Distraction helps kids get stitches in ER
Listening to a CD player or playing a video game may make getting stitches more tolerable for children who come to the ER, new research suggests.
Previous reports have suggested beneficial effects using distraction techniques, but until now no studies have evaluated their ability to facilitate the completion of painful procedures in the pediatric ER setting.
As reported in the journal Pediatrics, Dr. Madhumita Sinha, from Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, and colleagues assessed the outcomes of 240 children, between 6 and 18 years of age, who were randomly selected to receive a distractor or no distractor while receiving stitches. All of the children received a topical anesthetic and an injectable local anesthetic was given if deemed necessary.
Lack of Basic Research Putting Patients at Risk
Patients are suffering because not enough basic clinical research is being done, warns a senior doctor in this week’s BMJ. He believes that medical academia is failing patients and clinicians by neglecting this vital area of research.
Basic observational research provides the information that doctors need to diagnose and treat patients appropriately, writes neurologist Professor Peter Rothwell. But in the field of neurology alone, many examples exist where a lack of basic data is the main barrier for effective treatment in routine practice.
For instance, little is known about the reliability of diagnosing stroke and, until very recently, no reliable data existed on the early risk of stroke in certain patients. Countless patients have suffered as a result, yet much of this research is easy and relatively cheap to do, so why has it not been done, he asks?
Virus testing best for cervical cancer screening
An analysis of data for more than 60,000 women in North America and Europe suggests that testing for human papillomavirus (HPV) may be the best way to screen for cervical cancer.
Numerous reports have linked certain subtypes of HPV with the lesions that precede cervical cancer. Findings from individual studies have suggested that for initial screening, HPV testing is more sensitive than cytology, which involves an analysis of cervical cells taken during a Pap smear. However, firm conclusions could not be reached, due in part to differences in design between the studies.
In the current study, Dr. Jack Cuzick, from the Queen Mary School of Medicine in London, and colleagues analyzed data from all European and North American studies that included routine cytology and additional HPV testing as a parallel test.
Cheap way to produce expensive malaria drug well on the way
U.S. researchers say a cheap way to produce an expensive but effective malaria drug is well on the way.
The researchers have created a modified form of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae that is capable of producing large amounts of artemisinic acid, which is needed to make the anti-malaria drug artemisinin.
Artemisinin is currently expensive to manufacture, and is out of reach for many in the developing world.
U.S. expert says one wild bird does not make a pandemic
U.S. expert says one wild bird does not make a pandemic, while Egypt finds bird flu case # 12
Egyptian health officials have reported another case of human bird flu in the country bringing the total there to date to 12.
According to Health and Population Minister Hatem el-Gabali the latest case is an 18-year-old woman from a province north of Cairo who caught the virus after handling infected birds.
Self Harm High Among Goth Youths
Rates of self harm and attempted suicide are high within Goth youth subculture, finds a study published on bmj.com today.
Deliberate self harm is common among young people, with rates of 7-14% in the UK. It is particularly widespread in certain populations and may be linked to depression, attempted suicide, and various psychiatric disorders in later life. Contemporary Goth youth subculture has been linked with self harm, but there is little evidence to support this.
Researchers at the University of Glasgow surveyed 1,258 young people during their final year of primary school (age 11) and again at ages 13, 15, and 19. They were asked about self harm and identification with a variety of youth subcultures, including Goth.
