Home Community Newsletter Vol 3 Issue 69

Arthritis Insight Newsletter * Vol. 3 Issue 69 August 8, 2001

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Welcome to the 69th issue of the Arthritis Insight Newsletter. All back issues will be posted at /community/newsletter/
Feel free to pass this newsletter around to others who may be interested.

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The information in this newsletter should not take the place of advice and guidance from your own health-care providers. Material in this newsletter is provided for educational and informational purposes only. Be sure to check with your doctor before making any changes in your treatment plan. Information presented here is the opinion of the authors and has not necessarily been approved or endorsed by the medical advisors.

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Notes From Tina
(tina@arthritisinsight.com)
Tina Underwood aka KrissyJo

Another week of summer has flown past! Only 20 days (but who?s counting?!?) until school starts. I hope you enjoyed the week.

My tummy scope went well last week. I think they gave me enough drugs to kill a horse (but I am not complaining!) and I spent the day in a pleasant drug-induced haze. Once in a while, that?s a good thing to do! According to the doc, things look good. I?ll see him next week to find out the results of the biopsies, but we are not expecting any surprises.

As we get nearer to fall, I am busy working on the new chat schedule. If you are, or know someone who is an expert in an arthritis related field and would like to set up a chat, please let us know. And if you have any suggestions for chat topics, we?d love to hear them. We?ll also be bringing back our Featured Discussion in the Fall and are looking for ideas. Give us a shout if you have a suggestion.

See ya next week!

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Ron's Ramblin's
(ron@arthritisinsight.com)
Ron Griffin aka IndyRon

Hi gang, it has been a long week here at the Griffin spread. I have been anxiously offering and counter offering on a new residence. I found out last evening that I have it. YIPPEEEEE!!!!!! I know that sounds a bit overly joyous, but this is the kind of place I have always wanted. It is not tremendously large, but it is big enough for me, with room to spare for the kids and an occasional guest. The thing that makes this so special is that I have always wanted to live on the water and now I will be. I really feel fortunate.

Not only was I fortunate to get the condo at a price I could afford, but I was lucky to find a couple who were not interested in lake activities any more so they threw in their boat.. How fortunate for me.

I am going down Saturday to go through it with the Inspector. I really seriously doubt that he will find anything wrong, but always better safe than sorry.

Enough crowing for one week. I will try to keep it on something more closely related to the site next week.
Until then,

(((((((((((((((((((((((((HUGS TO ALL))))))))))))))))))))))

~Indy

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Your Weekly Giggle

IT DOESN'T PAY TO ADVERTISE.
A young woman (several months pregnant)boarded a bus. She noticed a young man smiling at her and feeling humiliated on account of her condition she changed her seat, only to find him more amused. She moved again and on the fourth move he burst out laughing. She had him arrested and when the case came before the court the judge asked him if he had anything to say
THIS IS WHAT HE REPLIED:
When the lady boarded the bus I could not help noticing her condition. She sat under the advertisment which read Coming Shortly - "The Gold Dust Twins", then she moved under the Advertisment that read "Sloans Liniment removes the swelling" I was more amused than ever when she changed seats for the third time and sat under the shaving advertisment which read "Williams Stick Did The Trick".
Then I could not hold myself any longer when on the fourth move she sat under the advertisment "Dunlop rubber would have prevented this" THE CASE WAS DISMISSED.

Submitted by Anisah Check out all the jokes at:
/fun/jokes/
Send yours in today!

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Tina's Tips

Arthritis can affect your ability to do even the simplest of tasks. I've heard some people say, "Accept your limitations." I'm not sure accepting them is the way to go. I prefer to challenge those limitations, work around them, finding alternate ways of achieving the same goal. Every week I'll share some tips I've found to work around those annoying limitations and I hope all of you will send in your tips too. We may not be the next Martha Stewart, but sometimes the simplest things can help so much.

Anyone who sends me five new (never published on AI) tips and includes their mailing address with get an Arthritis Insight easy grip pen!

These are from Joan:
My doctor often instructs me to wrap my painfully swollen finger joints with Coban. However, she advised me to check the pet store and buy the product VetWrap instead. Not only is it cheaper than the "human" variety, but it comes in lots of colors. If you're going to have to wear a bandage, you might as well wear one that is pretty! Additionally, someone is not as likely to grab and shake your aching hand when it's wrapped in hot pink VetWrap!

