Osteoporosis risk

Two studies reported in the New England Journal of Medicine show a relationship between osteoporosis and an amino acid called homocysteine. Reports suggest that high levels of homocysteine in the blood indicate an increased risk.

One study shows that men with the highest levels were four times as likely to develop hip fractures as men with the lowest levels.

A second study shows that men and women with the highest levels of homocysteine were twice as likely to suffer any fracture. Because homocysteine increases the risk of heart disease, many people are already getting tested.

Homocysteine levels can be reduced with supplements of folic acid and other B vitamins.

Hospitals ask payment

Hospitals are beginning to ask patients to pay part of their bills before leaving the hospital. Some are asking that co-payments and deductibles, or at least a down payment, be made before elective procedures. The move is being made to reduce bad debts.

Many of hospitals' debts are uncollec

tible because the patients are too poor to pay. But a growing portion is due to insured patients who fall behind in payments on deductibles and co-payments that their policies don't cover. Hospital administrators are working to get the patient's portion of the bill, sometimes before the procedure is done.

The diabetes/Alzheimer's link

A study done at Chicago's Rush University shows that volunteers who had diabetes had a 65 percent greater risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than those who didn't. Researchers also found impairment to memory and problem solving was greater among study participants with diabetes. It is already known that Alzheimer's risk is lowered by controlling blood pressure body weight .