by Marilynn Marchione

SAN ANTONIO (AP)– People at risk of a stroke because of narrowed neck arteries can be safely treated with a less drastic option than the surgery done now, the largest study ever done on these treatments concludes.

If Medicare agrees to cover it, hundreds of thousands of Americans a year might be able to have an artery-opening procedure and a stent instead of surgery to remove built-up plaque, doctors say. A stent is a wire-mesh tube that props the blood vessel open.

by Darlene Superville

WASHINGTON (AP)—Michelle Obama on Feb. 9 unveiled “Let’s Move”—her public awareness campaign against childhood obesity in the U.S., a problem she says concerns her both as first lady and as a mother.

LET’S MOVE—First lady Michelle Obama points out some student athletes as she announces a campaign to combat the rapidly growing problem of childhood obesity, Feb. 9, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington.

One in three American children is overweight or obese, putting them at higher risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other illnesses. And public health experts say today’s kids are on track to have shorter lifespans than their parents.

“None of us wants this future for our kids,” Mrs. Obama said at the White House. “We have to act, so let’s move.”

by Cora Christian

(NNPA)—January 1 brought more than the New Year. It also brought a new law making it easier for low-income beneficiaries to qualify for Medicare’s Extra Help program. The program offers significant savings on prescription drugs to enrollees in Medicare Part D.

Grammy Award winning legend Chubby Checker is helping the government to get the word out. An ad campaign features the veteran singer in several radio and television spots singing and dancing to “The Twist.” With the chart-topping hit as a backdrop, Checker tells older Americans and people with disabilities about the new twist in the law—the extra help they might be eligible to receive when they apply.

1950—The 1950 United States Census produced a figure of over 15 million African-Americans living in the United States. This figure represented 10 percent of the total U.S. population.

1950—Pfizer announces the discovery of antibiotic Terramycin, Science, Volume 111, Issue 2874, pp. 85. Drs. Louis and Jane Wright performed the clinical trials on both Terramycin and Aureomycin.

DR. DONNA CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSON

1950—Dr. Charles Drew (1904-1950), the founder of the American blood banks, died April 1.

1950—American and British researchers publish papers presenting evidence that smoking causes lung cancer.

1950—Dr. Helen O. Dickens becomes the first African-American woman admitted to the American College of Surgeons.