GENOMICS: Five Gene Variations
Hike Risk of Macular Degeneration
About half of the genetic risk for the leading cause of vision loss in older
people comes from only five common single-unit variations in the DNA code spread
over three genes, says a study in the Aug. 27 online Nature Genetics from
Johanna Seddon, Mark Daly, and their collaborators. The findings may encourage
people at high risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) to quit
smoking, lose weight, and eat more vegetables to reduce their chances of disease.
In the long run, the greatest value of the work is to expose the underlying disease
mechanisms and develop interventions that better prevent or treat AMD.
MEDICAL TRAINING: Most Residents Break
Work Limits, Many Pay Price in Self-injury
Medical residents can spend 30 consecutive hours in the hospital, much of that
time on their feet working. A study in the Sept. 6 Journal of the American
Medical Association suggests that such extended work shifts could be dangerous.
Najib Ayas, Charles Czeisler (on right), and colleagues surveyed 2,737 first-year
residents and found that one third had accidentally stabbed themselves with a
contaminated needle or scalpel while working an extended shift. An obvious solution
to the problem is to limit the number of hours doctors work. Yet in a study appearing
in the same issue of JAMA, Christopher Landrigan (on left), Czeisler,
and colleagues found that interns routinely violate work-hour limits established
by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Shorter Course
Drugs Against TB May Multiply Long-term Benefits
New drugs against tuberculosis that are now in development could shorten the
effective treatment regimen. A shorter course could mean greater compliance and
lower risk of drug resistance and disease spread. A computer model developed
by Joshua Salomon and his colleagues suggests that a two-month course of effective
therapy rather than the current six or more months could ultimately save millions
of lives. Their findings are reported in the August issue of PLoS Medicine.