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 Thu, Apr 23 1992 Date: Thu, 23 Apr 92 05:38:05 EDT Message-ID: 04-23 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update April 23, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network COURT HEARS ABORTION ARGUMENTS: The Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday on a Pennsylvania abortion law requiring parental consent for minors, spousal notification and a 24-hour waiting period. Justices will vote Friday and assign the drafting of opinions and dissents, but no public release of opinion is expected before June. Tougher abortion laws from Guam, Louisiana and Utah may go to the court in the fall. STARTLING RAPE FIGURES RELEASED: Every year in the USA, 683,000 women are forcibly raped, reports a new study conducted by The Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center. The three-year study of 4,008 adult women and 370 rape crisis agencies found that 61% of rape victims surveyed were under 17 when attacked and 29% were under 11. The study's findings, which contradict Justice Department figures, are overstated, critics say. SURGERY OPTIONS OFTEN UNUSED: Age and race can affect a women's chance of receiving a mastectomy instead of more conservative surgery, reports Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. Findings also suggest that women in different parts of the USA are more likely to receive mastectomies than others. Experts are unsure why but are looking at more current data to see if the discrepancy still exists. MORE FAMILIES CHILDLESS: More families are childless than have children, according to a Census Bureau report released Wednesday. In 1991, 48.9% of families included children under 18, down from 52.1% in 1980 and 55.8% in 1970. Cited for the statistical change is the increasing number of couples who have delayed marriage or remained childless. EXPERTS MEET TO DISCUSS DES: Researcher met in Washington Wednesday to discuss the impact of DES, a hormonal drug used to prevent miscarriages that was linked to vaginal cancer 21 years ago. At the conference, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., expressed optimism that her bill calling for a $2 million public information program would be passed this year. DIABETES CLUE FOUND: Researchers may have found a genetic mutation that is responsible for some cases of early onset Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease. The finding, reported in Thursday's Nature, may lead to improved treatment, researchers say. The gene is thought to play a role in regulating insulin secretion from the pancreas. AIDS TESTS OFFERED TO STUDENTS: High school seniors in Lee County, Fla., will be able to get AIDS testing from clinics that are not school-based, says the National School Boards Association. The Health Department and AIDS Task Force of Lee County will offer the tests at a health fair in May, the first such arrangement in the nation. Currently 35 schools in the USA offer AIDS tests, but only through school clinics. DELAYED CANCER DIAGNOSIS CITED: Properly comparing prior and current chest X-rays of lung cancer patients can help physicians make earlier diagnoses and avoid lawsuits, reports a study by the Physician Insurers Association of America. The study also found that inadequate evaluations, failure to heed X-rays, and failure to communicate with the patients were reasons for delayed diagnoses. BOOK DEALS WITH WHINING KIDS: Giving in to children's whining fosters future patterns, so it should be immediately dealt with, warns psychologist Lonnie Carton, author of " `NO' Is a Love Word" (Learning Center Publications, $12.95). "Prevention is more important than the cure," says Carton, who advises showing kids a shopping list, then saying "It's not on the list" when whining strikes. MOTHERHOOD CONSIDERATIONS: Finances are the most important consideration for women thinking about having a first child, according to a poll of 600 women ages 18-65 by Strategic Research for Advance Pregnancy Test. Of those surveyed, 72% cited finances, while a partner's career or their own career was cited by 45% and 33%, respectively. Education was the most important factor among 33%, and 28% said age. COAST GUARD SMOKING DROPS: The Coast Guard reports a drop in the number of smokers among its personnel. Since enacting the toughest anti-smoking policy in the U.S. armed forces in July 1990, the Coast Guard has seen a 30% decline in cigarette use among active-duty personnel. MICH. WELL CONTAMINATION CITED: Of 1,105 private wells tested by Michigan in 1992, 2.4% had nitrate levels higher than Environmental Protection Agency standards for safety, and 46.7% had some nitrates present, an environmental group says. The data shows the need to regulate chemicals used in the agricultural industry, the group says. 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