Health Headlines - July 30

Bird Flu Kills Two in Vietnam; Toll Now 60

Bird flu has killed two more people in Vietnam days before the country is to begin mass vaccinations of poultry, an official said Friday.

Primate Gene Link Opens Up Eye Research

A genetic link between rhesus monkeys and humans with macular degeneration -- an incurable eye disease that's the leading cause of blindness in the United States -- may provide information about the earliest stages of the disease, when severe vision loss could be halted.

Scientists Develop 'In-Body Bone Factory'

In the not-too-distant future, a ready source of fresh, rejection-free bone tissue for transplant may be as close as the outside of the patient's own shin or thigh bone, U.S. researchers report.

Stem Cells Restore Egg Production in Mouse Ovaries

Stem cells found in bone marrow and blood can help depleted adult mouse ovaries replenish their supplies of egg cells within a few weeks, according to a new study.

Knee Pain Can Point to Other Pain

The knee bone is connected to the thigh bone, and the thigh bone is connected to the hip bone, but could the knee bone be connected to the backbone?

The answer seems to be "yes," at least where pain and depression are concerned, claims a group of British researchers.

Their study examined how often knee pain was associated with pain in other parts of the body and the effect of multiple sites of pain on the quality of life for patients aged 50 and older. People in this age group frequently experience joint pain, especially in the knees, according to the report in the August issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.

It turned out that the majority of people with knee pain also had pain in other parts of the body, including the neck, hips, ankles and lower back. And people who suffered from pain at more than one site were more likely to suffer depression and anxiety. In other words, widespread physical pain had a notable impact on the emotional quality of patients' lives.

States Fail to Look for Eye Trouble in Kids

States are short-sighted when it comes to protecting their children's eyesight.

Only one -- Kentucky -- requires all children to receive an eye exam by an eye doctor before starting elementary school. And most other states fall far short of what's needed, according to a new report from the Vision Council of America called Making the Grade.

The report follows a recent U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention review that found that nearly two of three children receive no preventive vision care before entering elementary school.

Report Reveals New Clues to Deadly Anthrax

The activity of a pore on the surface of human cells may be a critical step to anthrax infection, according to Harvard Medical School researchers. They believe the finding could help lead to new methods of fighting the deadly bacterium.

Deadly Bacteria Times Its Attack

Scientists have gleaned new insights in how the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterium -- a potentially lethal organism that's a frequent cause of infections after surgery -- gets past the human immune system's distress code.

Cracking the code, the bacteria recognizes the moment when a person is most vulnerable and times its attack to before the immune system can mount a strong defense, according to a study published in the July 29 issue of Science.

Researchers at the University of Chicago found the bacteria detect interferon-gamma, a chemical messenger used by the immune system to coordinate its attacks against invaders. The bacteria recognize interferon-gamma as a threat and then somehow assesse their own ranks. If they conclude their numbers are sufficiently large, the bacteria activate genes that turn them from harmless bowel dwellers into deadly invaders of the bloodstream.

Statins Help Some Stroke Patients

Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs reduce the incidence of a potentially deadly complication in patients who have strokes caused by a burst blood vessel, British and American researchers report.

Fear Factor May Fuel Racial Divides

Overcoming fear of members of another race may not be as easy as some might hope, a new study suggests.

The research, which included the use of photos of people and mild electric shocks administered to study participants, revealed the same responses for both black and white Americans.

The only factor that helped diminish the fear was experience with interracial dating, the study found.

Drug Makers' Free Samples May Bias Doctors

Resident physicians with access to free drug samples in a medical clinic are more likely to prescribe heavily advertised drugs and less likely to recommend over-the-counter (OTC) and inexpensive drugs to their patients than doctors who don't have access to these handouts, according to a new study.

Food Fact:
Go nuts!

Eat the right number of nuts per week, and you may cut your risk of a fatal heart attack in half! That's what studies have shown for people who eat nuts five times or more per week. Many nuts, especially walnuts, are a good source of fatty acids that work in the body to lower heart disease risk. Eating nuts can help lower blood cholesterol, and reduce the risk of sudden severe heart attacks. But when eating nuts, it's important not to go overboard, because they're loaded with calories -- a 1/2 cup contains about 350 calories and 36 grams of fat. Instead of snacking on nuts by the handful, use them as an accent in a salad, in baked goods or pilafs.

Fitness Tip of the day:
Set reasonable goals.

Want to lose 30 pounds or have killer abs? Great, but remember: Every long journey starts with one step. By focusing on smaller, incremental targets unrelated to results -- say, following through on a promise to walk a little every day at lunch for a week -- you'll feel a sense of achievement early and more often. Big goals take time to reach, and focusing on them too soon may do more harm than good.

FAQ of the day:
Is vitamin E good for my eyes?

Extra vitamin E may help, but eating foods rich in yellow plant pigments is probably far more important. Lutein, the pigment in spinach, kale, corn, peas and other foods, concentrates in the macula of the eye, where it filters out harmful ultraviolet light. It sounds like you're getting more than enough vitamin E, so concentrate on eating carotenoid-rich vegetables, such as carrots, to help preserve your vision.