eyespy

Researchers in the United Kingdom have found that type A botulin toxin (Botox) can help treat drug resistant urinary incontinence after traumatic spinal cord injury. The team studied 37 patients, by injecting the toxin into their detrusor muscle, which controls the tone of the bladder. Overall, incontinence was abolished in 82% of patients and detrusor overactivity was stopped in 76%. The mean duration of symptomatic improvement was 9 months, which although short is quite impressive (http://reuters.co.uk).

The World Health Organization warns that as many as 60 000 people a year die from "too much sun," mostly from malignant skin cancers. Radiation from the sun can cause sunburn, skin ageing, eye cataracts, and cold sores. So people should stay in the shade when they can, use lots of sun- screen, and avoid tanning salons. Snow, sea, and land reflect ultraviolet rays too, and the thinning ozone layer does not help either. What exactly is "too much sun," of course, still escapes Eyespy's grasp. She blames the record heatwave this summer (www.who.int/uv).

Hundreds of smokers throughout the United States are being vaccinated with nicotine injections to help them quit smoking. The vaccine "immunises" them against the nicotine rush that fuels their addiction, thus making smoking less pleasurable. The small amount of nicotine that reaches the brain helps ease withdrawal symptoms, the main reason most quitters give for relapse. Gums, lozenges, patches, nasal sprays, and now vaccines - will the optimism ever subside? (http://wbay.com.)

Americans are growing so obese that they don't actually fit in imaging machines such as magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners. Researchers have concluded that the number of failed radiological scans in the United States linked to obesity has doubled in the past 15 years. For a country that claims 64% of its population is overweight, this is an additional source of worry indeed (http://news.bbc.co.uk).

Eyespy does not wish to be construed as sexist - but men beware. Sleeping with a bed mate, whether or not you have sex, is likely to drain your brain. Eight unmarried, childless couples in their 20s, spent 10 nights together, and then 10 apart, as part of a study. The men, in addition to having increased concentrations of stress hormones after sleeping with their partners, also did poorly in simple cognitive tasks the next morning, compared with their female counterparts. Whether the same is true of married, older couples is another question altogether (http://news.bbc.co.uk).

Can the mysterious workings of our brain explain all religious experiences? Scientists at Johns Hopkins University seem to think so, and after a hiatus of four decades, have come up with some scientific evidence. The Aztecs called magic mushrooms the "flesh of the gods". The active component, psilocybin, induces mental states similar to some of the most revelatory religious experiences known to man. Researchers randomised participants to receive either psilocybin or methylphenidate (the drug for hyperactive disorders in children), and noted remarkable changes in behaviour, similar to religious experiences, in the first group (www.economist.co.uk). Perhaps the Aztecs' practice of human sacrifice can be put down to too many mushrooms.

A man injured in a rugby tackle presented with severe pain and inability to move his left hip. Radiography showed obturator dislocation of the left hip (above left). After manipulation under propofol sedation, the femoral head was relocated (above right). The next day, a knee effusion proved to be due to anterior cruciate ligament damage (Emergency Medicine Journal 2006;23:e40).

If you thought the association between left handed ness and breast cancer was spurious, you'll be shocked to hear the latest suggestion: dogs could harbour risk factors for human breast cancers. German researchers have found that more than twice the number of patients with breast cancer kept dogs permanently in the last 10 years compared with people in a control group (Medical Hypotheses 2006;67:21-6). In addition, breast cancer in dogs follows a protracted course with widespread metastases, similar to humans, but the disease in cats follows a short course. Researchers hypothesise that a transmissible agent, like mouse mammary tumour virus or Bartonella sp, could be responsible for this association. It's a scary possibility, but Eyespy just can't imagine little Foo-Foo ever hurting anyone.

In support of (arguably) the safest form of sex, Marie Stopes International organised Europe's first ever "masturbate-a-thon" on 5 August in London. Their aim was to dispel the shame and taboos that still persist around this form of sexual activity. Participants were sponsored by friends and loved ones, and the event took place in an (arguably) welcoming environment, with dedicated areas to suit all tastes - from solo booths for the more nervous to mixed sex areas for the adventurous (www.masturbate-athon.co.uk).

Eyespy was rather intrigued when she learnt that women smokers (and former smokers) are twice as likely as men to develop lung cancer, independent of age and smoking habits. The same study also confirmed that they were more likely than men to live through the disease (JAMA 2006;296:180-4). Almost 17 000 asymptomatic volun- teers were screened using spiral computed tomography, a technique that is still controversial for this purpose. What is disturbing, however, is that this difference seems unrelated to the tumour stage at diagnosis, the type of cancer, or the treatment, meaning sex could be an independent deter- minant in lung cancer.

Alzheimer's disease may not dif ferentiate between the sexes - but it does discriminate between the sex hormones. Recent research showed a strong relation between cognitive decline and concentrations of oestrogen in women who took oestrogen replacement treatment. The next obvious step was to look at men. Surprisingly, testosterone does not seem to have any say in this affair - but, oestrogen once again does. Although testosterone is the predominant male sex hormone, men also produce small quantities of oestrogen, and this hormone might have a greater physiological effect in elderly people. Some critics say the study's methods were flawed. Either way, the role of hormones in dementia remains a mystery (www.forbes.com).



studentBMJ 2006;14:309-352 September ISSN 0966-6494