WEB SITES FOR CANCER PATIENTS
Breast cancer patients can benefit from visiting Internet sites that offer disease information and support, a study shows. Contrary to popular thinking that spending time at such sites leads to depression and loneliness, the study, by researchers at the University of Missouri, found the activity can provide psychological and social benefits. The American Cancer Society notes breast cancer affects more than 200,000 American women, making it the most prevalent cancer among women and the second-leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Many of these women seek information online. "We found that these women, among other things, regain optimism, develop coping mechanisms and improve their overall mood from these sites," said lead researcher Shelly Rodgers.
JUICE HAS BENEFITS
For children of a healthy weight, moderate consumption of unsweetened 100 percent fruit juice can provide health benefits, a pediatrician reported. Dr. Fima Lifshitz, senior nutrition scientist at Sansum Research Institute in Santa Barbara, Calif., said a study published in the journal Pediatrics draws a connection between obesity and sweetened-drink consumption in preschoolers. In terms of juice, however, the link applies primarily to overweight children, he said. "With 100 percent fruit juice only, the study found no connection to obesity among children at or near-normal body weight," Lifshitz said. Fruit juice contains calories, but it also has nutrients, such as vitamin C, which helps children absorb iron, he said, adding that a healthy diet and plenty of activity should be a part of every child's life.
CANCER TEST CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE
March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, a good time to remember to get tested, something that can prevent the disease. So said the American Cancer Society, which noted colorectal cancer is the third most common cause of cancer and cancer death in U.S. men and women -- and it is largely preventable. The ACS estimated this year will see 145,290 new cases and 56,290 deaths from the disease, a number that could be cut in half if Americans followed guidelines to get tested, starting at age 50. Over 90 percent of the cancers are diagnosed in people older than 50. Suspicious polyps (precancerous changes or growths in the lining of the colon and rectum) that show up in the tests can be removed before they turn cancerous. When colon cancer is caught early, it has a 90 percent survival rate, yet only 39 percent of the cancers are discovered at the earliest, most treatable stage, doctors said.
TOOTH PASTE AS DECAY FILLING
A dental paste of synthetic tooth enamel could change the way to install a filling in a decaying tooth. Normally, the affected part is removed by drilling, then the hole is filled with a resin or metal alloy. The process is not optimal for early lesions because it removes much of the healthy tooth to make the fillings stick, said Kazue Yamagishi of Japan, who has developed a crystalline white paste of modified hydroxyapatite, an enamel-like compound that quickly repairs an early lesion with nanocrystalline growth. The paste can reconstruct enamel without any excavation of healthy tooth matter, repairing small lesions and helping prevent more decay by strengthening the natural enamel, Yamagishi reported in the British journal Nature.
--
(Editors: For more information about CANCER, contact Jeff Neu at (573) 882-3346 or [email protected]. For JUICE, Julie McQuain at (212) 477-0472. For CANCER, David Sampson at (213) 368-8523 or [email protected]. For FILLINGS, Kazue Yamagishi at +81 3 5486 5245 or [email protected].)
