STB's News You Can Use -- 6 October 1996

A mouse with Alzheimer's?
News about breast cancer
Dangerous flu season expected
Some sensible diet guidelines
Gulf Syndrome story emerging
Haitian talk show calls AIDS a myth
How managed care treats needy
Health News & Notes
Buffalo News_ article on STB
Index of past newsletters

* News You Can Use! -- 6 October 1996 *

Scientists create mouse with disease like Alzheimer's

Researchers at the University of Minnesota, reporting in the journal "Science," say they've created a mouse that develops a condition which mimics Alzheimer's disease (AD). The scientists inserted a malformed human gene, associated with AD, into a mouse embryo. When that mouse mates with a normal one, half the offspring get a disease that has similarities to AD. For example, when the afflicted mice age, they forget how to perform tasks they did easily in their youth. And their brains get deposits like those found in AD cases. The scientists hope this new mouse will enable them to test new drugs and therapies to treat the disorder. (Associated Press, 3 October 1996)

Breast cancer rate up sharply, the CDC is pleased to announce (???)

It certainly sounds like bad news: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the rate of breast cancer in the United States rose dramatically between 1973 and 1992. But they say it's actually good news: the rise indicates early detection, not more cases. During a time when the breast cancer rate rose by almost a third among white women, and almost a half among black women, the death rate remained steady (about 26 out of 100,000). The American Cancer Society recommends mammograms every year or two for women over 40.
And now they're using missile technology to try and improve the mammogram. Health officials say imaging systems created by the Central Intelligence Agency are about ten years ahead of medical imaging. Now, they hope to apply that technology to finding more tumors, and differentiate between benign and cancerous growths. To that end, the Department of Health and Human Services has awarded 1.9 million dollars to the University of Pennsylvania for clinical trials. (Associated Press, 1 October 1996, 3 October)

CDC warns that this flu season could be deadly

U.S. health officials are concerned about a harsh strain of flu, called A-Wuhan, which may hit the nation's elderly hard this winter. A-Wuhan is one of three flu strains expected to circulate this season, and the current flu vaccine counteracts all three. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that if the elderly, or the chronically ill, get the A-Wuhan strain, they're more likely to contract pneumonia or other serious complications. The CDC recommends vaccinations for people age 65 and older, people in nursing homes, childern with asthma, and anyone with a chronic illness. (Associated Press, 26 September 1996)

Some common-sense dietary guidelines

Here are some dietary guidelines for the rest of us. You know, the people who don't stick to diets, who don't follow their diets every day. The American Heart Association has this advice: don't torture yourself with guilt if you skipped the sensible food one day. Just try to do better in the next few days. The guidelines they've issued don't change the maximum allowable levels of fat and cholesterol, but they cut you some slack, by saying it's OK to slip a little, if you eat less the rest of the week:

Eat a variety of foods.
Balance food intake with physical activity and maintain or reduce weight.
Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fatty acids and cholesterol.
Choose a diet with plenty of vegetables, fruits and whole-grain products.
Choose a diet moderate in sugar.
Use salt in moderation.
If you drink, do so in moderation.

(Associated Press, 30 September 1996, 1 October)

