UPI NewsTrack Health and Science News

NASA: Weather looks OK for Tuesday launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Oct. 22 (UPI) -- The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said the weather forecasts for Tuesday's launch from Florida of space shuttle Discovery were favorable.

NASA weather officer Kathy Winters said the outlook suggested a 60 percent probability of favorable conditions at the Kennedy Space Center for the scheduled 11:38 a.m. EDT Tuesday liftoff.

Winters, however, said meteorologists were tracking a frontal boundary that might arrive Wednesday, earlier than previously predicted. Although the front was expected to still be in the Gulf of Mexico Tuesday, the timing of the front's arrival could cause problems for a Wednesday launch attempt should Tuesday's launch not occur.

Discovery's crew members arrived in Florida Friday and were proceeding with their final checklists and preparations Monday. STS-120's 14-day mission will include five spacewalks -- four by shuttle crew members and one by the space station’s Expedition 16 crew.

Discovery is scheduled to return to Earth at 4:47 a.m. EST Nov. 6.

Genes in severe form of arthritis are ID'd

HOUSTON, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Britain's Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium and an international team of scientists have identified two genes that cause a disabling form of arthritis

The team -- led by Drs. John Reveille of the University of Texas Medical School and Matthew Brown of Australia’s University of Queensland, and geneticist Lou Cardon of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center -- identified two genes that cause ankylosing spondylitis, an inflammatory and potentially disabling disease.

Reveille said the discovery of genes ARTS1 and IL23R brings the scientific community two steps closer to fully understanding ankylosing spondylitis or AS, a chronic form of arthritis that attacks the spine and can target other joints and organs in the body.

"We've long known that the HLA-B27 gene accounts for 40 percent of the overall cause of AS," said Reveille. "Now we have found two new genes. Together with HLA-B27, these genes account for roughly 70 percent of the overall cause.

"That means we've almost nailed this disease. Within the next year, I predict we will have identified all the genes that play a role in this insidious disease. There is more exciting news to come."

The research appears in the online journal Nature Genetics.

FDA revises Cialis, Levitra, Viagra labels

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has revised the labeling of the erectile dysfunction drugs Cialis, Levitra and Viagra to warn of possible hearing loss.

The FDA said the labels now will offer inform people of the potential risk of sudden hearing loss, and guide them on what to do if they experience sudden problems with their hearing.

In addition, the FDA said it plans to require the same changes in labeling for the drug Revatio, which is used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension -- a serious medical condition in which continuous high blood pressure in arteries of the lungs weakens the heart muscle and often leads to right heart failure and death.

The FDA said it asked manufacturers to revise product labeling after a very small number of patients reported sudden hearing loss, sometimes accompanied by ringing in the ears and dizziness.

Patients taking Cialis, Levitra or Viagra who experience sudden hearing loss should immediately stop taking the drug and seek prompt medical attention. Those using Revatio should continue taking their medication, but should contact their health care provider for further evaluation.

MIT gets $20M for mental illness research

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 22 (UPI) -- The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has received a $20 million gift to support research into mental illness.

The gift from MIT alumnus James Poitras and his wife, Patricia, of Narcoossee, Fla., will establish the Poitras Center for Affective Disorders Research within the university's McGovern Institute for Brain Research.

The Poitras Center will support translational and clinical research on bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia and other major psychiatric diseases, including collaborative projects with the Broad Institute and other clinical research institutions.

James Poitras retired in 2006 as president and chief executive officer of Highland Laboratories Inc., a family owned medical products company based in Ashland, Mass. Patricia Poitras is president of the Poitras Charitable Foundation. Both are members of the McGovern Institute leadership board.

"We decided many years ago, when bipolar disorder first affected our family directly, that our philanthropic efforts would be directed toward this area of brain research," the couple said. "We could not have imagined then that this perfect synergy between research at MIT's McGovern Institute and our own philanthropic goals would develop. We are very hopeful for the future."