Rosemary Sparacio

Rosemary Sparacio is a freelance medical and technical writer, and she substitute teaches in her current home in South Carolina. Rosemary has always been involved in healthcare and education, starting out in the lab as a med tech and in R&D. Her career led her to teaching microbiology at a community college, while working in the pharmaceutical industry for Pfizer.

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Articles by Rosemary Sparacio

• Hepatitis A outbreaks popping up across US

  Friday, September 30, 2016

  Hepatitis A is a rare, highly contagious liver infection that is treatable and for which there is a vaccine. In 2014 — the latest year for which data is available — there were about 2,500 cases of hepatitis A in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

• Making medical strides in nanotechnology

  Wednesday, June 22, 2016

  Nanotechnology is clearly playing a transformative role in the future of healthcare and medicine. Nanoparticles are being used inside the body in a variety of ways, including fighting cancer, treating atherosclerosis and killing bacteria. Here is a look at some of the latest developments on the microscopic level.

• 2 new devices advancing cardiac monitoring and treatment

  Friday, April 08, 2016

  The advances in medical devices for monitoring, surgery and R&D have made cardiac care one of the most exciting and successful areas for the proliferation of medical gadgets. Let's take a look at two such devices that are changing the world of cardiac care.

• Technology and medicine: New treatments for diabetes patients

  Thursday, January 21, 2016

  The technological revolution continues to foster advances in medicine at an increasingly rapid rate. In diabetes treatment, monitoring and care, state-of-the-art "gadgets" have made the management of this disease easier and allowed and encouraged more compliance on the part of the patients.

• A look at the latest gadgets throughout the medical world

  Monday, July 06, 2015

  Medical gadgets are in the news often, and cutting-edge manufacturers continue to bring new and exciting inventions to many areas of medicine. Let's take a look at some recent innovations in the medical world.

• New treatments on the horizon for rheumatic diseases

  Wednesday, March 25, 2015

  The overall prevalence of arthritis and rheumatic diseases in the U.S. alone is a staggering number. It is estimated that more than 52.5 million U.S. adults suffer from some type of arthritis (over 1.3 million from RA, over 5 million from fibromyalgia, and over 27 million from clinical osteoarthritis, among others).

• Affordable Care Act faces more hurdles in coming months

  Tuesday, March 24, 2015

  The Affordable Care Act has survived one repeal attempt in the Supreme Court, as well as more than 50 repeal attempts by the House of Representatives and the Senate. However, President Barack Obama's signature legislation faces yet another significant challenge to its existence.

• New products, companies and innovation in healthcare

  Friday, February 13, 2015

  Theranos, Karyopharm Therapeutics, Organovo. These companies are at the forefront of leading-edge technology and new products in the healthcare industry. And the new advances in technology and manufacturing have made many of their products not only possible, but also viable and available.

• The quest for new antibiotics turns back to nature, genetics

  Monday, September 22, 2014

  With antibiotic resistance becoming an increasing problem in medical treatment, the search is on for new antibiotics, new sources for those antibiotics and new mechanisms. For thousands of years people have used products found in nature for their medicinal properties. A return to nature may be the next area in which we find antibiotics.

• The growing threat of antibiotic resistance

  Thursday, August 14, 2014

  A number of diseases once easily treatable have become resistant to antibiotics currently on the market, and that number continues to grow. Healthcare spending due to this antibiotic resistance costs $20 billion per year. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has warned that antibiotic resistance is such a serious problem that it could be the "next pandemic."

• Chikungunya virus spreading across the US

  Thursday, July 24, 2014

  Until recently, the chikungunya virus was found primarily in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Indian and Pacific Oceans. But late last year, cases began popping up in the Caribbean. However, with many Americans vacationing in the Caribbean islands, cases are now being reported in the U.S. — and at what some experts consider an alarming rate.

• Advances in treatment of epilepsy offer new options

  Wednesday, July 23, 2014

  ​Approximately 2.3 million adults and nearly 500,000 children in the U.S. currently live with some form of epilepsy, and the annual costs are estimated to be $15.5 billion. The good news is that recent advances in epilepsy treatment have given physicians and patients more options.

• Breast cancer: Advancements in surgery

  Monday, July 07, 2014

  As in other areas of breast cancer research and development, advances in surgery are also being seen, not only in improving the actual surgery techniques, but also in the methods and processes prior to and following surgery. Here is a look at some of the latest research.

• Breast cancer: Advancements in treatment

  Wednesday, June 25, 2014

  ​The American Cancer Society predicts that 232,670 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in U.S. women in 2014, resulting in about 40,000 deaths. But the percentage of women who die from breast cancer has steadily declined since 1989. This is often attributed to screening and early diagnosis, but improvements in treatment have also helped.

• Breast cancer: Advancements in diagnosis

  Wednesday, June 18, 2014

  One of the most important advances in breast cancer diagnosis comes from the strides made in mammography. Phase contrast X-ray imaging, ultra-high-field MRI scanners, ultrasound and combinations of such new advances has greatly improved routine screening and patient care.

• Oncology advances leading to better diagnosis, treatment

  Thursday, May 22, 2014

  ​Medical oncologists and their support staff play a vital role in the overall well-being of patients. This role includes a wide array of services from medical research to improving patient care. Because cancer is such a complex disease, the medical oncology team must include surgeons, radiation oncologists and holistic physicians to provide the best possible overall care to the cancer patient.

