Formerly conjoined twins Maria de Jesus and Maria Teresa Quiej-Alvarez were flown back to UCLA on Thursday after suffering medical setbacks in Guatemala. The twins, who were once joined at the head, were taken to the Mattel Children’s Hospital, where they had been cared for after separation surgery in August 2002. Maria de Jesus was […]
Author Archives: Edward Chiao
Professor suggests basin as solution for polluted runoff
Rainstorms are the Pacific Ocean’s worst enemy ““ thousands of pounds of pollutants are washed into the Pacific Ocean when it rains in Los Angeles. The rainwater that falls from our rooftops and cars runs onto city streets and is eventually collected into stormdrains. The stormwater then finds its way to the ocean through a […]
Separated twin improves to “˜serious’ after surgery
Maria Teresa Quiej Alvarez, one of the formerly conjoined twins separated at UCLA last year, has been upgraded from critical to serious condition. She was moved out of the intensive care unit at the Hospital del Pilar in Guatemala City where she was being treated for E. Coli meningitis since April 15, according to Dr. […]
Twin admitted into hospital
Maria Teresa Quiej Alvarez, one of the formerly conjoined twins separated at UCLA last year, is in critical condition in a Guatemalan hospital. On April 15, doctors discovered a pump they inserted in her skull had become infected with E. coli bacteria. Doctors at the Hospital del Pilar in Guatemala City successfully removed the old […]
Virus hits over 13 countries
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, a deadly flu-like virus, has spread throughout the world with cases now being reported in over 13 countries. The worldwide epidemic, which is believed to have started in southern China, has reportedly infected 1,622 people since late last year, and 58 people have died resulting from the virus, according to the […]
Video games have benefits
Avid computer gamers may be pleased to know the countless hours they spend playing computer games can actually help them perform better in school. A study released from the Children’s Digital Media Center at UCLA found the cognitive skills developed from playing computer and video games can help people in areas of science and technology. […]
Operating-room allies always come in handy during surgery
If there was ever a medical dictionary of bad words, it would have to include the word “Surgery”. Last week, I found myself thinking constantly about the S-word. I was inside the operating room at the UCLA Medical Plaza, lying on an operating table, staring straight up at the ceiling, my left arm completely numb. […]