If you work in an office where your computer is situated on a work station, get your company to invest in a keybaord tray for you. The one my company purchased for me swings out from under the top of my workstation, and has a little swing-out on the side for the mouse. It is adjustable up and down, and has been a life-saver on my hands. I can adjust the level of my keyboard to suit the way my hands feel on each particular day.

Check out more tips at /living/tips.html and send in yours today to tina@arthritisinsight.com

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What's New?

Question of the Week:
Does the not knowing long term side-effects of the new meds, like Remicade, worry you?
/community/question

Disease Index
Not really a type of arthritis, but we've had a lot of requests to add Reflex sympathetic dystrophy, so we did!
/medical/disease

Advice for Better Living
I have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis in April of this year. It all started with a bad fall. The doctor said it wasn't the fall, that it would have occurred at sometime. I was prescribed a fairly new drug called VIOXX. I also took quinnies, or the pharmacy sells as quinine. It helped the restless legs but did nothing for the pain in the hips and legs. The drug also killed my immune system. I began getting spots all over my body and tiny blood spots and a lot of bruising. I notified the doctor who in turn sent me directly to emergency hospital where I was given a solution intravenously called ICIG. They the doctors did a history on me and had never had anyone have such a reverse reaction to the drug. That was in April 2001. I was taken off any pain medication or anti-inflammatory drugs. I am in terrible pain in my lower back and I can only walk for a short period of time.
I was wondering if anyone knows anything about acupuncture? I am at a loss.
Acupuncture anyone?
/living/advice/

Gardening
More beautiful photos, this time, of Mary?s garden.
/living/gardening

Photo Album
Grannyjan and her cute grandkids and Joan Wallace shows off her new grandson.
/community/photo

Arthritis Warrior
A new nominee, well, a group of new nominees! Don?t forget to nominate the warriors in your life!
/warrior

Expert Advice
Any ideas for what to do for nausea, after taking weekly dose of methotrexate? I drink plenty of fluids the day before and the day of, and eat before taking the methotrexate, but, a half hour after taking the pills, I start to get tired, nauseated, and headachy. any suggestions would greatly be appreciated! I also take folic acid 2 tabs every day!
/medical/advice

Chat Transcripts
The transcript of Monday night's chat with Dr. Thomas Lee has been posted.
/community/chat/august62001.html

What do you want to see on Arthritis Insight or in the Newsletter?
Let us know and we'll do our best to accommodate!

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Arthritis Insight Chat /community/chat
We had a very interesting chat Monday with Dr. Thomas Lee PhD, author of the new book - Conquering Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Latest Breakthroughs and Treatments. The transcript has been posted at /community/chat/august62001.html
Dr Lee?s book should be on everyone with RA?s reading list. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1573928860/qid%3D995418551/arthritisinsight/107-1413814-2602935

For the complete schedule see:
/community/chat/schedule.html

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Cooking with Char
Char LeFleur
Char@arthritisinsight.com

Hello everyone. The weather in Iowa continues hot, hot, muggy and hot. Really starting to look forward to fall. But the abundance of summer is still with us, and I will try to help you to use some of that abundance to its best advantage.

For those of you with just one or two to cook for, did you know you can cook corn on the cob in the micro wave? I discovered this while experimenting one day. Wrap sweet corn in wet paper towels and microwave on high for about 7 minutes for 4 ears of corn. Works great.

Another great way to used zucchini! Slice the zucchini length wise, and quite thin. Use like lasagna noodles for a Zucchini Lasagna.

How about this way to cook zucchini--Cut zucchini into bite size chunks. Add fresh tomatoes peeled and diced. Or if you dont have an overabundance of tomatoes you can use canned tomatoes. Add garlic or garlic powder and salt to taste. No water necessary. The tomatoes provide the moisture. Use whatever amounts you have.

Then there are Fried Green Tomatoes. This isn't my own recipe, but it sounds really good too. I haven't had too many ripe tomatoes yet, so not yet ready to sacrifice any tomatoes to fry. But I can hardly wait!

Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients:
4 large green tomatoes
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 quart vegetable oil for frying
Directions
1 Slice tomatoes 1/2 inch thick. Discard the ends.
2 Whisk eggs and milk together in a medium-size bowl. Scoop flour onto a plate. Mix cornmeal, bread crumbs and salt and pepper on another plate. Dip tomatoes into flour to coat. Then dip the tomatoes into milk and egg mixture. Dredge in breadcrumbs to completely coat.
3 In a large skillet, pour vegetable oil (enough so that there is 1/2 inch of oil in the pan) and heat over a medium heat. Place tomatoes into the frying pan in batches of 4 or 5, depending on the size of your skillet. Do not crowd the tomatoes, they should not touch each other. When the tomatoes are browned, flip and fry them on the other side. Drain them on paper towels

And how about this unusual summer salad.

Summer Corn Salad

Ingredients
6 ears corn, husked and cleaned
3 large tomatoes, diced
1 large onion, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1 Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add corn and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until desired tenderness. Drain, cool and cut kernels off the cob with a sharp knife.
2 In a large bowl, toss together the corn, tomatoes, onion, basil, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Chill until serving.

If you have questions or comments regarding this column or recipes you would like to share, send them to Char@arthritisinsight.com

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From the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Progress and Promise:
Arthritis and Other Rheumatic Diseases

Rheumatic diseases, which encompass the different forms of arthritis and scores of other disorders, are so called because they cause pain or stiffness in joints, muscles, or bones. Some are the result of the body?s immune system attacking its own healthy tissues, such as the joints and internal organs. Finding better treatments and eventual cures for these often debilitating diseases will require a better understanding of the diseases themselves.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common type of arthritis, affects cartilage, the tissue that cushions the ends of the bones within the joints. A major cause of pain and disability, OA occurs when cartilage wears away, leaving a bone-on-bone joint. Because prevalence of the disease increases with age, the graying of America?s population means that the number of OA cases is increasing as well.

Although there is no cure for OA and no proven way to stop the damage it causes to cartilage, we now have some tools to apply to cartilage breakdown and potential treatments:

? An OA gene: a faulty collagen gene found in an inherited form of the disease. Collagen is the major protein-building material of bone.

? A better understanding of how certain enzymes break down cartilage in the joints, which has led to experimental treatment.

? The finding that antibiotics such as doxycycline inhibit the enzymes that degrade cartilage. One large study is evaluating the use of doxycycline for the prevention of knee OA in older women.

? The discovery that bone density is increased in OA, suggesting that, in its early stages, OA may be a bone disease. Studies of the disease in the U.S. population have also shown us that:

? Running is not a risk factor for OA. Obesity, however, is.

? The link between obesity and OA is more pronounced for African Americans than for Caucasians.

? People who engage in more than 4 hours of heavy physical activity per day are seven times more likely (13 times, if obese) to develop knee OA than people who do no physical activity.

? Women are two times more likely to have hand OA than men.

? Women using oral estrogen, particularly those who have taken it for 10 years or more, have significantly reduced risk of hip OA.

? Dietary intake of vitamin C, beta carotene, and vitamin E is associated with a reduced risk of cartilage loss and of disease progression in knee OA.

Doctors are recognizing that early diagnosis and treatment are needed to properly manage OA. This may be increasingly so as treatments are developed to halt cartilage breakdown. For this reason, NIAMS supports research to develop standardized, sensitive tests for OA-specific markers in body fluids or tissues. We hope that such tests will permit early diagnosis and detect subtle changes that occur with disease progression or effects of treatment.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

We now know much more about what causes and continues the disease process and resulting joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an inflammatory disorder of the joint lining. RA, an autoimmune disease, affects 2.5 times as many women as men. To fight RA, we can now rely on:

? A better understanding of immune system problems in the disease process.

? A rodent model of RA, which has helped explain how the neuroendocrine (hormonal) and immune systems interact in RA and other autoimmune diseases. Parallel studies of people with RA are examining whether similar interactions play a role in human disease.

? An understanding of how enzymes called metalloproteinases help destroy joint tissues.

? New ideas about why RA improves during pregnancy. One study has suggested that differences in certain proteins between a mother and her unborn child may change the activity of the mother?s immune system--a possible clue to new treatments.

