Bits & pieces

Student spending on alcohol drops sharply: A survey carried out by NatWest this year shows that students are spending far less on alcohol than in previous years. Undergraduates are spending an average of £16.61 a week on drinking compared with £24.10 in 2000.

Injection for stopping snoring: Walter Reed army centre in Maryland, United States, has developed an injection to stop snoring. The "snoreplasty," reports New Scientist, is simply given in the back of the mouth and significantly reduces the noise made by a snorer.

Common first year for all health studies undergraduates: The BMA is supporting plans for a pilot scheme in which undergraduates in medicine, dentistry, and other health professions would share a common first year of study. The scheme will be tried in a limited number of medical schools.

New 3D online anatomy: The National electronic Library for Health (NeLH) has added a new 3 dimensional anatomy model to its online resources. The web based tool is being hailed as "Gray's Anatomy for the 21st century." Users can peel away tissue layers and view from a variety of angles. Go to www.nelh.nhs.uk/anatomy

MedSIN annual conference coming up: MedSIN (Medical Student International Network), the medical student body focusing on humanitarian issues, is holding its annual conference on 3 and 4 November in Cambridge. Go to www.medsin.org/conference for further details.

Want to do some work with the BMJ group?: Apply to be our next Clegg Scholar. See the advert on page 422 of this issue of the studentBMJ.

NEW! Go to studentBMJ.com to see our new International students section. Find out all about medical students in other countries and tell others what it's like where you are!



studentBMJ 2001;09:399-442 November ISSN 0966-6494