CHECKUP

Here's a weekly roundup of health news you should know. Cancer gene found: Researchers have found the gene believed tocause a common, inherited form of colon cancer, and they say it won'tbe long before a test is designed that can identify peoplesusceptible to the cancer before they develop the disease. Thescientists, led by Dr. Bert Vogelstein and Kenneth Kinzler of theJohns Hopkins Oncology Center in Baltimore, have discovered the MSH2gene, which is thought to cause hereditary non-polyposis colorectalcancer. A DES risk for men: Men whose mothers took the drugdiethylstilbestrol (DES) during pregnancy are at higher risk ofsuffering from depression, a study by researchers at BostonUniversity Medical Center has found. While the effects of prenatalexposure to the drug, given to pregnant women in the 1950s and 1960sto treat pregnancy complications, are well documented in women, theyhave not been as carefully studied in men, the study says. Diabetics sought: Patients with well-controlled adult-onsetdiabetes are being sought by University of Chicago researchers for astudy on a new medication that may reduce the risk of heart disease.Dr. John Buse says the medicine, troglitazone, may lower sugar levelsin blood, thereby making the patient's own insulin more effective.Early research showed that patients taking the drug experiencedimprovements in blood pressure and in fat levels in the blood.Subjects who complete the 16 clinic visits over one year will be paid$500. Call (312) 702-9655. New epilepsy drug: A study of the drug Vigabatrin, which is notavailable in the United States, has revealed it can control partialseizures in epileptic patients. At an American Epilepsy Societymeeting in Florida, researchers reported that the drug was highlyeffective in treating partial seizures, which begin in a hand or footand move up the limb. The drug appears to block the breakdown of thebrain chemical known as GABA. This causes GABA to accumulate inamounts that can reduce electrical activity in the brain, therebyreducing seizures. Say that again? As the U.S. population ages, the number ofAmericans with hearing loss is expected to grow. Currently, almost30 million Americans have hearing loss, the majority over age 65. Bythe year 2000, the condition will affect 40 million people, says Dr.Dean Griffin, a family physician in Westminster, Md. A major causeof hearing loss is a condition known as presbycusis, which affectsone-quarter of those over age 65 and half of those over age 75. Itmay begin with the perception that others are not talking clearly orloud enough. There is no medical or surgical cure, and a hearing aidis usually recommended.