Madely Health Headlines Commentary for March 22, 2010

Source:

Pure maple syrup good for health

Comment: Big surprise that the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers are jumping all over this. The report does not involve human testing and cannot make any association with claims of anti-cancer, anti-bacterial and anti-diabetic properties. Further, even if we were to assume that it did contain these compounds, what dose would be necessary? How much maple syrup would you have to consume each day to provide a long-term health benefit? What would be the effect of the extra calories with respect to weight gain and the subsequent problems therein?

Enjoy maple syrup for its taste but let’s not justify its use for its medicinal properties and beware of marketers who are salivating over slapping health claims on the labels. For the moment, it is great tasting sugar. That is all that can be said.

Related articles:

1. Examining claims of vaccine harm
2. Big Fat Diet a recipe for good health: Doctor
3. BADvertising: Misleading food marketing claims

Dr. Yoni Freedhoff outlines in an article written in this month’s CMAJ how Health Canada is pushing a policy that will allow fortification of foods with vitamins and minerals without any evidence that it will improve public health. Moreover, there is a real risk of overconsumption of said additions to our food supply that can lead to harnful effects.

So, in effect, you will see junk food among others fortified with vitamins and minerals and marketed as an improved product. How utterly shameful.

Related articles:

1. Parents should be aware that certain vitamins may interact with other medications
2. The vitals on vitamins
3. More vitals on vitamins

Ottawa Citizen journalist Dan Gardner castigates, and rightly so, how Olympic athletes sell out to corporations for oodles of cash without any consideration for the potential harm to public health outcomes. His column can be read here.

Related articles:

1. Sunday House Call #293, February 28, 2010
2. An Epidemic of Fear: How Panicked Parents Skipping Shots Endangers Us All
3. Fish oil trial shows some benefit for people with depression but without anxiety

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for February 3, 2010

Comment:

This is a story that we have covered extensively over the years on Sunday House Call. An excellent synopsis can be heard in our interview with Guardian columnist Dr. Ben Goldacre here.

I hold the some of the media just as responsible as Dr. Wakefield for this fiasco by sensationalizing news, promoting fear, and misrepresenting risk to peddle their stories. They are thus complicit in this MMR hoax. To see them react with such gusto against Wakefield and his research now that this paper has been completely retracted from publication epitomizes hypocrisy. They have learned nothing from their shameless behaviour and poor science reporting.

Source:

Lancet retracts study linking vaccine to autism

Reference:

The Lancet, Early Online Publication, 2 February 2010

Related articles:

1. Experimenting on children who have autism
2. Colon cancer screening with sigmoidoscopy shown to be effective: Lancet-published study
3. The complicated genetic weave that can lead to autism

Thanks to my friend and webmaster Brigitte Pellerin, I am now the proud owner of this app that provides quick access to my daily Health Headline hits with CFRA’s Steve Madely and access to all the audio interviews from my Sunday House Call Show.

Related articles:

1. Sunday House Call Cancelled
2. Should you take the H1N1 Vaccine?
3. Access Delayed, Access Denied 2007 report

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for January 11, 2010

Source:

Air Canada ordered to create nut-free buffer zones

A CFRA web poll asked this question and I discussed this with Steve Madely. This is a continuation of our discussion from last week.

The incidence of fatal anaphylaxis from all causes is outlined in this report from Uptodate.com.

INCIDENCE — The annual incidence of fatal anaphylaxis is not known precisely. Estimates of anaphylactic deaths (from drugs, foods, insect stings, and latex) in the US has been estimated at .002 percent annually [14-16]. The UK has reported one case of fatal anaphylaxis per three million individuals yearly, or approximately 20 deaths a year over the past decade [17]. A study from New Zealand estimated the rate to be approximately 1 per one million [10]. Studies have drawn conflicting conclusions about whether the incidence of fatal anaphylaxis is increasing [3,18-20].

Medline ® Abstracts for References 14-16 of ‘Fatal anaphylaxis’

14

TI Anaphylaxis in the United States: an investigation into its epidemiology.

AU Neugut AI; Ghatak AT; Miller RL

SO Arch Intern Med 2001 Jan 8;161(1):15-21.

