IN BRIEF (Page 19)

Telltale signs of a pleural tumor

Difficulty breathing and swelling of the face and neck may indicate a pleural tumor (the pleura is the membrane that covers a lung), warn German researchers.

They say carcinomas originating in the bronchi put pressure on the superior vena cava or the major vein draining the thorax, obstructing the flow of blood in the upper body and sometimes causing headaches and loss of consciousness. People with these symptoms should see a doctor.

The study notes that the tumor's location and size could be determined with a CT scan. Unblocking the vein by implanting a metal stent often eliminates the symptoms within 24 hours. The tumor can then be more closely examined with a bronchoscope and subsequently treated.

Noise-free zone for kids

Children are exposed to many loud settings in kindergarten and on the playground. Therefore, experts say, there should be a zone in the home that is free of noise, such as radios and other things that can create shrill sounds.

Constant noise aggravates the sensitive hearing of children and makes many of them aggressive and nervous, according to German accident insurance groups in Hanover and Lower Saxony. Children who are stressed out by the amount of noise they must tolerate often are delayed in speech development and in their ability to concentrate compared with other children their age.

BP pills can help beat obesity

The pills people take to reduce blood pressure could be adapted to help those who need to lose weight, Australian researchers say.

At the Howard Florey Institute in Melbourne, Michael Mathai and his team re-engineered mice to knock out the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) that constricts blood vessels and so raises blood pressure. Pills that reduce blood pressure inhibit ACE.

The treated mice ate as much as those still with the ACE enzyme, but had half the fat and weighed about 20 percent less.

The treated mice were no more active than those in the control group, meaning their weight loss came from a higher metabolic rate.

DPA

(China Daily 04/30/2008 page19)