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Two
stents duel to a draw
MONTREAL —
Every year, over 1.5 million people have stents implanted,
but there's controversy over whether bare-metal stents
(BMS) or the newer drug-eluting stents (DES) are better.
A re-analysis of 11 trials involving 5,103 patients
published in the October 23 Lancet, reveals that
when it comes to mortality rates, there's little difference
between them. However, the rates of major adverse cardiac
events and angiographic restenosis were lower with DES.
Still, researchers want to see larger trials with longer
followups before they pick the winner.
Bugs
laugh in face of antibiotics
SEATTLE —
Research presented at the 70th annual meeting of the
American College of Chest Physicians raises concerns
that despite medicine's recent advances, some areas
seem to be moving backward. For instance, antibiotic
resistance in bacteria implicated in major respiratory
illnesses rose dramatically between 1995 and 2003. An
estimated 70% of the two million bacterial infections
in US hospitals each year are thought to be resistant
to at least one drug. The one bright spot is that Streptococcus
pneumoniae is actually less resistant now to cefuroxime
and ceftriaxone.
The
perils of having an old dad
STOCKHOLM —
According to the Guinness Book of World Records,
the world's oldest father was 93. While his lust for
life is enviable, the lot of his child may be less so.
A study of 754,330 Swedes found that as paternal age
increased, so too did the likelihood of a diagnosis
of schizophrenia or other non-affective psychoses. This
was true even after factors like socioeconomic status
and family history were taken into account. The authors
speculate that dad's sperm accumulates more mutations
as he ages. The results were published October 22 in
the BMJ.
A
fine bouquet
LONDON —
Resveratrol in red wine could be the latest treatment
for people who suffer from asthma or chronic lung disease.
British researchers have found that the antioxidant
— already known to help the heart — is a powerful
anti-inflammatory. Their study, in the October issue
of AJP Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology,
found that resveratrol would be ideal for patients who
can't tolerate the steroids. Bad news for tipplers:
the authors recommend a nasal mist for administering
the drug� as the resveratrol in a glass of wine would
be liver-bound and never enter the bloodstream.
Atypical
side effects
WASHINGTON —
A new study links atypical antipsychotics — commonly
used on kids with aggression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia
— to an increased risk of type II diabetes. Eleven
kids who gained at least 10% of their weight while treated
with atypical antipsychotics, all showed more signs
of insulin resistance than could be explained by their
weight gain alone. Researchers found that the drugs
somehow directly induce insulin resistance. Results
were presented on October 20 at the annual meeting of
the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Manic
drug recall
OTTAWA —
Health Canada has recalled the drug lithium carbonate
after testing done by the manufacturer revealed that
the medication might be too weak to successfully treat
manic-depressive patients. Patients on the drug could
experience an overall worsening of their disease, as
well as aggravation of symptoms like motor hyperactivity,
delusions of grandeur, poor judgment and aggressiveness.
CSI:
Winnipeg
WINNIPEG —
Taking cues from the popular TV series CSI, Canada will
be using forensic science to track Clostridium difficile.
The Public Health Agency has set up a database for the
murderous microbes at the National Microbiology Lab
in Winnipeg. Scientists will isolate the pathogen from
stool samples and generate a DNA fingerprint to better
understand individual strains. This should help determine
why some are more virulent than others. The database
is part of a six-month pilot project that will put a
tail on C difficile and track infection rates
in 25 Canadian hospitals.
Aerosols'
dirty laundry
BRISTOL, UK —
The pleasant scent of your favourite air freshener may
increase the chances of encountering a less fragrant
smell: infant diarrhea. A study of 14,000 little ones
shows that babies in homes where air fresheners and
aerosols were regularly used were about 30% more likely
to have diarrhea. They were also more prone to getting
earaches. According to the report in the October 19
Archives of Environmental Health, aerosol-spraying
mums were also more likely to experience headaches and
depression.
Where
there's smoke there's fieriness
SEOUL — Canadian
smokers tend to accept public smoking bans and sin taxes
on tobacco without much protest. In South Korea, it's
a very different story. The Korean government's planned
500 won (59¢Cnd) per pack tax on the country's
cigarettes incited a large protest in downtown Seoul
led by the Korea Smokers' Protection Association. Government
health data shows Korea has some of the world's cheapest
cigarette prices relative to wages. A staggering 60.5%
of the country's adults smoke — the highest rate
in the world.
OMA
needles feds on prison drug use
OTTAWA —
The OMA is calling for needle exchange pilot
programs in prisons following the release of a major
report on IV drug-related diseases among inmates. OMA
President Dr John Rapin says the high rate of HIV and
Hep C infection — 10 and 29 times higher respectively
than among the general population — is putting
Canadians at risk. And a report by the HIV/AIDS Legal
Network found that similar programs in European countries
worked well and led to less needle sharing, fewer overdoses
and lower infection rates. See the full report at www.aidslaw.ca/maincontent/issues/
prisons/pnep/toc.htm.
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