Where are you, Jerry Garcia?

            BETHESDA, MD - About 10.3% of U.S. adults appear to have drug use or abuse problems, including 2.6% who become dependent at some point, stated a report in Archives of General Psychiatry. Drug abuse is intense desire to take drugs excluding other activities; dependence is when the body is physically dependent on an illicit substance. “Epidemiologic data on the prevalence, correlates, disability, treatment, and co-morbidity of drug use disorders among adults are seldom collected,” authors wrote. Dr. Wilson M. Compton, of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and colleagues at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism used in-person interviews in 2001 and 2002 with 43,093 adults representative of the U.S. population to determine prevalence of abuse or dependence on nicotine, alcohol, or one of 10 classes of other drugs: sedatives, tranquilizers, heroin, opiates [other than heroin], stimulants, hallucinogens, cannabis, cocaine, inhalants/solvents, and other drugs. Participants were assessed for other psychiatric disorders, including mood (such as depression), anxiety (such as panic disorder) and personality disorders (including obsessive-compulsive disorder).

            WASHINGTON - An Urban Institute report on people 65 and older with disabilities and use of long-term care shows how changes in disability levels, finances, adult children’s availability, and other factors will affect demand for paid/unpaid long-term care. “With families shrinking and more women working outside the home, paid long-term care will probably become more common,” said Richard W. Johnson, co-author of Meeting the Long-Term Care Needs of the Baby Boomers: How Changing Families Will Affect Paid Helpers and Institutions. Johnson added, “Higher demand for paid services will further strain Medicare and Medicaid and could create financial problems for families not qualifying for public benefits.” The report, at www.urban.org, was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

            LEXINGTON , KY - For secondary prevention of heart disease, a single 81mg aspirin seems to be the top approach, MedPage Today stated. A 325mg-a-day dose was no more effective and the higher dose raised the bleeding risk, a literature systematic review found. That's particularly true for gastrointestinal bleeding, said Dr. Charles L. Campbell, of the University of Kentucky , and colleagues. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises daily dosages 50-1,300mg to treat clinical manifestations of atherosclerotic disease. There’s much controversy as to the “correct" dose and whether it’s the same for all patients, scientists noted in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Pharmacodynamic data, they said, show long-term dosages as low as 30mg/d are adequate to inhibit platelet thromboxane production. In the U.S. , it's estimated 36% of adults take aspirin daily to prevent cardiovascular disease. Among those with such disease, the percentage rises to more than 80%, researchers said.

            BRAINERD , MN - HealthDay News stressed hours online can take a toll on your eyes. "An increasing number of people use the computer huge numbers of hours during the day," said Dr. Kerry Beebe, an optometrist and American Optometric Association (AOA) spokesman. "It seems particular visual demand can be tough to handle if there's anything less than perfect going on with your visual system." Studies show eyestrain and other vision problems can occur in up to 90% of people using video display terminals at work, AOA states. The most common symptoms are eyestrain, blurred vision, double vision, excessive tears, dry eyes, and excessive blinking or squinting. Visual woes can bring physical problems such as headaches and neck or shoulder pain. Radiation from a VDT has nothing to do with symptoms; that's a common myth, said Dr. Jeffrey Weaver, director of the AOA's clinical care group.

            BALTIMORE - Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center scientists have conclusive evidence that human papillomavirus (HPV) causes some throat cancers in men and women. In the New England Journal of Medicine, they disclosed oral HPV infection is the strongest risk factor for cancer, despite tobacco and alcohol use. Having multiple oral sex partners tops sex practices that boost risk for HPV-linked cancer. Study author and cancer virus expert Dr. Maura Gillison first noted the HPV/specific throat cancers tie in 2000, backing other studies. “We believed the links were strong, but had to [learn] which behaviors put people at higher risk,” said Dr. Gillison. “People should be reassured oropharyngeal cancer is relatively uncommon, and the overwhelming majority of people with an oral HPV probably will not get throat cancer.”

