Doctors' Orders: Feb. 21, 2005

SHOULD YOU MAKE THAT DECAF?

Two large studies found that drinking regular coffee does not change your risk of developing colorectal cancer. Daily decaf, however, can lower your risk by 52%.

NOT AS BRAIN DEAD AS THEY SEEM

Researchers using MRI brain scans found that some seriously brain-damaged--but not comatose--patients responded to a loved one's voice in patterns of neural activity similar to those of healthy subjects. Such scans may play a key role in future decisions over care for the unconscious.

HAS A SCARIER AIDS VIRUS EMERGED?

Doctors have identified an AIDS patient in New York City whose immune system crashed within weeks of his initial HIV infection, a process that normally takes years. It's too soon to know if a new strain has surfaced, but doctors are now on the alert for more cases of this aggressive virus. --By David Bjerklie