Notebook: Jun. 24, 1996

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Letter carriers bitten in ficsal year 1995

Houston 117 Santa Ana, Calif. 101 San Jose, Calif. 75 Chicago 75 San Antonio, Texas 72

Source: U.S. Postal Service, Humane Society of the U.S.

HEALTH REPORT

THE GOOD NEWS

--Fish oil may be effective to treat CROHN'S DISEASE, the chronic inflammatory-bowel condition. More than half of patients in remission from the disease were spared a relapse by taking fish-oil capsules. They used a new slow-release form that lessened the oil's typical side effects, such as fishy body odor.

--While HANGOVERS no doubt feel lousy, they do not appear to effect work performance, finds a small study of company managers--even if the work requires complex decision making.

--Diabetics have low chromium levels. Now reports on people in China suggest that high-dose chromium supplements may help normalize glucose and insulin levels in patients with Type 2 DIABETES, the most common form of the illness.

THE BAD NEWS

--The worst worry for teenage girls may be worry itself. Anxious girls seem to grow up to be as much as two inches shorter than nonanxious ones, a study suggests. ANXIETY may somehow inhibit the body's production of growth hormone.

--Nearly 600,000 women worldwide die each year in PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH, one-fifth more than previously estimated, finds the first comprehensive study in a decade. For each woman who dies, 30 others suffer serious pregnancy-related illnesses.

--Being too fat--or too thin--can be a risk for ARTHRITIS. Obese men raise their chances of developing arthritis by 70%; underweight men by 40%. Very thin women face no greater than normal risk, but heavy ones appear 50% more likely to get it. Sources--GOOD NEWS: New England Journal of Medicine; Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research; American Diabetes Association BAD NEWS: Pediatrics; UNICEF; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

LOCAL HEROES

JOSEPH FEMIANI, 57; MCMURRAY, PENNSYLVANIA; electric-company owner Abused as a boy, he vowed to make a difference one day. In 1992 he developed the Watchful Shepherd, a home-monitoring device for victims of child abuse. The push of a button puts kids in direct touch with youth counselors and summons police to the scene. In the past 2 1/2 years, WS has protected more than 200 children in his state. There are now plans for global expansion. Says Femiani: "The children are no longer alone."

LAWRENCE LERITZ, 43; NEW YORK CITY; actor Leritz, in conjunction with Hollywood Supports, has led the "Day of Compassion" project, winning commitments from local, cable and network producers to gear one day's programming toward aids-related topics. On June 21, more than 100 talk shows, daytime dramas and news programs will contain segments or story lines, like the aids charity ball on General Hospital, to promote hiv awareness. Says Leritz: "This is a very upbeat message focused on people living with AIDS."

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?