An apple a day...or a tomato:
A study of over 2,500 adults in Britain has found that eating at least five apples or three tomatoes a week significantly raised lung capacity. The results echo an earlier study which linked improved lung function with eating five or more apples a week. Wheezing was less common among those who ate a lot of apples, tomatoes and bananas. The researchers said in a presentation to the American Thoracic Society in San Francisco that this provides further evidence that a diet high in fruit may protect against respiratory illness.
Zyban - new restrictions recommended:
A letter has been sent to doctors by GlaxoSmithKline outlining a modified dosage regime and new safety precautions in order to minimise the risk of adverse effects, in particular seizures, in patients being treated with Zyban - the smoking cessation medication. Patients with central nervous system tumours, those withdrawing from alcohol or tranquillizers and those using medication such as antimalarials and sedating antihistamines have also been added to the list of those unsuitable for Zyban use. Initially, Zyban was prescribed for three days at 150mg increased to 300mg on day four. The new recommendations now state that 150mg should be taken for 6 days and increased to 150mg twice daily on the seventh day. [GlaxoSmithKline Special Precautions Circular]
Breastfeeding prevents obesity:
A survey of 15,000 children, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has shown that infants who are breastfed in the first six months of life have a lower prevalence of being overweight nine to 14 years later. In addition, adolescents who were breastfed for a least seven months were found to be approximately 20 per cent less likely to be overweight than those who were breastfed for less than three months.
Benefits of Statins:
The Journal of the American Medical Association has published the results of a study on the therapeutic benefits associated with statins, a group of drugs that are used to lower blood cholesterol. The research concludes that treatment with statins within 24 to 96 hours after an acute coronary event reduces the risk of recurrent angina. A separate study on statin use has found that in selected patients over 65 years, statins were associated with a 22 per cent reduction in deep vein thrombosis.
One-stop rheumatology:
The first one-stop rheumatology day centre in Ireland has opened at St James Hospital, Dublin. "For patients with arthritis, the centre will eventually provide an immediate service with access to a multidisciplinary team of health professionals," says Dr Eoin Casey, consultant rheumatologist at St James, who pioneered the centre. The Rheumatology Day Centre will offer a free service to patients with rheumatological and arthritic conditions within the local catchment area.
Flexitime for doctors:
The health services need to offer more flexible working conditions and part-time posts to attract and retain women doctors in all branches of hospital medicine, according to a new British report. Despite the fact that women make up more than 50 per cent of medical graduates in Britain, they are under-represented in acute medical specialities, academia and in senior hospital posts, according to the report by the Federation of Royal Colleges of Physicians. For a summary of the findings, see www.replondon.ac.uk (British Medical Journal)
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