BACKGROUND: Anaphylaxis is a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction that affects both children and adults in the United States. However, data regarding the incidence and prevalence of anaphylaxis and the number of deaths caused by it are limited. OBJECTIVE: To provide a better understanding of the magnitude of the problem of anaphylaxis in the United States. METHODS: A thorough review of the current medical literature was conducted to obtain prevalence estimates on each of the 4 major subtypes of anaphylaxis (food, drugs, latex, and insect stings). We calculated an overall estimate of the risk of anaphylaxis by using only estimates that are specifically derived from epidemiologic studies measuring anaphylaxis in the general population. RESULTS: Known rates or cases of anaphylaxis were 0.0004% for food, 0.7% to 10% for penicillin, 0. 22% to 1% for radiocontrast media, and 0.5% to 5% after insect stings. There were 220 cases after latex exposure. Considering the 1999 US population of 272 million, the population at risk for anaphylaxis from food is 1099, from penicillin is 1.9 million to 27. 2 million, from radiocontrast media is 22 000 to 100 000, from latex is 220, and from insect stings is 1.36 million to 13.6 million. These calculations yield a total of 3.29 million to 40.9 million individuals at risk of anaphylaxis. CONCLUSION: The occurrence of anaphylaxis in the US is not as rare as is generally believed. On the basis of our figures, the problem of anaphylaxis may, in fact, affect 1.21% to 15.04% of the US population.

AD Department of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, 630 W 168th St, Room PH18-127, New York, NY 10032, USA. ain1@columbia.edu

PMID 11146694

15

TI Assessment of patients who have experienced anaphylaxis: a 3-year survey.

AU Yocum MW; Khan DA

SO Mayo Clin Proc 1994 Jan;69(1):16-23.

DESIGN: A quality-control retrospective review of medical records was conducted for cases of anaphylaxis encountered at Mayo Clinic Rochester during a 3 1/2-year period. PATIENTS: For inclusion in the study, all patients had to manifest general symptoms of mediator release such as generalized pruritus, urticaria, angioedema, and flushing. Of the 179 patients with anaphylaxis (mean age, 36 years), 66% were female, 49% had atopy, and 37% had a previous history of immediate reactions to allergens. Of these study patients, 11 were receiving medications capable of exacerbating anaphylaxis (beta-blockers in 7 of them). RESULTS: Consultation with an allergist was obtained in 142 cases, and a probable diagnosis was made after review of the medical records. Causes of anaphylaxis included foods in 59 patients, idiopathic in 34, Hymenoptera in 25, medications in 23, and exercise in 12; false-positive diagnoses were recorded in 18. Allergy prick tests were done in 104 patients, 71 of whom had positive results; allergen-specific IgE tests were done in 44 patients, 23 of whom had positive results. In 19 patients, only allergen-specific IgE testing was done, and results were positive in 12. Normal test results included C1 esterase inhibitor in 33 patients, metabisulfite challenge in 15, and dye or preservative challenge in 10. Food skin tests were graded on a relative value scale and revealed 15 highly allergic, 24 moderately allergic, and 39 weakly allergic food groups. CONCLUSION: A standard protocol should be used for assessment of patients with anaphylaxis, and fresh food extracts should be used for prick skin testing. A national incidence study of anaphylaxis is needed. The publicand school personnel should be educated about food anaphylaxis, and emergency treatment for anaphylaxis should be readily available for patients.

AD Division of Allergic Diseases and Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905.

PMID 7903730

16

TI Epidemiology of anaphylaxis in Olmsted County: A population-based study.

AU Yocum MW; Butterfield JH; Klein JS; Volcheck GW; Schroeder DR; Silverstein MD

SO J Allergy Clin Immunol 1999 Aug;104(2 Pt 1):452-6.