Gulf War Syndrome story coming into focus

This past week, there's been a flurry of stories pertaining to illnesses contracted by servicemen and women serving in the Persian Gulf. I'll try to hit the high points.
A United States Navy spokesman admits that the brass made a "conscious decision" not to tell a quarter of a million U.S. troops that a chemical weapons vaccine they were being given was experimental. The vaccine, known as "PB," is now being looked at for possible links to Gulf War illnesses. The Food and Drug Administration had not approved the drug as a pre-treatment against nerve gas, but it allowed the armed forces to use it, based on Army animal studies showing it protected against certain types of gas.
The vaccine is not the only incident under scrutiny as a possible cause of Gulf War Syndrome. "The Birmingham News" reports that newly declassified military logs (compiled for General Norman Schwarzkopf) show that United States commanders told their troops to ignore French and Czech reports of low-level concentrations of two types of nerve gas. They dismissed Czech reports of mustard gas as "impossible." The paper went on to say that commanders then sealed their own facilities, and put filters on their own ventilation system. But after reviewing the logs in question, The Pentagon issued a statement saying they "find no basis" for the reporter's conclusion on that point.
On October 1st, Pentagon spokesman Kenneth Bacon said a new Central Intelligence Agency study indicated that many more troops may have been exposed to chemical weapons through a depot demolition than previously thought. The CIA computer model took into account the wind conditions, potential number of rockets destroyed, and other matters in a second explosion. They now speculate that as many as 15,000 United States troops were exposed, up from the figure of 5,000 the Pentagon recently arrived at.
And the number could go much higher. Now it is known that the shells destroyed did, in fact, contain the nerve gas Sarin. The Clinton administration has ordered a sweeping Pentagon review over this situation, while it awaits the final results of the CIA study of how many troops were exposed. The high estimate is now 100,000 men and women. (Associated Press, 27 September 1996, 30 September, 1 October, 2 October)

Haitian talk radio show says AIDS is a myth

If you read the previous item, and have started seeing government cover-ups and conspiracies at every turn, read this story first. South Florida radio station WLQY-AM is making news of its own. The hosts of a Haitian talk show have been telling their listeners that AIDS is a myth. They suggest that American drug companies invented the disease to drum up business. You might consider the incident minor, but a Miami-area AIDS counselor says the commentators are having an impact. At least four treatment centers report that they have Haitian patients who've stopped seeing doctors becuase of the show's claims. (Associated Press, 1 October 1996)

One study is critical of managed care

According to a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, poor and elderly people with serious chronic conditions (such as diabetes or heart problems) fare much worse under managed care than in traditional insurance plans. Researchers had more than 1500 patients fill out questionnaires, first in 1986 and again in 1990. Those in managed care were twice as likely to say their health declined over that span, and far less likely to say they felt better. An association of health plans criticized the method used (patient responses), and said medical evaluations should have used instead, presumably to get a more objective view of the person's state of health. (Associated Press, 1 October 1996)

News You Can Use! (but I couldn't squeeze in)

Six people. That's all. But it's a big start. The study of a new experimental vaccine kept six multiple sclerosis patients from getting sicker. The vaccine works by helping the immune system to produce "good" T cells, which counteract the T cells that mistakenly attack the protective sheath around brain and spinal nerves. The results were called encouraging. (Associated Press, 30 September 1996)
The Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that many playgrounds have equipment covered with lead-based paint. The commission tested paint from playgrounds in 13 cities, and found dangerously high levels of lead in 11 of them. They suggest that parents concerned about lead poisoning ask the playground owner to have the paint tested by an accredited lab. (Associated Press, 1 October 1996)
A side effect has caused FDA rejection for an obesity drug. Knoll Pharmaceutical's Sibutramine is the first in a new class of drugs to treat obesity, but an FDA panel is concerned about how the drug tends to raise blood pressure. Obese patients were hoping for approval, to give them an alternative to Redux, which can produce the rare but potentially fatal illness, pulmonary hypertension. (Associated Press, 26 September 1996)
For the first time in 20 years, a new class of asthma drugs has won FDA approval. Zeneca says its drug, Accolate, can control and prevent asthma attacks, by blocking a chemical that tightens muscles around the airways. Accolate is for people ages 12 and older, *not* for breastfeeding women, and does not *cure* asthma. When attacks occur, patients still must rely on other medications taken by inhaler. (Associated Press, 27 September 1996)
The FDA has approved a new drug to treat schizophrenia. Doctors say Eli Lilly's Olanzapine seems as effective as the standard drug Clozapine, without the potentially dangerous side effects. (Associated Press, 1 October 1996)

*** News You Can Use! -- 6 October 1996 ***

* News You Can Use! -- 6 October 1996 *