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Disturbed
caregivers' antics rub off on dementia patients: study
WINSTON-SALEM,
NC — Depressed, minimally educated, overworked,
stressed or precocious caregivers are likely to do to
patients with dementia more harm than good, according
to a study in the May edition of the Journal of the
American Geriatrics Society. Researchers at Wake Forest
University looked at over 5,700 patients afflicted with
dementia and those who care for them. They found a strong
connection between the onset of symptoms of dementia
and the time spent under the watch of a troubled caregiver.
Heart
pump goes in without a stitch
UXBRIDGE, UK —
Doctors at Brunel University have developed a mini heart
pump that can be inserted without cracking open the
patient's chest. The tiny ticker — which is only
4mm wide and 10cm long — increases blood flow and
relieves pressure on the heart by pumping oxygenated
blood through the body. The wireless pump is attached
to a stent and fitted using a standard angioplasty technique.
A key advantage of the new gadget is that it's also
easy to remove in case of malfunction, researchers say.
WHO
top dog Lee Jong-wook dies
GENEVA —
The Director General of the WHO, Korean-born Lee Jong-wook,
died on May 22 after surgery to remove a blood clot
from his brain, at the age of 61. Despite the warnings
of doomsayers who swore it would ruin his career, Dr
Lee championed the "3 by 5" initiative to get antiretrovirals
to 3 million HIV+ patients by the end of 2005. Although
he didn't hit the mark, his courage and determination
inspired even greater commitments and loftier targets
in the fight against AIDS. "There can be no comfort
level in the fight against HIV," Dr Lee wrote, "No one
should die because they can't get drugs."
India
leads the way in AIDS, report
GENEVA —
India is the new world leader in AIDS cases, according
to a report released on May 30 by UNAIDS. An estimated
5.7 million people with HIV/AIDS live within the boundaries
of the world's largest democracy. The previous leader,
South Africa, has an estimated 5.5 million cases. At
0.9%, the per-capita infection rate in India is still
much lower than the rates found in HIV-ravaged sub-Saharan
Africa. Swaziland, with its estimated 38% rate of infection,
is the worst off nation per capita.
Kids
in emerg often drunk, stoned
ANN ARBOR —
Youngsters who visit the emergency department should
be screened for drugs and booze, say the authors of
a study in the May issue of the Journal of Pediatric
Surgery. Investigators looked at 443 cases of teens
visiting the ED, noting drug or alcohol use among 40%
of the 193 injured kids who were tested. The study authors
argue that screening the teens for substance abuse in
the ER would up the odds of them getting much-needed
counselling.
DNA
test an easy screen for CRC
LOS ANGELES —
A DNA alternative to fecal occult blood tests to spot
colon cancer is showing promise. The second generation
DNA test is 88% more sensitive than the first, according
to research presented at the Digestive Disease Week
Conference on May 21. The investigators say the new
version of the test also includes fewer markers, making
it easier to perform. Previous studies have shown that
fecal DNA was an effective, non-invasive way of testing
for the number-two cancer killer. For more on colon
cancer screening see "GI dearth stalls CRC screening"
on page 7.
ED
spam causes building blunders
MANCHESTER, UK
— These days, unsolicited emails hawking
cures for erectile dysfunction are as ubiquitous as
a patient with a runny nose. Luckily, spam-filtering
software can send any message containing the word "erection"
straight to your trash bin. This caused a building council
in Manchester some serious ennui, when emailed letters
of complaint about a proposed building project were
rejected because they mentioned "erections" of buildings,
that is. A concerned citizen told the Guardian
he'd sent three letters to the council without a response.
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