Inflammation

The recent pitching form of Tommy Greene can be charted as follows: Thursday in Denver: left game after five-plus innings, partly because of stiffness in his right shoulder. Manager Jim Fregosi said he wasn't concerned. Friday in Cincinnati: flew back to Philadelphia to have precautionary X- rays, which were negative. Told club physician Phillip Marone he was experiencing no pain in his shoulder. Saturday and Sunday in Philadelphia: began experiencing pain in his shoulder.

This is perhaps the biggest reason these Phillies might not be flukes: When they need a well-pitched game, there's a fine chance they will get one. Last night, the Phils were coming off an ugly loss on Tuesday and anticipating a three-game weekend series in Atlanta, which can leave any team badly chopped. So Tommy Greene, despite a late-inning salvo of line drives, threw nine strong innings, limiting the Pittsburgh Pirates to five hits and a single run in a 4-1, rain-delayed Phillies' victory.

Q: What causes calcium deposits in the lungs? Is there a cure, or can I expect the condition to get progressively worse with time? A: As a defense mechanism, the body deposits calcium at the sites of inflammation. The calcium walls off the inflammation and may prevent contamination of surrounding tissues. Sometimes the calcium deposits cause more trouble than the inflammation itself; for example, calcific deposits in tendons often cause severe pain. Lymph glands can also calcify.

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS If you have sex about once a week, count yourself average, not lucky. Luckiest of all are those in their 30s, who do it 78 times a year. They even beat out the 18- to 29-year-olds, who have sex 77 times a year. You're just plain typical, too, if you've had seven sex partners since you turned 18. These and other barometers of adult sexual behavior, from the National Opinion Research Center's annual survey, are reported in this month's issue of Family Planning Perspectives.

Q: A friend has vasculitis and is unable to explain exactly what the disorder is all about. Can you define it and give the treatment most commonly used? A: Vasculitis simply means "inflammation of blood vessels. " This seemingly straightforward term encompasses a wide variety of disorders, however; anything that inflames blood-vessel walls is classified as vasculitis. Thus, the diagnosis of vasculitis is really the starting point of a diagnostic trail. The classification of vasculitis is based on which blood vessels are involved: large or small veins, large, medium-sized or small arteries.

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania report that they have discovered how skin inflammation occurs at the molecular level, a finding that could lead to new drugs for the 30 million Americans suffering from skin diseases. The study might also lead to new therapies for treating sufferers of asthma, arthritis and other diseases in which inflammation plays a role, the researchers said. In addition, the findings suggest that there is scientific evidence to support the widespread belief that anxiety and stress make itching, eczema, psoriasis and other skin diseases worse.

There have been strains and sprains, tears and blisters. There have been X- rays, bone scans and magnetic resonance imaging tests. There have been examinations of muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints. There is even an abscessed tooth. The news coming out of the Veterans Stadium trainer's room yesterday, as relayed by club physician Dr. Phillip Marone, came on a scale that ranged from extremely good to mildly discouraging. The best news was that first baseman Ricky Jordan has only an inflammation over the hamate bone at the base of his left hand.

Brace yourself. That's one of the things Dr. Ray Moyer told the 76ers' Charles Barkley yesterday before clearing him to play in tonight's game against the Boston Celtics. That was after Moyer, the Sixers' orthopedic specialist, examined a fresh set of X-rays and prescribed medication, a stretching program and exercises to help strengthen Barkley's painful lower back. He has been fitted with a supportive brace to wear off the court. Moyer indicated that Barkley, who missed the third quarter of Monday's 127-122 overtime loss to Charlotte, was experiencing a flare-up of vertabrae inflammation he first experienced during his career at Auburn (1981-82 to '83-84)

There is the growing possibility that 76ers point guard Maurice Cheeks will not be ready for the regular-season opener because of a recurring groin muscle pull. Cheeks, who played in exhibition games Friday in Salt Lake City and Saturday in Dallas, flew back to Philadelphia on Sunday night. He will engage only in light workouts for at least the next week, skipping the remaining three stops on the Sixers' preseason road tour. Cheeks, 32, is entering his 11th NBA season.