- The ARC - California Edition -

Food for Preventive Thought

ARTIFICIAL CHROMOSOMES — Late this spring, the journal Nature Biotechnology included a research paper about early efforts in the use of artificial chromosomes in the quest to develop tools for gene therapy in the treatment of genetic diseases. This paper, written by a team of Nagoya University (Japan) scientists, reported that they had successfully engineered a miniature chromosome and said it was stable in human cells.

Some scientists think that adding a chromosome which carries a therapeutic gene or genes may cure a disease or disorder. Previous efforts have resulted in the cell throwing in random bits of DNA which made prediction of results impossible. The approach being pursued by the Japanese scientists does not have this problem.

These experiments are targeted at developing treatment approaches for diseases that have serious effects, such as muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis. With cystic fibrosis disease, it has been determined that only one defect, which is inherited, is causing the disease. This defect causes too much mucus to be produced, and this leads to breathing and digestive complications.

(Nature Biotechnology — May 1998)

NEW SURGEON GENERAL NAMED — David Satcher, MD, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the past four years, has been named as U.S. Surgeon General and has brought some very strong words to his new position advocating prevention. Soon after his being sworn in as the replacement for the controversial Dr. Joycelyn Elders, Satcher has proclaimed prevention as one of his priorities, and issued a statement urging clinicians, health plans and consumers to "work together to make prevention -- screening, immunizations and counseling for health behavior change -- a part of every health care visit, in every clinical setting".

"Research shows that prevention can help people stay healthier and live longer," according to the Satcher statement. "We also know that for various reasons -- such as confusion due to conflicting recommendations and lack of time -- clinicians do not provide all the clinical preventive services their patients need. Moreover, patients continue to ask for preventive services that have been found to be ineffective or to have unproven benefits."

CALIFORNIA POPULATION RISES — The state of California had a net increase of about 582,000 people during 1997. This growth put the year-end state’s population at 33,252,000.

Los Angeles county remains the largest of the 58 counties with it’s 9.6 million residents, followed by San Diego county with 2.8 million residents, and Orange county with 2.7 million.

(California Department of Finance — April 1998)

ELIMINATION OF MEASLES FROM AMERICAS — In 1994, the health organizations from the countries in the Western Hemisphere established the goal of eliminating measles from the Americas by the year 2000. By the end of 1996, routine vaccination coverage among infants had increased to about 86%.

A total of 27 of the 47 countries and territories achieved a greater than 90% measles vaccination coverage level. Only five countries had less than an 80% coverage. During the year 1996, a record low of 2,109 confirmed measles cases were reported. However, in the year 1997, there was a resurgence of measles in the region, primarily in Brazil.

(MMWR, March 20, 1998, Volume 47, Number 10)