BACKGROUND: Awareness of the clinical features of anaphylaxis and its causative triggers is important if recurrent episodes are to be avoided. The incidence of anaphylaxis in the general population is often underreported, and epidemiologic studies are few. Because an accurate profile of anaphylaxis could heighten awareness of this problem, we investigated the epidemiology of anaphylaxis in the general population of Olmsted County, Minn. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe the epidemiology of anaphylaxis in Olmsted County residents from 1983 through 1987. METHODS: This was a retrospective population-based cohort study. The medical records of 1255 Olmsted County residents identified by computer-linked, medical diagnostic indices (the Rochester Epidemiology Study) were reviewed retrospectively to identify residents whose clinical episodes met the criteria for anaphylaxis. We determined the incidence and rate of occurrence of anaphylaxis, rate of recurrence, prevalence of atopy, cause of anaphylaxis, frequency of referral to an allergy specialist, hospital admission rate, and case-fatality rate. RESULTS: There were 133 residents who experienced 154 anaphylactic episodes during the 5-year period: 116 residents had 1 episode of anaphylaxis, 13 residents had 2 episodes, and 4 residents had 3 episodes. The anaphylaxis occurrence rate was 30 per 100,000 person-years (95% confidence interval, 25-35). There were 110 residents who had a first lifetime episode of anaphylaxis (that was medically evaluated) during the years 1983 to 1987. The average annual incidence rate of anaphylaxis was 21 per100,000 person-years (95% confidence interval, 17-25). Atopy was present in 53% of the cohort, and allergy consultation was obtained in 52%. A suspect allergen was identified in 68% of the cohort, most frequently a food, medication, or insect sting. The hospitalization rate was 7%, and 1 patient died. CONCLUSION: The incidence of anaphylaxis is less than 1%, and death rarely occurs. People with atopy experience anaphylaxis more frequently than people without atopy. Anaphylaxis frequently is not recognized by patients and physicians.

10452770

Medline ® Abstract for Reference 17 of ‘Fatal anaphylaxis’

17

TI Anaphylaxis: can we tell who is at risk of a fatal reaction?

AU Pumphrey R

SO Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol 2004 Aug;4(4):285-90.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Anaphylaxis is frightening and patients commonly fear their next reaction will be fatal. This review looks at the characteristics of fatal reactions to find if a fatal recurrence is predictable. RECENT FINDINGS: Most publications on fatal anaphylaxis are case reports that do not help predict risks. Most epidemiological studies focus on non-fatal reactions. The UK fatal anaphylaxis register demonstrates that over two-thirds of those dying from sting reactions and over four-fifths dying from drug anaphylaxis had no previous indication of their allergy, whereas those dying from food allergy had usually had previous reactions but these were typically not severe. Recent reports of anaphylaxis epidemiology based on diagnostic coding or attendance for treatment may be biased by differences in health service resource utilization according to the cause and course of the reaction. SUMMARY: Most fatal anaphylactic reactions are unpredictable. The appropriate management after recovery from a severe reaction may be protective against a fatal recurrence. An accurate identification of the cause and effective avoidance is a crucial part of this management, together with effective treatment of asthma for those with food allergy, immunotherapy for sting allergy, the avoidance of drugs that potentiate anaphylaxis, and effective training in self-treatment.

AD Department of Immunology, St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester, UK. richard.pumphrey@cmmc.nhs.uk

PMID 15238794

10

TI Anaphylactic deaths in Auckland, New Zealand: a review of coronial autopsies from 1985 to 2005.

AU Low I; Stables S

SO Pathology. 2006 Aug;38(4):328-32.

AIMS: To determine the frequency of anaphylactic deaths amongst coronial autopsy cases performed in the greater Auckland region from 1985 to 2005, and review the circumstances of death and autopsy findings. METHODS: A computerised search for anaphylactic deaths was performed using the Forensic Pathology Department database at Auckland City Hospital. Postmortem reports and police reports were reviewed to determine the circumstances of death. Details recorded included basic demographic data, medical history, agent responsible for the allergic reaction, and pathologic findings at autopsy. RESULTS: A total of 18 cases of anaphylactic deaths were identified for the study period, including nine males and nine females, age range 33-76 years, mean 51.9 years. There were 10 reactions to drugs or contrast media (4 anaesthetic agents, 3 antibiotic, 2 IV contrast media, 1 streptokinase), four to bee/wasp venom, two to seafood, and two undetermined. Death occurred within 1 hour of onset of anaphylaxis in 12 cases. Findings at autopsy included non-specific pulmonary oedema and congestion (n = 13), laryngeal oedema (n = 5), cerebral hypoxia (n = 4) and cutaneous oedema (n = 1). Serum tryptase levels were measured in 15 cases, and were significantly elevated (>20 microg/L) in eight cases. CONCLUSION: Anaphylactic reaction is an uncommon cause of sudden death. In many cases, no specific macroscopic or microscopic findings were detected at autopsy. In the presence of a typical clinical history, postmortem measurement of serum tryptase levels can be a useful diagnostic aid.

AD Department of Forensic Pathology, Auckland Hospital, New Zealand. irenel@adhb.govt.nz

PMID 16916722

Medline ® Abstracts for References 3,18-20 of ‘Fatal anaphylaxis’

3

TI Lessons for management of anaphylaxis from a study of fatal reactions.

