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The Irish Medical Times Blog: September 2008

NI rape survey: are the Six Counties for real?

We thought the Republic had it bad - with 41 per cent of men believing that a woman is partially or totally responsible for being raped if she is drunk or takes illegal drugs, that 37 per cent believe she... Read more

Irish breakfast cereals have more fat and sugar - and that's the way we like it

It might not be the best time to be an Irish child. After discovering that Irish breakfast cereals have higher fat, sugar and sodium levels than the same cereals in other countries, their parents may try to replace that box... Read more

Does 'bare below the elbows' help stop the spread of MRSA?

While there is no reliable evidence to show that bacteria on the clothes of healthcare professionals can spread infection of bugs like MRSA, there's also no evidence that it doesn't. The Well, from the New York Times, reports: If a... Read more

Plastic surgeons in UK speak out against 'anatomically incorrect' images

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) has launched a campaign to rid advertising of promises of breasts they called "anatomically impossible" and lunchtime facelifts.... Read more

It's more dangerous to text and drive than to drink and drive - study

If you text and drive, your reactions times slow more than if you are drinking alcohol, or are under the influence of cannabis, according to a new study in the UK. According to the Irish Times: Reaction times deteriorated by... Read more

New type of genetic test for inherited breast cancer could slash cost and waiting times

Next year, women could buy a test to determine whether they have the gene mutations that increase the risk of breast cancer for less than the price of, oh, a pregnancy test.... Read more

Do you confuse your patients? Do they even know if they're confused?

Many patients do not understand their ED care or their discharge instructions, and most of them don't even know they lack that understanding, and show inappropriate confidence in their comprehension and recall, according to a study in the Annals of... Read more

The prize for the oddest book titles

From Waterproofing Your Child to Hot Topics In Urology, the Diagram Prize celebrates the oddest of odd book titles. Medical research has provided one of the richest seams over the years: A Pictorial Book Of Tongue Coatings, A Colour Atlas... Read more

'Very occasionally, following a stroke, a person's brain rewires itself'

Ken Walters, a man who thought his stroke was 'yet another wretched episode in the disaster that was my life', discovered that it gave him new abilities - and a compulsion to create art. According to Mr Walters, he had... Read more

Judge: having marijuana in urine doesn't mean impairment

An Irish judge has thrown out drugged driving charges against a young driver, ruling that the presence of marijuana in his urine did not mean he was necessarily "stoned out of his mind." Question is, if US states that have... Read more

Is pharmacology making us more moral?

A psychiatrist in Britain argues that we are already using drugs as a means of improving our future conduct: a subtle form of moral assistance. He writes that patients use drugs for prosocial reasons - hoping to do the right... Read more

Cannabis linked to psychosis onset at earlier age

New research published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry has claimed a strong link between cannabis use and the onset of psychosis at a younger age. The Results: Regarding the effect of cannabis use, a significant gradual reduction on age... Read more

Brush your teeth; your life may depend on it

Research shows that people with gum disease have a higher likelihood of heart attack and stroke, according to the Guardian. An unpublished study by New Zealand scientists claims that: the body's defences overreact to the threat of gum disease and... Read more

Misdiagnosed woman dies after cancer was missed three times

Pictured: Ann Moriarty with her husband, Karl Henry A woman who was given an 'all-clear' for breast cancer at Ennis General Hospital died one year after her first misdiagnosis, Irish Medical Times has reported. This underlines the need for... Read more

Stolen: HSE laptop with personal information on 1,200 health workers

The HSE has confirmed that a laptop containing personal information about 1,150 health workers was stolen from the home of a senior medical officer in public health medicine earlier this month. According to the HSE, the laptop was "password protected,... Read more

Until the first frost, beware the wasp...

“If you are faced with a wasp, don’t challenge it" - these are the words of a biologist and nurse in Ulster, Ms Sue McBean, who has developed a website to help people avoid wasp stings. She warns: It is... Read more

WHO holds suicide prevention day - 'we must act'

On September 10, calls will go out once again to policy-makers to “think globally, plan nationally, and act locally” as the World Health Organization holds World Suicide Prevention Day. It’s a simple message, but finding a coherent strategy across 'education,... Read more

Steroid abuse acne scars are a real eyesore

Abuse of anabolic steroids for muscle enhancement has been linked to many unhealthy, not to mention aesthetically unappealing conditions – but photographs of the toll taken on a 21-year-old’s body in Düsseldorf, Germany should serve as a reminder of the... Read more

IMT 'sleeps with the enemy'

Ingrid and Patrick in Dublin Airport... Read more

US lawmakers urged to lower alcohol drinking age

US lawmakers have been urged to respond to 'a culture of dangerous, clandestine binge-drinking' among young people – by lowering the legal drinking age. In a completely different direction to what is considered good policy on underage drinking here, the... Read more

Sex hormones increase heart disease risk for men

Sex hormones make men more at risk of developing, and dying from, heart disease – compared to women of a similar age. A University of Leicester-led study found that this “male disadvantage” links in with sex-specific effects of naturally occurring... Read more