Eating 5 tomatoes a day could help protect against sunburn

A small study, presented at the British Society for Investigative Dermatology, of 10 volunteers found eating five tomatoes a day could help protect against sunburn, reported the BBC.


The study suggests that the antioxidant, lycopene, highest concentration when the tomatoes have been cooked, was behind the benefit. However the study suggests that a diet containing tomatoes could provide an extra tool in sun protection but should not be an alternative to sun cream.

Osteoporosis drug may increase risk of irregular heartbeat

A study shows that women who take the drug Fosamax ( also known as Alendronate) for osteoporosis may be at an increased risk of atrial fibrillation - an irregular heartbeat, reported the BBC.

The study compared 719 women with atrial fibrillation with over 966 controls and found the drug may increase the risk by 86%, higher than previous findings, but researchers concluded that the drug's benefits outweighed the risks for most women.

Source: "Use of Alendronate and Risk of Incident Atrial Fibrillation in Women" Archive of Internal Medicine. 2008;168(8):826-831

The BMJ published a study earlier concluded no increased risk of atrial fibrillation in women taking bisphosphonates - same class of drugs to which Fosamax belongs.

checking symptoms for HIV almost as good as costly lab tests

A new study in The Lancet shows that using simple clinical symptoms of HIV/AIDS, doctors can provide therapies almost as good as those made on the basis of costly laboratory analysis that are less accesible in poor countries - reported Washington Post.

The study is based on mathematical projections (not real patients) to predict the course of the epidemic in the UK over 20 years. The authors said the findings will reassure clinicians in poor countries that they are not comprising patient safety and should continue to wide access to ART (antiretroviral therapy) .

You are what your mother eats

Multiple news sources reported a study that suggests high-calorie diet and regular breakfasts during pregnancy might increase the odds of a boy.

Scientists asked 740 women who had become pregnant for the first time about their eating habbits in the year before they conceived and found that 59% of women who ate breakfast cereal every day had boys.

Critics warned that women should be extremely cautious about using diet to influence the baby's gender and that changing diet could have other health implications for mothers and children.

Source: "You are what your mother eats: evidence for maternal preconception diet influencing foetal sex in humans" Proceedings of the Royal Society B: biological sciences. April 22, 2008

Cancer drug may damage the brain

Mental impairment after chemotherapy are often dismissed as depression and anxiety related to the treatment of cancer, but tests on mice showed a popular chemotherapy drug, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), affects healthy brain cells long after treatment ends, reported The Telegraph.

Cancer Research UK stressed this drug can offer significant benefits that outweigh the effects which some patients report and more work would be needed before any conclusions could be drawn. The researcher said the knowledge gained from these tests can be used to discover ways of preventing such side effects.

Source: "Systemic 5-fluorouracil treatment causes a syndrome of delayed myelin destruction in the central nervous system" Journal of Biology 2008, 7:12 doi:10.1186/jbiol69

Growing human eggs in the lab

Multiple news sources reported a new technique that could bring new hope for women of infertility. In a laboratory study, scientists were able to harvest immature cells from women’s ovaries and grow them outside the body. The technique could improve fertility treatments for women undergoing chemotherapy, but critics said the technology is in its infancy and much more work is needed. The study is published in the journal Human Reproduction.

Source: "A two-step serum-free culture system supports development of human oocytes from primordial follicles in the presence of activin" Human Reproduction 2008; Mar 6 [Epub ahead of print]

New blood clot drug could save thousands of lives

A new blood-thinning drug Pradaxa is now available for patients at risk of blood clots after surgery. It is available as a daily tablet and does not require constant monitoring as other drugs currently used to prevent venous thromboembolism in patients who have hip and knee replacement surgery, reported The Telegraph.


The thrombosis charity, Lifeblood, wants all hospitals to improve their risk assessments for blood clots in patients when they are first admitted to reduce the unnecessary deaths from the condition. Wider use of this new drug to stop blood clots could save thousands of lives a year.


See also previous post "Blood clot prevenetion lacking in hospital" on 4 February 2008.

Yellow mushrooms could fight breast cancer

Scientists found that Phellinus Linteus (PL) – a mushroom occurring in tropical regions and used in Oriental medicine since ancient times has antitumour effects on highly invasive breast cancer cells grown in the laboratory, Daily Mail reported.


The researchers found that the effects of the mushroom extract on the growth of cancers was achieved by inhibiting the enzyme AKT in the breast cancer cells and said the results suggest that PL extract could be beneficial as a natural compound in treating invasive breast cancer. However they warned people not to buy the extract until it has been proved safe and effective.


Source: "Phellinus linteus suppresses growth, angiogenesis and invasive behaviour of breast cancer cells through the inhibition of AKT signalling" British Journal of Cancer 2008:98, 1348-1356

Vitamin supplements do not prolong life and may be harmful

People from all over the world have sent their comments to many news sources expressing concerns about a newly published Cochrane review that shows no evidence for vitamin benefit

The review looked at 67 studies involving 233,000 people who were either sick or healthy and had been taking very high-dose synthetic vitamins supplements for disease prevention. The outcome that they looked at was death from any cause and the researchers found no reduction in death from taking antioxidant supplements. They also found increased risk of death from vitamin A, beta-carotene and vitamin E, but no significant effects from vitamin C or selenium.

