Tsunami waves generated by a large offshore earthquake would threaten at least 1 million coastal residents in California and inundate the nation's largest port complex, according to a new report. The study, released Monday, found gaps in the state's readiness to handle a tsunami, including flaws in the existing warning system, lack of evacuation plans by coastal communities and building codes that don't take into account tsunami-strength surges. In addition, many residents are unaware of the potential danger of tsunami waves and would not know how to respond to warnings, the report said. "I don't think we're ready yet, but we're getting there," said Richard McCarthy, executive director of the California Seismic Safety Commission, which issued the report. In the past century, more than 80 tsunamis -- mostly minor -- have been recorded or observed along the California coastline, which faces tsunami threats from local and distant sources in the Pacific basin.

A new report from Harvard Medical School refutes the common assumption that computer use causes carpal tunnel syndrome. Instead, says this report edited by Harvard-based hand experts, carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by the compression of the median nerve in the wrist. This compression may occur because of heredity, body weight, fracture, or even pregnancy—but not computer use. This 40-page report, "Hands: Strategies for strong, pain-free hands," also explains the many causes of hand pain and describes the exercises, therapies, and medications used to treat them. Carpal tunnel syndrome, a condition that affects between 2 percent and 3 percent of the population, occurs when one of the three major nerves that travel from the spinal cord down to the hand becomes "pinched." It affects nearly twice as many women as men. A procedure to ease this nerve disorder is one of the most common surgeries done in the United States, with more than 200,000 performed each year. Recent research has found that heavy computer use— up to seven hours a day—does not increase risk for carpal tunnel syndrome. However, improper computer use and other workplace conditions can contribute to a type of disorder known as repetitive stress injury. Carpal tunnel syndrome is in fact not a repetitive stress injury, though it is often incorrectly described as one, says the Harvard report. The report also covers such topics as arthritis of the hand joints, Raynaud's syndrome, finger fractures, dislocation, accidental amputation, trigger finger, tennis elbow, lupus, and gout. Harvard Health Publications has a publication on Hands: Strategies for strong, pain-free hands available at http://www.health.harvard.edu/HND. Source: Harvard Medical

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