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 Tue, Apr 14 1992 Date: Tue, 14 Apr 92 05:42:44 EDT Message-ID: 04-14 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update April 14, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network `DEATHGRIP' CAN DAMAGE TEETH: Using a clenched-fist "deathgrip" and a hard-bristle brush on teeth can damage enamel, gums and roots, the Academy of General Dentistry says. An estimated 20% of Americans hold brushes in what the academy calls the "deathgrip." People should use a soft-bristle brush, hold it between thumb and first-finger and go easy on the toothpaste, says Dr. Terry Dickinson of Houston. DIRECT GENE THERAPY TO BE TRIED: The first study in which new genes will be injected directly into humans will begin within two months in cancer patients, researchers at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor reported Monday. Gene therapy studies done so far involved removing cells from the body, adding new genes, then putting the cells back into the body. (For more, see special Gene package below.) DRINKING CAUSES OTHER PROBLEMS: A government report out Tuesday says risky sexual behavior, crime, suicide and bad grades are overlooked repercussions of teen-age drinking. "Alcohol is not consumed in a void; there are consequences," says Surgeon General Antonia Novello. The report, "Youth and Alcohol: Dangerous and Deadly Consequences," is a review of mostly previously-published research. WARNING LABELS CALLED FOR: To fight the abuse of alcohol by teen-agers, Surgeon General Antonia Novello is calling for clearer warning labels, better enforcement of drinking laws, voluntary advertising reform and education. A teen rarely realizes, she says, that after he or she "takes a drink, then another, (that) finally the drink takes the teen-ager. NEW CPR DEVICE UNVEILED: Researchers from the University of California at San Francisco introduced a heart attack resuscitation device Monday called the Active Compression-Decompression Resuscitator. Tests show it drew more air into the lungs than the standard CPR technique. The device is billed as the first improvement in CPR since it was developed in 1960. SPORT TRUCKS UNDER SCRUTINY: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says the two-wheel-drive version of Ford's discontinued Bronco II sport-utility truck recorded 3.78 rollover deaths per 100,000 registered vehicles. That's two to three times as many as other small sport trucks in the IIHS survey. IIHS wants stricter safety standards for sport-utilities. FORD SPONSORS HEALTH REFORM ACT: Rep. William Ford, D-Mich., and others are sponsoring the Comprehensive Occupational Safety and Health Reform Act. It would toughen requirements that companies train employees in the safe use of toxins, require firms with 11 or more workers to form labor-management health and safety committees and toughen criminal penalties for willful violations. L.A. SCHOOLS TO GIVE CONDOMS: Parents of 134,000 Los Angeles high school students are receiving letters they must return if they don't want their child to get condoms at school. The nation's second-largest school system will begin condom distribution later this month as part of an AIDS prevention program. BUSH TO TALK ABOUT DISABILITIES: Barbara Bush says Sunday's movie "The Secret," which is about dyslexia, has a message she'd like to trumpet. She shares her views after the movie, which is set for 9 p.m. EDT:PDT on CBS. For information about learning disabilities, write to The National Information Center for Children and Youth With Disabilities, P.O. Box 1492, Washington, D.C., 20013. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON GENE: THERAPY NOW IS CUMBERSOME: Gene therapy for cancer patients has been cumbersome so far, but a new technique of injecting the genes directly into humans may make it easier. "Direct gene transfer simplifies gene therapy," says Dr. Gary Nabel, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. "If this method of gene delivery proves safe and effective, it will hasten the day gene therapy becomes widely used in clinical practice." 12 PEOPLE TO BE TESTED: Dr. Gary Nabel's study of direct gene transfer, to begin within the next two months, will involve 12 people with malignant melanoma, a deadly skin cancer. The idea: To inject a gene directly into a tumor to stimulate the immune system into launching an attack. Nabel will use a gene known to cause organ rejection in transplant patients. CANCER CELLS WOULD BE REJECTED: Nabel says that when the immune system is alerted to the presence of the gene in a tumor, it should react by "rejecting" the cancer cells. Animal studies with the direct method suggest it will also stimulate the immune system to go after cancer cells that haven't been injected with the new gene, he says. (End of package.) Health Editor: Ed Kelleher. (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