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A new test that can detect several kinds of cancerous human cells was reported yesterday by scientists from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. A cell that throws off these controls and divides repeatedly will form a group of identical descendant cells known as a clone. The new test scans the DNA sequence of cells for certain subtle fingerprints of these aberrant clones. Leading cancer experts praised the theory of the research, saying the test could help refine the diagnosis and recognition of the stages of cancer. It might also help detect the spread of malignant cells in the body and monitor the effects of drugs and other anti-cancer therapies, the experts said

A new test that can detect several kinds of cancerous human cells was reported Monday by scientists from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. The scientists say they can quickly develop the test into a general method for screening healthy people for the incipient stages of most kinds of cancer. The test is being developed by a team at Johns Hopkins headed by Dr. David Sidransky that has just begun the first of a series of larger trials to validate the test's accuracy. The team needs to determine whether its test actually detects cancer earlier than standard methods and, if so, whether earlier diagnosis would improve survival rates. Leading cancer experts praised the theory of the research, saying the test could help refine the diagnosis and recognition of the stages of cancer. It might also help detect the spread of malignant cells in the body and monitor the effects of drugs and other anti-cancer therapies, the experts said

A new test that can detect several kinds of cancerous human cells was reported Monday by scientists from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. The scientists say they can quickly develop the test into a general method for screening healthy people for the incipient stages of most kinds of cancer. The test is being developed by a team at Johns Hopkins led by Dr. David Sidransky that has just begun the first of a series of larger trials to validate the test's accuracy. The team needs to determine whether its test actually detects cancer earlier than standard methods and, if so, whether earlier diagnosis would improve therapy and survival rates. Leading cancer experts praised the theory of the research, saying the test could help refine the diagnosis and recognition of the stages of cancer. It might also help detect the spread of malignant cells in the body and monitor the effects of drugs and other anti-cancer therapies, the experts said

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: Although studies have demonstrated that medical rehabilitation patients have many complications that warrant attention, none has attempted to categorize complications by severity. This retrospective cohort study examined the incidence, types, and severity of problems that interrupt rehabilitation and the major risk factors for these events. RESULTS: Of 1075 patients, 359 (33.4%) had acute medical complications on rehabilitation considered severe enough to interrupt treatment. Of the 359 patients, 158 (44%) required an unexpected transfer off rehabilitation. The most common reasons for unexpected transfer were surgical causes (22.8%), followed by infection or fever (17.1%) and by thromboembolic events (16.5%). Logistic regression revealed that major risk factors for complications requiring transfer were a primary diagnosis of deconditioning or nontraumatic spinal cord injury (adjusted odds ratio, 2.7; confidence interval, 1.8 to 4.2), severity of initial disability (adjusted odds ratio, 1.2; confidence interval, 1.1 to 1.3 for every 10-point drop in a Modified Barthel Index), and number of comorbid conditions (adjusted odds ratio, 1.1; confidence interval, 1.0 to 1.2). Risk factors for any complication were similar, but there was an interaction between comorbidity and the degree of functional impairment; in patients who were severely functionally impaired, the number of comorbidities was not as strongly associated with the risk of complications as it was in patients who were less functionally impaired. CONCLUSION: There is a complex relationship among the type of underlying medical impairment, severity of functional limitation, comorbidity, and unanticipated medical or surgical complications that interrupt rehabilitation. The interruptions vary both in type and in severity.

Health officials said on Oct 4, 1994 that six countries, including the US, have investigated suspected cases of plague from India, but none have been confirmed

On Tuesday, for example, laboratory tests confirmed that a 12-year old boy in Long Beach had developed dengue fever, not plague, 10 days after his return from India, said Dr. Duane J. Gubler of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Although the World Health Organization has not advised against travel to India, the U.N. agency in Geneva is about to add New Delhi to its list of plague-infected areas because Indian officials have reported four secondary cases there. New Delhi will remain on the list for two weeks after the last case is reported there, Dr. Lindsey Martinez, a WHO official, said. Pneumonic plague symptoms usually develop within one to six days after exposure to the plague bacillus. As symptoms develop, an infected individual can pass the plague-causing bacterium, Yersinia pestis, to others through droplets in the air from coughs or sneezes

Both J.A.M.A. and The Lancet, a prestigious journal published in London, have criticized the practice under which drug companies pay prominent doctors to sign their names to ghostwritten scholarly reviews about new drugs. An editorial in J.A.M.A. described the editors' frustration in telephoning the senior 'author' of a submitted paper only to be switched back and forth between the scientist whose name was on it, 'who had no idea what had been written,' and the writer, 'who did not understand the science.' The changing nature of the medical-industrial complex has led many journals over the last decade to begin imposing rules on would-be authors, requiring disclosure about potential financial conflicts of interest. These rules cover only support from industry, a definition that makes Dr. Edward J. Huth, the editor of The Annals of Internal Medicine, 'a bit uneasy,' unless such disclosure is 'a uniform requirement to cover other sources of income,' as well. Dr. [Jerome P. Kassirer] said he was unaware of the general practice. 'If that is the case, it doesn't look that way from here,' he said with a laugh. 'From the amount of work we do with manuscripts, they are not getting their money's worth.'

So when residents of Surat, India, learned in recent weeks that pneumonic plague had struck there, hundreds of thousands fled the western port city. And some apparently spread it to other cities, including India's three biggest -- Bombay, Calcutta and New Delhi. How many areas and people are affected remains unclear

'The results are dramatic,' Zach W. Hall, director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the N.I.H., said at a news conference. 'The study has the potential of improving the health and quality of life for thousands of Americans.' All participants had a 60 percent or greater narrowing of a carotid artery as determined by Doppler ultrasound or special X-rays known as arteriograms. The technology used was of the mid-1980's vintage, Dr. [James F. Toole] said. Some neurologists not connected with the study have criticized it because results of the ultrasound tests were not reviewed independently by a central committee as were the data about those who suffered strokes. Such a review was not possible, Dr. Toole said. 'THE PROCEDURE: Surgery to Prevent Strokes' shows methods for a new study that backs removal of fatty deposits from carotid arteries before thaey can cause symptoms or peoduce strokes. (Source: 'Heart Talk: Understanding Cardiovascular Diseases,' Dr. M.V. Barrow (COR-ED Publishing Company) (pg. 30)

A controversial operation to remove fatty deposits from a major artery in the neck sharply reduced the risk of stroke in people with no outward symptoms, scientists who conducted a large federally sponsored study said here Friday. Application of the findings could prevent many thousands of crippling and disabling strokes among the 500,000 to 600,000 people who now suffer a stroke each year in the United States and could save thousands of lives among the 150,000 who die from strokes each year, said Dr. Michael D. Walker of the NIH. The two carotid arteries, one on each side of the neck, are the main suppliers of oxygen and blood to the brain from the heart. With age, fat tends to build up in what are known as plaques in the carotid arteries, particularly at a site where the artery divides at the angle of the jaw