AU Pumphrey RS

SO Clin Exp Allergy 2000 Aug;30(8):1144-50.

BACKGROUND: The unpredictability of anaphylactic reactions and the need for immediate, often improvised treatment will make controlled trials impracticable; other means must therefore be used to determine optimal management. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the circumstances leading to fatal anaphylaxis. METHODS: A register was established including all fatal anaphylactic reactions in the UK since 1992 that could be traced from the certified cause of death. Data obtained from other sources suggested that deaths certified as due to anaphylaxis underestimate the true incidence. Details of the previous medical history, the reaction and necropsy were sought for all cases. RESULTS: Approximately half the 20 fatal reactions recorded each year in the UK were iatrogenic, and a quarter each due to food or insect venom. All fatal reactions thought to have been due to food caused difficulty breathing that in 86% led to respiratory arrest; shock was more common in iatrogenic and venom reactions. The median time to respiratory or cardiac arrest was 30 min for foods, 15 min for venom and 5 min for iatrogenic reactions. Twenty-eight per cent of fatal cases were resuscitated but died 3 h-30 days later, mostly from hypoxic brain damage. Adrenaline (epinephrine) was used in treatment of 62% of fatal reactions but before arrest in only 14%. CONCLUSIONS: Immediate recognition of anaphylaxis, early use of adrenaline, inhaled beta agonists and other measures are crucial for successful treatment. Nevertheless, a few reactions will be fatal whatever treatment is given; optimal management of anaphylaxis is therefore avoidance of the cause whenever this is possible. Predictable cross-reactivity between the cause of the fatal reaction and that of previous reactions had been overlooked. Adrenaline overdose caused at least three deaths and must be avoided. Kit for self-treatment had proved unhelpful for a variety of reasons; its success depends on selection of appropriate medication, ease of use and good training.

AD Immunology Unit, Central Manchester Healthcare NHS Trust Hospitals, St Mary’s Hospital, Hathersage Road, Manchester M13 0JH, UK.

PMID 10931122

18

Sheikh, A, Alves, B. Hospital admissions for acute anaphylaxis: time trend study. BMJ 2000; 320:1441.

no abstract available

19

TI Age, sex, geographical and socio-economic variations in admissions for anaphylaxis: analysis of four years of English hospital data.

AU Sheikh A; Alves B

SO Clin Exp Allergy. 2001 Oct;31(10):1571-6.

BACKGROUND: Although the most severe of the allergic disorders, the epidemiology of anaphylaxis remains poorly described. Hospital admissions for anaphylaxis in England more than doubled during the 1990s. OBJECTIVE: To provide baseline data for assessing future trends, and to assess whether there is sufficient regional variation in incidence to allow efficient testing of aetiological hypotheses, we sought to identify any age, sex, geographical and socio-economic variations in hospital inpatient admissions for anaphylaxis. METHODS: We studied all emergency admissions for anaphylaxis to English NHS hospitals between 1991 and 1995. Poisson regression modelling was used to calculate rates of anaphylaxis admission per 100 000 emergency admissions by age, sex, deprivation and by residence in urban/rural, North/South and East/West England. RESULTS: Of the 13.5 million emergency inpatient admissions, 2323 patients had a primary diagnosis of anaphylaxis. Poisson regression analyses showed significant age, gender, geographical and socio-economic variations in emergency admissions for anaphylaxis: adjusted Female rate ratio 1.19 (95% CI 1.09-1.29), South rate ratio 1.35 (95% CI 1.25-1.47), Rural rate ratio 1.35 (95% CI 1.17, 1.59), and Non-deprived rate ratio 1.32 (95% CI 1.19, 1.46). CONCLUSION: This study identifies striking national age, sex, geographical and socio-economic variations in the incidence of inpatient admissions for anaphylaxis in England, affording important opportunities to generate and test aetiological hypotheses. Risk of anaphylaxis admission is considerably increased in females of child-bearing age and those residing in southern, rural, and affluent areas are independent risk factors for anaphylaxis admission.

AD Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice, Division of Primary Care and Population Health Sciences Imperial College School of Medicine, London, UK. aziz.sheikh@ic.ac.uk

PMID 11678857

20

TI Severe food-allergic reactions in children across the UK and Ireland, 1998-2000.

AU Colver AF; Nevantaus H; Macdougall CF; Cant AJ

SO Acta Paediatr. 2005 Jun;94(6):689-95.

