Plaque

For two years now, Ian Brennan has dedicated himself to documenting the invisible: tracking down the exact spots where homeless people died on the streets. The 41-year-old music producer and former psychiatric worker says he's seen firsthand how much of society ignores the destitute. He's watched police belittle street people with emotional problems. He's witnessed pedestrians stepping over transients who collapsed in front of them.

The heavily advertised drug Vytorin is no better than an inexpensive generic drug at blocking the damaging effects of high cholesterol levels, according to new data released by the drug's manufacturers Monday. In a study of 720 patients funded by the manufacturers, Vytorin -- a combination of the drugs simvastatin and ezetemibe -- reduced levels of LDLs, the so-called bad cholesterol, by about 29% more than simvastatin alone.

About 167,000 lawn mowers made by American Honda Motor Corp. were recalled because the cutting blades could rotate when the control lever is released. The recall involves lawn mowers with model numbers HRB217HXA, HRX217HXA and HRX217HMA, which were sold by Honda lawn and garden dealers and at Home Depot stores from January 2003 to November 2007. For more details, call (800) 426-7701 or go to www.hondapowerequipment .com or www.cpsc.gov. About 160,000 First Years 3-in-1 Flush and Sounds Potty Seats, distributed by RC2 Corp.

For nearly two decades, the mantra of cardiologists has been "Reduce bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol." Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, the bad cholesterol, is a major contributor to the buildup of deadly plaque in coronary arteries, and it is now well established that the family of drugs called statins lowers it, reducing the risk of heart attacks and stroke by about a third.

The widow of a Nevada soldier killed in Afghanistan a year ago won state approval Wednesday to place a Wiccan religious symbol on his memorial plaque, something the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs had refused. "I'm just in shock," Roberta Stewart said from her home in Fernley, about 30 miles east of Reno. "I'm honored and ecstatic. I've been waiting a year for this." Sgt. Patrick D. Stewart, 34, was killed in Afghanistan on Sept.

LIKE a kind of pharmaceutical Drano, drugs that increase levels of the so-called good, or HDL, cholesterol may soon be able to clear our blood vessels of artery-clogging gunk. About half a dozen HDL-raising treatments are at various stages of development, and if any of them prove effective, they could revolutionize heart disease treatment the same way that cholesterol-lowering statins did nearly two decades ago. "Boosting HDL ... is the next frontier in heart disease prevention," says Dr.

After more than half a century of fooling downtown Los Angeles, the myth of Caltrans' historic plaques came crumbling down Wednesday. Workers demolishing state highway planners' former regional headquarters revealed that dozens of "bronze" emblems that decorated the exterior of the 56-year-old structure were actually made of concrete, not metal. The plaques disappeared in a cascade of concrete chips as wrecking equipment jackhammered and pulled the Spring Street building apart.

Germs found in dental plaque can make their way into the lungs and cause potentially fatal pneumonia in elderly nursing home patients, U.S. researchers reported Tuesday. Though the study was small, the researchers said they found clear evidence that the pneumonia that eight patients developed while in the hospital had originated from their dental plaque. "This is the first study to establish unequivocally a link between dental hygiene and respiratory infection," said Dr.

A memorial plaque will be dedicated this morning along with a hiking trail in honor of Michael F. Clark, the only Simi Valley police officer killed in the line of duty in the department's 33-year history. The Michael Clark Memorial Overlook Trail is part of nearly 160 acres of open space that Parker Ranch developers donated to the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District. The park district is dedicating the memorial plaque and trail at the request of the developers.

A granite plaque was unveiled Thursday near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to honor uncounted veterans who died after their war service from the lasting effects of the toxic defoliant Agent Orange, post-traumatic stress disorder or other unseen wounds. A grass-roots group, the Vietnam War in Memory Memorial, raised money and lobbied for the plaque, which was approved by Congress in April 2000.