? Insights into how RA is affected by adhesion factors, which help inflammatory cells move from the bloodstream into affected tissue, and the formation of new blood vessels. Experimental animal treatments that impair these factors have been encouraging.

? Increased evidence of genetic factors in RA. Scientists have identified two clusters of genes that may regulate susceptibility to many forms of autoimmune disease in rodents, including rheumatoid-like arthritis. They have also found six distinct genetic regions that control inflammatory arthritis in rodents, and discovered mutant genes in the tissue lining the joints of people with severe RA, suggesting the disease can progress independent of inflammatory elements.

A whole new class of drugs, called biologic response modifiers, has been developed to treat RA. Two of them, etanercept (Enbrel*) and infliximab (Remicade*), have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and are already making a tremendous difference in patients? lives today. A number of other studies supported by the NIAMS have demonstrated the effectiveness of other RA treatments, including clinical studies showing that:

? Low-dose methotrexate is effective in adults.

? Minocycline reduces joint pain and swelling and is safe for patients with mild to moderate RA.

New and ongoing NIAMS-supported research has the potential to increase our understanding of and improve treatments for RA. Examples are:

? A multicenter clinical trial of a small peptide given orally to treat RA.

? A project to see why certain anti-inflammatory proteins do not reduce inflammation of the joint lining.

? A study of mechanisms that lead to abnormal growth patterns in the cells lining the joints.

? A project involving live imaging of tiny blood vessels in animal models of RA.

* Brand names included in this document are provided as examples only, and their inclusion does not mean that these products are endorsed by the National Institutes of Health or any other Government agency. Also, if a particular brand name is not mentioned, this does not mean or imply that the product is unsatisfactory.

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

Similar to adult RA, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) causes joint pain and inflammation and, sometimes, irreparable joint and organ damage in children and young adults. To help scientists understand more about this autoimmune disease, the NIAMS is sponsoring a research registry for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at the Children?s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati. This registry focuses on families in which more than one child has JRA. Its goal is to find genes that increase susceptibility to JRA.

NIH has also opened its first pediatric rheumatology clinic at its own research hospital. The clinic, which will be conducted by the NIAMS, will diagnose, evaluate, and care for children with arthritis and other chronic rheumatic diseases and will expose doctors to pediatric rheumatology, an area that is greatly underserved.

Other NIAMS-supported studies have helped doctors test the effectiveness of new and existing drugs in JRA. Included are clinical studies showing that:

? Low-dose methotrexate is safe and effective for treating JRA in children who do not respond to first-line therapies.

? Etanercept (Enbrel) is a safe and effective drug for treating children and teenagers with polyarticular JRA, which affects more than four joints.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

A potentially devastating autoimmune disease that affects women and minorities disproportionately, systemic lupus erythematosus (also known as SLE or lupus) can affect the joints as well as numerous organs and body systems, including the kidneys and cardiovascular and nervous systems. Not long ago, a diagnosis of lupus almost always meant a drastically shortened life span. However, lupus research--much of it supported by the NIAMS--has enabled people with lupus to live longer, healthier lives.
NIAMS-supported research has helped us better understand some factors and processes involved in lupus. We now know that genetic factors influence who gets lupus and how severe the disease becomes. Scientists working in lupus genetics have found:

? A gene linked to increased risk of lupus kidney disease in African Americans. Variations of this gene affect the ability of immune system cells to remove potentially harmful molecules from the body.

? Two genetic risk factors in lupus: absence of the C4a gene and changes in the Fc receptor gene. Both of these genes are normally involved in removing immune system components that often settle in and damage the organs of people with lupus.

? Genetic factors in animal models of lupus that could lead to strategies for altering the course of the disease.

? Three genes that are important for normal immunity. This information could help us understand immune system abnormalities such as those seen in lupus.

? Seven to 10 regions of DNA that are linked to lupus in mouse models, which suggests that lupus susceptibility genes may be similar in mice and people.

? Evidence that differences in structure between bacterial and vertebrate DNA can be relevant to their different effects on the immune system. Certain bacterial DNA may promote the development of lupus.

? An association between lupus and a gene region on chromosome 1.

Other researchers have studied the disease process and discovered:

? That infectious agents and other environmental factors help trigger disease in genetically susceptible people.

