Eyespy: June 2005
Eyespy was relieved to hear that she wouldn't
have far to go for the West's first international toilet summit, to
be held in September in Belfast. The summit aims to attract delegates from
various key sectors, including public, health, and educational authorities;
hospitality and tourism organisations; user groups; and toilet providers.
The summit will cover a wide range of topics related to toilets. It will
also offer the opportunity for participants to network with others who are
dedicated to improving standards (www.2005worldtoiletsummit.com).
Passengers and workers on London's underground
system will be pleased to know that the air quality is better on the tube
than on London's streets. Researchers measured particle
concentrations in tube stations and in drivers' cabs and calculated
likely exposure. They found that although the system is polluted and dusty,
the air is low in ultrafine particulates. Underground, pollutants tend to
be heavier and iron rather than carbon based. Concentrations of other toxic
materials were within safety guidelines. Commuters using the tube for two
hours a day would boost their particulate concentrations by just 17mg/m3 in 24 hours. The authors
conclude that risks of serious heart or lung disease are low for those
working or travelling on the London Underground. For other reasons, Eyespy
will continue to take a cab (Occupational and
Environmental Medicine 2005;62:355-62).
Brain damage caused by minor stroke can change the way
artists paint. A study of two professional painters found that colour
palette and level of detail were altered. An art critic and a professional
painter found distinct changes in style between paintings done before and
after stroke. One painter had the stroke in the left occipital lobe of the
brain, which is involved in processing mental imagery. The other
painter's stroke was in the limbic thalamus, which is connected to
the frontal lobes, which are involved in creativity. Other neurological
damage, such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease, have been shown in
some patients to change emotional expression and artistic creativity (Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 2005;76:797-803).
Women seem to be susceptible to as much brain damage
from drinking alcohol as men but after a shorter period of misuse, says a
team of German scientists. Researchers at the University of Heidelberg
compared brain scans of 34 male and 42 female alcoholics; they also looked
at scans from more than 30 healthy members of each sex. Although the women
had been alcoholics for just 5.5 years on average, computed tomography
showed that they had the same extent of brain damage as the men, who had
been alcoholics for an average of 10.4 years. Taking body weight into
account, the amount of alcohol consumed was about equivalent. Despite the
fact that women tend to start drinking later in life, consume less, and are
less likely to develop alcohol addiction than men, they seem to suffer more
quickly if they become an alcoholic. Eyespy was pleased that it
wasn't all bad news though, as she likes her gin: after six weeks of
abstinence, brain atrophy was partially reversed in both sexes (Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 2005;29:896-901).
Wearing red can give you that vital competitive edge.
Researchers at the University of Durham analysed events in last
year's Olympic Games. In four of these events (boxing, tae kwon do,
Greco-Roman wrestling, and freestyle wrestling) combatants were randomly
assigned either blue or red outfits. In evenly matched bouts, the wearers
of red won 62% of the time. The researchers also found that red makes teams
perform better. They looked at last year's Euro 2004 soccer
tournament. Teams tended to do better when wearing red as opposed to their
other colours, scoring about one extra goal a game. Of course, a red kit is
not a full substitute for talent, but Eyespy wonders if it explains why
Manchester United and Liverpool, which both have red in their uniforms, are
England's most historically successful clubs (Nature 2005;435:293).
DUSAN VRANIC/AP/EMPICS
Fifth best football side Liverpool in England thank their lucky red shirts
Self hypnosis might alleviate the symptoms of hay fever
and cut the amount of drugs needed. Researchers at the University of Basel
randomised 66 patients to receive a two hour session from a
doctor - either teaching them self hypnosis or just talking about their
condition. The self hypnosis group were taught a relaxation technique to
use instead of rescue medication when they felt the onset of an allergic
episode. Laboratory measurements also showed that hypnosis improved nasal
airflow. However, despite using skin tests and immunoglobulin measures, no
immune effects were seen. The hypnotherapy might have improved symptoms via
a physiological response to allergens. In hay fever, increased blood flow
to the nose is thought to give rise to congestion. It is on this swelling
of the vessels that conventional hay fever drugs work, and it is well
documented that hypnosis can alter blood flow. Previous work has found that
hypnosis facilitates the production of T cells and was of benefit to
students under exam stress and patients with chronic genital herpes (Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 2005;74:165-72).
Understanding sarcastic comments requires different
parts of the brain to work together. The prefrontal cortex, in the front of
the brain, seems to play the biggest part and may integrate the literal
meaning of a phrase with the speaker's emotional intent. Researchers
at the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Israel, studied 25 participants with
damage to their prefrontal lobes, 16 participants with damage in the
posterior lobes, and 17 healthy controls. To determine if participants
understood sarcasm, researchers read a sarcastic and non-sarcastic version
of a story and asked participants what the speaker meant in each situation.
The findings could have implications for understanding personality changes
in people with brain injury or disease (Neuropsychology 2005;19:288).
studentBMJ 2005;13:221-264 June ISSN 0966-6494
