Health Report

THE GOOD NEWS

-- New research shows that transfusions from otherwise healthy people who are infected with HIV may slow the progress of AIDS in patients already suffering from the disease. Reason: antibodies that kill HIV are present in those infected with the virus but later become depleted if and when AIDS develops.

-- The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first commercial implantable blood pump to keep patients alive while they await heart transplants. Called the HeartMate implantable pneumatic left-ventricular assist system, the ashtray-sized device boosts the heart's main pumping chamber while the natural heart continues to perform other functions. Only 2,000 donor hearts become available each year, while more than 15,000 people may need transplants.

THE BAD NEWS

-- Though clearly milder and less harmful than nicotine, alcohol or heroin, caffeine fits the criteria for addictive substances described by the American Psychiatric Association -- according to a limited study of coffee cravers. Caffeine produces psychological and physical dependence, including withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, depression and fatigue.

-- Despite evidence that over-the-counter remedies such as cough and cold medicines are often ineffective and sometimes produce adverse reactions when taken by preschool children, worried parents continue to resort to these cures. Interviews with the mothers of three-year-old children revealed that parents use such preparations 70% of the time when faced with illness.

Sources -- GOOD: Cambridge University; Food and Drug Administration. BAD: Journal of the American Medical Association