Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.health From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: health Fri, May 29 1992 Date: Fri, 29 May 92 05:20:41 EDT Message-ID: 05-29 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update May 29-31, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network COLON CANCER CLUE FOUND: A chemical made by a common intestinal bacteria kills some colon cancer cells in test tubes and may lead to a potent anti-cancer drug, says a report that will be presented Saturday to the American Society of Microbiology in New Orleans. The bacteria, clostridium difficile, also is known to stimulate diarrhea or colitis. Its cancer-killing properties emerge when attacked by antibiotics. JUDGE ISSUES `GAG RULE' RULING: A Washington federal judge said Thursday the Bush administration must go through the rule-making process before implementing a "gag rule" limiting abortion counseling at federally funded clinics. The U.S. Supreme Court had earlier ruled that the government can bar abortion counseling at clinics it funds. FETAL TISSUE BILL APPROVED: The House Thursday approved a bill overturning a Bush administration ban on research using fetal tissue from induced abortions. The House failed to muster enough votes to override a likely veto. The bill goes back to the Senate for another vote. SMOKING STATISTICS REPORTED: Children who eventually end up smoking are 50% more likely to have a family member who smokes than kids in non-smoking households, according to a survey by Louis Harris & Associates in the June issue of American Health. The survey of 2,600 children in grades four through 12 and 1,200 adults, found that one in ten of the children smoke and that 56% had tried cigarettes by age 12. WATER COOLER FINDINGS ATTACKED: Research presented Wednesday citing dangerous bacteria levels in home and office water coolers was strongly denounced Thursday by the International Bottled Water Association. The association, a manufacturer of water cooler treatment equipment, cited studies showing the safety of water coolers. No federal health agency has reported any illness linked to water coolers, the group said. CANCER REGISTRY APPROVED: The House Thursday passed legislation that would create a national cancer registry network. The registry provision was in the larger National Institutes of Health reauthorization bill that also passed. The NIH bill also contains a provision that would lift the federal ban on fetal-tissue research, which President Bush has vowed to veto. NEW FERTILITY TEST DEVELOPED: A new test may help couples having difficulty conceiving a child. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston are pairing hamster eggs with human sperm and counting the number of sperm that penetrate each egg. The new test helps to determine if sperm is capable of invitro fertilization, thus avoiding the additional time and costs of traditional tests. GENE MUTATION LINKED TO CANCER: Young cancer patients who are at risk of developing more than one primary tumor carry a specific gene mutation, new studies show. The patients have no unusual family histories of cancer, but researchers in Memphis, Boston and Houston say the gene can be inherited. The mutation had been thought to arise from exposure to toxins that damage DNA, such as X-rays and tobacco smoke. TEXAS BIRTH DEFECTS STUDIED: A steep rise in rare brain and spinal birth defects in babies born around Brownsville, Texas, may have begun in the mid-1980s, at least four years earlier than first detected, state health researchers said. Toxic chemicals are a suspected cause of the condition known as anencephaly, in which babies are born without most of their brains. The EPA has launched a two-year study. BIOTECH FIRM CREATED: Baxter Healthcare Corp. and TranCel Corp. announced Thursday the creation of Neocrin Co., a privately held firm aiming to diagnose and treat diabetes. Neocrin's goal will be to develop a bio-artificial pancreas that can be implanted in insulin-dependent diabetics. CYTOVENE GETS FDA APPROVAL: Syntex Corp. said Thursday that the company has received permission from the Food and Drug Administration to market Cytovene for the prevention of cytomegalovirus, which strikes transplant patients. Nearly 50% of people carry cytomegalovirus antibodies, but the virus usually remains latent. The disease occurs when a person's immune system is suppressed by medication or is damaged. CARBOHYDRATES MAY YIELD DRUGS: Complex carbohydrates may be source of new immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory agents, according to research presented this week at the New York Academy of Sciences. Tests conducted in animals show the agents may be useful in attacking several kinds of diseases including lung inflammation and psoriasis, and the prevention of transplant rejection. 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