(May 12, 2008 - Insidermedicine) From France - According to research in the Archives of Neurology, implanting electrodes to stimulate the brains of those suffering from Parkinson's appears to lower the need for medications and improve motor function, but the procedure may not work for everyone. In a study of 7 patients who failed initial implantation, researchers noted that if these patients had electrodes placed closer to the subthalamic nucleus motor activity improved by 60% and need for levodopa fell by over 50%.

From Detroit - Glaucoma patients with poor health literacy, that is the ability to read pertinent health information like how to take their medications, are more likely to miss taking their pressure lowering drops. According to a study of over 200 glaucoma patients published in the Archives of Ophthalmology, those with poor health literacy were twice as likely to miss taking their glaucoma drops and were more likely to have worse visual field loss.

And finally, from Dublin - High blood pressure and high cholesterol can raise the risk of developing a blockage of a vein in the back of the eye. In a meta-analysis of 21 studies, which compared risk factors in nearly 3,000 patients with retinal vein occlusion to over 28,000 controls, those with high blood pressure were 3.5 times more likely to develop a vein occlusion. High cholesterol raised the risk by 2.5 times, and diabetes was also a risk factor.

For Insidermedicine in 60, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.