? Data suggesting that lupus may involve defects in programmed cell death, a normal process by which the body gets rid of unnecessary, damaged, or potentially harmful cells.

? A better understanding of how two specific autoantibodies, proteins that react against the body itself, contribute to miscarriage and other complications of lupus.
Knowing more about the underlying mechanisms of lupus is already leading to experimental treatments, including the so-called biologic therapies involving substances that occur naturally in the body. Major treatment successes from the NIAMS Intramural Research Program include immunosuppressive drugs (cyclophosphamide and prednisone) that can prevent or delay kidney failure due to nephritis, the most serious common complication of this disease. These drugs restrain an overactive immune system by blocking or curbing production of some immune cells. Other therapies are showing promise in delaying or halting kidney disease in animal models of lupus.

Further NIAMS research has revealed that:

? Lupus disease activity and health status are strongly associated with potentially modifiable psychosocial factors, such as a patient?s attitude about participating in the management of his or her own disease.

? Hispanic and African American people have lupus in higher numbers than non-Hispanic white people, and they have more severe disease at the time of presentation.

? Genetic and ethnic factors seem to be more important than socioeconomic factors in influencing disease activity when it begins.

Ankylosing Spondylitis

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an inflammatory form of arthritis that affects the spine as well as some peripheral joints. In the most severe cases of the disease, tissues that support the spine can become bone-like, causing the spine to stiffen and fuse in one position. A major step in AS research came in 1999 when the NIAMS established the North American Spondylitis Consortium, which will search for genes that determine susceptibility to the disease. By collecting and studying medical information and genetic material from 400 families in which two or more siblings have AS, researchers hope to learn more about genes that play a role in this condition.

Scientists working on AS have discovered:

? That both a bacterial trigger and genetic susceptibility are needed for the disease to occur.

? That AS shares a genetic marker with Reiter?s syndrome, a disorder whose symptoms include arthritis, eye redness, and urinary tract problems. Scientists suspect that protein binding to this marker alters the body?s normal immune response, resulting in one of the two diseases.

? A rodent model for AS that carries the human HLA-B27 gene, one known to be common in people with AS. The model has shown that this gene could lead to joint inflammation and other symptoms characteristic of this form of arthritis in humans. The NIAMS also sponsored a major scientific conference on AS in 1998 to review the state of research on the disease and to promote new ideas and approaches to its study.

Scleroderma

Scleroderma is a group of diseases involving abnormal growth of connective tissue, which supports the skin and internal organs. A potentially disfiguring and debilitating disease, scleroderma (literally, ?hard skin?) results from a buildup of the protein collagen in the skin, blood vessels, and sometimes internal organs. It is not well understood, but NIAMS-supported research has provided some new clues into the potential causes and processes in this disease. Among the highlights are:

? The identification of a chromosomal site associated with scleroderma in Oklahoma Choctaw Native Americans. This suggests that the gene for a protein called fibrillin-1 is a possible susceptibility gene for scleroderma.

? Finding lingering fetal cells in skin lesions and blood of women with scleroderma who had been pregnant years before developing the disease. This may mean that an immune reaction may be behind the disease in some people.

? The discovery that cells from people with scleroderma have twice as many receptors for a molecule called TGFb than do cells from people without scleroderma. The binding of the chemical TGF to the receptors signals a cell to produce collagen, which is overabundant in people with scleroderma. New and ongoing research into scleroderma includes:

? A study looking at the roles of blood vessel malfunction, cell death, and autoimmunity in scleroderma.

? A multicenter clinical trial testing the value of orally administering collagen peptides to people with scleroderma.

? A study of differences in the structure and organization of tissue fibers in people with scleroderma.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder predominantly affecting women, and is characterized by widespread pain and fatigue. Other common problems include abdominal pain, bloating and constipation and/or diarrhea, migraine headaches, sleeping difficulties, and problems with concentration. Although the condition and its cause--and optimal treatment--are not well understood, NIAMS-supported research is starting to make headway in uncovering the fundamental disease mechanisms. For example, one NIAMS-supported study found that brain scans of people with fibromyalgia showed significantly lower blood flow than those of unaffected people. This suggests that brain structures involved in pain perception may have a functional problem in people with fibromyalgia that accounts in part for lower pain thresholds. Knowing this could help scientists target better interventions.

