HAIFA, ISRAEL - University of Haifa research found grandchildren who, in childhood, were taken care of by their grandparents, showed greater desire to take care of their grandparents as they aged than grandchildren who weren’t taken care of by grandparents.  "Even little things, like occasional babysitting for a few hours were enough to make grandchildren want to return the favor to grandparents," said Dr. Ahuva Even-Zohar, of the School of Social Work, who did the study under the direction of Prof. Shlomo Sharlin.  Results reveal not only did such grandchildren express a desire to help, they were very involved in helping with day-to-day things like nursing care, shopping, transportation, emotional support, and initiating visits.  Also, gender affects desire to help: granddaughters showed more desire to help than grandsons.  However, no difference was noted in actual assistance given grandparents between granddaughters and grandsons.

ANN ARBOR, MI - About 9,700 U.S. women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer this year.  It may seem a small number, but another 1.2 million women will develop pre-cancerous dysplasia.  If left untreated, that becomes cervical cancer.  "Because of Pap smears, a huge number of women are no longer dying of cervical cancer, but this is a disease that can be almost entirely prevented," says Dr. Carolyn Johnston, clinical associate professor of obstetrics/gynecology at the University of Michigan Medical School.  Besides early detection, a new vaccine could help prevent cervical cancer.  U-M experts report a common misconceptions: Cervical cancer can’t be prevented.  Truth: Infection with the human papillomavirus, or HPV, is an absolute requirement for cervical cancer.  This is transmitted sexually, but most worrisome types of infection can be prevented with a new vaccine.  Myth 2: I’m too young to worry about cervical cancer.  Truth: The average age of patients is 48.  While it’s not common, women can be diagnosed in their 20s.  Myth 3: I don’t have intercourse, so I don’t need the HPV vaccine.  Truth: HPV can be passed from one partner to another through intercourse, plus orally and touching.

ATLANTA - The Associated Press reported U.S. costs for arthritis and related conditions rose to $128 billion in 2003.  The tab will rise as people age and get heavier, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated.  That data included $80.8 billion in direct costs, such as medical fees, and $47 billion in indirect costs, such as lost wages, CDC added.  The total was up 48% from 1997’s $86.2 billion, largely because surveys identified 9,000,000 more cases of arthritis or related woes, CDC said.  It figured 46.1 million people were treated for arthritis and other rheumatic conditions in 2003, and 29.5 million lost earnings.  CDC sees 8,000,000 more people will suffer arthritis 2005-2015, and recommended lowering costs with wider use of self-management, which teaches patients to manage pain and continue working.  California had the largest costs from arthritis at $12.1 billion, followed by $8.7 billion in New York and Texas, and $7.6 billion in Florida.

BOSTON - The Wall Street Journal reported a Harvard study found a powerful link between poor gum health and pancreatic cancer.  In a study of 51,000 male doctors, men with a history of gum woes were at 64% higher risk for pancreatic cancer versus those with healthy mouths.  Pancreatic cancer is relatively rare, but the gum disease risk means 36 more cases of pancreatic cancer per 100,000 people.  Gum disease is linked with heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and pregnancy problems.  A person with gum disease has a mouth full of Porphyromonas gingivalis and other bacteria found in plaque, the sticky film on teeth.  These bacteria can invade other parts of the body, including cells in coronary arteries.  Why is gum disease linked with pancreatic cancer?  It may be chronic infection in the gums triggers inflammation over the body, which can fuel cancer.  Or it may be oral bacteria trigger a process that results in high levels of nitrosamines, cancer-causing compounds in tobacco smoke.  "People think of gum disease in their mouth," says Dominique Michaud, study lead author and assistant professor at the Harvard School of Public Health.  Brushing and flossing can help prevent gum disease but about 33% of the population may have a genetic predisposition.

BOSTON - It may be in society's and employers' best interests to seek and treat depression in the workforce, suggests an analysis funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health.  A simulation based on dozens of studies revealed that providing minimal enhanced care for employees' depression would result in a cumulative savings to employers of $2,898 per 1,000 workers over five years.  Even though intervention would raise use of mental health services initially, it ultimately would save money by cutting absenteeism and employee turnover costs, say Drs. Philip Wang and Ronald Kessler, of Harvard University, and colleagues, in the Archives of General Psychiatry.  "Depression exacts economic costs [of] tens of billions of dollars annually in the U.S., mostly lost productivity," noted Dr. Wang.  "We're not making the most of services and treatments.  Our study calculates what employers' return on their investment would be if they purchased enhanced depression treatment programs for their workers."

