HEALTH Tidbits

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Largest HIV Vaccine Trial Criticized

 

BANGKOK (UPI) -- Researchers from top U.S. universities say an HIV

drug test involving 16,000 people in Thailand is a waste of time.

Writing in the journal Science, the AIDS experts from Harvard, UCLA,

Cornell University and 15 other respected institutions say there is no

" persuasive data " to suggest that it will work. However, the drugs

companies involved and the U.S. government, which is funding the $119

million trial, have rejected the claims saying they believe it is

worthwhile, the BBC said Friday.

 

The Thai study started last year and is expected to run for five

years. The experimental vaccine is made up of a harmless bird virus

which doesn't infect humans and a protein found on the surface of the

AIDS virus called gp120. The bird virus is used to carry AIDS genes

into the body. The idea is that the immune system will recognize and

attack HIV should the subjects be infected. " The gp120 component has

now been proven in phase III trials in the United States and Thailand

to be completely incapable of preventing or ameliorating HIV-1

infection, " the critics wrote.

 

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Smokers See Cigarettes as Their Friends

 

SEATTLE (UPI) -- Heavy smokers, those who light up 25 times or more a

day,look to cigarettes for comfort and companionship, according to a

new U.S. study. Interviews with 51 heavy smokers in the journal

Nicotine & Tobacco Research uncovered both anger and fear at the

thought of quitting, said Beti Thompson of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer

Research Center of Seattle, which conducted the study.

 

" Over 90 percent believed that even though smoking was dangerous it

was their 'friend.' The danger of losing a friend was more threatening

to them than the dangers of smoking, and they worried about what would

take the place of cigarettes emotionally, " Thompson said. Thompson and

colleagues interviewed the smokers to find out what kinds of

psychological traits might be linked with heavy smoking and the

ability to quit. Most of the study participants were white men, 35 to

54, who had been smoking for nearly 25 years.

 

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Vitamin D Protects Women Against MS

 

MILWAUKEE (UPI) -- Researchers in Boston have found women who take

vitamin D cut their risk of developing multiple sclerosis by 40

percent. A study of 187,563 women by the Harvard School of Public

Health confirmed the view a lack of sunlight and the resulting

absorption of vitamin D is linked to MS, the Milwaukee Journal

Sentinel reported Tuesday.

 

In roughly the northern half of the United States, the incidence of MS

is 110 to 140 cases per 100,000 people, compared with 60 to 80 cases

per 100,000 in the southern United States. And in areas near the

equator, the rate of MS is very low. " What we found is it (vitamin D)

is protective against MS, " said Kassandra Munger of Harvard School of

Public Health. " How long that protection lasts, I'm not sure. " The

study, appearing in the January issue of the journal Neurology, is

part of the ongoing Nurses' Health Study. The women in this study were

followed for 10 to 20 years.

 

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Sleep: 15 Steps to Dreamland

 

By Lidia Wasowicz, UPI Senior Science Writer

 

SAN FRANCISCO (UPI) -- In a United Press International survey of 71

specialists, the experts suggested 15 steps that could lead to the

land of the sleeping

 

1. Follow a routine of retiring and rising on a timeline that

deviates by no more than two hours every day, even on weekends.

2. Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol, which suppresses deep sleep,

within three to six hours, and heavy meals within three hours, of

bedtime.

3. Use your bed for resting or sleeping, not for doing extra office

work, watching television or playing video games (unless it helps you

doze off).

4. Exercise moderately for 30 minutes a day, but no later than three

hours before lights out.

5. Sip warm milk, herb tea or other non-caffeinated drinks before

turning in for the night to raise body temperature and help transport

you to dreamland.

6. Nibble on bananas, turkey, peanut butter or other foods rich in

tryptophan, a compound that produces a natural sedative effect.

7. Refrain from naps when you get home from work or school because

they can reduce what specialists call sleep pressure and, hence, your

subsequent ability to drift off for the night.

8. Put work aside two to three hours before you go to sleep.

9. If sleep fails to claim you within 20 minutes, get out of bed and

read for a while, selecting soothing rather than stimulating material.

10. Partake of massage, meditation, music, yoga, positive imagery,

biofeedback, a warm bath or other techniques that help the brain kick

back and unwind.

11. Write out a " worry list " of bothersome matters half an hour

before bedtime and deal with it before your head hits the pillow.

12. Keep the room quiet, dark and cool, and wear socks to sleep to

keep toes toasty.

13. Consult a doctor before taking melatonin, which may produce

insomnia if given at the wrong time, or other sleep aides, which may

prove ineffective, unhealthy or habit-forming.

14. Dim the lights two to three hours before bedtime and get out in

bright sunshine for five to 30 minutes as soon as you arise to help

set your brain's internal clock to your sleep-wake schedule.

15. Have sex, which some studies have identified as a sleep

facilitator.

 

If slumber continues to elude you, consider a visit to a sleep

specialist.

 

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Copyright 2004 by United Press International. All rights reserved.