AIM: Medical and lay concerns about food allergy are increasing. Whilst food allergy may be becoming more common, fatal reactions to food in childhood are very rare and their rate is not changing. We sought to establish how common severe reactions are. METHODS: Prospective survey, 1998 to 2000, of hospital admissions for food-allergic reactions-conducted primarily through the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit, covering the 13 million children in the United Kingdom and Ireland. RESULTS: 229 cases reported by 176 physicians in 133 departments, yielding a rate of 0.89 hospital admissions per 100,000 children per year. Sixty-five per cent were male, 41% were under 4 y and 60% started at home. Main allergens were peanut (21%), tree nuts (16%), cow’s milk (10%) and egg (7%). Main symptoms were facial swelling (76%), urticaria (69%), respiratory (66%), shock (13%), gastrointestinal (4%). Fifty-eight cases were severe. Three were fatal, six near fatal, and 8 of these 9 had asthma with wheeze being the life-threatening symptom. Three near-fatal cases received excess intravenous epinephrine. None of the non-fatal reactions resulted in mental or physical impairment. Seven of 171 non-severe and 6/58 severe cases might have had a worse outcome if epinephrine auto-injectors had been unavailable. Six of the severe cases might have benefited if auto-injectors had been more widely prescribed. CONCLUSION: In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the incidence of severe reactions is low. The study highlights that: asthma is a strongly significant risk factor for a severe reaction and therefore warrants optimal management; severe wheeze is a prominent feature of severe reactions and warrants optimal management; intravenous epinephrine should be used with great care if needed. Epinephrine auto-injectors do not always prevent death, but our study design and data do not allow a definite statement about whether overall they are beneficial.

AD Sir James Spence Institute, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust and University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. allan.colver@ncl.ac.uk

PMID 16188770

Related articles:

1. Where is the evidence to support nut-free buffer zones on airplanes?
2. Same exposure, different allergic reactions. Why?
3. New allergy treatment guidelines proposed

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for January 8, 2010

Source:

Air Canada ordered to create nut-free buffer zones

Comment:

This is a classic illustration of poor risk evaluation. There is no information available in this article to help me answer the basic questions when examining a health claim.

How many people suffer anaphylactic reactions on airplanes that require emergency treatment? How many have died? What is the incidence of these occurrences?

Has there been any evidence to show what the risk reduction would be with setting this policy? Will there be any subsequent evaluation to look at outcomes? And if the outcome demonstrates little to no reduction of risk or incidence, will there be a push to rescind this edict?

Have proactive measures by people who have nut allergies prior to boarding the plane been sufficient to prevent anaphylaxis?

This is a classic illustration of the precautionary principle eloquently discussed by this man.

An exerpt from the website Junkfood Science illustrates this point.

Food allergy deaths have only been tracked by the CDC since 1998, using death certificates coded using ICD-10 classifications (the 10^th edition of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases). ICD-10 hasn’t yet been universally adopted, which makes the accuracy of its figure unreliable. It reports that of 2.5 million deaths among all ages in the U.S. in 2005, 11 people died from a food allergy in 2005, with the number from peanuts unknown.

Perhaps the most accurate population data on peanut-related deaths among children comes from the UK. Its national death statistics and pediatric surveillance system has recorded death statistics for nearly all children and it reported that only one child, a 15-year old, died from a peanut allergy between 1990 and 2000.

Related articles:

1. Do nut-free zones on airplanes make sense to you?
2. Blood test may be able to differentiate for children who have a true peanut allergy
3. New allergy treatment guidelines proposed

An interview on CTV’s Canada AM on December 29, 2009.

Here are the stories.

1)      Obseity surgery can reverse type 2 diabetes for some

One of the wonders of science is how an action based on initial assumptions, hypotheses and theories can lead, at times, to unexpected and indeed beneficial consequences. When these consequences have the potential to affect the lives of millions of people, the research obviously takes on added significance.

The treatment of obesity via bariatric or gastric bypass surgery does help many to lose significant weight. Many of these people have type 2 diabetes. They have been either using insulin or a combination of oral medications to control the disease. However, the earlier the disease is diagnosed in a person’s life, the more likely they will suffer the myriad of cardiovascular and kidney complications among others. They believe that diabetes is a chronic, progressive incurable disease.

