The past two weekends were particularly busy ones for Penn State campuses statewide, as the University held nearly three dozen commencement ceremonies, including roughly a dozen on the University Park campus. Penn State Altoona and the Dickinson School of Law got things started, as both held commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 9. The rest of the campuses and Penn College held ceremonies May 15, 16 or 17. In all, the University awarded approximately 10,875 diplomas to students University-wide who are completing 588 associate, 8,627 baccalaureate, 1,083 master's, 131 medical, 212 law and 234 doctoral degrees. While not all Penn state campuses or colleges were able to provide photos of their commencement ceremonies, quite a few have sent them to Penn State Live. In addition, Penn State Public Information photographer Andy Colwell made it to several commencement ceremonies at University Park.
People are living longer compared to 50 years ago. In the days when women did not expect to live beyond 65, osteoporosis was not much of a concern. As a larger portion of the population lives to 80, 90 and beyond, strong bones are essential. Osteoporosis results when bones lose enough calcium to increase the risk of fracture, says this week's edition of The Medical Minute, a service of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Deep Venous Thrombosis means you develop a clot in one of the deep veins, usually in the leg or pelvis. In the hospital you're more likely to develop a clot for two reasons. First, you do not move around as much as you do at home. This makes your blood tend to stagnate in your veins, which can lead to clots. Second, your blood is thicker when you're sick due to your body's natural immune response. Your risk of developing a DVT in the hospital without any preventative treatment ranges up to 20 percent for a general medical patient and up to 80 percent for a major trauma patient, according to this week's edition of The Medical Minute, a service of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
February was designated as Heart Month to increase awareness of heart disease. Recently, the American Heart Association's (AHA) Go Red campaign has focused on women and heart disease -- and for good reason. More women die of heart disease than all other causes of death combined. More women than men die from cardiovascular disease which is why women need to be aware of their risk factors, says this week's edition of The Medical Minute, a service of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
Science has sought the "cause" of cancer for decades, and in the case of cervical cancer, the cause has been found. The cervix is the opening to the womb that is situated at the upper end of the vagina. Until recently the best approach to cervical cancer was to detect it early with a Pap test performed during a gynecologic examination. While the occurrence of advanced cervical cancer has dropped through widespread use of the Pap test, there are many women in the United States and millions worldwide who do not get or have access to Pap tests. This year in the United States, about 12,000 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer. Almost 4,000 will die of the disease which is easily detectable and easily cured, if found early.
Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract that belongs to a group of illnesses called inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, about one in 500 people suffers from IBD. Crohn's can present at any age and affects both genders and all races. It is a chronic disease for which there is no cure, but for which health care providers and researchers are improving their ability to decrease its activity.
It may be uncomfortable to think about after the holidays, but currently two-thirds of Americans are overweight and about five percent are actually clinically severely obese. New Year's resolutions are great, but they probably won't do much to solve this growing epidemic. Very few people are able to lose significant weight through diet and exercise, and even fewer are able to keep the weight off long term.
We are entering that wonderful time of year when we can experience some of the many benefits of living in a climate with four seasons. Those who enjoy skiing and snowboarding are anxiously looking at hilltops in the expectation of seeing some beautiful white powder. However, to fully enjoy our participation, we should remain mindful of injury prevention, advises the latest edition of The Medical Minute, a service of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
Halloween is supposed to be a spooky night, but parents don't have to be scared about their kids' safety if they follow some simple safety tips from Safe Kids Dauphin County, led by the Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. It's essential for parents to prepare their children properly to stay safe while trick-or-treating.
Cataracts are one of the most well-known ailments that affect the eye. Approximately 20.5 million Americans carry this diagnosis, and an estimated 2.5 million surgeries per year are performed to correct this condition. Worldwide, this condition afflicts 48 percent, or approximately 18 million people of the world's blind, making it the leading cause of preventable blindness, explains this week's edition of The Medical Minute, a service of the Penn State Hershey Medical Center.