P age A4
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Multiple
Sclerosis
Shows
Trends Of
Occurrence
A cco rd in g to o ffic ia ls from
the M u ltip le Sclerosis A sso cia ­
tion o f Am erica, MS is the most
common n e u ro lo g ica l d iso rd e r
among young adults, s trik in g as
many as 500,000 A m ericans. The
A ssociation notes that although
there is no known cause o r cure
fo r MS, researchers have id e n ti­
fied many interestin g trends and
statistics.
• M ost patients are diagnosed
w ith MS between the ages o f 20
and 40, w ith women tw ice as lik e ­
ly to develop the disease than
men
• The farther a person lives north
or south o f the equator during his or
her first 15 years increases his or her
odds o f developing MS later in life.
Those who spend their childhood in
the northern half o f the U.S. have
three times the risk o f developing
MS as those in the southern half.
• Although MS does not quality
as being hereditary, genetic suscepti­
bility does have much support. On
the average, an American has a 0 .1 %
chance o f developing MS. For fam­
ily members o f an MS patient, the
risk increases to between 2% and
5% The risk becomes 26% for those
with an identical twin brother or sis­
ter with MS
• The highest incidence o f MS
occurs in the wealthiest, most sterile
countries Poorer, less sanitary coun-
, tries have the lowest percentage o f
patients.
• Regardless o f where they live,
certain groups o f people appear to be
immune to MS. Gypsies and Eski­
mos are two such groups.
a lt h (^Science
tight Smiles, Bright Futures
Atlanta's youth can look for­
ward to a brighter future because
'Dr. Rabbit” is here to educate them
about proper oral health care. With
the help o f “ Dr. Rabbit". Atlanta’ s
youth w ill have a bright smile and
bright future. “ Dr. Rabbit’ is part o f
C olgate -P alm olive C om pany’ s
“ Bright Smiles, Bright Futures” pro­
gram, a multi-cultural oral health
education community program de­
signed to reach inner-city youth
from birth through age 12.
Now in its fourth year, “ Bright
S tu dy In d ic a te s B lack Girls M a tu re E arlier
Black girls tend to have more
muse le and bone mass by age 6 than do
white or Hispanic girls. Preliminary
findings o f a study at the USDA's
Children's Nutrition Research Center
at Baylor Col lege o f Med ic ine in I lous-
ton indicate that this trend progresses
during puberty as black girls mature
faster, said Dr. Kenneth Ellis.
New Anti-Viral Drug
Shows Promise
A new drug, MSL-109, is being
tested to see i f it can increase the
amount o f time between occurrences
o f cytomegalovirus (C M V ) retinitis
-- a major cause o f blindness, partic­
ularly among people with AIDS.
MSL-109 is undergoing m id­
phase study as part o f the M ono­
clonal antibody C M V Retinitis Trial
(M A C R T). The drug uses a human
CM V-specific monclonal antibody
to target an outside receptor on the
virus, making it more d iffic u lt forthe
virus to attach itse lf to cells. Once
attached, the virus is nourished, al­
lowing it to reproduce.
“ We hope that this window o f
time between C M V recurrence can
be increased," said Dr. Richard A.
Lewis, a professor o f ophthalmology
at Baylor College o f Medicine in
Houston, one o f the national sites for
the M ACRT.
Lewis said that in earlier stud­
"Dr. Rabbit" Educates Atlanta's youth About Proper Oral Care: Atlanta’s youth can look forward to a
bright future with "Dr. Pabbit." Dr. Rabbit is part of Colgate-Palmolive's "Bright Smiles, Bright Futures"
Program, a grass-roots multi-cultural oral health education program for youth from birth ago 12. On
hand to help "Dr. Rabbit" were (from 1-r). Dr. Augustine McDaniel, Emma Hutchinson Elementary
School, Dr. David Lamothe, North Georgia Dental Society, Cathryn Phillips, Colgate-Palmolive
Company, Dr. Marsha Butler, Colgete-Palmolive Company and Dr. Anderson Kizzie, Local BS/BF
Coordinator "Bright Smiles. Bright Futures" was launched in Atlanta at Emma Hutchinson Elementary
School.
Photo Credit: Bill Holliasi
This new information on growth
patterns may play a role in adjusting or
"customizing" guidelines to meet the
nutritional needs o f ethnic groups
“ It is important to know, for ex­
ample. that black girls may need more
protein in their diet because they are
developing muscle tissue and growing
at a faster rate," Ellis said.
