, whom he met at a bar in a nearby county. Zack’s nine-day crime run began in Tallahassee, where he was a regular at a bar. When Zack’s girlfriend called and said he was being evicted, the bartender offered to loan him her pickup truck. Zack left with it and never returned, according to court records.Zack drove to a bar in Niceville in the Florida Panhandle, where he befriended a construction company owner. The man learned Zack was living in the pickup truck and offered to let him stay at his home. Zack later stole two guns and $42....

Judges aiming to give Black voters more influence in Alabama set to redraw congressional districts

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:12:43 GMT

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge said Tuesday that the court will soon adopt new congressional districts for Alabama, choosing among proposals aimed at giving Black voters a greater opportunity to influence election outcomes in the Deep South state. U.S. District Judge Stanley Marcus, noting a ruling will be issued “shortly,” said the three-judge panel is aware of the time constraints posed by elections next year when the state’s seven U.S. House seats will be on the ballot. The court could rule as early as this week. The panel is stepping in to adopt new district boundaries after ruling that the Republican-controlled Alabama Legislature failed to remedy a Voting Rights Act violation when lawmakers adopted new lines this summer. The judges said the state-drawn plan — which had one majority Black district out of seven in a state that is 27% Black — illegally diluted the political power of Black residents. The judges last month wrote that they were “deeply troubled” that ...

Homeless 25-year-old Topeka man arrested in rape and killing of 5-year-old girl

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:12:43 GMT

A homeless Kansas man has been arrested in the rape and killing of a 5-year-old girl, authorities said Tuesday. Officers responded just before 6 p.m. Monday to a medical call at a Topeka gas station and found a fire crew attempting to save Zoey Felix, police said in a news release. She was rushed to a hospital and later pronounced dead. Investigators identified a 25-year-old man as a suspect and booked him into jail Tuesday morning on suspicion of first-degree murder and rape. His bond is set at $2 million and no attorney is listed for him, said Timothy Phelps, deputy director of the Shawnee County Department of Corrections. No formal charges were immediately filed, court records show. The news release said that the man was known to Zoey, but police spokesperson Rosie Nichols said she couldn’t provide additional details on how. She also declined to release information on the girl’s cause of death. Heather Hollingsworth, The Associated Press