|
Olé
for organ donation!
TORONTO —
George Marcello, a Canadian organ donation activist
and two-time liver transplant recipient, has made a
documentary about what he feels to be a superior system
in Spain. Mr Marcello will be speaking to legislators
in Ontario's Legislative Assembly urging them to consider
adopting a Spanish style of system. Spain has what's
called a "negative option" organ donation system where
people are all potential organ donors unless they decide
to opt out. So far Ontario's governing Liberals are
sticking behind the current organ donor card system
and only the third-place NDP supports a Spanish-style
system.
Many
dads aren't dads at all
LIVERPOOL —
About one in every 25 fathers could be unwittingly raising
someone else's child, according to the authors of an
explosive study that will appear in September's Journal
of Epidemiology and Community Health. While the
news will surely set the chattering classes whispering,
it's also important health news, particularly when looking
at family history and organ donation. Looking at international
data covering 1950 to 1994, the researchers found that
rates of what they euphemistically term "parental discrepancy"
(PD) range anywhere from 1% to 30%. They estimate there's
a 4% rate of PD in Canada.
Atkins
goes belly up
NEW YORK —
News that Atkins Nutritionals has filed for bankruptcy
was met with a collective sigh of relief among bakers
and other opponents of the high-protein, high-fat, low-carb
diet. It seems dieters have grown tired of London broil
and pork rinds. The popularity of the Atkins plan prompted
many researchers to investigate the safety of the diet.
In some cases, reducing the amount of refined carbs
like sugar and flour proved beneficial. But the abundant
fat and protein permitted by the diet led to a host
of negative side effects for hardcore Atkins followers
— including constipation, foul breath, nausea,
gallstones, raised blood fat levels, deficiencies, kidney
disease and gout.
The
sad demise of a videogame junkie
TAEGU, SOUTH KOREA
— People have long claimed that videogames
are bad for you. Be it because they encourage sedentary
behaviour or because they expose children to violence.
But few have claimed they could actually kill. Yet that's
just what happened to a 28-year-old man in a South Korean
Internet café (or PC bang in the local parlance).
After a 50-hour videogame marathon a gentleman identified
only as Mr Lee — dropped dead. Taegu provincial
police believe that the cause of death was heart failure
stemming from exhaustion. Former work colleagues told
a local newspaper that Mr Lee recently quit his job
so he could spend more time playing videogames.
UK
throws patients a dog
LONDON —
Britain's National Health Service (NHS) is trying out
a novel idea for longterm care patients — offering
them up to about $2,000CDN to buy a pet. The British,
who are great animal lovers, hope the pets will inspire
the patients to get up and exercise and that the furry
companionship will help chase away depression. The scheme
is currently limited to the London borough of Lewisham,
but an NHS spokesperson insists it's not barking mad,
and told the BBC that hopes are high that the benefits
of the unorthodox program will be a big money saver
in the long run.
Tricking
folks into eating better
IRVINE, CA —
A team of Californian researchers had 200 college students
fill out a questionnaire about foods and food memories.
The next day results were given back to them —
some intact, but in other cases the researchers messed
with the students' heads. For instance, some students'
questionnaires said they liked pizza but hated spinach
as kids (true) while others claimed they'd been sick
as kids after eating strawberry ice cream (false). By
lying to the students, the researchers were hoping to
create "false food memories" that might influence future
eating patterns. Results from a followup experiment
showed they were indeed able to trick subjects into
disliking strawberry ice cream, but the venerable chocolate
chip cookie's appeal proved impervious to such trickery.
The study was published in the August 5 online edition
of PNAS.
A
ward for heavyweights
MELBOURNE —
In light of the growing obesity rates in Australia —
the number has more than doubled in the last 20 years
and by 2020 the government predicts a whopping three-quarters
of Aussies will be obese -- one hospital is finally
adapting to the needs of these patients. The Royal Melbourne
Hospital has opened a special ward for heavier-set patients.
The ward -- which is just one room at the moment --
can accommodate two patients and offers stronger beds,
wider doorways, strengthened arm-rails, and a reinforced
toilet. The new ward's aim, says a hospital spokesperson,
is to offer safe and dignified treatment to obese patients
and ensure the safety of the staff.
It's
mammogram-mania after Kylie's cancer
SYDNEY —
Widespread news coverage of 37-year-old pop star Kylie
Minogue's battle with breast cancer has sparked an unprecedented
increase in mammograms among Australian women. Results
from an August 7 online study in the Medical Journal
of Australia shows that there was a 101% increase
in overall mammogram bookings and a 40% increase in
the high-risk over-40 age group in the two weeks following
the announcement of Ms Minogue's cancer. In 2000, Today
show host Katie Couric sparked a similar response when
she underwent a colonoscopy on TV -- for the next nine
months there was a marked increase in the number of
colonoscopies performed in the US.
Diet,
exercise halts prostate CA progression
SAN FRANCISCO
— A University of California team has found
compelling evidence that diet and lifestyle changes
directly affect one's chances of surviving prostate
cancer. The team recruited 93 men with prostate cancer
and divided them into a group that was given a strict
vegan diet and exercise regimen but no traditional treatment
like chemotherapy or radiation. The rest of the men
were placed in a comparison group that received only
traditional treatment. After one year the diet and lifestyle
group had lower PSA levels while the comparison group's
PSA actually rose. The results will be published in
September's Journal of Urology.
|
