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 Wed, May 20 1992 Date: Wed, 20 May 92 05:20:57 EDT Message-ID: 05-20 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update May 20, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network VIOLENCE COMMON IN SCHOOLS: A nationwide survey of 546 students ages 13-19 found that 20% have seen a student pull a knife on someone. The survey, commissioned by Camp Fire Boys and Girls, also said that 52% believe the violence will worsen. Of those surveyed, 65% cited drugs as the major cause, 49% said abuse by parents, 48% said wanting to feel in control and 47% blamed gangs. COST OF CANCER DRUG CRITICIZED: Johnson & Johnson was criticized Tuesday for charging 100 times more to treat humans than animals with Levamisole, the first effective medicine for colon cancer. The drug costs $1,495 a year to treat colon cancer. Johnson & Johnson says the price recovers research costs. Cost to treat animals with worms: $14.95, Dr. Charles G. Moertel told the American Society for Clinical Oncology. TAXOL STUDIES REPORTED: The promising cancer drug taxol, made from a yew tree, is unlikely to cure lung cancer, doctors said Tuesday as several new studies of the drug were presented to a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in San Diego. But discouraging smoking will have a greater impact on lung cancer, said Dr. William K. Murphy of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. HEPATITIS EFFORT NOT ENOUGH: A nationwide survey of 1,005 young adults 18-24 years old found that 85% believe that efforts to educate the public about hepatitis B are insufficient. According to the National Foundation for Infectious Disease, which commissioned the study, hepatitis B is 100 times more contagious than AIDS, not always preventable by condoms and potentially deadly. HEPATITIS CAMPAIGN UNVEILED: The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases Tuesday announced the Hepatitis B Prevention Program, a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of hepatitis. The program is aimed at the "MTV generation," young people who are at highest risk of contracting the disease. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control advises hepatitis B vaccination for sexually active adults. BRAIN SCAN REVEALS DISEASE: A high-tech brain scan can reveal Alzheimer's disease three years before symptoms appear, according to reports this month at the annual meeting of Academy of Neurology in San Diego. Duke University researchers, who conducted the study, say the test may help identifying candidates for early treatment with drugs that may be approved soon, but more research is needed. SLEEP ISN'T SO PEACEFUL: Sleeping positions don't typically match the ones people normally assume at bedtime, reports Sleep magazine, a journal of the American Sleep Disorders Association and the Sleep Research Society. Not only are sleep positions contorted, but even good sleepers only maintain a position for about 20 minutes. Young people tend to make more changes than older people, experts say. EYE TIPS OFFERED: Eye diseases are the leading cause of blindness in the USA, says the American Optometric Association, which gives the following eye- care tip: Protect the eyes from the sun. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation can cause cataracts and degeneration. They also advise eating foods rich in antioxidants and having an annual eye exam after age 35. FERTILITY ADVANCEMENT MADE: Dutch researchers have developed a synthetic version of a hormone that improves a women's fertility, according to last week's issue of the British medical journal The Lancet. The hormone, which causes several eggs to mature at once, had previously been purified from urine. RUBELLA STILL REPORTED: Although rubella, also called German measles, was believed to be nearly eradicated in the USA, pregnant women are still getting the disease, health officials said in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association. Birth defects and fetal death can result from the disease. MD. PLANS CANCER SUMMIT: Maryland plans to hold a statewide cancer summit of 600 business, health and government leaders June 26, Gov. William Schaefer said Tuesday. With 191 deaths annually per 100,000 people, Maryland cancer rates rank among the highest in USA. The national rate is 171 deaths per 100,000 people. CT SCANS LOWER COST, SURGERY: Some of the cost and surgery of dental implants can be eliminated by using using CT scans. According to Dr. James C. Thompson, patients can save as much as $1,000 on hospital costs with the procedure, which replaces traditional methods. With the CT scan, a computer can be used to an exact replica of the lower jaw, which is then used to design the implant. MD. WARNS OF MEASLES OUTBREAK: Children who will be entering the sixth grade or kindergarten in the fall should have two doses of the measles vaccine, Maryland health officials warn. The state has had 500 reported cases of the disease in the past three years. 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. 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