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Blood
test predicts Alzheimer's
LONDON, UK —
Diagnosing Alzheimer's disease (AD) before symptom onset
could be but a biomarker away, according to a new British
study in the November issue of Brain. Researchers
are developing a blood test that identifies two proteins
specific to AD. When comparing plasma samples from the
study group and normal controls, the scientists found
"significant differences" in the levels of complement
factor H and 2-macroglobulin in the AD patients. Since
these proteins can be detected well before symptoms
start to appear, experts are hopeful patients will eventually
benefit from progression-halting early treatment.
Hypnosis
takes away kids' jab pain
HALIFAX —
Your young patient doesn't want a shot? Well, new research
from Dalhousie University says the best way to allay
their fears is to hypnotize them. In the first comprehensive
review of ways to reduce needle-related pain and distress
in children, hypnosis has been shown to be the most
effective. The study, published in the Cochrane Database
of Systematic Reviews in October, analyzed results from
28 studies on needle pain since 1951 and found hypnosis
handily beat more mundane techniques like distraction,
as well as 'virtual reality' and 'memory alteration.'
AIDS
doctors in bid to save colleagues from Libyan firing
squad
OTTAWA —
A strongly-worded letter signed by 44 international
AIDS experts urged Western governments to put pressure
on Libya to release a physician and five nurses accused
of deliberately infecting more than 400 Libyan children
with AIDS. No one disputes that the children were infected
at the hospital where the accused foreigners worked.
But most believe terrible hygiene practices, not foul
play, were to blame. The letter warns the case "sends
a chilling message" to healthcare workers treating AIDS
patients in the developing world. Meanwhile, Libya quietly
sent the infected kids to top pediatric AIDS hospitals
in Europe for treatment.
Silicone
gel implants bounce back
OTTAWA —
Health Canada has lifted its 14-year-old restriction
on silicone gel breast implants. There is some doubt
as to how much this new development will change things
in practice: the gel-filled implants had aleady been
tacitly accepted by Health Canada despite the ban, with
over 8,000 requests approved per year through the special
access program and a 100% approval rate in the last
two years. Critics say there is a lack of research on
long-term effects of the implants; a class action lawsuit
from allegedly injured patients is currently pending
against Health Canada.
Fresh
old mums...
NEW ORLEANS —
Mums who give birth in their 50s are at no greater risk
of physical or mental health problems than younger mums.
That's the finding of a new study comparing 49 women
who gave birth at age 50 or older to groups of women
who gave birth in their 30s and 40s. The research, presented
at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference
in late October, found that the oldest and youngest
mothers had similar stress levels and health problems.
...rotten
old eggs
Older eggs, however, don't fare so well, said researchers
of another study presented at the same conference. Seventy-four
women receiving fertility treatment at an Atlanta clinic
were asked how old their own mums were when they were
born. The older their mum, the more trouble they themselves
had conceiving. The researchers concluded that the mothers'
'geriatric eggs' yielded fertility problems in their
daughters. It should be noted the average age of the
'older' mums was just 28.
Med
students get stiffed on anatomy training due to dead
body dearth
LONDON —
Cadavers "confront us with the the issue of death,"
writes Alex Thomas, a medical student and commentator
for The Guardian newspaper. He notes with sadness
that because of decreases in body donor availability,
increases in the price of safe cadaver storage, plus
the advent of high-tech simulation teaching tools it's
become rarer for students to have access to actual dead
human beings in the course of their training. Confronting
a cadaver was once thought of as a rite of passage for
doctors-in-training.
US
sex ed plan decried as folly
WASHINGTON —
President Bush is expanding the scope of his war —
the war on unwed mothers, that is. The feds' $50 million
US abstinence grant program for states is being enlarged
to include 19-29 year olds. Although surveys show that
over 90% of this group have already lost their virginity,
the Department of Health and Human Services is concerned
that out-of-wedlock births are on the rise among those
in this age range. Critics argue the money could be
better used on other sexual health initiatives, such
as STI prevention.
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