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Tangled up in love
CONFERENCE
Medicine, Winston-Saleman),
con-
cluded that the advantages of increased consumption of these comand for debate Food for pounds probably outweigh any deleterious effects. The principal benefits because of potential harm to people The American College of Nutrition that might be anticipated are prevenwith hereditary haemochromatosis, served up a flavourful assortment of tion of coronary artery disease and as well as possible increases in the hot topics at its 35th annual meeting osteoporosis. Concerns about potenrisk of coronary artery disease and in Atlanta, Georgia, on Oct 7-9. At a tial harmful effects related to adverse cancer. He argued that problems for .’, concluding session entitled Controdevelopment of exposed fetuses, the 0-3% of the population with versies in Nutrition, invited speakers alterations of adult female reproducweighed the evidence in several areas hereditary haemochromatosis could tive endocrine functions, and the of debate. be reduced by screening for this conpossible promotion of hormonedition. Yip also suggested that the Many dieters would be surprised to dependent cancers. learn that weight loss has been associobserved associations between higher In closing the session, college presated with increased mortality in seviron status and chronic diseases ident Sudhir Dutta noted the comeral studies. However, Dr David might be explained by altered iron plexity of studying many of these Williamson (Centers for Disease indices among persons with as yet issues. He encouraged informed Control and Prevention, Atlanta) clinically unrecognised cancer or debate, guided not by the results of heart disease. : individual pointed out these studies might not highly publicised studies, have distinguished between intenThere is even greater but rather by the cumulative evidence tional and unintentional weight loss. about the possible health effects of of rigorously conducted research. Unintended weight loss could be secconsumption of phyto-oestrogens. In ondary to illness, which could also be his review of this topic Dr Claude responsible for the apparent rise in Hughes (Bowman Gray School of Raymond S Greenberg death rates. Williamson presented end of its hectocotylus into the mantle data showing a decline in mortality up in love of the larger male, "an act consticavity with intentional weight loss among copulation in octopodids". The tuting features of octowomen with obesity-related Among the many striking animals can be forgiven for not recogare their to ability change colour, such as hypertension and diabetes puses nising each other visually as males, for their well-developed eyes, and their high mellitus. Among obese women withthe encounter took place at a depth of level of intelligence. The last two characout other health problems, mortality 2512 m. teristics seem to have played no part in a reduction was evident only after : Sexual activity between males is not incident described by Lutz and Voight. intentional loss of 20 lb or more. in animals other than man, but unknown : During exploration in the east Pacific in what survival reduce pressure could account for Dietary strategies to ageDecember, 1993, the submarine Alvin in octopuses of different this behaviour related mineral loss have focused on recorded a 16 min video of two octopuses Lutz and Voight note that octoincreasing calcium intake, either engaged in copulatory activity. The fact species?are promiscuous and have a short through food selection or supplemen- that this was the first observation of such puses In life vastaddition, in the span. tation, but Dr John Anderson activity in deep-living octopuses would ness the chances of a male abyssal a encountering enough, but what (School of Public Health, University have been noteworthy female of the same are quite small. species scientists was that both of North Carolina) suggested that really surprised animals had a hectocotylus, a uniquely These factors suggest that a male octopus inadequate attention may have been . male copulatory arm. Even more remarkwill tend to seize upon every opportunity, however paid to reducing the intake of phosslight, of reproduction. ably, the two octopuses were of different phate. There is evidence that the diet species, neither of which was known to of most Americans is not only low in science. : John McConnell The video sequence shows the smaller calcium but also high in phosphate, . and that bone mineral density is male, which had attached itself to the 1 Lutz RA, Voight JR. Close encounter in the deep. Nature 1994; 371: 563. adversely affected by phosphate back of the larger individual, insert the intake, perhaps through a type of sec-
thought
uncertainty
Tangled
illnesses, :
,
.
ondary hyperparathyroidism.
: News in brief
Has the conventional wisdom about iron supplementation grown a little rusty? Dr Ray Yip of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that authoritative such as the US Preventive Services Task Force, have expressed scepticism about the routine use of iron supplements for pregnant women because of lack of demonstrated benefits in pregnancy outcome, in part from methodological problems in observational studies. Yip also noted that routine iron fortification of food has been criticised
groups,
resulting
Levamisole In the first annual review since its June, 1993, decision, the EU Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products has again recommended that national authorities grant marketing authorisations for Ergamisol (levamisole) 50 mg tablets for the indication "adjuvant treatment in combination with fluorouracil in patients with colon carcinoma Dukes’ stage-C after surgical resection" but on a prescription-only basis and administered under strict medical supervision. Britain and Belgium are not prepared to grant an authorisation on the present data. The CPMP also said that
doctors should be told that levamisole’s contribution to the combined therapy’s efficacy "is not elucidated".
Control of hospital infection A British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy survey has found that control measures for antibiotic usage are common in British hospitals and believed to be successful. However, usage patterns indicate otherwise Antimicrob Chemother 1994; 34: 21-42). Useful but underused control measures include specific forms for antibiotic prescriptions, computerised monitoring of prescriptions, and, for financial savings, automatic stop dates.
