Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.health From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: health Mon, Mar 30 1992 Date: Mon, 30 Mar 92 05:43:33 EST Message-ID: 03-30 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update March 24, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network TAXOL TO BE AVAILABLE SOON: Taxol, the experimental drug made from the Pacific yew tree, should be available next year for women with ovarian cancer, officials said Sunday at an American Cancer Society meeting in St. Petersburg, Fla. Current supplies would only provide for the treatment of 12,000 women, the National Cancer Institute's Dr. Michael Friedman said. Annually, 13,000 women die from the disease. (For more, see special Taxol package below.) PCBS LINKED TO BREAST CANCER: Industrial toxins called polychlorinated biphenyls may play a part in breast cancer in women, according to Dr. Frank Falck Jr., University of Michigan. In a pilot study, Falck found that fat samples from women with breast tumors showed higher than normal levels of PCBs, which were banned in the 1970s. Fish sold in stores may contain PCBs, Consumer Reports magazine reported last month. HEALTH WARNING TO BE CONSIDERED: A Senate Commerce subcommittee will hold hearings Thursday about legislation that would require health warnings to be broadcast with alcohol ads on television and radio. National groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving want strongly-worded voice-overs to be included in all TV ads. Breweries, wineries and distillers, along with broadcasters and ad agencies, are against the move. VOICEOVERS WOULD BE REQUIRED: If proposed health warning legislation passes, TV ads plugging beer, for example, would require a voice-over saying: "Drinking during pregnancy may cause mental retardation and other birth defects. Avoid alcohol during pregnancy." Annual advertising runs $751.5 million for beer and wine and $290.8 million for distilled spirits, says Janet Flynn from the Distilled Spirits Council. BREAST-FEEDING DECLINES: Programs promoting breast-feeding have sprung up in response to a decline in the last 10 years. According to Ross Laboratories, just 8.5% of mothers breast-fed for that period in 1971, and the number climbed steadily to 40.3% in 1982 before edging downward during the 1980s. In 1989, 30.7% breast-fed, compared with 32.5% in 1988 and 34.8% in 1986. FDA WANTS MAKERS TO KEEP TRACK: Makers of dozens of medical devices, including silicone gel implants, heart valves and respirators, would have to keep track of people who get them under proposed federal rules. The Food and Drug Administration says it has found it difficult to let people know there may be something wrong with the devices upon which their lives depend. DIETERS GO IT ALONE: Most dieters do not go on a structured program, says a preliminary findings of a government survey of 1,431 dieters. Many sabotage their diets by missing meals or weighing themselves too often. Dieters shouldn't weigh themselves more than every other week to avoid being confused by natural fluctuations. Skipping meals makes people feel deprived and they end up eating more later. WAYS TO CUT DOWN ON FAT: Drinking skim milk (0 grams of fat) instead of whole milk (8 grams of fat a cup) is one way to cut down on fat, The American Health Foundation says. Other ways include: Using oil-free salad dressing, eating a baked potato instead of french fries, subbing a bagel for a croissant, trying pretzels instead of chips and eating fat-trimmed eye of round instead of fatty steaks or pork chops. IOWA SEES RISE IN AIDS CASES: Twenty-three cases of AIDS have been reported in Iowa so far in 1992, an increase from the 12 cases reported during the first three months of 1991. The increased shows that AIDS education efforts are not successful, says state epidemiologist Dr. Laverne Wintermeyer. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON TAXOL: DEMAND FOR TAXOL TO GROW: Demand for the experimental cancer drug taxol is expected to grow because of studies showing the drug's potential for easing breast cancer symptoms, says Dr. Michael Friedman. The demand will strain already low supplies, but production methods should improve by the mid 1990s, Friedman said. Women interested in getting taxol can call 1-800-4-CANCER to determine if they qualify. ABMT MADE SAFER, CHEAPER: The damage done by high-dose chemotherapy can be repaired more safely and cheaply, researchers reported Sunday. In the existing procedure for bone-marrow transplants, known as autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT), bone marrow is removed before treatment and returned later. ABMT is already used for many types of cancer. White blood cells are produced in bone marrow. REGENERATIVE TIME, COSTS CUT: With a new technique, special blood cells with regenerative capabilities are collected from the blood stream before radiation treatment and replaced with the bone marrow. The change can cut regeneration time by 10 days and hospital cost by nearly 40%. The change could lower the cost from $110,000 to $60,000, says Rosemary Mazanet, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston. (End of package.) Health Editor: Christopher Goldthwaite. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM