Brushing Up on Gum Disease
False teeth are becoming increasingly rare as changes in knowledge
about periodontal disease and its treatment help Americans to keep
their gums healthier longer.
Hepatitis B: Available Vaccine Safe but
Underused
There is a safe, genetically engineered vaccine for hepatitis B,
a serious disease that is transmitted many of the same ways as
AIDS, but is more contagious. Why, then, are some people at high risk
of contracting this liver ailment reluctant to be immunized?
Red No. 3 and Other Colorful Controversies
Red No. 3, a color additive used in a number of foods and drugs,
causes cancer in animals at very high doses. Current law requires
the agency to ban its use, even though the danger to human life
is tiny.
Cardiovascular Spare Parts
Using both synthetic materials and biological substances, medical
researchers have devised some ingenuious ways of replacing malfunctioning
parts of the cardiovascular system.
Contact Dermatitis: Solutions to Rash Mysteries
Doctors sometimes need the wit of Sherlock Holmes to figure out what is
causing a rash. Besides skin testing, aids to skin sleuthing include rash
location, pattern, and the person's life style.
Improving Blood Glucose Monitoring for Diabetes
Self monitoring of blood glucose can be a boon to persons with
diabetes. But the many reports of problems with blood glucose
monitoring caused FDA to search for ways in which the process could
be improved.
(Hypertext updated by clb March 16, 1998)