The Year In Medicine From A To Z

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The brave new world of cloned babies has yet to materialize, but each year scientists get closer to copying humans. South Korean scientists announced in February that with improved techniques they managed to get cloned embryos to survive long enough for them to extract the world's first cloned human stem cells. In theory, such cells could be used to create any of the body's more than 200 tissue types. While that possibility is still years away, the new techniques could someday be used to obtain replacement tissue for patients using their own cells--thus avoiding the need for donors and the dangers of rejection.

CHOLESTEROL

With heart-disease rates in the U.S. showing no signs of slowing, health officials urged Americans to reduce their cholesterol levels well below those that have been considered normal. The change was prompted by five scientific studies that highlighted the benefits of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. These studies identified a group of Americans at extremely high risk--among them, people who smoke, have diabetes, have high blood pressure or have suffered at least one heart attack--who could lower their heart-disease risk by cutting their level of LDL, the so-called bad cholesterol, from the previous target of below 100 mg/dL to below 70 mg/dL. Even people at moderate risk of a heart attack--those with two or more risk factors, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, being overweight or a family history of heart disease--should lower their LDL to below 100 mg/dL instead of the previously recommended 129 mg/dL or under.

CINNAMON

This aromatic spice may be good for more than stirring a hot toddy or sprinkling on a cappuccino. Cinnamon, it turns out, contains a molecule with insulin-like properties that may help people with Type 2 diabetes. A small study in Pakistan showed that 30 patients with diabetes had significantly lower blood levels of glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol after taking cinnamon for 40 days. In a separate study, however, scientists at the University of California at Santa Barbara and the Sansum Medical Research Institute found that not all cinnamon is created equal. While some varieties had no impact, others lowered blood-glucose levels in studies of obese mice.

CORONARY CALCIUM

One of the hardest things for heart doctors to do is predict, before the appearance of any symptoms, which of their patients are likely to have a heart attack. The Framingham Risk Score--which measures such variables as age, sex, smoking history, cholesterol level, blood pressure and diabetes--has helped doctors in the past, but it's not perfect. By combining the Framingham scores with advanced heart-imaging technology, scientists have found, physicians can significantly improve their ability to identify patients at risk. Known as the coronary-artery calcium score, the imaging data come from specialized CT scans of heart vessels that pick up calcium deposits around which plaques can form.

COUGH