The concentration in blood of one chemically transformed cholesterol-carrying molecule may signal to doctors when a patient's heart disease has dangerously worsened. (p. 245)

Selenium's anticancer benefits may depend on ingestion of the mineral in food, not as a purified dietary supplement. (p. 248)

Inflammatory bowel disease may initially be triggered by chemical reactions that deplete affected tissues of a key antioxidant. (p. 248)

Realizing that many cancers depend on antioxidants for their survival, researchers have successfully designed a dietary strategy that suppresses breast cancer growth and spread, at least in animals. (p. 248)

Breathing in smoke from another person's cigarette causes blood changes that reduce the likelihood that an individual will survive a heart attack. (p. 248)

By laying sheets of plastic across their fields, farmers can bring crops to market faster while reducing their vulnerability to many blights (SN: 12/13/97, p. 376). On the negative side, however, this polymer mulch creates impermeable surfaces over more than half of a planted field. That significantly increases the amount of rain and pesticides that runs off into nearby lakes and streams (SN: 9/25/99, p. 207). A new study on tomato fields shows that this runoff can kill fish, clams, and other aquatic life.Although farmers apply many different agricultural chemicals to tomatoes, copper-based pe...

Scientists are making progress toward inserting genes to cure impotence temporarily. (p. 237)

A dentist has found three compounds in saliva that could be used to gauge bone loss. (p. 237)

People with diabetes face a high risk of heart attack and stroke. One apparent culprit is the chronic, low-grade inflammation that they develop. Megadoses of vitamin E can dramatically reduce that inflammation, a new study finds.Ishwarlal Jialal and Sridevi Devaraj of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas studied 47 men and women with adult-onset, or type II, diabetes and 25 healthy volunteers. The scientists sampled people’s blood before and after each received 1,200 international units of vitamin E daily for 3 months.Before treatment, the 23 people with major diabetes...

A new optical tool allows physicians to scout for precancerous tissue by analyzing the fluorescent responses of cells when light is shone on them. (p. 214)

The new EPA administrator has delayed by 60 days the implementation of a final rule issued by the Clinton administration lowering the amount of arsenic allowed in drinking water. (p. 221)

Most people carry traces of toxic pollutiants, including metals, pesticides, and phthalates. (p. 221)

As they head for the stomach from the mouth, the carbohydrates in vegetables, breads, fruits, and candy all begin breaking down into simple sugars. According to some studies, carbs with a low glycemic index (GI)—meaning that they are digested slowly—reduce a person’s risk of heart disease and obesity through an as yet unidentified mechanism linked to their effects on insulin (SN: 4/8/00, p. 236). Such low-GI fare may also offer protection against colon cancer, new research finds.Insulin shepherds sugar into cells. The more sugar that’s deposited into the bloodstream at one time, the more insul...

Governments may be able to monitor trends in the release and transport of persistent organic pollutants by sampling butter. (p. 205)