*** News You Can Use! -- 26 November 1996 ***
An employee assistance professional association surveyed its members, and asked them what problems appeared most frequently among workers. Number one -- family crisis. Number two -- stress. To a certain extent, this result is accepted as normal. Some employers seem to think it's *better* to have a stressful job site. Depression was cited 21% of the time, the third most frequent problem seen. (Associated Press, 11 November 1996)
What you already knew: any activity that gets the blood pumping can reduce the risk of heart disease. Two new studies confirm and amplify that point. A University of Pittsburgh study monitored 238 women over a period of 20 years. Only three women who were classified "active" had heart attacks, compared with 18 in the "sedentary" group. The inactive women also had more problems with cholesterol and their arteries. The study was presented to a meeting of the American Heart Association.
About half of the women in the first survey made walking part of their regular activity. Another study, by a Boston doctor, finds that brisk walking improves heart fitness. A study of 84,000 women nurses found that those who walked briskly -- roughly four miles per hour -- at least three hours a week -- reduced their risk of heart attacks and strokes by 40%. Yes, there was even more benefit for women who did more vigorous exercise, but it was modest (60% lowered risk). (Broadcast News, 11 November 1996; Associated Press, 13 November)
California-made Odwalla fresh apple juice has been blamed for a deadly outbreak of E. coli bacteria along the West coast of the United States and Canada. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed 39 cases of e. coli -- 19 in Washington, four in Colorado, 10 in California, and six in British Columbia. A 16-month old girl in Denver, died. A two-year old girl had been in critical condition in Concord, California, as of 4 November 1996. The chairman of Odwalla, Greg Steltenpohl, apologized on behalf of the company, promised to pay medical bills for anyone whose illness is linked to Odwalla juice, and vowed to halt all production of apple juice, until it can ensure that the product is free of bacteria. The company also set up a Web site to answer questions, and provide information. More information in a Reuters news story.
It's apparently the same strain that caused the 1993 outbreak in Washington state, which killed three children and sickened hundreds. That was traced to contaminated and undercooked hamburgers from the Jack in the Box chain. What do meat and apples have in common? Apparently, the fruit falls to the ground in a field where farm animals like cows or wild animals like deer are free to roam. Then, the apples become infected by the fecal matter of the animals. That was the best early guess, but Odwalla says the company only accepts tree-picked apples, which are then scrubbed and washed extensively. Cornell University is exploring ways to processing cider and make it both good-tasting and safe.
Meanwhile in Japan, the man who was in charge of school lunches blamed for an e. coli outbreak there has committed suicide. Shigeki Morimoto headed up the school lunch program in Sakai city, which was the worst hit by the disease. Eleven people died in Japan, and two of them were Sakai schoolchildren.
South Africa is dealing with its first case of the deadly Ebola virus, which has killed about 800 worldwide. A nurse at a private hospital contracted the virus, possibly from a patient. She was listed in serious but stable condition (as of 16 November 1996) at Johannesburg General Hospital. Officials believe this to be an isolated case.
Health authorities in Michigan say they've tracked down the source of Legionnaire's disease, which has killed four and sickened at least 26 more. Officials believe all the people affected were exposed to airborne bacteria from an air-conditioning cooling unit, on the roof of a grocery store in Farmington, northwest of Detroit. They say the tower has been sterilized, and the outbreak is over.
About 5,000 people who ate at a Shoney's restaurant in Oklahoma between 11 October 1996 and 21 October have been given, or will be given shots to ward off Hepatitis A. An assistant manager was infected with the virus.
The 14th death attributed to "mad cow" disease has been noted in France. A 52-year-old woman died in October 1995 of the rare brain malady Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the same strain that killed another Frenchman and 12 Britons. The "mad cow" disease story first came to light in March 1996. For more information, read the World Health Organization fact sheet. (Associated Press, 29 October 1996, 30 October, 1 November, 2 November, 4 November, 5 November, 6 November, 8 November, 9 November, 16 November; Broadcast News, 4 November)
According to a Harvard Medical School study, angry men are twice to three times as likely to suffer coronary heart disease. Researchers looked at 1300 Veterans Administration patients between 46 and 90 years old. 59 of the angriest 559 had coronary heart disease (10.6%), compared with eight of the 199 least angry men (4%). Scientists believe that serious anger triggers the body's "fight or flight" mechanism. And in turn, that releases stress hormones into the bloodstream, which slows the progress of platelets, and helps to form clots that lead to heart attacks. The study appears in the American Heart Association journal, "Circulation," and is summarized in a press release. (Associated Press, 31 October 1996)
What if the doctor you were about to see had paid out multiple malpractice awards? Or, had even lost his or her privileges at a hospital? You had little chance of ever finding that out. But in what consumer activists call a "revolutionary step," Massachusetts has become the first state to allow the general public access to background checks on doctors. The profiles include malpractice payouts, disciplinary actions against doctors, and their criminal records, as well as favorable information such as awards, specialties and honors. In the first days of the new law, five frazzled operators at the Massachusetts State Medical Board have fielded hundreds of calls requesting these records. Other states considering similar disclosure laws include Florida, California, Wisconsin, and New York. (Associated Press, 4 November 1996, 7 November)
At their annual meeting November 14th, The United Network for Organ Sharing voted to change the priorities for liver transplants. No longer will victims of chronic liver failure top the list. Instead, those who contracted liver illnesses suddenly, and are expected to die within two weeks without a transplant, will be first in line to get one. Backers of the change say donor livers are relatively scarce, so it's especially important to give the organ to those with the best chance of surviving. Those same backers deny that the change is meant to punish those who ruin their liver through lifestyle, such as alcoholics who develop cirrhosis, or intravenous drug users who contract hepatitis through dirty needles. Critics of the move say it could cause a surge in deaths from preventable liver failure. (Associated Press, 14 November 1996)
It's been a busy time for news items about Gulf War Syndrome. Reiterating and amplifying charges he made in 1994, former CIA employees Patrick and Robin Eddington say the Pentagon is covering up information on up to 60 indcidents where chemical weapons or nerve gas were released near U.S. troops. As a result, tens of thousands of United States soldiers may have been exposed. The Eddingtons say military logs that support their charges have been kept classified, and that they were repeatedly hindered in their unauthorized investigation into the chemical releases. The Pentagon says the Eddingtons are honest employees, who resigned earlier this year. But both the CIA and Defense Department deny that there's a coverup.
