Health Report

THE GOOD NEWS

-- Researchers may be closer to developing a universal screening test for cancer. By examining tumors from the lungs, bladder, head and neck, doctors found characteristic DNA "fingerprints" that betrayed the presence of malignant cells no matter which tissue they came from.

| -- Dyslexia has been linked to a gene found on chromosome 6. If confirmed, the find could lead to early diagnosis so that remedial training can begin as soon as possible.

-- An experimental drug called copolymer I has been found to delay the progression of multiple sclerosis by decreasing the number of muscle-weakening attacks.

THE BAD NEWS

-- Although the majority of infants in the U.S. regularly see a doctor, research indicates that more than half the nation's babies fail to get all the vaccine shots they need during the first seven months of life. Many have no protection against spinal meningitis and whooping cough.

-- People who turn to surgery to correct their nearsightedness may not escape having to wear glasses after all. A 10-year study shows that a third of patients who undergo radial keratotomy, in which the corneas are resculpted for better vision, gradually develop farsightedness and may need reading glasses sooner than they would have without the procedure.

Sources -- GOOD: The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; Science; American Neurological Association annual meeting BAD: Journal of the American Medical Association; The Archives of Ophthalmology