A.
Good News For Hair Dye Users
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Contrary to previous studies,
researchers at the University of California, San
Francisco found no association between hair dye
and Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Elizabeth Holly, a professor
of epidemiology, led the study which included over
four thousand participants, most of whom were women.
Holly:
We looked at all different kinds of hair dye use.
We looked at the temporary colors or hair darkeners,
we looked at semi-permanent colors, we looked at
permanent dyes and we also looked at exclusive use
of each of these products because we wanted to know
if it was one type of a product more than another
that might be related to the incidence of lymphoma.
Narrator:
Holly's study also dispelled a former theory that
the dark hair dyes posed a greater risk of cancer.
Holly:
This is a nice New Year's present for people - to
be able to know that when they're dyeing their hair
they don't have to worry about Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Narrator:
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is the fifth leading cancer
among both men and women - and it's incident rate
is increasing every year. For Science Today, I'm
Larissa Branin.
B.
A Gene Related To A Common Dementia
Narrator:
This is Science Today.A mutated gene has been linked
to several neurodegenerative diseases. Kirk Wilhelmsen,
a professor of neurology at the University of California,
San Francisco says this gene produces tau protein,
which is most commonly found in frontotemporal dementia.
Wilhelmson:
Frontotemporal dementia is a dementing illness like
Alzheimer's Disease in which there's a deterioration
of function but the pattern of how the function
begains is different. It probably is the second
most important cause of dementia and it turns out
that when you have frontotemporal dementia, it's
much more likely that you'll have another family
member with that disease than if you have Alzheimer's
Disease.
Narrator:
Because the tau gene has a very complex regulation,
which involves several other genes, researchers
are looking to find out just what those genes are.
Wilhelmsen:
It's hopeful that if we can find drugs that affect
these interactions and effect the biology of the
tau gene, then in fact we can treat more than one
disease. In fact, mabye many diseases.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
C.
Sending Out The Wrong Smoke Signals
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Cigar smoking has almost
doubled over the last decade. Lisa Bero, a researcher
at the University of California, San Francisco says
the media are playing a big part in the upward trend.
Bero:
In this particular study, we've looked at only newspaper
articles so far. We looked at who's quoted in the
articles, who talks at all in the articles and we
have celebrities and we have a lot of people from
the cigar industry. But less than a third of the
articles mention anyone from the public health community
so that view of cigars isn't getting out in these
lay press articles.
Narrator:
Since young people are the one growing group of
tobacco users in this country, Bero says cigar smoking
health hazards, such as cancer and heart disease,
should be included in these articles.
Bero:
And the other big health effect is the passive smoking
effects, because the toxic substances in cigar smoke
are actually greater than in cigarette smoke. And
that hasn't cropped up in any of the sample of articles
that we've looked at so far.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
D.
The Future Of Vision Correction
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Laser technologies have revolutionized
the field of vision correction. Dr. Brian Boxer
Wachler of UCLA says laser procedures for astigmatism
and near-sightedness surpass standard laser refractive
procedures in terms of efficiency and patient comfort.
Wachler:
More people can expect to get good vision the next
day and go back to work. It's something that five
years ago, we would have had a hard problem offering
it to the same range of people.
Narrator:
Dr. Boxer Wachler has been using a new 'laser disc'
technology to correct astigmatism with or without
nearsightedness.
Wachler:
I'm finding when I say that now we can correct astigmatism,
most people are very surprised. They didn't know
that we had that capability, but we do and it's
very effective. When we look to the future, There
are going to be new techniques and technologies
that include lasers and some non-laser technologies
to correct people's visual problems. And I think
we'll be seeing shortly a laser approved to correct
farsightedness.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
E.
The Positive Effects Of Coping With Disease
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Hope and determination are
key factors when it comes to surviving a serious
illness. Dr. Ernest Rosenbaum, an oncologist at
the University of California, San Francisco, has
done a lot of research on the will to live.
Rosenbaum:
The bottom line is that we are all going to face
crises in life. Major illnesses, major problems
and it's how we deal with these problems that we
can affect the outcome. The outcome should be hopefully,
a better quality of life. Survival, or prolonged
survival or cure. But you can't get to those levels
until you take care of your inner fears, your anger,
your isolation, your denial of problems.
Narrator:
Rosenbaum says patients who can do this, can increase
their chances of survival and improve quaility of
life.
Rosenbaum:
You can be angry about being ill, but that's an
event in life. Cancer occurs. Heart attacks occur.
How you deal with them that gives you the best chance
of getting something out of life and quality of
life.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
