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Helping hands across Zimbabwe
HARARE,
ZIMBABWE — Low-income earners and the unemployed
in Zimbabwe will be getting some much-needed medical
help, thanks to at least 1,200 doctors. The Zimbabwe
Medical Association has launched a social responsibility
program that's made up of private docs who provide free
treatment to those who otherwise couldn't afford it.
The program will run between April and September 2004
in —several clinics around the country.
Please sir, I want
some more organs
PERTH,
AUSTRALIA — In an Australian first, the
state government is launching a unique program to be
tested at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. The goal is
to increase organ donations by 100% in Western Australia,
making a grand total of four since the average has been
two a year. Dr Harry Moody, the first appointed Medical
Donor Coordinator, will identify potential donors as
early as possible in hospital and consult directly with
patients and their families.
Strep standard to
lose gold
ROCHESTER,
NY — Pediatricians may want to take another
look at strep throat treatment in kids. Research published
in the April 4 issue of Pediatrics has found
that a new class of antibiotics — cephalosporins
— is three times more effective than the gold standard.
The study used data from 35 trials on more than 7,000
children. The results go against 50-year-old guidelines
that advocate penicillin as the best treatment for the
condition.
Psoriasis
treatment turns psour
GRAZ, AUSTRIA
— Psoriasis patients who use psoralen ultraviolet
A (PUVA) treatment have higher incidences of skin cancer.
Austrian researchers have found a link to explain this
prevalence. The study published in the March issue of
the Archives of Dermatology notes that human
papillomavirus (HPV) DNA increases in the skin and hair
follicles after long-term PUVA treatment. The study
looked at 81 patients; the group with a history of skin
cancer and PUVA exposure had the highest rate (73%)
of HPV DNA.
I'm old, I'm sad and my heart aches
ROTTERDAM,
THE NETHERLANDS — Elderly patients who suffer
from atherosclerosis may have biology working against
them. New research out of the Erasmus Medical Centre
in the Netherlands has linked the heart condition to
late-life depression. Over 4,000 individuals over age
60 were assessed for atherosclerosis. The findings published
in the April issue of Archives of General Psychiatry
showed that those with severe coronary calcification
were almost four times more likely to be depressed.
Thar
she blows
GLASGOW —
A new breathalyzer could help detect the early signs
of lung cancer by picking up on tiny traces of ethane
in the breath. People can produce higher traces of the
gas in their breath when cancer strikes. Researchers
at the University of Glasgow are working on a prototype,
which they have dubbed 'lazer nose'. The technology
was originally developed for oil prospecting.
Breath right and exercise
BALTIMORE,
MD — Twenty percent of kids with asthma
don't get enough exercise — even though it may
reduce symptom severity — and the parents are to
blame, according to research published in the April
issue of Pediatrics. The parents of 137 asthmatic
kids and 106 without the condition were surveyed. Almost
one-fifth of all parents believed exercising was dangerous
for these kids while 25% of parents with asthmatic children
thought that exercise would make them sick.
A black tongue is a terrible thing
to waste
EDINBURGH
— A compound based on a liquorice extract
improves memory in elderly gents, according to a study
published in the March 30 issue of Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences. The drug, carbenoxolone,
improved verbal memory in a matter of weeks in men aged
55 to 75. The substance works by blocking the activity
of a brain enzyme that boosts levels of cortisol —
a hormone thought to be responsible for memory loss.
MDs beat Kiwis as exports
AUCKLAND,
NEW ZEALAND — New graduates in New Zealand
have a medical degree in one hand and a plane ticket
in the other. The New Zealand Medical Council has confirmed
what many thought to be true: the new docs are heading
overseas in search of greener pastures. According to
Heather Roy, the liberal government's Health Spokesperson,
New Zealand is simply continuing to train more and more
medical doctors for export since they're currently not
being paid appropriately.
Vision's final frontier
HUNTINGTON
BEACH, CA — New technology is bringing light
into the lives of low-vision patients. One device, Quicklook,
combines a tiny digital video camera and a 10cm liquid-crystal
display. It can enlarge the size of newsprint up to
2.5cm. Another device, The Jordy (think Geordi LaForge
from Star Trek) projects images onto the inside of goggles
worn by the patient. It can show images in full colour,
enhance contrast and reverse black and white.
Brother, I wish I was adopted
ANN
ARBOR, MI — It seems, there's more to the
brotherly bond than just knocking back a couple of cold
brewskies together. Researchers at the University of
Michigan found that the majority of men with brothers
diagnosed with prostate cancer believed that their risk
of getting the disease was more than 50% over the next
10 years, report's the authors in the April issue of
Cancer. They assessed risk of perception in 111
men. Younger brothers of cancer sufferers were significantly
more concerned.
Are you ready to rrrumble!!
SAN
DIEGO — Boys might be getting more out of
wrestling than just an ego boost. Turns out the Roman
sport could help build up immunity. Researchers in San
Diego looked at 11 boys aged 14-18. The findings, published
in the April issue of the British Journal of Sports
Medicine, show that the intense workout leads to
a profound stimulation of the immune system.
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