IN BRIEF (Page 19)

Diabetics 'do it yourself'

Diabetics should test and evaluate their blood sugar levels as part of their regular routine, according to diabetes specialist Ruediger Landgraf in the Neue Apotheken Illustrierten.

Self-testing helps patients understand how blood sugar levels are affected by lifestyle and new situations. They are even more important during travel, after a change in diet, during illness or when starting a new job, but less so for people with stable lives and metabolisms.

More bad news for smokers

Smoking is not only poison for the lungs, nicotine can also hurt the eyes.

Smoking increases the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which can lead to blindness in worst-case scenarios according to the Dusseldorf-based German Professional Association of Ophthalmologists (BVA).

Studies have shown that smokers double the risk of suffering AMD, but that many are unaware their habit might damage their eyesight.

According to the association, AMD is one of the most common reasons for serious eye problems, including sight loss. Studies show that in its late stages, the afflicted can no longer read or recognize faces.

Breast cancer decline

Invasive breast cancer rates have fallen since the substantial decline in postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) occurred, even after a decline in breast cancer screening rates, according to findings published in the 5th Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

"It's encouraging that breast cancer rates decreased with decreases in use of hormone therapy," Dr Karla Kerlikowske says. "This implies that women who stopped using hormone therapy in a relatively short period of time have a risk of breast cancer similar to women who have never used hormone therapy."

Deadly pneumonia

A common cause of pneumonia can kill by causing bleeding in the lungs, researchers said in a finding that may explain why antibiotics fail to save many patients. They found the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae secretes a toxin that causes severe bleeding in the lungs in some patients, killing them within days.

Seniors want sex

Sex is important to many seniors into their 80s and 90s, and they work to enjoy it even if illness or other problems get in the way, according to a study published last week. Many older people have sex regularly, usually as often as younger people do, said Stacy Tessler Lindau of the University of Chicago, who led the study.

Booze lowers risk of kidney blues

Alcohol consumption may lower the risk of developing kidney cancer, according to a report in the British Journal of Cancer. Dr Alicja Wolk from the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, and colleagues investigated the association of different types of alcoholic beverages and of total alcohol consumption with the risk of kidney cancer in a large population-based study in Sweden.

Penicillin warning for women

Penicillin allergy is more likely to develop in women than in men, even after factoring in the effects of other allergy risk factors, according to study findings published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. The rate of individuals reporting they are allergic to penicillin ranges from 1 percent to 10 percent, and the rate of life-threatening reactions to this antibiotic is estimated to be 0.01 percent to 0.05 percent, note Dr Miguel A. Park, of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues.

Agencies

(China Daily 08/29/2007 page19)