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Health Highlights: Sept. 9, 2008

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  • Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

    New Cystic Fibrosis Drug Shows Promise

    An experimental drug to treat cystic fibrosis (CF) shows promise in early trials, according to British researchers who presented their findings at the BA Festival of Science.

    Cystic fibrosis patients who received 150 milligrams twice a day of VX-770 showed a 10 percent improvement in lung function and a nearly 50 percent decrease of the concentration of salt in their sweat, BBC News reported. One of the most recognizable symptoms of cystic fibrosis is salty sweat, the news service said.

    The tests were conducted on cystic fibrosis patients with a genetic defect known as G551D. Additional clinical trials are needed to determine exactly which patients may benefit from the drug.

    "The early results with VX-770 suggest that drug therapies which target defects at the root of the disease have the potential to improve greatly the quality of life of CF patients," said lead researcher Dr. David Sheppard of the University of Bristol, BBC News reported.

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    Computerized Reminders Boost Colon Cancer Screenings

    Colorectal cancer screenings increased by about 9 percent when patients received printed reminders from a computerized system developed at the University of Michigan Health System, United Press International reported.

    The ClinfoTracker system, created to help track and manage primary care, encourages physicians and patients to follow guidelines for managing chronic diseases or for prevention screenings.

    The system was used by 12 primary care practices for nine months, UPI reported. From the start to the end of the study, average colorectal cancer screening rates increased from 41.7 percent to 50.9 percent.

    The findings were published in the journal Medical Care.

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    Women as Likely as Men to Cheat on Partner: Studies

    There's a 40 percent to 76 percent chance that someone will cheat in a relationship, and women are as likely as men to step out on their partner, according to a University of Montreal researcher.

    "Contrary to popular belief, infidelity isn't more prevalent in men," Genevieve Beaulieu-Pelletier said in a news release, United Press International reported.

    One study of 145 students, average age 23, found that 68 percent had thought about cheating and 41 percent had actually cheated. A second study of 270 adults, average age 27, found that 54 percent had thought about cheating and 39 percent had actually cheated.

    In both studies, people with an "avoidant attachment style" were more likely to cheat. People with avoidant attachment styles are uncomfortable with intimacy, UPI reported.

    "The emotional attachment we have with others is modeled on the type of parenting received during childhood," Beaulieu-Pelletier said.

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    States Should Raise Driving Age: Insurance Institute

    In order to reduce crashes and save lives, states should raise the driving age to 17 or even 18, suggests the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a research group funded by the auto insurance industry.

    The idea may prove a "tough sell," but car crashes are the leading cause of death among American teenagers, said institute President Adrian Lund, who plans to present the proposal Tuesday at the annual conference of the Governors Highway Safety Association. Each year, more than 5,000 U.S. teens die in car crashes.

    "The bottom line is that when we look at the research, raising the driving age saves lives," Lund told the Associated Press.

    New Jersey is the only state that issues licenses at age 17. The overall rate of New Jersey teens killed in car crashes has been consistently lower than in some nearby states, according to data compiled by institute researchers.

    Many countries in Europe and elsewhere issue licenses at ages 17 or 18, the AP reported.

    In the United States, the rate of fatal and nonfatal crashes per mile driven for 16-year-old drivers is nearly 10 times higher than the rate for drivers ages 30 to 59, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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    Expert Urges More Internet Addiction Research

    More research needs to be done on Internet addiction to better understand how it develops and how to treat it, says the director of a new addiction institute at the University of Montreal.

    Louise Nadeau noted that there's plenty of data on compulsive gambling and alcoholism, but virtually no reliable study or clinical data on Internet addiction, United Press International reported.

    "The problem isn't widespread but we know of serious cases in which teenagers don't leave the house, don't have interpersonal relationships, and have been isolated in front of their computer screen for the past two or three years, and only speak in the language of the characters they play with in network video games," Nadeau said in a university news release.

    "In a few years we'll have couples in therapy because the Internet will have become their main occupation," she predicted, UPI reported.

    A Quebec survey found that hundreds of patients have consulted a professional about Internet addiction. Nadeau and fellow researchers want to develop a clinical definition of Internet addiction, determine how the disorder evolves, and identify treatment strategies.

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