Health Report

THE GOOD NEWS

-- A natural blood substance called IL-12 restored normal immune responses in $ cells taken from people infected with the virus that causes aids. Scientists caution that although IL-12 in the test tube seems to be a powerful regulator of immune response, it has never been tested in humans.

-- Last month, for the first time since 1912, when record keeping began, the U.S. enjoyed a three-week period in which no cases of measles were reported.

-- The liver takes eight hours to eliminate alcohol from the bloodstream, but Detoxahol, an experimental drug, may shorten that process to minutes. Compumed Inc., the California medical firm that holds the rights to Detoxahol, hopes to market it as a prescription drug within five years.

THE BAD NEWS

-- Air pollution can reduce life-spans as much as two years, even in areas that meet current federal air-quality standards, a study of six U.S. cities shows.

-- Men aged 50 and older who have no close friends or relatives are three times as likely to die after suffering high levels of emotional stress as those whose lives are less lonely, according to a study conducted in Sweden.

-- Outbreaks of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a bacteria that causes a particularly virulent respiratory illness, have struck New York, Ohio and Texas. The cold- like bug could spread rapidly as winter approaches.

-- Twins are 10 times as likely to suffer from cerebral palsy as siblings from single births, says a California health survey.