• Technology and data helping to improve stroke treatment

  Wednesday, May 14, 2014

  Evidence and research indicate that the mortality rate in the event of a stroke has improved. At one time, stroke was the third-leading cause of death in the U.S., but it has fallen to fourth place, according to recent research.

• Impressive new smartphone apps in health and medicine

  Thursday, April 24, 2014

  Smartphones are just about everywhere. In the U.S. alone, more than 91 million Americans now use a smartphone. Of course, these devices are much more than just a phone. The fact that there are apps for many areas in personal health and medicine is a logical step to help individuals take better care of themselves and for researchers to find ways for individuals and physicians to do just that.

• Cultured red blood cells: There’s nothing artificial about it

  Monday, April 21, 2014

  Blood transfusions play a critical role in clinical practice. Over 90 million transfusions take place each year. In the U.S., through donations from individuals, blood donor programs, blood banks and the American Red Cross, transfusions are made possible. However, in order to get the supplies they need, all venues must participate.

• Diagnosis and treatment of ‘killer’ headaches

  Tuesday, April 15, 2014

  Headaches are a billion-dollar industry — that is, $1 billion is spent every year on brain scans for individuals who suffer with a headache. And these brain scans are not just for those who suffer with chronic migraines, but also for those with what would be considered a "routine" headache. Since about 2000, multiple sets of guidelines from neurologists and radiologists alike have been in effect recommending against MRIs and CT scans for what are benign headaches.

• Medical research goes small for big results

  Tuesday, April 08, 2014

  Hardware and its accompanying software continues to make headlines in the news every day. Medicine is certainly no exception. The area of medical devices and related technologies profits greatly from the strides made possible by smaller chips, nanoparticles and nanoelectronics.

• New research shows promise in blood cancer treatment

  Monday, March 24, 2014

  ​Blood cancers pose many challenges for healthcare professionals engaged in clinical research, patient care and treatment. Several new approaches published recently show promise for the future in this field of medicine.

• Telemedicine: The future of medicine

  Tuesday, March 04, 2014

  There are many reasons for the increasingly prevalent use of telemedicine. What may have started out as a way to deliver improved health care services to rural areas, has now exploded to include ways to extend the availability of services to everyone and produce cost benefits both to health care providers and to the patient.

• Malignant melanoma: Diagnosis and treatment progress

  Wednesday, February 26, 2014

  Immunology has been in the forefront and progress in the area of skin cancer — particularly malignant melanoma — and has shown great promise. Melanoma is the sixth-most common cancer in the U.S., and the most common fatal malignancy in young adults.

• Latest research offers promise in detection of pancreatic cancer

  Thursday, February 13, 2014

  Pancreatic cancer causes more than 38,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, and is the fourth-most common cause of cancer deaths in the western world. Recently, however, two studies have identified biomarkers that show potential as a method for early detection of pancreatic cancer.

• Latest advancements in brain cancer R&D

  Monday, February 10, 2014

  Patients with one of the most aggressive brain cancers — glioblastoma — typically have a survival rate beyond five years of less than 5 percent. But several recent studies have shown advancements in the treatment of this deadly cancer.

• Exciting technological advances in oncology

  Tuesday, January 28, 2014

  The incidence of cancer is increasing in the U.S., fueled by 10,000 baby boomers reaching 65 each day. With that realization, it is estimated that there could be an increase in cancer diagnoses, by 67 percent between 2010 and 2030. The result of these alarming numbers is that oncology has been pushed to the forefront in the healthcare field. Fortunately, the technology and research to detect and treat various kinds of cancers has increased as well. Some of this technology is still in the early, yet promising stages.

• Medical school education challenges

  Monday, January 06, 2014

  It is no secret that the cost of medical school education has skyrocketed, and enrolling in a medical school in the U.S. is difficult. Along with that, or perhaps as a reaction to that, students turn to schools out of the country and look for other ways to pay for this education. In August, the U.S. government proposed tying students' financial aid to its ratings of colleges using graduation rates, postgraduation employment and income, and affordability as parameters for the ratings. This has proven disastrous for medical schools in the past.

• Traumatic brain injury: Prevalence, diagnosis and treatment

  Wednesday, December 04, 2013

  Recognition over the last several years regarding the prevalence and seriousness of traumatic brain injury has led to more attention in the media, among physicians, trainers, athletes (adults and children, professional and amateur) and the general population. The reality is that even a single concussion may cause lasting damage to the brain, and that even after symptoms fade, the brain is still injured.

• Technology and medicine: Applying Google Glass in the medical field

  Friday, November 15, 2013

  ​Every day, new strides in technology make headlines in all kinds of areas. Nowhere is it is more prevalent or exciting than in the medical field. And one of the most talked about new tech "gadgets" to come onto the scene and into the consciousness of just about everyone who follows the news is Google Glass. The last few months have seen story after story about Goggle Glass being used by physicians.

• Cutting edge: What’s new in pharmaceutical R&D

  Monday, November 04, 2013

  It is clear that pharmaceutical companies are tackling serious diseases in therapeutic areas that heretofore were more challenging. But new technology has changed that landscape forever. And patients with diseases like cystic fibrosis, cancer, celiac disease and Crohn’s disease — just to name a few — now have a wide variety of drugs to look forward to in the near future.

• Medical device industry facing tough road ahead

  Thursday, October 10, 2013

  The business climate in 2013 and beyond will prove to be a challenging one for medical device manufacturers. And with the current government shutdown centering around the Affordable Care Act, one of the sticking points for passage of the funding bill is removing the steep excise tax on medical devices from the equation by delaying funding for the ACA for at least a year.