The authors concluded that there is "no evidence to support antioxidant supplements for primary or secondary prevention" and sufficient evaluation should be carried out before marketing these supplements.

Source: "Antioxidant supplements for prevention of mortality in healthy participants and patients with various diseases." Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2008, issue 2

Statins may also reduce blood pressure

The Telegraph reported a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 973 men and women who did not have high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Researchers found that two types of statins - simvastatin and pravastatin, modestly but significantly reduced blood pressure of the group compared with the placebo. The reductions ranged from 2.4 to 2.8 mm Hg for both SBP and DBP.

The researchers said that these reductions "may contribute to the reduced risk of stroke and cardiovascular events reported on statins", but critics said it is not possible to say whether statins have similar effects in people with high blood pressure.

Source: "Reduction in Blood Pressure With Statins - Results From the UCSD Statin Study, a Randomized Trial" Archive of Internal Medicine. 2008;168(7):721-727.

Arsenic could be used to treat leukaemia

Arsenic is a poison but scientists have found how it affects the process involved in cells that are affected by leukaemia. They said that the findings "could lead to better uses for arsenic in therapies for leukaemia with fewer side effects" - reported The Guardian.

Source: "RNF4 is a poly-SUMO-specific E3 ubiquitin ligase required for arsenic-induced PML degradation" Nature Cell Biology Published online: 13 April 2008 doi:10.1038/ncb1716

Doctors give "tree man" hope

The Telegraph and Channel Five reported a shocking story of a tree man of Java who suffered from a bizarre condition for 20 years with bark-like growths spreading uncontrollably from his hands and feet. He was known "tree man" in a travelling freak show alongside victims of other peculiar diseases to make ends meet.


His plight was highlighted in a Discovery Channel documentary last year and the team took an American dermatologist, Anthony Gaspari of University of Maryland, to Indonesia to see if he could identify the condition and find a cure.


After months' investigation, Dr Gaspari found that the affliction was caused by an extreme case of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) in combination with a rare immune system deficiency and proposed a treatment that could transform his life.

Children with cancer suffer less at the end of life

A study found that children dying of cancer in the US are currently suffering less with improved palliative care and hospice care that focus more on easing the pain at the end of their life.

The study found that in those cases, hospice care was discussed earlier and more often, do-not-resuscitate orders were put in place earlier, deaths in the intensive care unit decreased. Parents reported less child suffering from pain and breathing problems and they felt prepared in the child's last month of life.

Source :"Easing of suffering in children with cancer at the end of life:is care changing?" Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2008:26(10); 1717-1723

Elderly should be offered hypertension drugs

Some previous studies have suggested that the over-80s may be harmed by the hypertension medication, but the Daily Mail reported that a major study by Imperial College London found the opposite.

The study looked at 3,845 patients from 13 countries with an average age of 83 and had high blood pressure and the use of one particular type of diuretic blood pressure medication. Within a year of treatment, there was a 21% reduction in death rates and 64% drop in heart failure, 39% drop in stroke deaths and 34% reduction in cardiovascular events.

Source:"Treatment of Hypertension in Patients 80 Years of Age or Older" New England J of Medicine. March 31, 2008 (10.1056/NEJMoa0801369)

Tai chi can help diabetics control their sugar levels

Two small separate studies found a 12-week programme if tai chi exercixes help diabetics control sugar levels, reports the BBC.


The first study, by a Taiwanese team, included 30 people with diabetes who took part in a weekly 3 hour- sessions of tai chi. The study found that blood sugar levels dropped "significantly" and the level of cells and chemical involved in the body’s immune response have increased significantly in the diabetics.


The second study by the University of Queensland, based on just 11 participants, produced similar results. Critics argued that any form of exercise would improve individuals' health, fitness and energy levels and that the clinical significance of the findings is unclear.


Source: "Regular Tai Chi Chuan exercise improves T cell helper function of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with an increase in T-bet transcription factor and IL-12 production" British J Sports Medicine; 2008: Online First

Peter Hill report - From knowledge to health in the 21st Century

The Hill Report is a review of the NHS Libraries in England commissioned by the National Library of Health(NLH) with the aim to help the NLH to "transform patient care and public health".

There are 50 recommendations, I think the followings may be of particular interest to clinical teams that support evidence-based practice:

In every NHS organisation, someone at board level should be entrusted with the role of Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO) for that organisation with the responsibility as described

Every clinical or management team in the NHS should identify someone in the team as Team Knowledge Officer (TKO) who will have responsibility for ensuring the effective nput of evidence to enable the team to function properly

Library & related information/knowledge services must be regarded as part of the core business of the NHS by the DH & all NHS organisations, all of whom need access to an appropriate service & an skilled librarian

The last DH guidance on library service was issued in 1997.

If you are a clinician, do you regard the library & knowledge services part of the core business of the NHS? What is your view?