United States
A drug that quashes the activity of a key brain chemical is the first effective treatment for patients in the later stages of Alzheimer's disease, according to the results of a large multi-center clinical study published in the April 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The drug, memantine, slows the mental and physical deterioration of patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease, according to Barry Reisberg, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine, who led the study. "These patients seem to be declining much less, about half as much as ordinarily expected, over a six-month period," says Dr. Reisberg. "This medication will slow down the otherwise inexorable progress of this disease, and it is remarkably free of side effects. These are very impressive results. It looks like this drug really will have an impact on this disease," he says.
From its base in America, the gambling industry is exporting technology and know-how to often fragile political systems in Asia and the Middle East, causing conditions that could threaten both U.S. and world security, a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign argues in a law journal article. The lightning spread of "Western-style" gambling overseas has increased the problems of addicted and problem gamblers, organized crime and alleged corruption in such countries as Malaysia, North Korea, the Philippines, South Korea and the strife-torn West Bank of Israel, according to John W. Kindt, an Illinois professor of business and legal policy.
A better understanding of the new "smelling" capabilities of human sperm cells may lead to advances in contraception and fertility treatments. A new study identifies a novel odorant receptor on human sperm and shows how activating this receptor causes the sperm to make a beeline for a target. In a study appearing in the 28 March issue of the journal, Science, German and U.S. researchers report that the binding of certain compounds to the new odorant receptor (hOR17-4) found on the surface of sperm cells, triggers a series of physiological events that may result in the directed movement of human sperm. In this chemosensory response, the sperm cells travel toward elevated concentrations of a sperm-attracting substance called "bourgeonal."
Patchy woods--common in cities and suburbia, and even in rural areas--may have more Lyme disease-carrying ticks, which could increase risk of the disease in these forest remnants, scientists have found. While forest fragments generally have fewer species than continuous habitat does, some species actually fare better in small patches, according to biologist Felicia Keesing of Bard College in Annandale, NY, and her colleagues. Lyme disease incidence is rising in the United States, and is in fact far more common than West Nile fever and other insect-borne diseases. Forest fragmentation could explain the increase.
Attempting to resolve a long-standing controversy, UCSF researchers have shown that people suffering from chronic pain due to nervous system damage ? known as neuropathic pain -- improved significantly after an eight-week course of the morphine-like medication levorphanol. Neuropathic pain affects about three million people in the U.S., and is considered very difficult to treat.
Blocking or eliminating a specific potassium channel in a small group of brain cells may improve or prevent the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, a debilitating and progressive neurodegenerative disease that afflicts over 1 million people in the United States. In Parkinson's disease, neurons that release dopamine die. The loss of dopamine causes an array of debilitating symptoms that include resting tremor, muscle rigidity and slowed movement. Although the cause of the disease remains uncertain, James Surmeier and colleagues at Northwestern University have discovered a way of potentially lessening the symptoms and progression of the disease. The investigators describe their findings in the March issue of Nature Neuroscience.<
Cats may adore catnip, but termites hate it. That's what two researchers found in a new study presented today at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, held this week in New Orleans. The oil derived from the catnip plant was found to repel and kill termites in a laboratory test. The researchers hope that eventually a commercial product derived from the oil might provide a less toxic alternative to pesticides used today. Termites cause damages estimated at more than $1 billion annually in the United States. In New Orleans, the aggressive Formosan subterranean termite ? now found in at least 11 states ? is believed to infest about 30 percent of the area's live oak trees and costs home owners more than $300 million a year.
A gene associated with red hair and fair skin may also be responsible for how females respond to painkillers, according to a study conducted by lead researcher Jeffrey Mogil, a McGill University psychology professor, and collaborators in the United States. Results of their study are to be released today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (article #03-0053). "While we believe pain is the same in all women of all hair colours," explained Mogil, "our study shows women with red hair respond better to the pain-killing drug we tested than anyone else -- including men."
Faced with the possible threat by North Korea of a nuclear warhead reaching the United States, senior Pentagon officials told the House Armed Services Committee March 20 they are moving forward with a billion-dollar missile defense system. "We have achieved a number of successes in the missile defense test program, which have added momentum to the development effort and bolstered our confidence that we will be able to meet the challenges that lie ahead," Edward E. "Pete" Aldridge Jr., undersecretary of defense acquisition, technology and logistics, told the committee.
Of the nearly 30 million American women who undergo screening mammograms every year, up to 11 percent receive "probably benign" test results -- and therefore are asked to come back for a follow-up mammogram in three to six months. But according to a new study by UC Davis researchers, such frequent re-testing may be unnecessary. The study appears in tomorrow's issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The UC Davis researchers examined the mammography records of nearly 60,000 women enrolled in the national Women's Health Initiative project, one of the largest preventive health studies in the United States. Among the women who had probably benign mammograms, only 1 percent went on to develop breast cancer within two years, the investigation found.
Smoking, the number one cause of preventable death in the United States, causes 130,000 lung cancer deaths each year. Many smokers are now considering screening with low-dose helical computed tomography (CT) scans in the hope of diagnosing the disease early. A new study that shows lung cancer risk varies widely among smokers may help individuals and their doctors decide if voluntary screening is appropriate for them.
Researchers have found that the yellow substance found in the pigment for curry prevents activation of a genetic factor leading to liver inflammation and necrosis. Despite numerous public education initiatives, alcohol abuse remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. It is estimated that in the United States as many as 10 percent of men and three percent of women may suffer from persistent problems related to the use of alcohol. Alcohol affects many organ systems of the body, but perhaps most affected are the central nervous system and the liver. Almost all ingested alcohol is metabolized in the liver and excessive alcohol use can lead to acute and chronic liver disease.
It's virtually impossible for people who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices to enjoy the full benefits of a beach experience, but the National Center on Accessibility at Indiana University Bloomington is working to remedy this situation that affects millions of Americans. "Most typical wheelchairs are impossible to use on sand, so people with disabilities are unable to enjoy the beach," NCA Director Gary Robb explained. "We had about 40 men and women who use wheelchairs test five different wheeled devices designed to traverse beach sand to evaluate their usability. We are now compiling the data and hope to report our findings in two to three months to government agencies, people with disabilities, and others interested in an independent analysis of this equipment."
Advances in technology and changes in procedures are leading to improved health care for troops before, during and after deployments, U.S. defnse officials say. "An array of medical technologies and capabilities" is being used to provide "layers of protection" to U.S. service members on the modern battlefield, the Defense Department's top physician said today. Vaccines, protective and detective equipment, and first-rate front-line care combine to ensure American forces are prepared to face any threat, Dr. William Winkenwerder, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said in a Pentagon press briefing with several military medical experts.
Pentagon officials showed pictures today from the 1991 Gulf War of an Iraqi tank completely destroyed by a 105 mm round made of depleted uranium. The round had pierced the tank's thick armor, leaving only a burned out shell. Even more impressive, they told of how a DU round had penetrated directly through a sand dune to demolish a tank hiding behind it. "That's how much of an edge it gives us, and we don't want to give that up," Col. James Naughton of the Army Materiel Command said today at a Pentagon briefing to explain the uses and health effects of DU on the battlefield.