Funding of fibromyalgia grants has increased dramatically in recent years, and investigations cover broader areas. Current NIAMS-funded projects include:

? Analyzing genetic linkage in 120 families with fibromyalgia.

? Examining the link between stress reactivity and pain sensitivity in fibromyalgia patients, and comparing the data with findings from patients with temporomandibular joint disorder and people who have no pain.

? Developing a rat model of fibromyalgia pain.

? Comparing the relationship of pain sensitivity to clinical outcome and other factors in fibromyalgia and low back pain.

? Seeing whether aerobic exercise helps patients with fibromyalgia through stimulation of the pituitary and adrenal glands.

? Developing a new model of pain that is both chronic and widespread, and then determining if this model involves the peripheral or central nervous system.

? Examining the risk factors associated with temporomandibular joint disorder and fibromyalgia in young women.

? Testing whether cognitive behavioral therapy will improve insomnia in people with fibromyalgia.

Inherited Inflammatory Disorders

In the mid-90s, NIAMS intramural researchers identified the gene for familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), a hereditary disorder common among people of Jewish, Arab, Armenian, and Turkish ancestry. FMF?s symptoms can include fever, abdominal and chest pain, arthritis, and skin rashes. The gene holds the code for making the protein pyrin, which is thought to help keep inflammation under control. Mutations in the gene lead to a malfunctioning protein and uncontrolled inflammation. The discovery of the gene has already facilitated development of a simple diagnostic blood test for FMF, and it will provide insight into causes of inflammation and better treatments for FMF and perhaps other diseases characterized by inflammation. NIAMS scientists and their collaborators also discovered genetic mutations on chromosome 12 underlying a newly recognized group of inherited inflammatory disorders, collectively known as TNF receptor-associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS). These disorders, which are similar to familial Mediterranean fever, are characterized by long, dramatic episodes of high fever; severe pain in the abdomen, chest, or joints; and skin rash and inflammation in or around the eyes.

The mutations affect the inflammatory protein tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and are important in understanding the role of the TNF pathway in disease. The discovery could potentially lead to additional treatments at the cellular level for many immune-related and inflammatory disorders.

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Notes and Insights:

Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday Jeanette and Kuch!!! Check out all the birthdays at
/community/birthday and make sure to send them an arthritis-friendly e-card:
/cgi-bin/postcards/postcard.pl

Wanna help?
Having surgery? Starting a new drug or treatment? Filing for disability? Keep an Arthritis Insight journal so all of our members can share and learn from your experience. If you want to keep a journal just let us know. Write an article! We always need articles on all subjects relating to arthritis.
C'mon folks, we can't do this without you.

Donate! Arthritis Insight will always be free for anyone to use, we will never charge any fees. We try very hard to keep our operating costs as low as possible, but running a website as large as Arthritis Insight can be expensive. To date we've relied on our few sponsors for support and have paid for many of the expenses out of our own pockets. No one on our staff currently receives a paycheck for their hard work and dedication. Although you are not obligated in any way, if you are financially able to help support Arthritis Insight, it would be greatly appreciated. In exchange for your donation you'll receive some thank you gifts, a tax deduction and the satisfaction of knowing you are partly responsible for the entire Arthritis Insight Community.
/about/donate.html

Ken Akers Cheer Fund
Donations to the Ken Akers Cheer Fund will be used to send flowers and gifts to those community members who are hospitalized, flaring or just in need of some good cheer. The Ken Akers Cheer Fund sent out four gift baskets last week!
/community/kenscheerfund

Arthritis Insight Wish List
We realize that many of you are unable to contribute financially to Arthritis Insight. But we need more than money. Please check out our wish list and see if you can help.
/wishlist.html

Thank You!
A great big thank you to our "Diamond Level" Corporate Benefactor, allaboutarthritis.com. Please stop by their site and say hello!
http://allaboutarthritis.com

And another big thank you to NeedaBasket.com
(http://needabasket.com). NeedaBasket is now Arthritis Insight's official gift basket company. They are giving us a great discount and donating baskets for our Arthritis Warriors. Stop by and tell them thanks for the support!

