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Staph's
got the Midas touch
SAN DIEGO —
Researchers in the US have discovered that some strains
of Staphylococcus aureus — the nefarious
bacteria behind many skin and soft tissue infections
— possess a biochemical shield that protects them
from the human immune system. Findings, published July
17 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, reveal
that the molecules (called carotenoids and similar to
those found in carrots) that give the bacteria their
distinctive golden hue also protect them from being
killed by white blood cells. Researchers hope the discovery
will lead to alternative treatments for staph infections
that would try to inhibit the pigment and essentially
disarm the bacteria.
Volkswagen
stiffs workers
BRAUNSWEIG, GERMANY
— German law enforcement authorities are
investigating two Volkswagen (VW) senior executives
who allegedly provided their company managers with Viagra
(sildenafil) to spice up those long, tedious business
trips. Former VW board member Helmuth Schuster said
the drug was a perk given to valued company managers
to "pep them up," reports German magazine Bunte.
According to the report, local police are still trying
to locate VW's former human resources exec Klaus-Joachim
Gebauer for questioning.
Why
they turn a frown upside down
PITTSBURGH —
New research on patients with William's Syndrome —
a cognitive impairment that makes them overly social
— may help unlock the key to other social disorders.
The study, published in the July issue of Nature
Neuroscience, used a functional MRI (fMRI) scan
to examine the brains of 13 participants with William's
Syndrome and 13 without, while showing them pictures
of angry or scary faces and threatening scenes. The
healthy brains showed strong responses in the amygdala
(the part of the brain thought to be responsible for
social behaviour) to both types of images. Those with
the syndrome showed far less activity when looking at
the faces, but were abnormally responsive to the threatening
scenes, indicating they're perhaps not wired to respond
to normal negative human behaviours.
Bleeding
edge fake blood
BARCELONA —
To eliminate the possibility of disease contamination
and transfer during transfusions, the European Blood
Substitutes project is designing molecules to replace
the need for blood in these procedures. The team, led
by Dr Ken Lowe of the University of Nottingham, is working
on modifying the oxygen-carrying capacity of hemoglobin
using genomics. They are also currently trying to find
the best culture conditions to mass produce these artificial
molecules. Dr Lowe's team believes that this man-made
substance will oxygenate the body's cells as efficiently
as conventional blood. He reviewed his team's progress
at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Meeting
in Barcelona this month.
California
man dies in childbirth
SAN BERNARDINO,
CA — A California woman is suing the Kaiser
Foundation after her husband died during the birth of
their son in one of their hospitals. The woman claims
that her husband was asked by hospital staff to help
hold her down while an epidural was being administered.
Her husband fainted when he saw the needle go in and
hit his head on an aluminum cap molding at the base
of a wall. The wife's suit alleges wrongful death and
negligent affliction of emotional stress; she's seeking
burial expenses and damages. The Kaiser Foundation acknowledges
the tragic accident, but declined to comment on the
suit.
Kids
who saw logs likely to be hyper
ANN ARBOR, MI
— Parents with kids who snore might be in
for more than sleep-deprived nights. According to a
study published in the July 13 issue of Sleep, snoring
in children is a risk factor for hyperactivity. Researchers
from the University of Michigan Health System Sleep
Disorders Laboratory followed 229 kids between the ages
of two and 13 for four years. They found that 13% were
hyperactive at the end of the study — and snorers
were twice as likely to be in this group. The authors
note that these findings support the existing hypothesis
that untreated childhood sleep-disorders contribute
to the development of hyperactivity.
"Pseudoscientists"
set Cruise control
ARLINGTON, VA
— A heated on-air debate between Tom Cruise
and Today host Matt Lauer has created such a
stir that an entire branch of medicine has felt the
need the defend its existence. Mr Cruise, a Scientologist
and self-proclaimed medical history expert, forcefully
attacked the field of psychiatry, calling it a "pseudoscience."
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) decided not
to take a chance on the public dismissing Mr Cruise's
statement as an ipse dixit or hogwash. APA president
Dr Steven S Sharfstein issued the following statement:
"It is irresponsible for Mr Cruise to use his movie
publicity tour to promote his own ideological views
and deter people with mental illness from getting the
care they need."
Cobblestone
is pedestrian gold
EUGENE, OR —
Looking to get healthy? Instead of turning to the running
track, it might be wiser to take that stroll on a cobblestone
road. Researchers in Oregon say that walking on cobblestones
significantly lowers blood pressure, improves balance
and physical function. The study, published in the July
issue of the Journal of the American Geriatric Society,
followed 108 relatively inactive adults between the
ages of 60 and 92 for 16 weeks. Participants, divided
into a cobblestone-walking group and a regular walking
group, took part in 60 minutes of physical activity
three times a week. The authors suggest that the health
improvements seen in the cobblestone group are because
cobblestones, like acupuncture needles, stimulate 'acupoints'
on the soles of the feet.
Don't
believe everything you read
IOANNINA, GREECE
— Doctors and patients are bombarded with
headlines trumpeting new breakthroughs in medicine on
a daily basis. And many times the findings are taken
at face value. But it might not always be wise to go
with these findings. A study, which appeared July 13
in JAMA, looked at highly cited studies from
NEJM, JAMA itself and The Lancet
between 1990 and 2003 — including studies that
initially claimed a drug or treatment worked. It found
that contradiction and diminishing results aren't unusual
in highly cited research of clinical interventions and
their outcomes — nearly one-third of articles suffered
that fate.
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