Friday, July 29, 2005

Interesting news stories

NASA announced the discovery of a tenth planet in the solar system...and it's got the exciting name 2003 UB313. Since the planets are named after mythological Roman gods, I say we call this latest planet Vulcan...which would make the folks in Birmingham, Alabama proud but would probably upset Trekkers...

There have been monsoons in Mumbai (Bombay), with 26 inches of rain falling, the heaviest rainfall that has ever been recorded in India. Over 800 are dead and aid workers are on the scene to try and limit the spread of disease...

A report in the medical literature came out saying that right-sided strokes are often missed in patients because they do not present with the language/speech disturbances common to left-sided strokes. Right-sided strokes tend to affect perceptual and spatial skills and these can be harder to pick up clinically.

The FDA has banned the use of Baytril, an antibiotic used in poultry, over concerns that use of Baytril leads to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can then infect humans and become much more difficult to treat. Many people have been arguing that the routine use of antibiotics in livestock has worsened the problem of antibiotic resistance in humans, and the FDA's action is finally giving some credence to that theory.

No comments: