Big Blue to beget brain
LAUSANNE — IBM is teaming up with the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland for a massive project — building a computer model of the human brain. The IBM project leader, Charles Peck, told the Economist that if computation power grows at the expected rate, it'd be entirely possible to see a computer-emulated brain completed between 10 to 15 years from now. The medical potential of an 'in silico' brain is quite literally mind boggling. For instance, it could be used for neurological studies where time or ethics might preclude the use of human subjects.

Find 'adscam' shocking? Try 'Adscan'
TORONTO — Madison Avenue has long desired to make windows into men's souls and tailor their advertising accordingly, and now it appears this far-fetched dream may soon be a reality, thanks to MRI technology. Some vanguard advertising firms, including the Toronto-based PHD Media, have already begun using MRI scans to look at the effect of commercials on one's brain. Before you get too terrified, it should be said that this type of study is fantastically expensive and the results are likely too inscrutable for it to catch on. For now, at least.

They 'O' it to their genes
LONDON — If women's magazines are any indication, the search for the elusive female orgasm is raging. Now a team of Brit researchers have found genes could be to blame when women find climaxing a frustrating, Sisyphean task. Researchers looked at 683 identical and 714 fraternal twins and asked them how often they achieved orgasm — 32% reported never or infrequently achieving orgasm during intercourse, 21% reported similar experiences during masturbation. The researchers found a significant genetic influence. The heritability of difficulty in reaching orgasm through intercourse was 34% and through masturbation it was 45%. Results appear in the June 13 online edition of Biology Letters.

Call me 'Dr Dipsomaniac'
LONDON — A recent BBC exposé, "Your life in their boozy hands," included a survey of 150 consultant surgeons and their responses show that the problem of substance abuse among UK medical professionals is widespread. The survey results revealed that more than one in five docs knew of a colleague who was impaired on the job. British Medical Association Ethics Committee chairman Michael Wilks said the profession was in denial and needed to tackle the problem. One Brit MD said that "the 'ten pints, a curry, a fight and then steal a traffic cone' lifestyle is patted on the back" in the medical profession. For more on this topic, see "Substance abuse relapse — in MDs" published in the April 30 issue.

Who says science is apolitical?
ARLINGTON, VA — Remember that study from the March Journal of Adolescent Health that took the no sex trend in US sex ed to task? The study found that American kids who'd made abstinence pledges had the same rate of STIs as kids who confessed to being sexually active. Now there are two new competing studies conducted by researchers from the conservative Heritage Foundation, which, like the earlier study, are based on US government data. The researchers say they used a different analysis and found that kids who made the virginity pledge were less likely to contract an STI or engage in risky sexual behaviour. They also took the unusual step of including a direct criticism of their rival researchers, saying they "deliberately misled the press and the public."

Dr Morgantaler honoured by UWO
LONDON, ON — Depending on your point of view, Dr Henry Morgentaler is a Canadian medical hero or a blight on the healthcare landscape. The University of Western Ontario clearly believes the former, as it chose to confer an honourary doctorate on the famous abortionist on June 16. This was destined to be a controversial decision, and UWO has already paid for it in hard cash — in April, its alumni association withdrew a $2 million bequest in protest. Polish-born Dr Morgentaler, a Holocaust survivor who went to jail for performing abortions before the Supreme Court decriminalized them in 1988, is now 82. He received a standing ovation from attendees at the ceremony.

Medicinal pot moves to front burner
SAN FRANCISCO — In mid June the US Supreme Court ruled that the use of medical marijuana is illegal and that patients who use pot to control pain can face criminal charges — even if they have a physician's prescription for the drug. The Court's decision was based on the federal law that prohibits the use of marijuana. Confusingly, state law governs the use of medical marijuana, and 10 states have already passed laws allowing its use. Medical marijuana advocates are urging state and municipal governments to continue allowing access to the drug, despite the ruling.

New 'Dr Death' down under
BUNDABERG, AUSTRALIA — Another 'Dr Death' has emerged — this time in kangaroo country. The physician in question is one Dr Jayant Patel. Educated in India, Dr Patel had formerly practised medicine in the US but his licence was revoked in 2003 — the same year he decided to take his macabre show on the road. He falsified documents to land a position as director of surgery at the rural Bundaberg Base Hospital in Queensland where he's since been linked to at least 87 patient deaths. He now faces charges of murder and negligence. He first aroused suspicion when an inordinate number of his surgeries ended in fatal complications. Dr Patel's colleagues say they even took to hiding patients from him to save their lives.

Schiavo autopsy proves docs right
LARGO, FL — An autopsy has confirmed that Terri Schaivo, the Florida woman at the centre of the right to life/death controversy in March, was indeed in a persistent vegative state at the time her feeding tube was removed. Her brain was half its normal size. This confirms the diagnosis of the neurologists who treated her was correct. This also spells trouble for 2008 presidential hopeful, Tennessee Republican Senator Bill Frist, an MD whose decision to review Ms Schaivo by videotape (he's a cardiologist) and declare he disagreed with the neurologists' diagnosis was seen as political exploitation and a terrible faux pas. Senator Frist admitted he was wrong upon hearing the results of the autopsy.

 

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