Energy drinks: Driver sleepiness is believed to cause at least 10 per cent of all road accidents. New research from Loughborough University in Leicestershire, England has found that when sleepy drivers drink between 250 ml and 500 ml of a functional energy drink (Red Bull was the tested drink), sleep-related incidents were practically eliminated for the following 90 minutes.
However, in the light of the coroner's report last week on the death of Ross Cooney (18) from Limerick while playing basketball, over-consumption of such energy drinks has been called into question. Cooney, who died of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome, had consumed up to three cans of Red Bull high-energy drink on the day of his death. Red Bull is a carbonated non-alcoholic drink with caffeine.
Breast-feeding: A study in this month's British Journal of General Practice highlights the reasons why women stop breast-feeding before three months. Younger mothers, those with poor emotional support and white women who leave full-time education at 16 years or younger are the least likely to continue breastfeeding until the child is three months of age. Breast-feeding for up to three or four months after birth has been shown to reduce both respiratory and gastro-intestinal illness in childhood.
Asbestos: The link between asbestos and lung disease is well established. Now, researchers studying 5,000 workers from a London asbestos factory have found that the workers have a higher than average risk of death from cancers of the colon, ovary, liver and oesophagus. Asbestos is definitely associated with cancer of the lung and possibly that of the colon. Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine
Blindness prevention: A public lecture, "Blindness Prevention: From Science to Policy", will take place this Thursday in the Anatomy Theatre, Trinity College Dublin at 5.30 p.m. The speaker will be Prof Alfred Sommer of Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, US. A renowned public health specialist, Dr Sommer will examine the obstacles which, particularly in poorer countries, prevent the application of new treatments for the estimated 40 million blind people in the world today.
Asthma debate: "Free healthcare for everyone with asthma would bring down the health services." This is the motion which will be debated at the Asthma Society public debate in Trinity College Dublin on Saturday at 11 a.m. Asthma now affects more than 270,000 people in Ireland, most of whom are treated by their GPs. Treatment costs can reach £750 per person per year. Currently, the only State aid for those not on medical cards is via the Drugs Payment Scheme. Admission is free. More details available on tel: 1850 445464 or at: www.asthmasociety.ie
Meanwhile, for those interested in alternative treatments for asthma, there is a Buteyko breathing course in the Killiney Court Hotel, Co Dublin, from Friday to Sunday. Based on techniques developed in Russia, the Buteyko method has been found to offer relief to sufferers of asthma, emphysema, bronchitis, sleep apnoea and other breathing disorders. Cost: £290. More details on tel: 0044-1923-897224.
Birth intervention: An Australian study has found that the rate of obstetric intervention is significantly higher for private patients than public patients. For instance, 34 per cent of low-risk first-time mothers in the New South Wales study had a forceps or vacuum delivery, compared to 17 per cent of public patients. Of all low-risk, private, first-time mothers attending private hospitals, only 18 per cent achieved a vaginal birth without intervention. This figure was 28 per cent among private patients in public hospitals and 39 per cent among public patients. British Medical Journal
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