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High
hopes for petri dish penises
ATLANTA —
Lab-grown penises may one day be able to give patients
with defective, diseased or damaged organs back their
manhood. Dr Anthony Atala, the same guy who developed
lab-grown bladders for kids with spina bifida, presented
the breakthrough at the annual meeting of the American
Urological Society at the end of May. It seems there's
not much difference between the organs, as the same
technique was used in both experiments. Of course, lab-grown
penises haven't made it onto a human yet — so far,
only emasculated rabbits have benefited. But the artificial
organs were completely functional: the rabbits were
able to get an erection, mate with females and even
get them pregnant. Dr Atala admits that human trials
are still far off.
Poison
ivy packs more punch
WOODS HOLE, MA
— Global warming is fixing to make the forest
an even scarier place by giving poison ivy free rein,
according to new research. The six-year long, 'real
world' experiment showed that increased levels of atmospheric
carbon dioxide not only speed the plant's growth, but
also increase its virulence. Plants exposed to higher
CO2 levels grew 149% faster than controls and produced
a nastier toxin the researchers believe will cause more
severe allergic reactions in more individuals. Currently,
about 80% of people that brush up against the plant
come down with the itchy, blistery rash. The findings
were published in the May 30 issue of PNAS.
Brit
ICUs don't see enough action
LONDON —
Eighty-five percent of the most high-risk patients don't
get enough TLC after surgery, according to a six-year-long
British study published June 2 in Critical Care.
Researchers found surprisingly few seniors, patients
with multiple medical conditions or those undergoing
complex procedures are admitted to the ICU post-op,
even though they're the most at-risk for serious complications
and death. These patients account for only 13% of all
procedures, but more than 80% of deaths, they found.
The authors say that a better system to pinpoint high-risk
patients before surgery is needed.
Canuck
care trumps US model, eh
CAMBRIDGE, MA
— We get more bang for our healthcare buck
than our neighbours south-of-the-border, according to
a study published in the July issue of the American
Journal of Public Health. A survey of more than
3,500 Canadians and almost 5,200 Americans showed that
even though the US spends twice as much on healthcare,
Canadians are generally healthier and have better access
to care. This is the second blow to the American way
in a month — an earlier report from the Rand Corporation
showed a similar gap between healthcare systems in the
US and Great Britain.
A
little more stimulation for ADHD
TORONTO —
Mixed amphetamine salts (MAS) and other stimulant meds
are better for treating symptoms of ADHD than non-stimulant
drugs like modafinil, according to a meta-analysis of
nearly 4,500 kids enrolled in 29 trials. The analysis
also showed that short and long-acting stimulants are
comparable. The authors hope their findings — presented
at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting
held in Toronto last week — will help doctors,
who until now have had little more to go on than qualitative
comparisons and their own hands-on experience.
Ade
stops stones at the pass
ATLANTA —
Lemonade, the most refreshing of summer beverages, is
the latest fix for unpleasant kidney stones. Researchers
followed 12 kidney-stone-prone, ade-guzzling folks for
four years. They found that the patients had fewer stones
and formed them at a slower rate than before they starting
gulping down the tangy treatment. Lemon juice is a potent
source of citrate, believed to be the magic stone-stopping
ingredient. The research was presented at the annual
meeting of the American Urological Society at the end
of last month.
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