Medical News

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An enzyme present in extremely low quantities in normal brains has been found to be greatly increased in the brain of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Northwestern University researchers found that the enzyme, butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), increases at the stage when beta-amyloid plaques in the brain become compact and insoluble. These insoluble plaques are one of two early pathological markers of Alzheimer's disease.

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Side-by-side papers featured in the December issue of Immunity resolve a mystery of basic immunology while suggesting a new way to improve the success of bone marrow transplantation. The research -- conducted by postdoctoral fellows in the lab of a Stanford structural biologist -- focused on enigmatic white blood cells called natural killer cells.

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The following are articles appearing in the December issue of the "American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine," published by the American Thoracic Society: 1- Fall Weather Brings Increased Hospitalization For Asthmatics; 2- Dust Mites Appear To Be A Dominant Risk Factor For Asthma; 3- Hospitalization for COPD and Asthma Dramatically Increases With Age; 4- Delirium, Acute Confusion and Malnutrition See As Indicators Of Pneumonia In The Elderly

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Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh researchers have received nearly $16 million to collaborate on a first-ever research effort that will use brain imaging to analyze complex human thought processes--how people make plans, make decisions under time pressure or solve problems.

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With debilitating injuries from computer use becoming the fastest growing category of work-related injuries in the U.S., Carnegie Mellon University has launched the first accurate, comprehensive effort to educate its community and the public about the causes and possible prevention of repetitive stress injuries (RSI).

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When the Southern Connecticut Gas Company joined forces with Fairfield University's School of Nursing last year the goal they had in mind was to provide health screening and lead testing for 3,100 adults, adolescents and school-age children, especially children under age 5.

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Employees with certain disabilities are more likely to be injured on the job than workers without disabilities. As a result, further research in the design and evaluation of workplace accommodations for these employees may be needed, according to a study by researchers at the University of Iowa College of Medicine.

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Carnegie Mellon scientists are working with a physician on a new device that could bring relief to the millions of people who suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome. The device provides an effective non-surgical treatment enabling doctors to more accurately treat CTS reducing recovery time and cost.

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Womenís health issues frequently made headlines in 1997 ó from mammograms and pap smears to diet pills and hormone replacement therapy.

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January Online Tipsheet: 1- ECT: Safe, Effective, Affordable -- Why Aren?t We Using It? 2- High Rate of Homelessness Among Newly Diagnosed Patients with Schizophrenia; 3- Confidentiality of Patients Records Threatened; 4- Psychiatrist, Heal Them Quick; 5- What Happens to the Children When Mental Illness Strikes?

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Pfizer Inc announced on Dec. 19 that its broad-spectrum antibiotic Trovan (trovafloxacin) had gained marketing clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Discovered and developed by Pfizer, Trovan was cleared for the treatment of 14 bacterial infections, which is the largest number of indications ever included at an intial drug approval in the U.S. More than 13,000 patients participated in 87 studies involving Trovan and 30 comparatoe drug regimens, representing the largest clinical trial program in Pfizer history.

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Millions of Americans will be protected by new rules the Clinton administration released today telling employers how they must comply with the 1996 Mental Health Parity Act. The administration said all group health plans and all employers with 50 or more workers -- including state governments and churches -- must equalize the annual and lifetime limits imposed on mental and physical health care.

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Myotrophin, an experimental drug for Lou Gehrig's disease, appears to slow the disease's symptom progression. Results of a nine-month study involving 266 patients at eight North American medical centers were reported in the December issue of the journal Neurology.

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There is no evidence whatsoever to link the creatine supplement or any other supplement to the recent deaths of college wrestlers, and the media implications of a link are irresponsible and not supported by evidence.

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Colon cancer and many other geriatric diseases in primates appear to be natural outcomes of aging, rather than being caused by outside factors, a scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has found.

