Jerry Garcia would’ve smiled

            WASHINGTON - Some parents might want to take a lesson from their kids: Just say “no.” The National Survey on Drug Use and Health stated 4.4% of those 50-59 indicated they used illicit drugs in the past month. It’s the third consecutive yearly rise for that age group. Illicit drug use among young teens dipped for the third straight year: from 11.6% in 2002 to 9.9% in 2005. "Rarely have we seen such an obvious contrast as one generation goes off stage right, and entering stage left is a generation that learned a lesson somehow and they're doing something very different," said David Murray, special assistant to the director for the Office of National Drug Control Policy. The annual survey on drug use and health interviews about 67,500 people for an important snapshot of how many Americans drink, smoke, and use drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Overall, drug use remained relatively unchanged among Americans 12 and older in 2005. About 19.7 million Americans reported they used an illicit drug in the past month, a rise from 7.9% to 8.1%. The increase wasn’t only due to baby-boomers; an increase was seen among those 18-25, the category that always ranks highest when it comes to illicit drug use: it rose from 19.4% to 20.1%. Marijuana was by far baby-boomers drug of choice.

            SEATTLE - HealthDay News said the final word on whether Celebrex might be used to prevent colon cancer is a definite "no," the long-awaited results of two major studies found. Both three-year trials found the drug cut the occurrence of precancerous polyps called adenomas in people at risk for colon cancer, but it more than doubled patients' risk for heart attack and other serious cardiovascular events. "The message is [Celebrex] has no role as a chemotherapeutic agent - in people with adenomas or in people among the general population. The risks far exceed the potential benefits," said Dr. Bruce Psaty, professor of medicine, epidemiology, and health services at the University of Washington . He co-authored an editorial on the two studies for the New England Journal of Medicine. Both studies received funding from Pfizer Inc., maker of Celebrex. Cox-2 inhibitors are part of a class of analgesics called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which include widely-used medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen (Aleve). Prescription medications such as Celebrex were developed because they are safer on the stomach than other NSAIDs. Celebrex is the only cox-2 inhibitor left. Vioxx and Bextra were withdrawn following reports of heightened cardiovascular risks. As mandated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Celebrex carries a special "black box" warning that advises consumers of the potential heart dangers.

            NEW YORK - Children of men 40 and older have much higher risk of Autism spectrum disorders ( ASD ) versus those whose fathers are under 30, notes the Archives of General Psychiatry, Newswise stated. Autism shows social and language abnormalities and repetitive behavior. It affects 50 in 10,000 children versus five in 10,000 20 years ago, partially due to greater awareness and changes in diagnosis, but could reflect an increase in Autism, authors wrote. Older parental age has been linked to abnormalities in the brain development of children; few studies effectively examined the effect of mothers’ and especially fathers’ ages on Autism. Dr. Abraham Reichenberg, of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London, and colleagues noted this tie in children born in the 1980s in Israel . All men and 75% of women born in these years were checked by the draft board at 17, during which time any psychiatric disorders were recorded. The team obtained draft board data and the age of the father for 318,506 people; age of the mother was available for 132,271 of those: 208 people in the larger group and 110 in the group with both maternal and paternal ages had a diagnosis of ASD , according to the draft board. Among paternal age groups 15-29, 30-39, 40-49, and after 50, there were 34, 62, 13, and one case, respectively, of ASD . Older age among fathers was tied to higher risk of Autism. This tie persisted after scientists noted year of birth, socio-economic status, and the mother’s age, such that odds of ASD were nearly six times greater among children of men 40 and older than those 29 and younger. Older age among mothers wasn’t tied to Autism after scientists factored in the effect of the father’s age.

            DENVER - Newswise noted scientists at the University of Colorado and Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes identified a genetic risk for type 1 diabetes 3-4 times higher than thought possible. They found evidence of an another gene, gene X, in human leukocyte antigen (HLA) on chromosome 6 that raises the risk for type 1 diabetes autoimmunity to 80%. The paper was online at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It has been known approximately 5% of people with known high risk genes in the HLA region on chromosome 6 will develop type 1 diabetes - a region comprised of more than 220 genes. Past research identified specific HLA-DR and HLA-DQ genes as genetic markers that when passed to offspring of a diabetic parent determined a risk for type 1 diabetes in a child. Scientists have sought other genes determining diabetes risk, looking primarily at genetic regions outside of the HLA region. This research from the Barbara Davis Center evaluated the influence of additional genes in the HLA region. Beginning in 1993, more than 30,000 newborns in Colorado were typed genetically at birth through the Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in the Young (DAISY), a study led by Dr. Marian Rewers, clinical director of the Barbara Davis Center . Those with high risk HLA-DR and HLA-DQ genes were followed and checked for anti-islet cell autoimmunity in the pancreas (pre-diabetes) and diabetes.