Article Abstract:
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a general term for two related intestinal illnesses, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. The drug therapies currently available are of limited effectiveness and some cause serious side effects. Patients and researchers alike feel an urgent need for the development of new and better medications. It was recently confirmed that IBD is caused, in part, by a malfunction of the immune system; this has led to new optimism that effective treatments will be developed. The drugs currently being studied for use in treating IBD are reviewed. The oral medication mesalamine has achieved significant improvement of symptoms, and has led to remission in some patients with Crohn's disease and colitis. A group of drugs known as 5-aminosalicylic acids have been effective as enemas, but patient compliance was limited. Clinical trials are ongoing to test plaquenil, a drug normally used to treat malaria. Thus far, more than half of 45 patients given plaquenil, who were previously treated with steroids, no longer require steroids and are in remission. A partial response has been seen in other patients, and plaquenil appears to have minimal side effects. A drug that affects the immune system, methotrexate, has resulted in an 83 percent response rate among Crohn's disease patients and a 70 percent response rate among colitis patients; some were able to discontinue taking steroids. Also being investigated are cyclosporine and fish oil, but it should be noted that the latter did not improve bleeding, cramps, and frequency of bowel movements. None of these drugs have yet been proved to be completely safe and effective, but it is hoped that some will be safer for long-term use than steroids. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
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Article Abstract:
The federal government and the American Cancer Society have started an ambitious program to encourage Americans to quit smoking. The American Stop Smoking Intervention Study (ASSIST) will give states and local communities $160 million over the next seven years to develop smoking cessation programs. A total of $17 million has been awarded to 17 state health departments this year. While the National Cancer Institute (NCI) mandates the use of techniques shown to be effective through its own research, state health departments and local coalitions will be able to adapt the techniques to their communities. The plan is not without its critics, including tobacco industry spokesmen and even some antitobacco activists. But Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Louis W. Sullivan predicts the program will help 4.5 million smokers quit, convince 2 million young people not to start, and reduce the percentage of the population that smokes to 15%.
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Article Abstract:
An epidemic of infectious diseases could occur in the Midwest following the flood of 1993. St. Louis encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain caused by a virus that is transmitted to humans by mosquitos. Elderly individuals have the highest risk of developing a severe form of St. Louis encephalitis that can be fatal. The virus that causes St. Louis encephalitis is thought to be transmitted from migrating birds to the mosquito population. And there could be a significant increase in the mosquito population once the floodwaters recede. A Mosquito Task Force has been set up by the state of Missouri, and a pesticide spraying program has been started in St. Louis. Scientists are also closely monitoring populations of migrating birds in areas affected by the flood.
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