Volume 192 - Issue 3
In Other Journals
Author: Ann Gregory
Med J Aust 2010; 192 (3): 170. || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2010.tb03460.x
Published online: 1 February 2010
Published online: 1 February 2010
Caffeine for kids?
Did you know that, in Australia, manufacturers of “energy drinks” may be bypassing regulation through a legal loophole — if a product is called a “dietary supplement”, it is not bound by the usual caffeine limits of 80 mg per 250 mL can? So say Australian authors Oddy and O’Sullivan in a commissioned editorial in the BMJ. They also say that anectodal evidence suggests that children who regularly consume energy drinks could become dependent on them; further, that even moderate consumption at this age may be detrimental. As caffeine is not only addictive but has no nutritive value, erring on the side of caution by banning energy drinks may be warranted but requires further research before widespread bans are put in place. In the meantime, why not promote water as the preferred drink for not only children but also people of all ages?
BMJ 2009; 339: b5268
Rotavirus retreats?
Last year in the MJA, Lambert and colleagues presented early evidence of the effects of the universal infant rotavirus vaccine program in Queensland, reporting a fall in rotavirus notifications, not only in the very young, but in all age groups.1 Now, researchers in New South Wales report similar findings after conducting a study in infants and children aged up to 5 years.2 Belshaw and colleagues suggest their findings could be explained either by unusually low community circulation of rotavirus in the year studied (2008) or by a beneficial effect of vaccination that had a flow-on effect to older children through reduced transmission in the most susceptible age group — infants.
1. Med J Aust 2009; 191: 157-160
2. Commun Dis Intell 2009; 33: 337-340
Online doctor ratings
“The internet has become the 21st century’s answer to word of mouth or over-the-garden-fence chitchat, so I think it’s wise to keep tabs on what is said about me in cyberspace”, says Jain, an adult psychiatrist in the USA. After several minutes of surfing, Jain was relieved to find her internet reputation intact. Then, she stumbled onto frank stories that patients told about other doctors and not all of it was good. However, overall, Jain found the Googling experience to be positive, reassuring her that what patients want from their doctors is not all that different from what good doctors want to offer their patients — patients want doctors who care, listen and know what they’re doing. Have you Googled yourself (or your colleagues) lately?
N Engl J Med 2010; 362: 6-7
And the organs will go to . . .
An Israeli incentive system aims to increase current low rates of organ donation by priorisiting individuals who are willing to donate organs to receive organs, if needed, above those who are not. The system has three allocation priority categories depending on the patient’s intention to donate and their first-degree relatives’ intention to donate or previous donation of organs. However, safeguards have been included in the system to ensure that acutely ill patients will be first to receive organs. Further, the law is thought to respect the rights of those who are strong opponents of brain death and organ transplantation — while these patients would be unlikely to donate organs, they would also choose not to receive them. However, various questions have been raised about this incentive system, including why priority privileges are not given to some previous living-directed donors.
Lancet online 17 Dec 2009
No ESKAPE for MRSA
The term “ESKAPE” has been coined for the group of pathogens that causes most hospital-acquired infections able to “escape” the current antibiotic arsenal in the US: Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter spp. According to Kollef, their existence mandates the discovery of new antimicrobial agents. In a review article, he describes six novel antibacterial agents in the late stages of clinical development that show potential for treating methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infection. The six hopes for the future described include two fifth-generation cephalosporins (ceftaroline and ceftobiprole) and three glycopeptides (dalbavancin, oritavancin and telavancin).
Crit Care Resusc 2009; 11: 282-286