Health Highlights: Jan. 10, 2005

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

U.S. Researchers Did Not Reveal Financial Ties: AP

Federal researchers have received millions of dollars in royalties for experimental treatments, even though they did not have to tell patients testing the therapies that the researchers stood to gain financial rewards, according to the Associated Press.

Although the scientists developed the treatments at government expense, the personal royalties are legal. In May 2000, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) pledged that researchers'' financial ties would be disclosed to patients. That pledge followed an uproar over conflicts of interest and mistakes in federal experiments, the AP reported.

But the National Institutes of Health, part of HHS, said it didn''t implement a disclosure policy until last week, shortly after the AP filed a Freedom of Information Act request.

"Quite frankly, we should have done it more quickly. But as soon as Director (Elias A.) Zerhouni found out about it, he ordered it done immediately," NIH spokesman John Burklow said.

That five-year delay meant hundreds -- and perhaps thousands -- of patients chose to participate in NIH research experiments that often carried risks without knowledge of the researchers'' financial ties, the AP said.

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Medicare Adds Preventive Screenings

Medicare has added three new screening programs -- a one-time check-up for members as well as tests for diabetes and heart disease -- that will allow disabled Americans and those 65 and older to spot diseases early. The new programs should add years to the lives of beneficiaries and help hold down the nation''s health expenses, federal officials announced Monday, according to CBS MarketWatch.

"This is one of the most important provisions of the Medicare Modernization Act and over time will probably do more to control costs and improve the quality of health than anything else" in the bill, said Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. The Medicare Modernization Act also provides for full prescription drug coverage, starting in 2006, the news service said.

Medicare, the federal health insurance program, already offers prevention testing for cancer of the colon, prostate, breast and cervix. It also provides testing for osteoporosis and glaucoma, CBS MarketWatch said.

Under the new program, Medicare beneficiaries are eligible for up to two diabetes screenings every year and one cardiovascular screening every five years. The tests will be free, with no deductible or co-pay, according to the Associated Press.

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Scientists Discover Genetic Clue to AIDS

British researchers say they''ve discovered a gene in rhesus monkeys that shields them from infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The finding could lead to advances in gene therapy to combat the disease that has infected more than 40 million people worldwide.

The scientists from the National Institute for Medical Research said they''ve pinpointed key differences in the gene in rhesus monkeys and its human counterpart, which cannot prevent infection. It seems that only a single change to the human gene would be needed to make it capable of blocking HIV infection, according to the BBC News Online.

"This discovery has significant implications for the development of effective gene therapy to combat AIDS," lead researcher Dr. Jonathan Stoye told the news service. "In theory, it should be possible to take cells from an HIV-infected individual, make them resistant to HIV infection with the modified gene and reintroduce them into the patient. These cells could then block progression to AIDS."

The discovery, published in the latest issue of Current Biology, could lead to drug treatments that might activate the human gene against HIV, the researchers said.

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Errant Gene Raises Arthritis Risk: Study

A mutated form of the human gene known as asporin appears to increase a person''s risk of osteoarthritis, Japanese scientists report in the current issue of Nature Genetics.

Osteoarthritis causes the progressive loss of joint cartilage. The more severe the disease, the more likely the mutant gene was to be present among cases studied, the scientists at Japan''s Institute of Physical and Chemical Research said.

Asporin is thought to play a role in production of new cartilage tissue to replace dying cartilage cells, according to an account by BBC News Online. The scientists theorized the mutant gene slows down cartilage production, allowing unprotected ends of bones to rub together and inflaming the joints.

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of the progressive joint disease, affecting more than 5 percent of all adults, the network report said.

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2 Tsunami Survivors Have Measles

Two survivors of the tsunamis on the Asian island of Sumatra have confirmed cases of measles, raising health officials'' fears of a disease epidemic, the Associated Press reported Monday.

Measles, a highly contagious and potentially lethal virus, kills more children worldwide than any other vaccine-preventable illness, the United Nations children''s agency UNICEF told the wire service.

The agency, trying to vaccinate 600,000 Asian residents against the disease, turned its focus to Sumatra a week ago. The vaccine campaign is expected to take about three weeks.

A UNICEF spokeswoman would only confirm that two cases of measles have been discovered among Sumatra''s residents. The virus weakens the immune system and makes children susceptible to death from diarrhea, pneumonia and encephalitis, the AP said. Children who survive measles can suffer permanent injury, including brain damage, blindness and loss of hearing.

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Florida Cites Dangerous Botox Clone in Paralysis Cases

Florida health authorities are urging residents to avoid anti-wrinkle injections after concluding that a dangerous Botox clone was responsible for four recent cases of paralysis in Palm Beach County, the Associated Press reported.

A federal investigation has concluded that 51 vials of raw botulinum toxin were shipped last year by an Arizona supplier to 13 South Florida clinics. The product was marketed as a cheap alternative to Botox, an FDA-sanctioned drug that''s also made from botulinum toxin but is produced at much lower strengths.

Officials have asked a federal judge to block Tucson-based Toxin Research International Inc. from distributing any more of the unapproved substance to doctors'' offices. The company denies having sold the product to anyone but laboratories conducting approved animal research, the AP reported.

Federal investigators allege that not only did the sales take place, but the company then tried to delete sales records from its computers, the wire service reported.

A South Florida osteopath, his girlfriend, and another couple remain hospitalized after being injected with the substance. To date, no criminal charges have been filed in the case.