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New York, NY -December 22, 1997-Scientists at NYU School of Medicine and the United States Department of Agriculture have, for the first time, coaxed animals to produce a human protein in their urine, a discovery that could lead to a new and vastly less expensive method to obtain rare therapeutic proteins for a range of human diseases.

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University of Wisconsin-Madison influenza experts will conduct a detailed surveillance next month of the dangerous strain of influenza that has infected eight people and killed three in Hong Kong.

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University of Pittsburgh researchers have constructed the first prototype of a delivery system for genes called a reconstituted chylomicron remnant (RCR) that has resulted in the extended production of therapeutic proteins in an animal model, according to a report published in the Dec. 23 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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A new, longer-acting treatment for migraine, naratriptan, quickly relieves pain and disability associated with migraine and greatly reduces headache recurrence, according to a study published in the December issue of Neurology, the American Academy of Neurology's scientific journal. Embargoed for Release until Monday, December 22, 1997.

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Women may be able to reduce memory loss and boost thinking power with estrogen replacement therapy (ERT), according to a study published in the December issue of Neurology, the American Academy of Neurology's scientific journal. Embargoed for Release until Monday, December 22, 1997.

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Study shows drug treatment administered before open heart surgery reduces atrial fibrillation---a rapid, irregular beat in the upper chambers of the heart---in the days after the operation. Researchers found significant decreased risk of stroke after the operation as well as reductions in patient discomfort, cost and hospitalization time.

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Millions of people with a history of peptic ulcer disease may be receiving unnecessary treatment according to a new study. Researchers report that prompt diagnosis and treatment for infection of H. pylori bacteria --- instead of acid-blocking medication --- improved many patients health and saved money.

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A new treatment for the muscle-weakening disease myasthenia gravis has been devised by University of Minnesota researchers. The new treatment "tricks" the immune system into halting its attack and tolerating the muscle parts it had previously targeted. A pilot clinical trial may begin soon for the nasally administered therapy, which prevented the disease in mice.

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Two University of Kansas researchers have shown that Taxol, already proven effective in fighting ovarian and breast cancer, may someday also help in the battle against Alzheimer's disease. In laboratory studies, the two KU scientists have used taxol to slow the damage done to brain cells by the poisonous protein fibers that cause Alzheimer's.

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Though anabolic steroids are known to produce aggressive behavior, a University of Iowa study shows that the drugs do not necessarily cause automobile drivers to take extra risks behind the wheel.

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The unruly child in the dentist's chair may resist treatment not because of fear but rather out of trouble responding to requests from adults. A University of Iowa College of Dentistry professor suggests that parenting styles affect preschool children's willingness to comply with dental care.

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The University of Maryland Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has selected the University of Maryland Medical Centerís sports medicine program to provide medical services to all Terrapin teams.

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A 27-year-old Carroll County woman finally hopes to gain some control over her epileptic seizures with a new device implanted in her chest that sends electrical impulses to her brain via a nerve in her neck. In a surgical procedure at the University of Maryland Medical Center on December 15, Erinn Elizabeth Farver became the first person in Maryland to receive the new device, called a vagus nerve stimulator.

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Researchers at Northwestern University Medical School have found that a chemical in red wine believed to help reduce risk for heart disease is a form of estrogen. The substance, resveratrol, is highly concentrated in the skin of grapes and is abundant in red wine.

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AIDS is spreading among young, monogamous, married women in India who get infected by apparently promiscuous husbands, according to a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins and the National AIDS Research Institute in Pune, India.

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Diabetes has long been known to be one major cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), but the magnitude of risk has been uncertain. Now, a study led by Johns Hopkins researchers finds that diabetic men are nearly 13 times more likely to develop ESRD than non-diabetic men.

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"We are closer to the day when mental illnesses -- and people with them -- are treated fairly and compassionately in our health insurance system," said Michael M. Faenza, President and CEO of the National Mental Health Association.

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A major public service campaign for television is being launched January 8, 1998, to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of stroke, or "brain attack." For Immediate Release.