1221
Medicine, Winston-Saleman),
con-
cluded that the advantages of increased consumption of these comand for debate Food for pounds probably outweigh any deleterious effects. The principal benefits because of potential harm to people The American College of Nutrition that might be anticipated are prevenwith hereditary haemochromatosis, served up a flavourful assortment of tion of coronary artery disease and as well as possible increases in the hot topics at its 35th annual meeting osteoporosis. Concerns about potenrisk of coronary artery disease and in Atlanta, Georgia, on Oct 7-9. At a tial harmful effects related to adverse cancer. He argued that problems for .’, concluding session entitled Controdevelopment of exposed fetuses, the 0-3% of the population with versies in Nutrition, invited speakers alterations of adult female reproducweighed the evidence in several areas hereditary haemochromatosis could tive endocrine functions, and the of debate. be reduced by screening for this conpossible promotion of hormonedition. Yip also suggested that the Many dieters would be surprised to dependent cancers. learn that weight loss has been associobserved associations between higher In closing the session, college presated with increased mortality in seviron status and chronic diseases ident Sudhir Dutta noted the comeral studies. However, Dr David might be explained by altered iron plexity of studying many of these Williamson (Centers for Disease indices among persons with as yet issues. He encouraged informed Control and Prevention, Atlanta) clinically unrecognised cancer or debate, guided not by the results of heart disease. : individual pointed out these studies might not highly publicised studies, have distinguished between intenThere is even greater but rather by the cumulative evidence tional and unintentional weight loss. about the possible health effects of of rigorously conducted research. Unintended weight loss could be secconsumption of phyto-oestrogens. In ondary to illness, which could also be his review of this topic Dr Claude responsible for the apparent rise in Hughes (Bowman Gray School of Raymond S Greenberg death rates. Williamson presented end of its hectocotylus into the mantle data showing a decline in mortality up in love of the larger male, "an act consticavity with intentional weight loss among copulation in octopodids". The tuting features of octowomen with obesity-related Among the many striking animals can be forgiven for not recogare their to ability change colour, such as hypertension and diabetes puses nising each other visually as males, for their well-developed eyes, and their high mellitus. Among obese women withthe encounter took place at a depth of level of intelligence. The last two characout other health problems, mortality 2512 m. teristics seem to have played no part in a reduction was evident only after : Sexual activity between males is not incident described by Lutz and Voight. intentional loss of 20 lb or more. in animals other than man, but unknown : During exploration in the east Pacific in what survival reduce pressure could account for Dietary strategies to ageDecember, 1993, the submarine Alvin in octopuses of different this behaviour related mineral loss have focused on recorded a 16 min video of two octopuses Lutz and Voight note that octoincreasing calcium intake, either engaged in copulatory activity. The fact species?are promiscuous and have a short through food selection or supplemen- that this was the first observation of such puses In life vastaddition, in the span. tation, but Dr John Anderson activity in deep-living octopuses would ness the chances of a male abyssal a encountering enough, but what (School of Public Health, University have been noteworthy female of the same are quite small. species scientists was that both of North Carolina) suggested that really surprised animals had a hectocotylus, a uniquely These factors suggest that a male octopus inadequate attention may have been . male copulatory arm. Even more remarkwill tend to seize upon every opportunity, however paid to reducing the intake of phosslight, of reproduction. ably, the two octopuses were of different phate. There is evidence that the diet species, neither of which was known to of most Americans is not only low in science. : John McConnell The video sequence shows the smaller calcium but also high in phosphate, . and that bone mineral density is male, which had attached itself to the 1 Lutz RA, Voight JR. Close encounter in the deep. Nature 1994; 371: 563. adversely affected by phosphate back of the larger individual, insert the intake, perhaps through a type of sec-
thought
uncertainty
Tangled
illnesses, :
,
.
ondary hyperparathyroidism.
: News in brief
Has the conventional wisdom about iron supplementation grown a little rusty? Dr Ray Yip of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that authoritative such as the US Preventive Services Task Force, have expressed scepticism about the routine use of iron supplements for pregnant women because of lack of demonstrated benefits in pregnancy outcome, in part from methodological problems in observational studies. Yip also noted that routine iron fortification of food has been criticised
groups,
resulting
Levamisole In the first annual review since its June, 1993, decision, the EU Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products has again recommended that national authorities grant marketing authorisations for Ergamisol (levamisole) 50 mg tablets for the indication "adjuvant treatment in combination with fluorouracil in patients with colon carcinoma Dukes’ stage-C after surgical resection" but on a prescription-only basis and administered under strict medical supervision. Britain and Belgium are not prepared to grant an authorisation on the present data. The CPMP also said that
doctors should be told that levamisole’s contribution to the combined therapy’s efficacy "is not elucidated".
Control of hospital infection A British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy survey has found that control measures for antibiotic usage are common in British hospitals and believed to be successful. However, usage patterns indicate otherwise Antimicrob Chemother 1994; 34: 21-42). Useful but underused control measures include specific forms for antibiotic prescriptions, computerised monitoring of prescriptions, and, for financial savings, automatic stop dates.
1221