|
"Big
bang" preemie theory
STANFORD, CA —
It's well-known that premature boys don't fare as well
intellectually as girls. Research in the August issue
of the Journal of Pediatrics set out to find
out why. The study looked at a group of eight-year-old
boys and girls, 65 of whom had been preemies and 31
full-term. Brainscans comparing the two showed that
the entire preterm group had smaller brains. But when
it came to white matter, volume was lower for premature
boys compared to both full-term boys and preemie girls.
Goldilocks
promise, dead head reality
OTTAWA —
Health Canada has issued a warning urging consumers
not to take Sesa Hair Supplement pills. Manufactured
by Rani-Pharma and sold at naturopathic shops, the supplement
has been blamed for at least one case of fatal lead
poisoning. Apart from its bullet-like lead levels (over
7,000 times Health Canada's limit) the hair loss treatment
contains mystery ingredients like Mukta Sukti, Sudha
Shilajeet, Rohitak, Sudh Bodar, Rasayana as well as
(unadvertised) mercury and arsenic.
Viagra
helps other mile high club
GIESSEN, GERMANY
— It turns out the erectile dysfunction
drug sildenafil might do mountaineers some good in conditions
of severe hypoxia. Fourteen mountaineers were administered
either 50mg of the drug or a placebo. Researchers then
exposed the mountain men to either a low-altitude or
high-altitude environment. Results, in the August 3
issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, showed
that sildenafil increased exercise capacity during hypoxia
and reduced hypoxic pulmonary hypertension. The study
authors aren't sure why the tumescence-remedy helps
these Yeti wannabes reach higher ground.
Hippotherapy:
help to trot
SEATTLE —
Doctors out in Washington State are prescribing hippotherapy
to many of their child patients who can't walk. According
to Dr Stephen Glass riding on a horse helps improve
balance, posture and motor skills. He explains that
hippotherapy hips kids to the spatial perception needed
to giddy-up on their own two feet. How? The motion of
the horse tilts, rotates, and moves the patient's pelvis
in the same way as if he/she were walking.
A
blemish on the genome map
PARIS —
Researchers at the Pasteur Institute have decoded the
genome for teen bane, Propionibacterium acnes.
The sequencing was reported in the July 30 issue of
Science. The researchers hope that a new treatment
directly targeting the P acnes bug can be developed
using the bacterium's genome. Current zit remedies tend
to either have serious side effects or limited efficacy.
Mountainous
monsoon misery
KATHMANDU —
Nepal's diarrhea outbreak continues apace as the world
watches... Iraq. So far dozens have died and thousands
have been infected. This year's monsoon season has seen
one of Nepal's worst diarrhea epidemics since 1991 when
1,795 perished. Health authorities blame the annual
outbreaks on the desperately poor conflict-riven nation's
unsafe water supply. The problem is most acute in the
countryside, but even the capital has seen a spike in
cases during the last two months.
Suitcase
STIs
LONDON —
UK docs are advising patients that their wild summer
travels may pack a health risk. According to an article
in the BMJ, Brit vacationers are at high risk
of contracting STIs — 9% of patients with gonorrhea
reported holiday 'romance' in the previous three months.
Foreign travel also appears to be the culprit behind
21% of new syphilis cases. The authors blame sex tourism
and suggest that GPs give patients warnings about the
risks of their naughty tours du monde.
True
north tamper terror
WASHINGTON —
On August 11, US's FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford
issued a dire warning to Americans who get their prescriptions
filled in Canada: Cheaper drugs purchased from foreigners
may be targets for terrorist tampering. The sober FDA
chief admitted to the Associated Press that "Nothing
like that has happened," but warned that drug tampering
"is a source of continuing concern." Meanwhile, in the
real world, Vermont's Republican Governor Jim Douglas
is suing Mr Crawford and the FDA over their reimportation
ban.
Giving
the competition the bum's rash
GEEL, BELGIUM
— Zimycan (miconazole) is twice as effective
as the current standard treatment for severe diaper
rash with Candida, claims Barrier Therapeutics Inc,
the antifungal cream's maker. The company sponsored
a study of 236 three-year-olds and found a 72% reduction
in signs and symptoms in the study group; the control
group were given zinc oxide and only saw a 25% improvement.
Infants bedevilled by diaper dermatitis are currently
treated with adult medications only. So far, Zimycan
has only been approved for use in Belgium.
Crouching
peptide kills hidden tumours
PEKING —
Chinese investigators have found a short peptide, F56,
that fights tumours. Their study, in the August 20 issue
of the International Journal of Cancer, shows
that F56 slows down and suppresses gastric and lung
cancer growth in mice. F56 functions by blocking certain
vascular endothelial growth factor receptors. The Peking
University School of Oncology scientists haven't yet
announced plans to study the anti-cancer potential of
F56 in humans.
Desert
storm of controversy
BUFFALO —
A controversial small sample study of Gulf War veterans
found that those who claim to suffer from Gulf War Syndrome
(GWS) likely had a genetic predilection to the condition.
University at Buffalo scientists published their findings
in the July issue of Muscle and Nerve. If GWS
does indeed only happen in those predisposed, the obvious
next question is: what are the triggers? The authors
speculate that stress, heat and exposure to chemicals
may play a role
|