Special Offers for Arthritis Insight Members

Whenever possible we will try get to our sponsors to agree to discounts and the like for our members. Here are our current special offers:
Sore No More gel (http://www.sorenomore.com) will send a free sample of the pain relieving gel to any Arthritis Insight Community Member who emails them at dma@glogerm.com

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The AI Help Desk
Linda Peck

As I'm preparing my column this week, I'm praying for rain and longing for fall days. Such a heat wave we're having! And no significant rain for at least two months. I hope those of you also dealing with these dog days of summer (wonder where that clich? came from?) are able to escape the heat. It's a good time to stay inside and catch up on emails and computer projects.

=== Computers 101 ===
Q: I'm thinking of buying a new computer and I'm not sure whether I want a laptop or regular tower-style computer. Which is better?

A: The classic debate - tower or laptop. I get asked this question all the time and here is my "stock" answer: If you *really* think you're going to need a computer with you when you travel, than you have no choice at all - get the laptop. Now, it's been my experience that most people who think they are going to take their computer with them everywhere don't. Sure they may at first, but then the novelty of working with an annoying touchpad and narrow keyboard wears off.

I think people like the idea of being portable though. You know, stuff like sitting on a beach at sunset with your laptop in hand drinking some sort of exotic island drink. Well, forget it. The saltwater and sand can kill an unprotected computer in a matter of hours. I know, it sounds like I'm being hard on laptops - I'm really not. I want to make a point - only get a laptop if you really need one. The big advantage you get with a tower type computer is power (remember tower = power :-). Compare a laptop and tower with a similar processor and nine times out of ten you'll find the tower is faster (the drive and bus speed tend to be higher, so even with the same processor, the tower still runs quicker). In addition, you can get a whole lot more bang for your buck with a tower-type computer. Laptops generally cost about 1/3rd more than a tower for a comparable machine. For example, if you're thinking of a tower style computer that costs $900.00, you'll probably find that the laptop version is around $1350.00.

So, my advice in a nutshell is if you are going to need your computer on the road, you're going to need a laptop - otherwise, you're probably better off with a tower.

Q: What are "Runtime Errors"?

A: A runtime error is caused by an error within a program's code. This is a problem at the programmers end, not yours. What usually happens is that you (or the software) do something unexpected and the program doesn't know how to handle it. When someone creates a piece of software, they try to anticipate every possible scenario. Unfortunately, that's next to impossible and sometimes you end up with bugs, including runtime errors. So, what do you do if you get one of these runtime errors? Contact the program vendor and let them know. I can't speak for all programmers, but when people find errors in my stuff and let me know, I do appreciate it.

=== Tip of the Week ===

Drag It!

Have you ever made a mistake while filling out a form on a web page or in a software program? If you're like me, you occasionally find that you've put information in the wrong box. Most people would just sigh, delete out the error, then re-type it in the appropriate box. And we wonder why carpal tunnel syndrome cases are on the rise. Well, to save your wrists (and some time), highlight the text that's in the wrong location and drag it to its proper place (box). This works with more than just forms. If you are re-doing a table in a word processing program, you can do the highlight, drag & drop thing too! One last thing. Before I get an inbox full of e-mails reminding me of this - you can highlight any text in a word processor and drag it to a new location. Lots faster than copy & paste.

Source: Computer Tips & Techniques
http://www.worldstart.com
Copyright 2001, Worldstart - Reprinted with permission.

=== P.C Smiles === Microsoft vs. GM

At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated "if GM had kept up with the technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon ?? In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.
2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.
3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull over to the side of the road, close all of the car windows, shut it off, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason, you would simply accept this.
4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.
5. Only one person at a time could use the car unless you bought "Car-NT", but then you would have to buy more seats.
6. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive -- but would only run on five percent of the roads.
7. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "General Protection Fault" warning light.
8. New seats would force everyone to have the same sized butt.
9. The airbag system would ask "Are you SURE?" before deploying.
10. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.
11. GM would require all car buyers to also purchase a deluxe set of Rand McNally Road maps (now a GM subsidiary), even though they neither need nor want them. Attempting to delete this option would immediately cause the car's performance to diminish by 50% or more.
12. Every time GM introduced a new car, buyers would have to learn to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.
13. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.