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A.
A Landmark National Lung Screening Trial
Narrator:
This is Science Today. About forty sites across
the country plan to enroll 50 thousand healthy current
or former smokers between ages 55 and 70 in the
National Lung Screening Trial. Dr. Jonathan Goldin,
co-leader of the UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center's trial,
says the objective is to determine whether screening
for lung cancer in at-risk individuals using either
chest x-rays or CT scans, are effective screening
modes.
Goldin:
It's primary end point is whether screening with
either of these two modalities leads to mortality
reduction, which is probably the only true test
of the efficacy of a screening test. And secondly,
of these two imaging modalities, does one offer
any benefit over the other?
Narrator:
Lung cancer is the number one cause for cancer
death in this country, but there is currently no
standard approach to screening.
Goldin:
A CT scan will find tiny lesions within the lung
that you cannot see with a chest x-ray, but the
automatic conclusion that that is better is not
necessarily true.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
B.
Inflammatory Protein Strongly Linked to Heart Disease
Narrator:
This is Science Today. A new study at the University
of California, San Francisco, is changing the way
doctors think about inflammation and heart disease.
Mary Whooley, an assistant professor of epidemiology
and biostatistics, says that by understanding heart
attack precursors, such as cardiac ischemia, which
causes reduced blood flow to the heart, we can treat
heart disease as being more systemic, rather than
just a plumbing problem.
Whooley:
Inflammation is associated with blockages in the heart.
And for me, it seems plausible that the ischemia caused
by blockages in the heart, may be causing the inflammation,
rather than vice versa, the inflammation causing the
ischemia.
Narrator:
Whooley
says that linking markers of inflammation to future
heart attacks could help explain the progression of
heart disease.
Whooley:
Depending on future results, treating inflammation
may take on a more prominent role in treating and
preventing heart disease. Or inflammation may be used
as a method to track the degree of ischemia in patients
with coronary disease.
Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
C.
A Wrinkle Treatment that May Also Relieve Migraines
Narrator:
This is Science Today. In a case of scientific serendipity,
researchers at the University of California, San Francisco
discovered a cosmetic treatment called Botox that's
commonly used to alleviate facial wrinkles - may also
relieve migraines. Dermatologist Richard Glogau based
the study on his observation that patients receiving
Botox injections to the upper face also reported suffering
fewer headaches.
Glogau:
And these are patients that had been taking some fairly
heavy series medication for chronic migraine. So we
started to actively track it when patients came in
and wanted wrinkle treatment we made a note of whether
or not they had migraine or history of what medicine
they were taking and then followed what their response
to the treatments were.
Narrator:
Glogau found Botox - which temporarily paralyzes voluntary
muscle movement - reduced migraines for up to six
months in three out of four of his patients.
Glogau:
Clearly
for a significant segment of the population with headache,
there's another avenue, another therapy available.
If nothing else, it'll let them get by with a lot
less medication.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
D.
Tobacco Use: A Global Epidemic
Narrator:
This is Science Today. According to the World Health
Organization, every year there are 4.9 million deaths
related to tobacco. It is also estimated that globally
tobacco kills half of its regular users. Kirk Smith,
professor and chair of environmental health sciences
at the University of California, Berkeley, says with
these figures on the rise, the tobacco epidemic could
become a more critical threat than AIDS or malnutrition.
Smith:
Tobacco, shortly according to World Health Organization's
estimates, it will be the chief cause of ill health
in the world, and maybe by 2010. It will exceed malnutrition
as the most important cause of ill health in the world.
That depends a bit on what happens with the AIDS epidemic,
but HIV or AIDS might be first, but nevertheless,
tobacco will exceed malnutrition for the first time
in human history.
Narrator:
Consequently
the World Health Organization has called for all nations
to promote tobacco prevention through increased taxation,
advertising bans and indoor air pollution regulations.
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
E.
The Adverse Effects of Ephedra Containing Supplements
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Ephedra, a stimulant that's
used widely in dietary supplements, has been linked
to many adverse heath effects and sometimes, even
to death. According to recent national statistics,
the rates of adverse effects have been on the rise
since 1997. Dr. Christine Haller, of the University
of California, San Francisco says about 12 million
Americans use ephedra products to boost levels of
energy or to lose weight.
Haller:
It contains ma huang, which is an herbal form of ephedrine
and caffeine. And these two products in combination
seem to be potentially more dangerous in causing adverse
effects - a sense of nervousness, nausea and vomiting.
But it could be more serious - chest pain, indicating
a possibility of having a heart attack or stroke.
Narrator:
Many of these supplements have warning labels, but
many consumers are still unaware of the risk.
Haller:
The
problem is that a lot of the population being targeted
for use of these products are adolescents and young
adults who generally don't feel that they're at risk
for any adverse effects and so they may not read the
warning labels.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
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