Smiles, Bright Futures” providesoral
health screenings, parent education
workshops and treatment referrals,
providing children with a healthy
start on a healthy smile. Colgate’s
customized "B right Smiles, Bright
Futures" Dental Van was present to
give free dental screenings to kinder­
garten, first, second and third grade
children from EYrima Hutchinson
Elementary School, who hosted a
special presentation attended by A t­
lanta Mayor B ill Campbell.
Since 19 9 1, "B rig h t Smiles,
Bright Futures” has reached 2.5 m il­
lion children in more than 20 cities |
with important oral health informa­
tion through its in-school curricu-|
lum, mobile dental van and commu- [
nity outreach programs.
In addition to Atlanta, the pro­
gram is also fu lly operational in i
Oakland, CA, Philadelphia, PA and I
New York City. The program con­
tinues its national goal o f providing I
important, exciting and fun ora lf
health education for youth and their |
parents.
A ID S P r o t e c t io n S u r v e y
Multnomah County is involved in a program to help drug users protect
themselves from AIDS. I f you are a heroin, cocaine or methamphetamine
user, health workers are asking for your help in answering some questions.
A ll information w ill be kept confidential.
Persons qualifying for this program, w ill be paid for their time. To learn
more, call 248-3651 and ask for Jack. The county 's H IV Outreach Program
and Risk Behavior Intervention Project are endeavors to assist people in the
community who are at risk o f contracting H IV, the virus that causes AIDS.
HOT PRICES
ies, the drug demonstrated virtually
no side effects among several hun­
dred patients.
“ The beauty o f this treatment so
far is that there appear to be no ad­
verse responses, no complications.”
Lewis said. “ We are encouraged that
this next phase w ill prove further
information in its favor."
According to Lewis, the aver­
age "w ind o w " o f C M V activation in
the early stages o f infection is about
every three months.
“ However, the time between
a ctivation lessens as the illness
progresses," he said “ V irtu ally all
patients with C M V retinitis w ill re­
activate’ as time goes on.”
MSL-109 is produced by Protein
Design Laboratories o f California and
is under evaluation in a multi-center
clinical trial program sponsored by the
Studies o f the Ocular Complications
o f AIDS Research Group
Kaiser Permanente
Offers Health Education
Class In North Portland
The follow ing class is open to
the public and is being offered in
North Portland this fall through K ai­
ser Permanente. For registration in­
formation, call Kaiser Permanente’s
Health Education department at (503 )
286-6816.
"B reastfeeding f o r W orking
Mothers " Class provides informa­
tion on breast pumps, m ilk storage
and other practical tips for mothers
choosing to continue breastfeeding
after returning to work. The w ork­
shop w ill be from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
on M onday, Dec. I I , at Kaiser
Permanente’ s Education and Con­
ference Center (Town Hall), 3704 N.
Interstate Ave.. Portland. Cost is $ 10
fo r fa m ilie s w ho are K a is e r
Permanente members, $20 for the
general public. Please registerat least
I0 days before the class.
Ways To Help Youngsters
Avoid Smoking
To d iscou rage teensmoking.use
three tactics: start early, don’t nag
and “ get them thinking.”
Parents can begin early to get
across the message about smoking’ s
dangers, said Dr. Larry Laufnian o f
Baylor College o f Medicine in Hous­
ton. He advocates a family environ­
ment that encourages open discussion.
“ That may not stop them from
smoking, but it w ill pave the way for
honest talk when the time comes,”
Laufman said.
“ Never, never nag,” he said.
“ Harassment is a sure-fire way to
keep them smok ing. ” Getting young­
sters to think about the dangers o f
smoking may be as simple as a seri­
ous discussion or having them read a
brochure.
“ Even ifthe seed is only planted,
it’s a start,” Laufman said.
COLD DAYS
Prices Effective November 2 9 through December 5 ,1 99 5 a t your nearby Safeway store.
x.
r
Beef
Chuck Roast
• Blade or 7-Bone
•SAVE UP TO 1 .1 0 LB
Sunkist
Navel Oranges
SAVE AT SAFEWAY
Town House
Green Beans
• 14.5-Ounco
• Cut or French Style
• SAVE UP TO 1.00 ON 4
lb
Look For Your
¡afeway Weekly Shopping Guide
In Your Mail Box ...And Save
More Shopping At Safeway!
________
Enjoy Extra Savings With The
SAFEWAY EXTRA In-Store
Savings Guide
Available at your Safeway store.
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