Publisher Bruce Kletz of Insignia Publishing defied the Pentagon and put information on Iraqi chemical weapons on the Internet. The 220 government documents were said to detail the possible release of chemical and biological weapons near American troops during the Gulf War. The files originally appeared on a Defense Department site earlier this year, but the CIA complained, and officials removed them.
The Central Intelligence Agency reponded with a rare news conference. Executive Director Nora Slatkin told reporters that a comprehensive review of intelligence found no evidence Iraq used chemical weapons. But she repeated the agency's finding that some troops may have exposed to nerve gas when an Iraqi ammo depot was destroyed after the war. Read the full statement.
A presidential advisory panel says the Pentagon has "stretched credibility" on the issue, and that an independent investigation is called for. A draft of the final report says the Defense Department's investigation has "lacked vigor, fallen short on investigative grounds and stretched credibility." And the panel found that Gulf War veterans are suffering from real physical ailments, most likely caused by stress.
The Czech Republic is now launching an investigation into Gulf War illnesses. Those who fought in the conflict will get physicals, in an effort to learn more about the approximately 40 Czech soldiers who report ailments similar to what's been called Gulf War Syndrome.
On November 12th, Deputy Defense Secretary John White announced that the Pentagon would double the money it's spending on Gulf War illness research, to 27 million dollars. The following day, the Pentagon increased the investigating staff looking into the illnesses by ten-fold. White said the Pentagon is "not trying to hide anything." Read the official statement.
And two huge studies of Gulf War veterans cast doubt on the whole idea of Gulf War Syndrome. They find no sign of greater health problems or death among Gulf War veterans. While soldiers have lodged hundreds of complaints of fatigue, memory problems and sleeplessness, no one has proved these problems are more frequent among vets. The government research projects studied the records of more than one million vets, and published their findings in the New England Journal of Medicine. Gregory Gray of the Naval Research Center in San Diego, who directed one of the studies, said the results should reassure the veterans. (Associated Press, 30 October 1996, 31 October, 1 November, 8 November, 9 November, 12 November, 13 November)
- A customs agent in Houston said this was the first time he's heard of a case where the someone was smuggling breast implants. Authorities charged a Houston man with smuggling silicone breast implants from France into the United States without federal approval. The Food and Drug Administration banned the use of silicone gel impants for general use in 1992. (Associated Press, 7 November 1996)
- A new nasal spray may offer faster and more convenient relief from migraine headaches. Migranal is a new formulation of a drug that's been around for 50 years, but previously only in pill or injection form. Toronto neurologist Marek Gawel believes that a spray will allow people to take it with them to work, and use it as soon as they feel a headache coming on. And that could reduce the estimated seven million work days Canadians lose to migraines each year. (Broadcast News, 7 November 1996)
- Would you donate your hair for cancer research? A man convinced four Wisconsin men to do so. Police arrested the man on fraud charges, when it was learned he was collecting the hair to sell to a wig maker. (Associated Press, 16 November 1996)
- More reasons to cut drawstrings off your kid's clothes: The November 15th edition of the "Canadian Medical Journal" includes an article recounting the deaths of two girls, whose drawstrings got stuck in gaps on playground slides. In fact, of 14 Canadian children killed by playground injuries from 1982 to 1993, seven involved clothes or drawstrings getting hooked on equipment or fences. (Associated Press, 15 November 1996)
- The more TV kids watch, the fatter they get. That's essentially the conclusion of a study conducted by Dr. Barbara Dennison of Columbia University. Her team studied 160 children, and compared how much TV they watched with their diets. Youngsters who got at least 35% percent of their daily calories from fat averaged 14 hours of TV per week. That's much more than the eight-plus hours averaged by children who met nutritional guidelines. Dr. Dennison concludes that the more TV kids watch, the more they ask for, and get, advertised foods. (Associated Press, 14 November 1996)
- AND lazy teenagers could have a higher risk of drug, alcohol and tobacco use. That's the finding of a study conducted by the University of South Carolina. Researchers found that teens who had the lowest rates of exercise also watched television more, had bad dietary habits, smoked marijuana, and were less likely to wear auto safety belts. There was also a significant correlation with decreased academic performance. (CBS Radio, 25 November 1996)
STB's News You Can Use! edited and written by --
Tom Connolly, for Infant Moose Web Page Creations.
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