Dietary Trans Fats Linked to Aggression

Consumption of dietary trans fatty acids is associated with irritability and aggression, in new research shows as reported in Medscape Today article.

The cross-sectional study of 945 adult men and women provides the first evidence linking trans-fat consumption to adverse behaviors that affect others. These range from impatience to overt aggression, lead author Beatrice A. Golomb, MD, PhD, from the University of California, San Diego, told Medscape Medical News.

"There were studies showing that omega-3 fatty acids were associated with increased agreeableness and reduced impulsivity, and there's evidence that trans fats adversely affect ability to create the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids that are favorable for your brain, and that prompted us to study this further," Dr. Golomb said.

The study was published online March 5 in PLoS One.

JCU Library Client Satisfaction Survey

If you haven't already completed a survey you still have until 21st May to be in the draw for an iPad2.  The survey is your opportunity to express your opinions about the Library’s resources, services and facilities.

You can participate in the survey by completing it anonymously. To show our appreciation for your time, weekly prizes will be drawn for coffee and bookshop vouchers with a final draw for an iPad 2. Past responses to the survey have enabled the Library to improve our collections, extend library hours, upgrade our technologies, and create better learning and social spaces. All of this improves the library support for learning, teaching, research and scholarship.

By completing the 2012 survey you will help to ensure that we have a dynamic Library contributing to JCU’s Strategic Intent of Creating a brighter future for life in the tropics, world-wide through graduates and discoveries that make a difference.

Heather Gordon Director
Library and Information Services

MRSA wound test could prevent infection spread

A simple test to identify MRSA in wounds could identify the infection more quickly and prevent it from spreading, according to Edinburgh University researchers. Antibiotic resistance is becoming a pressing issue in modern healthcare and we are in serious danger of entering a post-antibiotic era. Current tests for MRSA tend to be expensive and not very fast. By developing a rapid and cost-effective test, we would know what kind of infection is present straight away, which will improve the chance of success in treating it, Dr Till Bachmann, University of Edinburgh's Division of Pathway Medicine reports.

New Rhinosinusitis Guidelines Discourage Antibiotics

New Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidelines state that most cases of acute rhinosinusitis are caused by viruses and should not be treated with antibiotics.

Medscape Today article notes that according to a written release accompanying the guidelines, up to 98% of cases are caused by viruses, and therefore would not be responsive to antibiotics.

Blood pressure readings 'should be taken from both arms'

There is increasing evidence that measuring blood pressure in both arms should become a routine part of monitoring patients with hypertension, according to UK researchers. Research published in BMJ concluded that the differences in systolic blood pressure between arms can predict an increased risk of cardiovascular events and all cause mortality over 10 years in people with hypertension. This difference could be a valuable indicator of increased cardiovascular risk. Bilateral blood pressure measurements should become a routine part of cardiovascular assessment in primary care.

Male Circumcision for Prevention of HIV

The "abstinence, being faithful, using condoms" (ABC) prevention strategy, although promising in theory, has not proved to be effective in practice, and the HIV epidemic in some areas has grown to epic proportions. New, effective forms of prevention are desperately needed. Recent strong evidence discussed in Medscape Today article suggests that MC is effective and should have a clear place in the array of evidence-based interventions for the prevention of HIV.

NICE publishes peripheral arterial disease treatment guidance

NICE Guideline Review describes the evidence and views that have been considered, and sets out the provisional recommendations that have been developed. Draft guidance has been published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to reduce “considerable uncertainty and variations in practice” in the treatment of peripheral arterial disease (PAD).