Health Tips ... from UPI

IMMEDIATE TREATMENT HELPS DELAY GLAUCOMA

Speedy treatment can delay the progression of glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness, researchers have found. The study, published in the journal Archives of Ophthalmology, adds to growing evidence that treatment to lower pressure inside the eye can slow glaucoma damage and subsequent vision loss. "These results strongly support the body of evidence suggesting that immediate treatment of early stage, open-angle glaucoma (the most common form of the eye disorder ) will slow the disease progression," said Dr. Paul Sieving, director of the National Eye Institute. "Unfortunately, glaucoma has no early warning signs, and many affected patients are unaware they have the disease until it has advanced. Once people have lost vision from glaucoma, it cannot be regained. However, early detection and timely treatment would help to save the vision of thousands of people each year."

CONTRACEPTIVE INJECTION IS RECALLED

Pharmacia Corp. is recalling its Lunelle(TM) Monthly Contraceptive Injection (medroxyprogesterone acetate and estradiol cypionate injectable suspension) in prefilled syringes. The reason is a possibility the birth control method might not prevent pregnancy. As a precaution, Pharmacia is voluntarily recalling all of the syringes now on the market. Lunelle that comes in vials is not affected. Neither are any of the other Pharmacia contraceptives. Lunelle is a combined hormonal contraceptive given as a monthly injection. Women who have been using Lunelle syringes should seek the advice of their doctor about alternative methods of birth control and should use additional birth control -- such as male or female condoms, diaphragm or spermicide -- until beginning a new form of hormonal contraception, company officials said.

SAD GIRLS MAY MAKE DEPRESSED WOMEN

A study suggests girls' tendency to stew in their sadness puts them at higher risk for developing depression later on in life. Girls think more about their sad feelings than do boys, said the investigators from Florida State University. Psychology Professor Janet Kistner and former doctoral student Dannah Ziegert developed a children's version of a questionnaire commonly given to adults to assess styles of response to a depressed mood. They administered the questionnaire to 205 9- to 12-year-olds in fourth and fifth grades.The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, found a significant difference between the sexes. While the girls tended to think about their feelings, boys tended to do things to get their mind off their feelings. "We asked them if they get a bad grade or don't get invited to a birthday party do they think about it over and over again or do they run outside and play a game? Girls had a greater tendency to think and think and think about it, and that's a pattern of behavior that could put them at risk for depression," Kistner said.

STUDY EYES VITAMIN E AND TRIATHLETES

Reseachers want to know what effect high doses of vitamin E have on triathletes. A team from Appalachian State University is traveling to the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii to find out. Specifically, the scientists will try to determine whether the vitamin can reduce negative health effects associated with extreme exercise, said study leader Dr. David Nieman. The scientists will collect blood, saliva and urine samples from 40 competitors before and after the event that includes a 2.4-mile ocean swim, 112-mile bike race and 26.2-mile run. The athletes have been taking 800 IUs of the antioxidant vitamin E or a placebo for the past two months. Doctors theorize that high doses of the vitamin may help reduce the athletes' oxidative and immune stress. Nieman said the large amounts of oxygen breathed by athletes during intense competition create free radicals, which can damage cell membranes and DNA. Also, stress to an athlete's immune system often leads to sickness following competition. A previous study showed high doses of vitamin C did not improve the immune system function of runners competing in a 50-mile race.

(EDITORS: For more information about GLAUCOMA, contact Michael Coogan at 301-496-5248 or mjc@nei.nih.gov; about CONTRACEPTIVE, call 888-691-6813; about GIRLS, contact Dr. Janet Kistner at 850-644-2040 or kistner@psy.fsu.edu; about TRIATHLETES, contact Jane Nicholson at 828-262-2345 or nicholsonrj@appstate.edu.)