SAN FRANCISCO - A tool called ABCD2 for predicting early risk of stroke after transient ischemic attack (TIA) may help doctors determine which patients need emergency care, scientists say.  The system tended to predict short-term stroke risk better than the two existing longer-term risk prediction scales, reported Dr. S. Claiborne Johnston, of the University of California/San Francisco, and colleagues, in The Lancet.  ABCD2 score is based on age, blood pressure, clinical features, diabetes, and TIA duration.  It predicts stroke risk in the two-day window during which half of subsequent strokes occur, researchers said.  Although the study validated the utility of the existing ABCD and California scales, the new tool is likely to be more useful for emergency management and creates a single standard for clinical care and public education, Dr. Johnston and colleagues said.  "Identifying those at highest and lowest risk of stroke in the first days and weeks after a TIA would allow more appropriate utilization of costly secondary prevention, including hospitalization," they wrote.

CHICAGO - The next time you clip toenails, look closer at your feet - an extra 60 seconds could save your life.  Foot and ankle surgeons say routine foot self-exams are vital to find skin cancer early, when easiest to cure.  Half of the people with melanoma of the foot die within five years because it had spread by diagnosis.  Nearly 60,000 people will learn they have melanoma this year.  It’s not known how many of those cases will involve the foot, but more than 8,100 melanoma patients will die.  If melanoma is found in early stages, 92% of patients are alive after five years.  Unlike many other cancers, melanoma strikes all ages.  Whites are 10 times more likely to get melanoma than blacks, but studies suggest more than half of the cases in blacks involve the foot, where late diagnosis leads to more deaths.  Routine foot self-exams raise the chance of noticing suspicious moles, freckles, or other spots.  "The first question I’m going to ask a patient is, ‛How long has it been there?’" says Dr. Neil Campbell, spokesman for the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.  Foot and ankle surgeons urge focus on three most common areas: soles, between the toes, and around or under toenails.

WASHINGTON - Monday Morning in Washington, D.C. noted the Postsecondary Education Research Center Project, run by TransCen, posted a Web site (www.transitiontocollege.net) that provides data and resources on college options for students with intellectual disabilities (ID).  It answers questions on developing/expanding services for students with ID in college, and provides access to the free online PERC Self-Assessment Tool.  That allows users to check programs or services for students with ID on college campuses and has a snapshot of the quality of existing services and gives users a concise report.  It also gives users a chance to create an itemized action plan to address areas in need of improvement.

ROCHESTER, MN - Among cooking oils, olive oil is touted as one of the healthiest: it has monounsaturated fat, which can lower total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL, "bad") cholesterol.  Choosing olive oil is a bit like choosing wine; some are more flavorful and offer more health benefits.  Mayo Clinic’s Women’s HealthSource has tips: Virgin, extra virgin, or refined - Virgin, extra virgin tend to be higher in polyphenols (strong antioxidant) than are more-processed, refined olive oils.  Antioxidants are viewed as beneficial because they help the body rid itself of unstable free radicals and minimize harmful cellular inflammation.  A study comparing virgin olive oil, refined olive oil, and a combination found virgin olive oil appears to have greater heart health benefits.  Freshness - The fresher the oil, the more antioxidant value.  Quality oils include a packaging date.  At purchase, it should be no more than one year old.  Price/flavor - You could opt for lower cost, less flavorful virgin oil for cooking and invest in pricier and more flavorful virgin or extra virgin oils for vinaigrettes or over salads or side dishes.  Storage - Olive oils have a shelf life of about 1-2 years, so keep in a cool dark place.

VANCUVER, BC - People with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for 10 years and with few of its disabling symptoms are often told they have “benign MS” and their symptoms will likely not ever occur to the same extent as other people with MS.  A study in Neurology shows this may be incorrect.  The study of 169 people whose MS was benign after 10 years found after 20 years MS had progressed in 21% to the extent they needed a cane to walk.  Most patients had the relapsing-remitting form of MS, where symptoms come and go, but after 20 years about 20% had developed the secondary-progressive form, where MS progresses steadily.  "We need to be careful what we tell people, and not give them false hope their symptoms may never get worse," said lead study author Dr. Ana-Luiza Sayao, of the University of British Columbia (UBC).  "We hoped to identify risk factors that make people more likely to progress in MS after 10 years of a benign course, but we didn’t find that gender, symptoms when the disease began, or age when the disease began were associated with either disease progression or remaining benign," said study author Dr. Virginia Devonshire, of UBC.