Health Report

THE GOOD NEWS

-- Taking estrogen after menopause may boost a woman's mental skills. A study of 36 older women found that the drug significantly improved their reflexes, eye-hand coordination and ability to solve intellectual puzzles. A larger study is planned.

-- Scientists may be on the track of a better diagnostic test for Lyme disease. While current tests often take months to give a result, new research has discovered a telltale antibody that makes its presence known within a few days of the initial infection.

-- Cyclosporine, which is better known as a treatment for organ-transplant patients, may help people with severe inflammation of the colon. Most of the patients in a small drug trial improved so much that they did not have to have their colon removed.

THE BAD NEWS

-- Most people suffering from heart failure are apparently not getting the proper drug treatment. Nor do they follow their doctor's orders on diet and exercise. New federal guidelines call for greater reliance on drugs called ACE inhibitors, which help lower blood pressure, and improved communication and cooperation between physician and patient.

-- More women are dying on U.S. highways than ever before. Auto-safety experts cite an increase in the number of working women who drive during rush hour as well as their preference for smaller cars.

-- AIDS is now spreading faster in Asia than in any other part of the world. In the past year, the number of cases jumped eightfold, from 30,000 to 250,000.

[TMFONT 1 d #666666 d {Sources: GOOD: Meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology; Journal of Clinical Investigation; New England Journal of Medicine. BAD: U.S. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; World Health Organization.}]