Reading Between The Lines: High-fructose Corn Syrup Study

A recent CBC news story headline reports that “Fructose is worse than glucose when it comes to sweetened drinks: study”

When I read that headline my first instinct was that I should be keeping an eye out for fructose. Reading on.

“The findings suggest that fructose-sweetened beverages can interfere with how the body handles fat, leading to medical conditions that increase susceptibility to heart attacks and strokes.” says the news report.

OK. I really have to watch out for fructose.

Then the report tells us that it is actually North America’s over consumption of things like high-fructose corn syrup that is the real problem (that stuff’s in everything…seriously).

So they didn’t really mean good old fructose (found in fruit juices, honey etc.) they meant high-fructose corn syrup. OK. Got it.

Reading a little further the report says “In the 10-week study, 17 subjects consumed a quarter of their calories from fructose-sweetened beverages and another 15 subjects drank the equivalent amount in glucose-sweetened beverages”

So lets say an average 30-year-old adult male consumes about 2,900 calories daily. They had these poor souls drinking 725 calories a day from fructose-sweetened beverages.  Not too surprising then that their insulin control was out of whack.

But seriously, high amounts of high-fructose corn syrup really isn’t good for your sugar control.

So the moral to the story is, don’t drink 1/4 of your daily calories in soda pop with high-fructose corn syrup.

Science, unlike media, is an ongoing process of theory and argument. One theory is proposed and evidence, through research, is given. Another scientist may come along and say, “no that isn’t right” and try to disprove the original research. Theory is never absolute. Media interpretation of scientific evidence, however, always seems a lot more definite. Especially with a good attention grabbing headline.

Maggot Therapy has Similar Outcome to Wound Debridement, Studies Say

Recent studies from bmj.com (2009) state that maggot therapy has a similar outcome and cost to standard leg ulcer treatment.

I’ve participated in standard leg ulcer treatment. It generally involves unpacking the wound, debridement (removal of dead tissue) from the wound, cleaning and repacking.

The studies suggest that our friend the maggot also debrides the wound quickly, reduces infection and triggers healing.

The randomized controlled trial focused on clinical outcome and cost of maggot therapy compared to traditional ulcer treatment. Generally no difference was found between the two treatments.

Another commonly used method, Hydrogel debridement, was found to take longer than both maggot therapy or standard care.

On the other hand, Nigam et al. (2006) write that maggot therapy is considered a successful therapy for old, chronic wounds, that have not responded to standard treatment.

So now I wonder if anyone has seen maggot therapy recently in practice.

I just can’t imagine explaining it to my patient….”You’re going to do what with WHAT to my leg ?!?”

Cognitive Performance Starts Decline in Late 20s

Recent research found that some aspects of mental performance such as reasoning and spatial visualization and speed of thought peak at 22 and start to decline at 27.

The research by professor Timothy Salthouse of the University of Virginia is published in the April issue of  Neurobiology of Aging.

Being over 30, it’s rather depressing news.

There’s also quite a bit of research however that age related decline can be offset by challenging your brain.

There’s especially a lot of interest in video games that challenge cognitive skills like Brain Age or Brain Academy.

Of course exercise, nutrition, no smoking, good health etc. can all help to maintain mental performance.

As I get older, yeah, I worry about not thinking as fast as I did or forgetting things. Salthouse’s research is interesting because normally studies focus on people over the age of 60. Just keeps me thinking that I need to follow my own advice and keep up with routine, daily brain workouts.

Study Finds that High RN Turnover Impacts Bottom Line

A recent US study in the journal of Nursing Economics found that when nurses leave their job or take early retirement it impacts the hospital’s budget by as much as 5 per cent with costs going towards paying for the turnover.

The study also found that the main reasons nurses stay in their current position is based on their perceptions of working conditions, other job opportunities, their organization’s commitment to nurses, a feeling of autonomy and opportunities for advancement.

New RNs were more likely to stay in their job if they had variety, autonomy, supervisor and colleague support, justice, promotion opportunities and good nurse to doctor relationships. On the other hand, high workload and mandatory overtime made new nurses feel less committed to their organization.

“If nurses stay in their jobs, hospitals and the health care system will realize significant savings on costs associated with replacing nursing staff,” said Christine Kovner , PhD, RN, FAAN, professor at New York University’s College of Nursing and lead author of the study. “More importantly, patient outcomes are at stake because when the nursing staff is destabilized by frequent resignations and high turnover, the disruption and inconsistency of service can have a negative impact on patient care and safety.”

Sooo the bottom line is that nurses will stay in their jobs if they are happy. It’s also good overall for the organization, especially with the nursing shortage, to keep their nurses happy. And high turnover impacts hospitals’ bottom line and affects patient outcomes.

Hm. I wonder how long nurses have been telling their hospitals, goverments and organizations this exact message?

Canadian Nurse Freed

Update: As of 8:24 last night, positive reports are coming out of Sudan that Laura Archer and her colleagues have now been freed.

This story below hits close to home as fellow classmates are interested in entering humanitarian based nursing, but these days the risks are much higher.

In the past, it would seem that humanitarian missions were protected from politically motivated actions.

Abductions are made of nightmares: taken from friends and family; not able to communicate with the outside world; and not knowing your own fate.

I am glad Ms. Archer and her colleagues have been returned safely and quickly.