            WASHINGTON - Monday Morning in Washington, DC noted that if you work with or serve people with disabilities who have low to moderate income, your organization may be a good candidate to partner with the IRS for tax assistance in your community. This updated information is now available at www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=50.

            MADISON , WI - Eating fatty fish and drinking milk may cut the risk of age-related macular degeneration ( AMD ), scientists told MedPage Today. Findings came from two studies in the Archives of Ophthalmology. One was the Age-Related Eye Diseases Study (AREDS), which checked patients at 11 retinal specialty clinics. It found higher omega-3 fatty acids from fatty fish cut AMD risk. Eating more than two medium servings a week of fatty fish, a food rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, was tied to a 39% lower risk of neovascular AMD . The focus of the other study was: higher serum levels of vitamin D, mainly from milk, cut the risk of early disease, relegating protection from fatty fish to advanced AMD . The University of Wisconsin ’s Dr. Julie Mares, and her team, stated levels of serum vitamin D were inversely tied to early macular degeneration but not AMD . AREDS scientists compared lipid intake with baseline severity of AMD in 4,519 participants, ages 60-80 at enrollment. Comparing the highest versus lowest quintile of intake, after adjustment for total energy intake and covariates, dietary total omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake was inversely tied to AMD .

            WASHINGTON - Americans get the worst healthcare and pay the most versus five other rich nations, a Reuters report stated. Britain , Germany , Australia , and Canada provide better care for less money, Commonwealth Fund found. "The U.S. healthcare system ranks last [versus] five other nations [in] quality, access, efficiency, equity, and outcomes," the non-profit group stated. It studies healthcare issues. Canada rates second worst, Germany was highest, followed by Britain , Australia , and New Zealand . "The U.S. isn’t getting value for money spent on healthcare," Commonwealth Fund president Karen Davis said. The group shows consistently the U.S. , the only one of the six nations without universal healthcare, scores more poorly on many measures. The U.S. system is an uncoordinated conglomeration of employer-funded care, private health insurance, and government programs. It leaves about 45 million people with no insurance, U.S. agency estimates from 2005 show, and many studies have shown most of these people don’t get preventive services that not only keep them healthier, but also cut long-term costs. Davis said U.S. 2004 per capita health spending was $6,102 versus Germany ’s $3,005, Canada ’s $3,165, New Zealand ’s $2,083, Australia ’s $2,876, and Britain ’s $2,546.

            WASHINGTON - TIME.com posted that taking too many vitamins may increase men's risk of dying from prostate cancer. The study doesn't settle the issue, but is the biggest to suggest high-dose multi-vitamins may harm the prostate, and the latest chapter in the confusing quest to tell whether taking various vitamins really helps various conditions, is a waste of money, or worse. Government scientists turned to a study tracking diet and health of almost 300,000 men. About a third reported taking a daily multi-vitamin, and 5% were heavy users. Within five years of the study's start, 10,241 men had prostate cancer - 1,476 had advanced cancer, 179 died. Heavy multi-vitamin users were almost twice as likely to get fatal prostate cancer as men who never took pills, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute study stated. Overall, researchers found no link between multi-vitamin use and early-stage prostate cancer. They speculate high-dose vitamins had little effect until a tumor appeared, and then could spur its growth.

            WASHINGTON - The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) and National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) went to Congress to inform members about advances in osteoporosis prevention and treatment. Actress Sally Field, an osteoporosis patient and advocate, encouraged women to protect themselves against fractures so they can remain active and reduce risk of a debilitating injury. SWHR president and CEO Phyllis Greenberger, said “80% of the 10 million Americans affected are women. That is why work to raise awareness of this issue. Although the disease most often strikes the elderly, there are steps you can take early in life to protect and improve your bone health.” Dr. Ethel Siris, NOF president, added, “Osteoporosis is beatable and treatable, yet it remains a major public health issue for more than half of all women and a quarter of all men over 50 in the U.S. Since peak bone mass typically occurs between 18 and 25, it is important to build strong bones through physical activity, exercise and good nutrition, including adequate calcium and vitamin D.”