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Mexican abortion docs menaced by the
Church
MEXICO CITY —
The Roman Catholic Church has been placed under investigation for possibly violating
Mexican laws against church interference in politics. In response to Mexico City's
recent legalization of first-trimester abortions, the result of a 46-19 vote by
elected politicians, the Roman Catholic Church has been pressuring doctors, nurses
and lawyers not to perform or support abortions. "We are in the 21st century,
not the 16th," said leftist Mexico City mayor Marcelo Ebrard. In other parts of
Mexico, abortion is allowed only in extreme cases such as rape or danger to the
mother's life. Check
your head: Maggie
TORONTO —
Margaret Trudeau, who recently went public with her struggle with bipolar disorder,
is using her celebrity to help promote a new mental health awareness campaign.
Ms Trudeau is convinced smoking dope back in her wild youth brought on her psychosis.
"I had to give up my wicked, wicked ways... I had to accept that I had a mental
illness that needed to be treated," she said. The campaign, created by an alliance
of Ontario mental health groups, is called "Check Up from the Neck Up" and urges
people to pay better attention to mental health issues. Reefer
madness
LONDON — Maggie's
marijuana self-medication may have missed the mark, but her self-diagnosis was
spot on: new research has shown that psychosis can be triggered, in some cases,
by heavy pot smoking. Using MRI scans of human brains under the influence of tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC), researchers at London's Institute of Psychiatry found that THC produces
a reduction in the function of the brain's inferior frontal cortex. The region
normally plays a role in regulating emotions, and the inhibition of its activity
was associated with subjects' degree of paranoia. I'll
have what she's having
ATLANTA
— There's been a surge in the number of couples electing to take the
plastic surgery plunge together. Surgery is the natural next step in couples'
therapy, according to Dr. Richard D'Amico, president-elect of the American Society
of Plastic Surgeons. In most cases, the woman tends to have her surgery done first,
because "women tend to be more familiar with cosmetic procedures and they can
coach their husbands through their recovery," said Beverly Hills surgeon Dr. Brent
Moelleken. Too
many hits on the head
GOTEBORG,
SWEDEN — It's a way for some to kill off pent-up energy, but amateur
boxing can also kill brain cells, says a new study presented at the American Academy
of Neurology conference in Boston. The effect of professional boxing on the brain
was well known, but until now, amateur boxing has received little attention, according
to Dr Max Hietala of the University of Goteborg. Amateur boxers had significantly
increased levels of certain biochemical markers in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
after a fight, suggesting brain damage. "Our results suggest CSF-analysis could
be used for medical counselling of athletes after boxing or head injury," said
Dr Hiatala. The
accidental tourist
VODICE, CROATIA
— It's not the beach that's luring tourists to this seaside resort
town -- instead, Europeans are flocking to Vodice to have their teeth fixed. Goran
Nedoklan, a local dental clinic owner, started advertising in Italy, Germany and
now the UK, offering dental work at nearly half its regular cost. Besides routine
procedures, orthodontics and surgeries, the clinic also arranges travel, accomodation
and even excursions to nearby sights. UK's
OK for Dolly's daddy
LONDON —
Sixty of Scotland's brightest scientists have signed an open letter attacking
the Scottish National Party's bid for independence in the May 3 election. Among
the letter's signatories are Sir Ian Wilmut, whose team produced Dolly the cloned
sheep, and Hugh Pennington, an Aberdeen microbiologist who has studied SARS extensively.
Scottish scientists and university research units currently receive 12% of the
UK's total research funding, a high percentage given that Scotland represents
only 9% of the UK's population. A
smelly success
WASHINGTON, DC
— There's hope for those suffering from a congenital inability to
smell, says Dr Robert I. Henkin, director of the Taste and Smell Clinic in Washington,
DC. In a presentation in late April, Dr Henkin revealed the biochemical basis
for most cases of congenital loss of smell. The lack of normal growth factors
in the nasal mucus and elevated concentration of cell death factors is to blame.
Dr Henkin treated sufferers with phosphodiesterase inhibitors and was successful
in restoring smell function in some. Juries
tend to favour doctors
COLUMBIA,
MO — Doctors are generally right as far as juries are concerned, according
to a new study from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law. Philip
Peters, author of the study which appears in the May issue of the Michigan
Law Review, reviewed US medical malpractice cases from 1989 to 2006 and found
that doctors won fully 50% of cases that independent experts predicted them to
lose. In unclear cases, the study found, the benefit of the doubt is typically
given to the doctor. |
