MarfanLife.net | News blog

Sports : Can people with scoliosis exercise?: “Exercise does not make scoliosis worse. In fact, it is very important for all people, including those with scoliosis, to exercise and remain physically fit. Girls have a higher risk than boys of developing osteoporosis (a disorder that results in weak bones that can break easily) later in life. The risk of osteoporosis is reduced in women who exercise regularly all their lives; and weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, running, soccer, and gymnastics, increases bone density and helps prevent osteoporosis. For both boys and girls, exercising and participating in sports also improves their general sense of well being.”

The Scientist :: Biohistory guidelines urged: “The latest source of excitement is the bloodstained cloak worn by Mary Todd Lincoln on the night of her husband’s assassination. ‘Various groups want access to it, some for commercial purposes, like to sell jewelry with Abe Lincoln’s DNA in it or to make a television show, and others to look at whether he had the gene predisposing to Marfan’s syndrome,’ Andrews said.”

Chicago Historical Society Northwestern University Wet With Blood: “Testing for Marfan syndrome is not a part of the Chicago Historical Society’s collaborative investigation.” But this link is still interesting. (You may want to start at the beginning of the presentation, one page back from this link. You’ll see what I mean.)

Mercury News | 04/09/2004 | Rules sought for genetic sleuths: “The group, which includes scientists, historians and lawyers specializing in bioethics, formed three years ago at the request of the Chicago Historical Society, which owns artifacts related to the assassination of President Lincoln: the bed he died in, the blood-stained sheets that purportedly were on that bed and the cloak his wife wore that night, which also appears spattered with blood.
A number of people have proposed analyzing the bloodstains. Some want to see if Lincoln had a genetic condition known as Marfan syndrome. Others wonder if they are somehow related to the president. Then there’s the company that wants to incorporate Lincoln’s DNA into a line of pricey jewelry.”

The National Marfan Foundation has a new, useful search engine based on Google! This makes it much easier to find what you need on the site. Thanks, Judy!

WSJ.com - Journal Is Awarded Two Pulitzer Prizes: “Journal reporters Kevin Helliker and Thomas M. Burton won the explanatory prize for their articles about aortic aneurysms, a little-known vascular condition responsible for thousands of deaths in the U.S. every year.”

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Nation — 2004 Pulitzer Prizes announced

The explanatory reporting award went to Kevin Helliker and Thomas M. Burton of The Wall Street Journal for their “groundbreaking” examination of aneurysms, an often overlooked medical condition that kills thousands of Americans each year.

www.delawareonline.com : Obituaries: “Robert D. Everett Age 74 of Newkirk Estates passed away Friday, March 26, 2004, at the Nanticoke Memorial Hospital in Seaford, DE.” (Bobbie’s father)