Research

Scan: Researchers at Duke University Medical Center are developing a blood test to detect lung cancer in its earliest, treatable stages.

Researchers led by Dr. Ned Patz, a radiologist, are using mass spectrometry to screen for elevated levels of a protein called serum amyloid A. The protein is elevated when lung cancer is present, but not in normal patients.

The protein is already used as a marker for other diseases.

Identifying the protein can help detect the cancer before tumors are apparent. Most lung cancers aren't detected until it's too late, experts say.

By identifying proteins, scientists can develop drugs that block the proteins' disease-causing actions.

Patz and colleagues used MALDI-TOF (matrix-assisted later desorption/ionization time of flight) mass spectrometry for their studies.

Healthy living

Check: Women make mammograms a priority. Colon cancer screenings should also be at the top of the to-do list, advises the September issue of the Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource.

Colon cancer ranks second for cancer deaths after lung cancer. More than two-thirds of colon cancer deaths could be prevented if everyone 50 and older were screened regularly, research shows.

But less than half of adults over 50 get screened, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force strongly recommend that adults 50 and older be screened for colon cancer. See your doctor for advice on screening options.

Tips

Safer: More than 450,000 Americans saw doctors in 2002 because of injuries related to ladder use.

Some safety tips from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons:

• Inspect the ladder for loose screws or rungs, mud or other liquids.

• Place the ladder on a firm, level surface. Check for electrical wires and limbs outdoors.

• Don't use the top step or pail shelf as a seat.

• Use the right kind of ladder. Stepladders often work indoors. Extension ladders work outdoors.

• Move the ladder - not yourself - closer to the work.

Help wanted

Bone health: The University of Cincinnati's Bone Health and Osteoporosis Center needs volunteers for a drug study comparing the effectiveness of two FDA-approved medications for bone loss. Candidates must be 42 or older and at least one year postmenopausal, and must have taken hormone replacement therapy for at least one year and stopped HRT within the last six months. Information: Marlene Kocher, 475-7415.

Shelf help

Read: Outsmart High Blood Pressure (St. Martin's Paperbacks; $6.50) by the editors of Prevention magazine, features tips on medications, diet, exercise and other tactics for lowering high blood pressure to a healthy level.

Contact Peggy O'Farrell by phone, 768-8510; fax, 768-8330, or e-mail, pofarrell@enquirer.com