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The weakest link
REYKJAVIK, ICELAND
— A prospective
study in the April 1 issue of NEJM of 18,569
patients found that C-reactive protein (CRP) is a weaker
predictor of coronary heart disease (CHD) than previously
thought. High CRP levels were believed to double the
risk of CHD but past reports may have overestimated
the actual risk. Patients with elevated CRP only had
a 1.5-fold increased risk of CHD, making it a moderate
predictor, say British researchers from the University
of Cambridge.
Holy $!#*, I'm cured!
CLEVELAND
— Tourette's a thing of the past? On April
1, specialists used deep brain stimulation on Tourette's
patient, Jeff Matovic, and he hasn't shown any signs
of the disease since. The procedure involves inserting
electrical implants into the brain. The implants are
connected to a pulse generator that creates a current
that passes through the talamus. Doctors are closely
monitoring his progress as long-term effects have yet
to be seen in this novel therapy.
I'm not sickle anymore
BEIRUT
— The stroke prevention study in sickle
cell disease (STOP) showed a 90% drop in stroke risk
for kids who'd had a transfusion. Researchers used magnetic
resonance angiograms (MRA) to test for stroke in 100
kids and found that those with an abnormal MRA were
at higher risk for stroke but blood transfusion could
cut that risk significantly. The study is published
in the April 1 issue of Blood.
My parents are mutants
NEW
YORK — Researchers at Mount Sinai School
of Medicine say they've identified a gene that may increase
the risk of autism. Genetic tests were conducted on
411 families with a history of autism. They discovered
that they all had variations in the SLC25A12 gene, which
is involved in providing energy to brain cells. Mutations
may cause problems with how those cells function, according
to the researchers. The study appears in the April issue
of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Go bananas
LIMA,
PERU — Watch out for falling electrolyte
levels in patients treated with medications for multidrug-resistant
tuberculosis (MDR-TB). A study in the March issue of
Chest revealed that patients on the MDR-TB drug
capreomycin are at risk for hypokalemia. In the retrospective
study, 31.3% of the 125 patients tested had low serum
potassium after an average of five months on the drug.
This calls for monitoring and early management to prevent
death from this side effect.
I'll have suma that
HELSINKI,
FINLAND — Nasal sumatriptan is effective
for migraine in kids, according to a University of Helsinki
study published in the March 23 issue of Neurology.
Out of the 129 kids aged eight to 17, 64% of those on
sumatriptan reported a two-grade improvement in symptoms
out of a five-grade scale after just two hours compared
to only 39% of those on placebo. The drug had no serious
side effects — aside from the 'icky' taste reported
by 29% of the children.
Photo finish in the genome rat race
HINXTON,
UK — Teams from the UK and US have finished
sequencing human chromosomes 13 and 19 respectively
and the timing was perfect — both articles are
in the April 1 issue of Nature. These chromosomes
are implicated in breast cancer, schizophrenia, diabetes
and more. The completion of the rat genome by Texan
researchers is also reported in the issue. Over 1,000
disease genes are 76% identical in humans and rats.
I zinc, therefore I'm better
KOLKATA,
INDIA — Treatment with zinc reduces the
duration of fever and severity of illness in boys suffering
from acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI), according
to research published in the March issue of the American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The treatment, however,
isn't beneficial for girls. In fact, it may slow their
recovery from ALRI. Researchers from the Society for
Applied Sciences in Kolkata, India studied 97 boys and
56 girls aged two to 24 months.
I'm no boob
PHILADELPHIA
— Turns out that women with BRCA1 and 2
mutations aren't crazy to want to sacrifice both breasts,
according to research published in the March 15 issue
of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. A study
of 483 women who were followed up for an average of
6.4 years showed that double mastectomy reduces the
risk of cancer by 90% in mutation carriers with intact
ovaries and by 95% in those who had their ovaries removed.
Upper class twits?
SAN
DIEGO — US scientists say that if you come
across a goofy looking dog, the mutt is likely to have
a goofy looking master. The study can be found in the
May issue of Psychological Science. Psychologists
from the University of California found that when judges
were given a choice between two dogs, they matched the
pooch to the owner 64% of the time. But this high correlation
was only seen in purebred dogs.
Cut to the heart of it
PAVIA,
ITALY — A 40-minute surgical procedure —
left cardiac sympathetic denervation (LCSD) — that
cuts part of the nerves to the heart can lower the risk
of cardiac events by 91% in young patients with long
QT syndrome (LQTS). The disorder can cause fainting
and arrhythmias, and LCSD can help patients whose symptoms
aren't controlled with beta-blockers. The results are
published in the March 30 rapid access issue of Circulation.
Medical pedal to the metal
LOS
ANGELES — Doctors in California will be
able to drive faster than the posted speed limits when
they're rushing to an emergency, providing of course
they don't drive recklessly. Also, speeding to the golf
course is a no-no. All they need for this license
to kill the speed limit is to display a California
Highway Patrol-approved emblem. Dr James N Eustermann,
a rural King County surgeon, helped bring back this
1930s law that was never implemented.
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