FED:CheckUp medical column for Friday, Dec 23

AAP General News (Australia)
12-23-2011
FED:CheckUp medical column for Friday, Dec 23

A weekly round-up of news affecting your health

By Medical Writer Belinda Tasker

STILLBIRTH CAUSES

US researchers have discovered that a significant number of stillbirths are caused
by multiple complications during pregnancy.

A pair of studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association show
that about half the time, one or more pregnancy complications appear to be the cause.

Looking at data from 500 pregnant women across five states, researchers identified
a probable cause of stillbirth in 61 per cent of cases. About a third of those were linked
to one or more causes.

Problems with the placenta were the cause in 26 per cent of cases, while infections
were behind 14-19 per cent of stillbirths.

Fetal abnormalities and problems with the umbilical cord were each linked to about
10 per cent of stillbirths.

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IMITATION IN AUTISM

Teaching young children with autism to imitate others may improve their broader range
of social skills.

A Michigan State University study found that toddlers and preschoolers with autism
who were taught imitation skills made more attempts to draw the examiner's attention to
an object through gestures and eye contact, a key area of deficit in autism.

Imitation is an important development skill that allows infants and young children
to interact and learn from others. However, children with autism often show a lack of
ability to imitate.

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HEART DISEASE

A new scanning technique could help provide better insights into treating people with
life-threatening heart valve disease.

The positron emission tomography (PET) scans were developed by researchers at the University
of Edinburgh to help predict which patients need open heart surgery to replace their heart
valves, and improve treatments to prevent the disease.

PET scans give a much clearer insight into the process that causes aortic stenosis
than ultrasound scans, which are currently used for diagnosis.

The scans use tracer chemicals, which highlight molecular changes within the body.

"These scans will help us better understand what is happening to the heart valves,
and hopefully help us to halt the processes causing the narrowing," said Dr Marc Dweck,
of the University of Edinburgh's Clinical Research Imaging Centre.

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BABY EYES

A genetic mutation which causes babies to be born with no eyes has been identified
by scientists in Ireland.

They found that a baby's eyes will not develop fully in the womb if they have mutations
in both copies of the STRA6 gene, which is responsible for transporting vitamin A into
cells.

The scientists from University College Dublin believe their finding will help lead
to the development of a test for couples who may carry the altered gene and plan to have
children.

If identified, the couples can receive advice and counselling about the implications
of carrying the gene alteration for their children.

There is no clinical treatment for anophthalmia (absence of one or both eyes), and
children born with the condition must have prosthetic eyes fitted to help their face and
skull to develop naturally.

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ASTHMA ATTACK

One quarter of severe asthma attacks could be prevented if patients consistently took
their medication as prescribed.

Researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit found an asthma attack was only significantly
reduced when patients used at least 75 per cent of their prescribed dose.

They studied 300 patients for two years, during which time they had 435 asthma attacks.

The patients were asked about how often they used their inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)
asthma medication to control symptoms and prevent attacks.

"We found that every 25 per cent increase in ICS adherence was associated with an 11
per cent decrease in asthma attacks," the researchers said.

"But most importantly, we found that causal use of these medications is not enough,
especially among patients whose asthma is not controlled. Patients must use their asthma
controller medication as prescribed if they want to have the best chance of preventing
serious asthma attacks."

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MOBILE DIAGNOSIS

Mobile phone cameras could provide doctors working in remote areas with a valuable
diagnostic tool.

A study in Uganda showed that a two-megapixel camera was capable of capturing clear
microscope images of infectious organisms.

These could then be emailed to a specialist for confirmation of the condition or additional
analysis.

Feedback from the specialist to the GP could be sent by text message.

Mobile phones may be especially useful to doctors in remote and sparsely populated
areas, for instance in Africa, according to the researchers from the Royal Tropical Institute
in the Netherlands.

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BLOOD CLOTS

A lack of iron may increase the risk of dangerous blood clots.

The finding suggests iron supplements might be a way to prevent deep vein thrombosis
(DVT) and other types of potentially life-threatening clot.

As well as causing painful swelling, the lumps of blood can dislodge and travel to
the lungs with fatal results.

British scientists looking for new blood clot risk factors studied 609 patients with
haemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), an inherited disease of the blood vessels which raises
the risk of bleeding.

The study, published in the journal Thorax, found many of the patients had low iron
levels because of iron loss through bleeding.

They also had a higher risk of blood clots, which disappeared when they took iron supplements.

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KEYWORD: CHECKUP

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