(January 11, 2010 - Insidermedicine)

From Switzerland - According to a report published in The Lancet, cesarean sections should not be done unless medically indicated. Researchers from the World Health Organization examined data on over 100 000 deliveries, finding an increased risk of both morbidity--admission to intensive care, hysterectomy and blood transfusion--and maternal mortality associated with cesarean sections that were not medically indicated.

From Ohio - Researchers have identified a new predictor of success in cornea transplant surgery, according to a report published in the Archives of Ophthalmology. Previous theories  maintained that the donor's endothelial cells--the cells that line the underside of the cornea--would predict whether the transplant would succeed or not. New research, however, shows that the patient's endothelial count six month after transplantation is much better at predicting the eventual success of the procedure.

And finally, from Baltimore - According to a report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, even a tiny amount of lead in the blood can be dangerous for children's kidneys. Researchers studied nearly 800 children and teenagers, finding that children with lead levels above 2.9 micrograms per deciliter had a kidney filtration rate that was 6.6 units lower than children who had less than 1 micrograms per deciliter in their blood.