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Splint
advice fractured
LEICESTER, UK
— The perception that plaster casts are
better than splits for kids with torus wrist fractures
is a fallacy, says a Cochrane Library review
published in mid-April. A physician spokesperson for
the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons fears compliance
could be a problem. "In my experience, a child under
10 is not going to keep a splint on," said Dr Leon Benson,
"and who is going to take responsibility for that fact?
The doctor."
Gator
blood kills viruses
NEW ORLEANS —
Alligator blood might help take a bite out of some difficult-to-treat
infections, potentially including HIV, MRSA and diabetic
ulcers, reported a team of Louisiana researchers last
month at the annual American Chemical Society meeting
in New Orleans. "Alligators live in swamps and marshes
and they are very aggressive and, as a consequence,
sustain very serious injuries," said McNeese State University
biochemist Mark Merchant, "but they heal rapidly and
often without infection, so there is something in alligator
blood that is very strong against various pathogens."
Too
many eggs fry longevity
BOSTON —
An apple a day? OK. But an egg a day? That's downright
dangerous, according to new results from the huge Physicians'
Health Study in the April American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition. Eating seven or more eggs per week was
associated with a 23% higher risk of death over a 20-year
period. That figure climbed to 101% in diabetic patients.
But eggs are delicious and questions remain about the
findings. "It's kind of premature to advise against
egg consumption until we have more information," study
author Luc Djoussé told the Washington Post.
Belgian
MD goes undercover
ANTWERP —
In a controversial new book entitled Dokter in Overall,
Belgian physician Karel Van Bever reveals the poor
labour conditions he saw when he went undercover as
a dockworker for nine months to spy on the shipping
corporation Katoen Natie. The book alleges the company's
workers are exposed to dangerous conditions and excessive
hours, and that Turkish and Moroccan employees were
discriminated against.
Coin
in throat? Push it down
MINNEAPOLIS —
Forward-thinking physician Dr Joseph Leo Arms has found
that pushing coins stuck in kids' throats down into
their digestive tracts, instead of pulling them up and
out, is not only safe but also cost-effective. A study
he led on the efficacy of this promising procedure,
known as bougienage, in last month's Annals of Emergency
Medicine, demonstrates that in 372 cases the procedure
failed in only 17, which were then were resolved with
endoscopy. Bougienage saves time and cash, with no increase
in complications.
Ban
skeletal models: France
PARIS —
It may soon become illegal to publicly incite extreme
thinness in France, if a piece of proposed legislation
passes the Senate. The bill is intended to combat websites
and fashion ads featuring skeletal models that dangerously
conflate skinniness and beauty, such as websites that
recommend eating just an apple a day, said the law's
author, conservative politician Valérie Boyer.
Inhaled
insulin hopes quashed
NEW YORK CITY — Six patients developed lung cancer
in recent clinical trials while using Exubera, an inhaled
insulin product withdrawn last fall, the drug's manufacturer
recently announced. It's unclear whether the drug caused
the cancers, but the admission is nevertheless the latest
blow to the prospects of inhaled insulin after slow
sales showed diabetics weren't interested in switching
from their needles.
Female
sexual dysfunction: is it all in the mind?
PRAHRAN, AUSTRALIA
— A placebo worked as well as a transdermal
testosterone spray for kick-starting the sex lives of
sexually unsatisfied women with low testosterone levels,
a team of Australian researchers reported in the Annals
of Internal Medicine on April 15. Low- and high-dose
sprays increased the number of instances of good sex
the women had by around 36%, which is about the same
effect the placebo had. A medium-dose spray was only
slightly more effective.
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