Health Tips

By Elizabeth Manning, UPI Science News

NEW DRUG FOR ADULT-ONSET DIABETES: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug to help control blood-sugar levels in people with type II, or adult-onset, diabetes. The drug, called pioglitazone, is marketed by Eli Lilly and Co. as Actos. It belongs to a class of diabetes drugs that increases patients' sensitivity to insulin, the hormone produced by the body to control levels of blood sugar, or glucose. People with type II diabetes take one 45-milligram dose of Actos a day regardless of meals. Clinical testing did not reveal evidence of the liver toxicity reported in some cases with Rezulin, another drug in the insulin-sensitizing class. Just to be sure, however, the FDA recommends that physicians monitor the liver enzymes in their patients taking Actos. Eli Lilly says it can provide a copy of complete prescribing information by fax: call toll-free 800-753- 0352 extension 728.

STUDY: SPINAL CORDS MAY REGENERATE: Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine report that damaged spinal cords may have more ability to regenerate than previously believed. Jerry Silver and Stephen Davies say their study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, shows that molecules in scar tissue at the site of a nerve injury are the major obstacles to spinal cord regeneration. The Cleveland researchers cut parts of the spinal cords in rats and transplanted adult nerve cells into the injured spinal cord at a point removed from the injury site. Those nerve fibers, grew as much as one millimeter a day, progressing toward the injury site, but not continuing past the scar tissue. Silver says the implication is that ''molecular obstacles'' emanating from the scar tissue must be ''inhibited'' before lost function can be restored. He adds that an end result of the research might be nerve cell transplantation from cadavers to living but paralyzed patients.

UNDERCOOKED BEEF TIPS RECALLED: About 600,000 pounds of beef tips sold as ready-to-eat dinners are being voluntarily recalled because they may have been undercooked. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says that the beef tips came from the Groges/Quik-To-Fix food processing plant in Harlingen, Texas, and were sold as ''Haugin's Pride Beef Tips and Gravy'' and ''Schwan's Beef Tips and Gravy.'' The products are sold in 3-pound boxes that contain two 1.5-pound pouches and were produced between March 1 and July 15. The USDA says the codes on the cartons start with ''SW'' or have an 11-digit code also containing the letters ''HRE.'' The USDA inspection seal on the label says ''EST 7261A.''

THOUSANDS DROPPED FROM MEDICARE HMOS: As many as 327,000 Medicare beneficiaries will be forced to find different medical coverage as the health maintenance organizations to which they belong pull out of Medicare or reduce the areas they serve. The Department of Health and Human Services has released figures revealing that 41 of the 305 HMOs involved in Medicare are pulling out of the program and another 58 plan to reduce their coverage areas. HMOs claim the government is not reimbursing them enough to keep in business. The government disputes the assertion. According to HHS, more than 30,000 patients each in Arizona, Louisiana, New York and Texas will be affected by the HMOs decisions. Over the last two years about 734,000 people have been dropped from coverage as their HMOs withdrew from the federal program or made adjustments affecting Medicare coverage. Of the people being dropped from HMOs this year because of Medicare, some 79,000 live in areas that have no other managed-care plans. There are about 39 million Medicare beneficiaries in the United States, some 6.2 million of whom are covered through HMOs.