'As
a service provider to the Medical Profession, we feel
it is useful to have a topical web page where busy doctors
would have the opportunity to catch up with information
and views covering subjects which affect their world.
We
would welcome additional contributions from active doctors
as well as from other sources.
October 2009
Dr
Frank Says......
Another new cancer treatment
The use of antibodies to immobilize cancer cells has been
known for some time but scientists from The University
of Nottingham have shown that antibodies can actually
kill cancer cells. The study reported in The Journal of
Clinical Investigation looked at leukemia and lymphoma
cells and showed that antibodies under certain conditions
release lysosomes into the target cells causing them to
swell burst and die.
Coffee for Alzheimer's
Researchers from Florida have confirmed previous reports
of the benefits of coffee in Alzheimer's disease. The
report, published in The Alzheimer's Journal described
the effects of coffee on mice bred to develop the disease.
Those given the human equivalent of 5 cups per day had,
after 2 months, less cognitive decline than those not
fed coffee.
I could have told them
A study from Keele University reported in Neuroreport
found that when in pain swearing reduces the pain. 64
volunteers from The School of Psychology had their hand
immersed in freezing water. Those who swore managed an
average of 2 minutes whereas those forbidden to swear
could only manage 1 and a quarter minutes. The team thinks
that swearing involves the "flight or fight" response.
I'll have another one please
Older people who consume moderate amounts of alcohol have
a reduced risk of dementia according to a study presented
at The International Conference of Alzheimer's disease.
The study from Wake Forest University in the US looked
at more than 3000 people aged 75 plus. They followed the
participants over a six year period and found that those
who drank about 4 units per week hard a markedly reduced
decline in cognitive function. They believe the effect
is caused by blocking platelets and increasing the benefit
of HDL cholesterol.
Healthy fat link to bowel disease.
We all know that high intake of polyunsaturated fat is
good for the heart but scientists from the European Prospective
Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) have found
that linoleic acid (found in most margarines) is converted
in the body into arachidonic acid. This substance is known
to be implicated in the causation of ulcerative colitis.
In this particular study 126 of the patients on the high
polyunsaturated diet went on to develop ulcerative colitis.
Novel approach to Heart Damage
Adult heart cells to not divide. A team from The Children's
Hospital in Boston, working on mice, has found that daily
infusion of neuregulin1 (NRG1) over a few weeks made the
damaged cells divide and repair the damage. They will
now continue their work with pigs. They see sometime in
the future that patients who have suffered an MI could
benefit from the treatment.
Lord Darzi Quits Last year
Lord Darzi published his review of the next ten years
of the NHS. Darzi as I'm sure you all know is a surgeon.
He knows nothing about general practice and his proposals
showed it - as I and most of my GP friends thought. You
probably remember that he wanted all GPs to work in huge
poly-clinics! Thank goodness he's gone and let's hope
his report (for which no doubt he was paid a fortune)
goes with him!
More news on calorie restricted diet
Writing in Science researchers from the US showed that,
in monkeys, reducing calorie intake by 30% monkeys lived
up to 25% longer and had few cancers and age related illnesses.
Earlier this year German workers showed that calorie restriction
in a group of 70 elderly individuals that memory improved
after 3 months.
Saliva test for Premature labour
A report from workers at University College London and
Kings College London, published in The British Journal
of Obstetrics and Gynecology showed that monitoring levels
of progesterone in saliva was a good indicator of risk
of premature delivery. They showed that giving steroids
to women with low salivary levels promoted fetal lung
development and reduced the brisk of premature delivery.
And finally…………
How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light
bulb? One, but the light bulb really has to want to change.
Please
let us let us have your constructive observations on
this page and any views covering other subjects. E-mail,
website@locumlink.uk.com
or drfrank@locumlink.uk.com
. These can be published under a pseudonym for further
comment.
Ed
