By SUSAN ASCHOFF and Times wires
Published February 17, 2004
A BREAKFAST CEREAL has ranked Tampa-St. Petersburg No. 11 among 50 U.S. cities for heart-healthy habits.
Kashi Co., which makes all-natural foods that include Kashi cereal, ranked the cities based on percentage of the population in each who regularly exercise, eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, consume a high-fiber breakfast, maintain a healthy body weight, have desirable cholesterol levels and normal blood pressure, don't smoke, have access to park space, and are in good mental health.
The survey found almost 28 percent of people in the Tampa Bay area eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day and that more people here regularly exercise than in other cities.
Two other Florida cities, Orlando and Miami, ranked in the top five. Hartford, Conn., was No. 1.
A PATIENT GUIDE for people with lung cancer by the American Society of Clinical Oncology is designed to help patients and their families learn more about treatment options.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the United States. Of all those diagnosed, only 15 percent survive for five years.
The guide, which was developed by medical experts and a patient advocate, is available at www.PLWC.org or call 703 797-1914. The People Living With Cancer Web site also offers information about other cancers, treatments and research.
A TUMOR'S ABILITY to hide from the body's immune system, in effect fooling the body's own defenses, became a little less mysterious after research findings by a team that included members from H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute.
Scientists documented that a tumor activates Stat3, one of a family of proteins that regulates genes, and secretes substances that inhibit the body's immune responses. It also blocks signals of an inflammation, required for the immune system to respond.
At Moffitt, researchers are studying the "molecular signatures" of certain genes directly or indirectly regulated by Stat3 in hope that future drugs could inhibit Stat3 and thus treat breast, prostate and other cancers.