According to surgeon Dr. Richard Stubbs, this belief is wrong. He hypothesizes that type 2 diabetes is a disease of the gut and has evidence to substantiate the claim. Moreover, in diabetic patients who undergo gastric bypass, their type 2 diabetes disappears, in 6 days and never returns

• Dr. Richard Stubbs, Upper GI Surgeon and Professor, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Director of the Wakefield Biomedical Research Unit at the University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand
  

2)     Nanosuturing using light to stitch a wound

I am reminded of a scene from the science fiction movie Logan’s Run where a plastic surgeon uses a laser to cut the skin, makes the cosmetic change, and then seals the wound with a laser leaving no scar. Although this seemed an impossible feat of technology at the time, real science has edged closer to it.

Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital are using light to “stitch” surface wound openings back together. The process is called nanosuturing or photochemical tissue bonding.

• Dr. Irene Kochevar, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry and Dermatology at the Harvard Medical School Wellman Center for Photomedicine and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School

3)     Protein responsible for brain cell death after stroke

There are many branches of stroke research from prevention, emergency treatment, to rehabilitation technologies and therapies. When a person suffers a stroke, it is a race to try to minimize the death of brain cells that follow the initial damage and oxygen deprivation.

Scientists at the Krembil Neuroscience Centre, located at Toronto Western Hospital part of University Health Network, have learned in laboratory-based experiments, how to prevent the death of brain cells which would normally die within a few days after the brain is deprived of oxygen (stroke).

The findings were published in the September 8, 2009 online edition in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

• Dr. Mike Tymianski, MD PhD FRCSC, Medical Director of the Neurovascular Therapeutics Program at the University Health Network.  Professor in the  Departments of Surgery and Physiology at University of Toronto and Senior Scientist at Toronto Western Hospital Research Institute

4)     Bacteriophages kill resistant bacterial infections

Pathogenic or disease-causing bacteria want to survive. To that end, they have complex mechanisms that will allow them, over time, to adapt and resist antibiotic treatments. The pace of new antibiotics being introduced into the market is slowing and other approaches are needed to help fighting difficult to treat infections.

A study by researchers at University College London Ear Institute to be published in the journal Clinical Otolaryngology uses a virus that destroys bacteria. These viruses are called bacteriophages.

• Dr. Anthony (Tony) Wright, Emeritus Professor of Otolaryngology, UCL Ear Institute

5)    The Zamboni theory on MS and the Liberation Treatment

CTV’s W5 and medical specialist Avis Favaro reported on this finding earlier this year.. This theory contends that multiple sclerosis patients suffer from blockages in the veins in their necks or the azygous vein down their spine that cause blood to reflux back into the brain and leave the deposits of iron that mark MS.

Zamboni has also found that angioplasty to open these clogged veins can lead to remissions in MS symptoms in some patients.

Related articles:

1. Protein responsible for brain cell death after stroke
2. Coming up on Sunday House Call October 18, 2009
3. Sunday House Call #286, October 18, 2009

An excellent review of alternative therapies for the treatment of autism is published in the November 22, 2009 edition of the Chicago Tribune. Please take a gander at how fear is being used to motivate some parents to seek dubious and unvalidated approaches to the treatment of this disorder. In effect, we are witnessing an uncontrolled trial of ad hoc experimentation on children.

Related articles:

1. The complicated genetic weave that can lead to autism
2. MMR/autism paper fully retracted by the Lancet
3. Story helps children understand depression

Sunday House Call #292

These interviews were to be broadcast this Sunday. I will post them then.

With all the information in the news about H1N1 and disease transmission and prevention, there is a body of evidence that is not being recognized as a primary factor in developing approaches to disease control.

A McMaster University study published in the October 14, 2009 edition of Emerging Infectious Diseases, a journal of the U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, looked at the relationship between population mobility, globalization and the development of drug resistant strains of bacteria and viruses.

• Douglas W. MacPherson MD, MSc(CTM), FRCPC, Associate Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

When people suffer traumatic injuries, blood loss or hemorrhage poses one of the greatest risks to survival. A team of researchers at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation have cast a new understanding of the process that leads to uncontrolled bleeding and have published these findings in a recent edition of the journal Nature Medicine,

• Dr. Charles Esmon, Ph.D.  researcher with the Cardiovascular Biology Research Program, Lloyd Noble Chair in Cardiovascular Biology, Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Adjunct Professor, Departments of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

Related articles:

1. Coming up on Sunday House Call #290, November 15, 2009
2. Coming up on Sunday House Call #289, November 8, 2009
3. Sunday House Call #289, November 8, 2009