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Annals of Internal Medicine TipSheet: 1) Isoniazid is recommended for tuberculosis patients with positive skin tests. 2) Women physicians use hormone replacement therapy in greater numbers than average female U.S. population. 3) Care of chronic illness can be improved through management by patients, families, physicians and health care systems. 4) ACP issues new lyme disease guidelines.

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An exaggerated response to mental stress could be a marker for future heart disease among people under age 60 with a strong family history of premature heart disease, according to a study by Johns Hopkins researchers.

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Cholesterol-lowering drugs reduced heart attack risk in women and senior citizens by 34 percent -- about the same amount as in younger men, according to a report in today's American Heart Association journal Circulation.

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One out of three women in a study were able to normalize their blood cholesterol levels by replacing regular canola margarine with one that contains a cholesterol-blocker called sitostanol ester, according to today's American Heart Association journal Circulation.

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A study by Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center researchers of some 1,300 sixth through twelfth graders in NH and VT reveals that one-third of those students own items of the promotional gear that has been heavily hyped by several tobacco companies. This study supports FDA regulations to restrict the distribution of these items by tobacco companies.

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Leaders of fraternities, and to a lesser extent leaders of sororities, tend to be among the heaviest drinkers and the most out-of-control partiers, according to researchers at Cornell University and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Their national survey of 25,411 students at 61 institutions reveals that Greek leaders are helping to set norms of binge drinking and uncontrolled behavior.

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Robert G. Webster, Ph.D., who played a key role in helping to identify the new Hong Kong influenza virus (H5N1), will be available to the media Monday morning, December 15, via telephone conference call following recent news of additional infections and a second death. Call 800-289-0730 and give the confirmation number 410960, or ask for the St. Jude conference.

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University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) researchers are using computer models and psychological testing to help reduce the number of medication errors caused by look-alike and sound-alike medication names.

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Sometimes cells are supposed to die. When cells don't die when they are supposed to, the result is cancer. Pathologists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine report research that brings them closer to their goal of understanding the process of programmed cell death, which could lead to development of drugs to cause or prevent it as appropriate.

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Researchers from Johns Hopkins and India find that a simple set of symptoms including fever, joint pain, and night sweats can quickly identify people who recently have been infected with the AIDS virus, even before there is evidence from a blood test. Unprotected sex with a prostitute and a fresh genital ulcer also are tip-offs to recent HIV infection.

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During the holidays, people often eat foods they know will trigger their heartburn. How can people prevent heartburn and what are the signs that they could have a more serious condition such as gastroesophageal reflux disease?

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While football players toss the pigskin on the field, physicians are using another part of the pig to tackle a knee injury often associated with sports. Clinical trials begin this month to test a new material derived from pigs' intestins that, when inserted in the human body, may help regenerate damaged tissues.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved Meridia (sibutramine), a new diet drug that has chemical properties similar, but not identical, to Redux and fen/phen (Pondimin).

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Innovative new treatments are reducing the cost of treating specific illnesses while saving more lives and improving the quality of life for patients, according to new research by economists and physicians.

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John Grisham's The Rainmaker is a story about an insurance company that routinely denies coverage for medically necessary procedures. Unfortunately, this scenario doesn't just occur in books and movies. In a recent survey conducted by the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (ASPRS), more than half of plastic surgeons polled reported insurance denial or trouble obtaining coverage of procedures for deformities, disfigurements and congenital defects in children.

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Eliminating smoking in bars would increase business for these establishments, according to a study released Tuesday, December 2 at a New York City press briefing jointly sponsored by the American Medical Association and American Public Health Association. An overwhelming majority of Massachusetts adults - 89 percent - said that they would go out to bars just as often or more often than they do now if all bars were made smoke-free.

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The American Medical Association (AMA) passed a resolution today introduced by the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (ASPRS) and other concerned organizations aimed at ensuring insurance coverage of procedures associated with childhood deformities, disfigurements and congenital defects.