Health Highlights: Aug. 21, 2005

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

Gene Fragments Could Fight SARS

As reported by the Associated Press, genetic material called interfering RNA could be a key weapon against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a team of Chinese and U.S. researchers reported Sunday.

SARS, which first emerged in 2002, raised global health alarms and killed 774 people worldwide before it was contained.

Reporting in Nature Medicine, researchers led by Patrick Yu of Intradigm Corp., of Rockville, Md., say tiny gene snippets known as siRNA effectively silenced specific genes in the SARS genome-- reducing existing infection in monkeys and helping protect the animals from new SARS infections.

All of the treated monkeys did show some symptoms, but they were greatly reduced after treatment with an siRNA nasal spray, the researchers said. Throat samples taken four days after infection found evidence of SARS virus in only a quarter of animals receiving the gene-based treatment.

Speaking to the AP, SARS expert Dr. Krishan K. Pandey of the University of Minnesota, said the success of the treatment in monkeys is impressive, since they are such close genetic relatives of humans. "Another strong point of this study is the successful use of siRNA in prophylactic treatment of SARS, which is surely a great thing if it is successful in humans," he said.

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Immune Discovery Could Lead to Blood Cancer Vaccine

An experimental vaccine appears to prime the human immune system to fight an aggressive form of lymphoma, even if prior therapy has depleted nearly all the B cells thought necessary to this type of immune response.

Reporting in Nature Medicine on Sunday, researchers at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md, and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, found that only a tiny number of B cells were needed to trigger an effective response in killer T cells.

Before this study, experts assumed that relatively high amounts of both cell types were needed to spur a vaccine-like attack on lymphomas.

"This is the first human cancer vaccine study to see T-cell responses in the absence of B cells, and this paves the way to use vaccines in a number of hematological cancers that are treated by eliminating diseased B cells," study lead author Dr. Sattva Neelapu, of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, said in a prepared statement.

His team''s Phase I trial of the vaccine against deadly mantle cell lymphoma noted T-cell responses following the third vaccination. Furthermore, "an antibody response to the tumor produced by recovering B cells was seen after the fourth or fifth vaccination," Neepalu said.

While some patients have relapsed while on the therapy, others have survived, suggesting the vaccine "did modify the natural history of the disease," the Texas researcher said. His team is now working to improve the vaccine with the aim of testing it further.

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Being Kind to Oneself Helps People Deal With Failure

Self-compassion -- treating yourself with the same kindness you''d show a friend in need -- may be more important than self-esteem in helping to cope with failure, new research shows.

In three different studies, Wake Forest University psychologist Mark Leary had participants either imagine past failures, or put them in situations where they felt as if they were sub-par.

In all cases, simply being kind to themselves despite failure -- thinking "Everybody goofs up now and then," for example -- helped people feel less unhappy or angry after experiencing letdown or shame.

In addition, "Highly self-compassionate people actually took more responsibility for their shortcomings and problems," Leary said in a statement. "Because they didn''t beat themselves up when things went badly for them, they were able to admit their mistakes."

Leary presented the findings Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in Washington, D.C.

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Sen. Harry Reid Recovering After Mini-Stroke

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada suffered a brief mini-stroke Tuesday which left no complications, his aides disclosed Friday. According to the Associated Press, the 65-year-old Reid felt lightheaded Tuesday evening in his hometown of Searchlight, Nev., and that night saw a doctor in Las Vegas who diagnosed a transient ischemic attack.

"There are no complications or restrictions on his activities," press secretary Tessa Hafen told the AP. "He has undergone evaluations this week, and his doctors have recommended that he take advantage of the summer congressional recess for some down time." Hafen said news of Reid''s condition was delayed till Friday because of "the tests and the evaluations that they were doing. We wanted to make sure we knew what we were announcing."

Reid is not hospitalized, but did cancel several public events scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Nevada. He remains in Las Vegas with family.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, a transient ischemic attack is a minor stroke lasting a few minutes, occurring when the blood supply to part of the brain is briefly interrupted. Symptoms can include weakness and dizziness, usually disappearing within an hour but sometimes persisting for up to 24 hours. Mini strokes do raise risks for full-blown stroke.

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California Battles FDA Over Tuna Warning

The Food and Drug Administration earlier this week cautioned California officials that moves by that state to slap mercury warnings on tuna ran counter to federal law.

On Friday, California Attorney General Bill Lockyer shot back, claiming the letter''s aim was to stop a lawsuit filed by the state against tuna companies over the disputed warnings.

According to the Associated Press, the FDA letter, written by agency commissioner Lester Crawford Aug. 12, argues against the warnings, which he say "frustrate the carefully considered federal approach to advising consumers of both the benefits and possible risks of eating fish and shellfish." Warning labels on packaging may needlessly scare consumers who could benefit from tuna away from the food, the letter says.

But Lockyer''s office disagrees. "The federal government has no authority to prevent California, or any state, from reuiring warnings that provide truthful, important information," Lockyer''s spokesman Tom Dresslar told the AP.

A year ago, Lockyer launched a suit against the nation''s three top canned tuna producers -- Tri-Union Seafoods (maker of Chicken of the Sea), Del Monte (maker of Starkist), and Bumble Bee Seafoods -- citing a 1986 state law requiring businesses to provide "clear and reasonable" warnings that inform consumers of the presence in food of reproductive toxins such as mercury. The trial is scheduled to begin in a San Francisco court Oct. 19.

The FDA considers advisories targeted to doctors and the media a better approach to informing the public of these toxins.

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