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 Fri, Apr 17 1992 Date: Fri, 17 Apr 92 05:42:11 EDT Message-ID: 04-17 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update April 17-19, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network FDA GRANTS IMPLANTS LIMITED USE: Silicone gel breast implants will be reintroduced through limited studies, the Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday. The decision will make the implants available for all reconstruction patients and a few women wanting larger breasts, but it is not the same as approval, stressed FDA Commissioner David Kessler. The FDA placed a moratorium on the implants in January. (For more, see special Breast package below.) CAUSE OF HEART DEFECTS STUDIED: Up to 11% of heart birth defects may be linked to exposure to lead, solvents, some medicines and other substances before birth, researchers said Wednesday at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology in Dallas. Babies were also more likely to have heart defects if their mothers had the flu or infections that brought on fevers. Also cited: Exposure to tranquilizers and pesticides. OKLA. ADDRESSES FETUS DISPOSAL: Oklahoma legislators tried Thursday to admit a bill regulating the disposal of fetuses after a bag of 173 partially-burned fetuses was discovered Wednesday in a field near Shawnee. An obstetrician who was reprimanded in 1990 for performing a botched abortion admitted to dumping the fetuses. State guidelines vary, but most clinics have labs analyze the tissue, which is then cremated. NUMBER OF UNMARRIED MOMS RISES: The rate of unmarried women in their 20s giving birth is rising faster than the number of unmarried teens giving birth, says the National Center for Health Statistics. For women in their 20s, the rate rose 84% from 1980 to 1989; for teens, it climbed 40%. Cited: Marriage is not economically needed to raise a child. In 1989, 67% of teen moms were unmarried, compared to 35% of women in their 20s. BREASTFEEDING AS BIRTH CONTROL: Breastfeeding, when done along specific guidelines, may be an effective birth control method, suggests a study in the April 18 issue of the journal Lancet. Georgetown University Medical Center researchers reported that women practicing the Lactational Amenorrhoea Method were 99% protected from pregnancy without using any other contraceptive. OIL SPILL WORKERS FILE LAWSUIT: The first of several lawsuits filed by workers involved in the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup is expected to go to trial in May. The suit, filed against Exxon and several of its contractors, claims that workers exposed to cleansers and fumes developed lesions, neurological disorders and respiratory problems. An Exxon spokesman said the company followed all applicable regulations. STUDY UPHOLDS AZT BENEFITS: The AIDS drug AZT can delay the onset of AIDS and help HIV-infected men live longer reports this week's New England Journal of Medicine. The study is expected to outweigh an earlier study that involved fewer patients and found no long-term survival benefits from the drug. However, further research is needed to determine when is the best time to begin AZT treatment, say researchers. CANADA TO HOST FAMILY DOCTORS: "Family Medicine in the 21st Century" is the theme of a six-day meeting to be hosted by the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Attending will be over 2,000 family doctors from around the world, including over 300 from the USA. Discussions will focus on challenges faced by family doctors going into the next century. The meeting will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, May 9-14. ARTHRITIS DRUG WORKS FOR KIDS: Methotrexate, a common cancer medicine, has proven an effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis in children, reports a study in this week's New England Journal of Medicine. The study is the first to show that the drug, currently a standard therapy for adult rheumatoid arthritis, is also effective for the juvenile form of the ailment, which afflicts nearly 71,000 U.S. children. S.D. CANCER DEATHS UP: The number of cancer deaths among residents of South Dakota was 21% higher in 1990 than in 1970, says the state Health Department. Although cancer caused one-fifth of all deaths in 1990, the rate of the disease was still below the national average. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON BREAST: FDA HOPES TO GATHER DATA: Silicone gel breast implants will be made available in limited studies to gather the information needed to establish their safety, said Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler. Mastectomy patients who started preparing for implants before the moratorium and women needing to replace ruptured implants will qualify for the studies and be able to get them immediately. SOME COSMETIC IMPLANTS ALLOWED: Women recovering from cancer surgery and those with serious breast abnormalities will be next in line to get the implants. A few thousand women with healthy breasts wanting larger breast will be allowed into tightly controlled trials, says Kessler. All the women must sign consent forms. Saline-filled implants will remain widely available for now, although the FDA will review them soon. (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