In Research: End of Life Care and Abandonment

A recent study suggests patients and families experience feelings of abandonment by their physicians during end-of-life care.

Two major themes emerged from the study by Black et al. (2009): abandonment worries due to the loss of continuity of care prior to death and feelings of abandonment caused by the lack of closure after or close to death.

The study included 55 patients with terminal illness who were expected to live a year or less. In addition to the patients, 31 doctors, 36 family members and 25 nurses were also interviewed.

Most doctors interviewed were unaware of actions that would cause feelings of abandonment but reported feelings of non-closure themselves wrote the researchers.

Findings suggest more could be done to decrease feelings of abandonment by family members and patients including using palliative care structures, using communication and integrating nurses and other health professionals into end-of-life care.

In Research: Child Abuse Linked to DNA Changes in the Brain

A recent study lead by Canadian researchers, discovered DNA expression changes as a result of early child abuse.

The researchers analyzed post-mortem brain tissue of suicide victims with history of child abuse. The scientists discovered changes in DNA expression that was not present in individuals with no history of abuse. The DNA was localized to a gene that is known to help regulate the body’s stress response.

The study adds to a growing body of research that links child abuse (specifically physical and sexual abuse) to adult mental health issues.

Nurse researchers have also explored the connection and advocate for routine screening and early treatment for abuse victims.

Scientists have previously theorized that early trauma could lead to biological changes in the brain resulting in eventual development of a number of psychological illnesses.

The study by scientists from the Douglas Mental Health University Institute and McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, and the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences and was published in the February online journal  Nature Neuroscience.

Thirty-six brain samples from were studied with 12 from suicide victims with a history of abuse and 12 from suicide victims with no history of abuse. The samples were takend from the hippocampal region of the brain, an area know for regulating the body’s stress response.

In Research: Music Favorites Increase Pain Tolerance

In Research is an ongoing series that explores recent findings in health science.

Music for many is a source of escape from the stress of daily life but what if it could be an escape from those suffering from chronic pain?

CBC.ca recently reported on a study from Glasgow Caledonian University that found that music could as much as double pain tolerance.

Individuals were asked to place their hand in freezing water. Researchers found that participants who listened to their favorite music increased their tolerance for pain while pain perception fell significantly.

The type of music didn’t matter as much as the individuals affinity for the music they listened to.

“It’s the distraction of music that you love and you have a relationship with. And you’re so emotionally tied to it, you’re so emotionally engaged, that it can actually take the pain away,” said pain researcher Dr. Laura Mitchell in a CBC interview.

From a nursing perspective, the study lends support to suggesting a client listen to their favorite music as an alternative or addition to drug therapy.

The study An Investigation of the Effects of Music and Art on Pain Perception was published in the journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts in August 2008.

In Research: Vibrating Insoles Found To Improve Standing Balance In Diabetic Neuropathy

In Research is an ongoing series that explores recent findings in health science.

This interesting article (below) seems to be a great idea for diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy.

I wonder, however, what the connection is between the vibrating insoles and balance. The news story does not make it completely clear, only to say it improves balance in individuals with neuropathy when normal compensation is inadequate. Pherhaps it acts as a feedback stimulus if balance is being lost.

I also wonder then if the technology could be used in other areas such as parkinsons or MS?

I will report back on this when the formal research article it is published. For now here’s the story.

Medical News Today

February 14, 2009

Peripheral neuropathy, which causes pain and numbness in the hands and feet, affects about one-third of persons with diabetes mellitus. It may also cause balance problems and unsteadiness when walking. According to a study in Volume 45, Issue 9 of the Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development (JRRD), vibrating insoles improved standing in persons with peripheral neuropathy when attention was distracted and vision was occluded.

For the study, vibrating insoles were designed to apply random vibrations to the plantar surface of the feet by piezoelectric elements. Piezoelectric elements are thin and relatively cheap and therefore ideal for application in an insole.

The study assessed participating subjects, ranging in age from 40 to 60, in four different conditions (i.e., eyes open or closed and with or without an attention-demanding task). The findings demonstrate that nondisabled subjects were unaffected by the vibrations. The use of vibrating insoles in which the vibration is applied by piezoelectric elements seems to be an option for increasing stability in persons with neuropathy when compensatory strategies to control balance are limited.

This article will be released later this month in Volume 45, Issue 9 of JRRD. To view this article once published and other recently published diabetes research, please visit http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/cluster/diabetes.html.

In Research: Scientists Decode the Common Cold

In Research is an ongoing series that explores recent findings in health science.

Perhaps a cure better than chicken soup is not so far out of reach for all of us who have suffered and will suffer from miserable cold symptoms.

US Researchers, who published results Thursday, have cracked the genetic code for 99 variations of the rhinovirus (the common cold).

Unfortunately, the rhinovirus has high genetic variation making it impossible for a single drug cure.

“Because we have sub-families or subgroups of rhinoviruses that have different genetic makeups — that probably is going to mean that we may need three or four drugs,” said Dr. Stephen Liggett, of the University of Maryland in a Globe and Mail interview Thursday.

Liggett and colleagues from the University of Wisconsin and the J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, Md., performed the ambitious study.  He said he believes the virus’s variations explains why previous studies failed.

You can find the full text research article here.