Health Tips ... from UPI

SECRETIN NO CURE FOR AUTISM

Once thought to be a possible cure for autism, researchers now say secretin, natural or synthesized, is not a magic bullet for the developmental disorder. A report from the University of Washington and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center covers the largest and most-comprehensive trials of the hormone conducted. "The message to parents is that there is no evidence that secretin is effective and should be given to children with autism," says Geraldine Dawson, director of the UW's Autism Center. The study measured the effectiveness of both natural porcine secretin, a synthetic form of the hormone, and a placebo. Secretin is a naturally occurring human hormone produced in the small intestine that helps control digestion and is used in diagnosing gastrointestinal problems.

BLEACH HELPS PREVENT HEPATITIS C

Hepatitis C virus is a major problem for people who use injectable drugs but researchers say regularly disinfecting needles with household-strength bleach between injections appears to reduce the risk of infection. The study, from the New York Academy of Medicine, finds young people who begin to use injectable drugs are most at risk as they cannot or will not stop using drugs and often have limited access to sterile syringes. The researchers say a study of drug users found the odds of becoming infected with hepatitis C were 65 percent lower among those who reported using bleach "all the time" and were 24 percent lower among those reporting bleach use "less than all the time."

WEEKLY TRAINING HELPS COGNITIVE FUNCTION

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers say weekly training sessions for seniors improved memory, concentration and problem-solving skills. A national trial looked at the cognitive skills of nearly 3,000 participants, age 65 and over, in six U.S. cities. Coordinating author Karlene Ball, of the UAB Center for Applied Gerontology, says the training not only improved cognitive abilities but the participants maintained the improvement for two years. "The improvements were sizable, roughly counteracting the degree of cognitive decline we would expect to see over a seven- to 14-year-period among older adults without dementia," Ball says. The study is in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.

MORE SENIORS GIVE, LONGER THEY LIVE

A new motto for seniors might be: The more you give the longer you live. University of Michigan researchers say their studies find older people who are helpful to others reduce their risk of dying by nearly 60 percent compared to those who provide neither practical help nor emotional support to relatives, neighbors or friends. "Making a contribution to the lives of other people may help to extend our own lives," says lead author psychologist Stephanie Brown. Brown analyzed data on 423 older couples, part of the ISR Changing Lives of Older Couples Study, which first interviewed participants in 1987 then followed them for five years to see how they coped with the changes of later life. The couples were asked whether they provided any practical support to friends, neighbors or relatives, including help with housework, child care, errands or transportation. They were also asked how much they could count on help from others. Brown says people who reported providing no help were more than twice as likely to die as people who did give some help to others. There was no reverse correlation for those on the receiving end.

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(EDITORS: For more information about AUTISM, contact Geraldine Dawson at 206-543-1051 or e-mail dawson@u.washington.edu. For HEPATITIS C, Kathryn Cervino, 212-822-7285 or kcervino@nyam.org, for COGNITIVE, Tracy Bischoff, 205-934-8935 or tracy@uab.edu, and for GIVING HELP, Diane Swanbrow, 734-647-9069 or wanbrow@umich.edu)