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Prevention Program Helps Teens Override A Gene Linked To Risky Behavior
A family-based prevention program designed to help adolescents avoid substance use and other risky behavior proved especially effective for a group of young teens with a genetic risk factor contributing toward such behavior, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Georgia. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), components of the National Institutes of Health, supported the study, which appears in the May/June issue of Child Development.

Risk Factors For Cardiovascular Disease Increasing In Younger Canadians Raise Concern About Future Rise In Heart Disease
The prevalence of heart disease and certain key risk factors - hypertension, diabetes, and obesity - are increasing in all age groups and most income groups in Canada found a new study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) http://www.cmaj.ca/press/cmaj081629.pdf. This study, which looked at national data from 1994 to 2005, encompassed people aged 12 years and older sampling from Canadians of all socioeconomic and ethnic groups. Risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity increased most rapidly among younger people between 12 to 50 years of age.
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Finance Committee Gains Momentum From CBO Report, Dem Pressure... Maybe
"Congressional Democrats are determined to show progress on health care overhaul by pushing President Barack Obama"s top domestic priority through two critically important committees before they head home for their August break," the Associated Press reports. "In the Senate, negotiators on the Finance Committee say they are nearer to a bipartisan compromise that has eluded them for weeks" (Alonso-Zaldivar and Werner, 7/30).
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Link Between Common Antibacterial Treatment And Sensorineural Hearing Loss In Cystic Fibrosis Patients

An otherwise effective treatment for cystic fibrosis places patients at a high risk of sensorineural hearing loss, according to new research published in the July edition of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections; and obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food. Researchers reviewed the medical records of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients at Children"s Hospital Boston over a 13 year period, and found that seven of 50 CF patients (14%) suffered from sensorineural hearing loss. Of that group, 43 percent of those that had received aminoglycosides intravenously had received more than 10 courses of the treatment; patients who were treated more than five times with nasal irrigation of aminoglycosides were also at risk of sensorineural hearing loss. Because CF patients are prone to suffer from infections of the pulmonary and sinonasal systems, aminoglycosides are commonly administered to CF patients because of the potent effect they have on bacteria. The treatment is considered so effective that it outweighs the well-known side-effects, which include hair cell loss, and thus hearing loss. The authors contend that CF patients should have routine hearing evaluations that specifically target the detection of sensorineural hearing loss, especially when repeated courses of systemic or intranasal aminoglycosides have be used in treatment. They also note that further investigation through a prospective study is warranted in order to replicate these results. The study"s authors are Alan G. Cheng, MD; Patrick R. Johnston, MMath; Jeniffer Luz, BS; Ahmet Uluer, DO; Brian Fligor, ScD; Greg R. Licameli, MD, MHCM; Margaret A. Kenna, MD, MPH; and Dwight T. Jones, MD. Matt Daigle American Academy of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery


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