Dara Horn

By Your Health

GOOD NEWS ON PERTUSSIS

Another nail in the coffin for an old illness: The FDA has just approved a new vaccine for pertussis, or whooping cough. Unlike previous vaccines, this version uses only one protein, making it safer for infants who sometimes had reactions to older vaccines--and bringing us closer to eradicating pertussis.

BAD NEWS ON ELDER ABUSE

The consequences of elder mistreatment may be more dire than suspected. A study of more than 2,800 senior citizens showed that those abused or neglected were more than three times likelier than their peers to die during a 13-year follow-up period, even adjusting for factors like injury and chronic illness. The findings indicate that mistreatment, researchers say, can be as perilous as many diseases.

GOOD NEWS ON ADDICTION

Though labs are littered with drugs that failed to help cocaine addicts, researchers keep trying. GVG, an epilepsy drug awaiting FDA approval, has shown promise in tests on animals by reducing brain levels of dopamine, a chemical linked to cocaine cravings. Trials on humans are expected this fall.

BAD NEWS ON CHEWING GUM

Gum can cause serious constipation and other medical problems for children who may not be old enough to understand they shouldn't swallow it. New case studies of two four-year-olds with blocked intestines should remind parents to keep gum away from very young kids.

--By Dara Horn

Sources: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; Journal of the American Medical Association; Synapse; Pediatrics