The business of anti-smoking legislation
HONG KONG — Mahjong parlour and bar owners in Hong Kong are fired up about the same issues as their counterparts here in Canada. The Eastern and Western businessmen are united in complaints that new anti-smoking legislation — already in effect in many parts of Canada and set to go into effect next year in Hong Kong and this fall in Quebec — may save lungs but it will kill business. For many Hong Kong residents a game of mahjong and a smoke go hand in hand; similarly, Quebecers can’t fathom a tipple without a cigarette on the side. Business owners in both areas have begun protesting the proposed legislations.

Pinpointing the efficacy of acupuncture
HAMPSHIRE, UK — Positron emission tomography (PET) of 14 patients in a British study in the May issue of Neuroimage strongly suggests that acupuncture’s pain reducing ability is real — not simply a placebo effect. All 14 patients, who suffer from osteoarthritis, were treated with “dummy needles” that didn’t penetrate the skin as well as real acupuncture. Brain maps were created with PET scans for these subjects in real time as they underwent treatment. Although the dummy needles and real ones both triggered the release of natural opiates in the body, only proper acupuncture stimulated the insula ipsilateral part of the brain and consequently improved pain relief by 10-15%.

Homespun remedy fails to cure AIDS
PRETORIA — South African AIDS sufferers hoping to find a more traditional (and cheaper) approach to their malady will be disappointed by results of a trial at the Medical University of Southern Africa (Medunsa). A traditional healer from the province of KwaZulu-Natal came up with a concoction called Ubejane, which he claimed could cure AIDS/HIV. Researchers at Medunsa took up the gauntlet, testing the remedy on 24 AIDS patients over four months. Though the Ubejane failed to cure them, it was found to be non-toxic and appears to have had something of a placebo effect, helping to improve their appetites and sense of well-being.

India health minister embroiled in scandal
CHENNAI, INDIA — On May 10th the high court in Chennai (formerly Madras) set up a committee to investigate a female doctor’s complaint that she was sexually harassed by Health Minister N Thalavia Sundaram. The case was initially dismissed as groundless by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation but the Chennai court judge, KP Sivasubramaniam, felt the state police force was ill-equipped to deal with matters of human rights law, particularly when it came to gender issues. The results of the committee investigation aren’t expected until September.

Better benefits for A-bomb survivors
HIROSHIMA — The atomic bomb nicknamed “Little Boy” dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 continues to affect the lives of its victims. Survivors have been granted special status in Japan, and issued A-bomb survivors’ health cards, which entitle them to state-funded medical treatment and funerals. But survivors who’ve moved abroad had discovered that it was difficult for them to collect benefits outside Japan — until now. After a lawsuit by survivors living in the US, the Japanese government has begun honouring expatriate claims.

Aussie offshore med school investment
KINGSTON, AUSTRALIA — Our friends down under are experiencing the same doctor shortages as we are in the Northern Hemisphere. But some Australian universities have a bold idea to cure the problem: offshore medical schools. The University of Monash was the first to announce its plan to open a campus in Malaysia. The University of Sydney quickly followed suit with plans to set up a similar med school in Vietnam. The unimpressed Australian Medical Council warns the plan won’t curb shortages and says it’s not sure it will even recognize the offshore degrees.

Give baby his or her own bed
LONDON — A new study released by Britain’s Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID) has some shocking findings, including that falling asleep on a couch with baby increases the risk of sudden infant death (SID) by 50-fold. In fact, they concluded that sleeping with an infant in his or her first six months is generally a bad idea. They found one in four British cases of SID occurred when the infant was sleeping with its parents.

Boys make mums brighter
VANCOUVER — Research published in the May 12 issue of NeuroReport says that women pregnant with boys are less likely to be forgetful. The Canadian-based research tracked 39 Vancouverites from early pregnancy to several months after birth. The women performed eight different tests repeatedly throughout and after pregnancy. The researchers found that women carrying boys scored significantly higher on cognitive tests. They are unsure why these women scored higher but believe it might have something to do with the “unknown fetal-derived factor,” which differs in male and female fetuses.

Brit rebel doc easily keeps seat
KIDDERMINSTER — Maverick MP Dr Richard Taylor retained his seat in the recent UK general election. Dr Taylor is the lone independent in the hallowed House of Commons. His ‘party’ banner, the Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern (IKHH), strongly hints at his signature issue — saving emergency services at his local hospital. He first won the seat in 2001, beating former Labour cabinet minister David Lock in a landslide. A true independent, Dr Taylor's pet issues range from his very liberal support for medical cannabis to a more conservative stance on the issue of sexual orientation.

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