2013

Just thought I would write a quick post saying Happy New Year! Hopefully 2013 will be the best year so far and I wish all the medics the best of luck with medical applications. So that we can fulfil our dreams of going to medical school this year :) 

Sifut

Should the UK move to graduate entry only medicine?

So today I was reading an article on the Student BMJ which I thought was really interesting. It discusses the advantages of graduate entry Medicine and how successful the scheme has been since it started off 10 years ago.

Link to the article

Graduate entry medicine is currently being taught at 16 medical schools, with Warwick and Swansea offering only graduate entry medicine. Research was conducted to find a correlation between having previously done a Bsc and attainment in a range of examinations. Nottingham state that  “the previous degree [subject] could give a small advantage in certain subjects but this quickly diminished as the course progressed.”

On the other hand, Birmingham University Medical School published a report stating that educational attainment was higher in graduates, who performed better in a range of examinations. Students from GEP were more likely to graduate with honours, the highest level of award.

In addition there seems to be a relationship between graduate doctors and them specialising in general practice medicine. This could be for a number of reasons. One being that GP's have more flexibility abut their job in terms of working hours. In addition General Practice is seen as being more compatible with family commitments.

The idea of shifting Medicine to strictly graduate entry has been considered as it shows dedication to the subject but it has been previously overshadowed by the idea of the extra cost to student and taxpayers outweighing the benefits of a previous degree.

In conclusion, I think it is fantastic that graduate entry programmes are available as it widens access to Medicine and allows people to have a second chance of getting into Medical school. Although, ultimately my biggest aim in life is to get into Medicine this year as I can't see myself in any other profession.

Rotavirus vaccine to be introduced for babies

I was scanning the NHS website and came across an interesting article regarding a new vaccine being introduced to babies as part of their childhood vaccination programme.

Here is the article:

NHS article

Rotavirus is a virus that causes infection of the stomach and bowel. It can be a serious illness in the very young, especially babies. Symptoms of the virus include:

• Diarrhoea
• Vomiting
• Stomach ache
• Fever of 38 degrees

The symptoms tend to last from a week to two. The highest risk population are the very young children. They may suffer from severe complications if faced with extreme dehydration. A very small number of children even die from the rotavirus infection each year.

Rotavirus is a highly infectious stomach bug that causes around 140,000 diarrhoea cases a year in under-fives in this country. It leads to hospital stays for nearly one in 10 of those who get it.

The vaccine is expected to be introduced in September 2013 and will be given to infants under the age of four months.

It is estimated that the vaccine will halve the number of vomiting and diarrhoea cases caused by rotavirus and there could be 70% fewer hospital stays as a result.

The vaccine is used over 30 countries and is completely safe. It will be introduced from September 2013.

Medical Breakthrough- Diabetes genes identified?

As I was scouring the NHS website, I came across a medical article discussing the perhaps identification of a diabetes gene. Link to the article below:

NHS Diabetes Article

A little bit of background knowledge on type 2 diabetes:

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body doesn't produce enough insulin to function properly, or the body’s cells don't react to insulin. This is known as insulin resistance.

Type 2 diabetes is far more common than type 1 diabetes, which occurs when the body doesn't produce any insulin at all. In the UK, about 90% of all adults with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.

The article discusses the implications of perhaps identifying the gene in our DNA that determines the likelihood of a person developing diabetes. The investigation consisted a total of 150,000 people. 35,000 of these people had type 2 diabetes, where as 115,000 people were without the condition. As a result, the researchers found a whole of 10 new common genetic variations associated with an increase of 7-13% in a person's odds of developing type 2 diabetes. The researchers would look at something as minute as specific single letter differences.

A big factor that we need to consider is that not just genetic but also environmental factors can influence a person's odds of developing the condition. E.g. Diet and physical factors.
In conclusion, the researchers have gained a great deal of understanding of the complexity of diabetes and the researchers have identified a number of genes near to these variations that may be responsible for the condition.

As a result of the complexities of the condition, much more research will be needed to see if these results can be translated into successful treatments.

Can tomatoes prevent a stroke?

On the NHS website I found a great article about whether tomatoes can actually prevent a stroke.
Below is a link to the article I read.

NHS article

The research was conducted on over 1000 men aged between 42 and 61. The research is an example of a longitudinal study as it was carried out over 12 years. This allowed researchers to ensure what they were testing the men appropriately over a long period of time. The researchers tested the participants fasting levels of carotenoids in their blood. Cartenoids are present in tomatoes. This allowed them to record the amount of LDL's, HDL's, cholesterol, blood pressure and BMI. The fact that they were able to measure a number of variables made the study more reliable.

In order to make the investigation as accurate as possible, the investigators controlled as many variables as possible. Including Alcohol consumption, physical activity, diabetes and smoking.

The study was aimed to determine an association between blood concentrations of carotenoids and the risk of a stroke. It was then found at the end of the study, that out of 1000 men, only 67 strokes occurred  As a result of this very small sample size, it rapidly decreases the reliability of the investigation.

In conclusion, after analysing the data, it was concluded that levels of cartenoids can't be associated with a stroke risk. So unfortunately, we can't determine that tomatoes can prevent cardiac problems.

Can antioxidants reduce heart attack risks?

As I was looking on the NHS website, I came across an article that really interested me.

Antioxidants Article

So, can the fruits and the quantity of these fruits really make a big difference in the likeliness of a hearty attack? According to a study carried out in Karolinska Institute in Sweden, it is perfectly true.

According to them, older women that ate around 7 portions of fruit and vegetable a day had 20-29% reduced risk of an heart attack than those who ate just 2.4 portions.
This statistic is a very large and shows a greatly reduced risk for women. The study used 30,000 women. My greatest concern is, was family history taken into account? Because a huge contributor to heart attacks are our genes. The study is an example of a longitudinal study as it lasted 10 years.

The most interesting part of the article, is that it touches on the idea that there isn't a similar effect achieved by the intake of vitamins or other such supplements. Suggesting that antioxidants have to be sourced from food and that fruit and vegetables can make such a big difference on our health.

Painkillers- Good or Bad?

So I was reading an article on the NHS website on whether painkillers can be good for you or actually bad.
I'll post the link of the article below:

NHS article- Medication overuse headaches

It outlines the idea that millions of people use painkillers day in, day out to tame their headaches so they can continue work, but is it actually going to have the opposite effect. The effect is supposedly long term, so headaches worsen with the continued use of painkillers. The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) believe that if you use painkillers 15 days out of the month, regularly then the patient should be reffered to a specialist. The constant overuse of painkillers is known as "medication overuse headaches"

The constant use of these NSAID's actually worsens the headaches both in terms of severity and frequency.
NICE also believe the only treatment to the condition is to stop using the medicine in question abruptly.

It is very interesting how what we may seem as something helping us and aiding day to day work, actually can prove to be very unfortunate in the long term.