Student BMJ articles from September 2003

Student BMJ archives from September 2003

Endless possibilities.(editor's choice)
September 1, 2003... Well done for taking the plunge into medicine. One of the best things about studying medicine is the choice of things you get to do. Over the past few years in particular, courses have leant away from rote learning, leaving students to build...

Medical humour: is a good laugh a panacea for all ills? Maybe not, but it certainly can help.(editorials)
September 1, 2003... The term "medical humour" might conjure up images of Patch Adams, Carry On films, or badly told "doctor doctor" jokes, but humour in medicine has more than just entertainment value. The proverb of the Old Testament, "a glad heart is excellent...

That's funny.
September 1, 2003... Laughter is good medicine. By now, this seems to be an accepted fact. As medical students, we can look back over the times in our recent past when we have laughed with fellow students, professors, and friends over this, that, or the other....

Patient centred death: Jocalyn Clark argues that we need better and more innovative research on patients' views on dying.(editorials)(Editorial)
September 1, 2003... A good death has always been important in all cultures. To achieve your chosen afterlife you died either well (euthanatos) or nobly (kalosthanein). But what is a good death in a world that for many is post-religious and medicalised? We know...

Liberian aid appeal launched as medical crisis deepens.(news)
September 1, 2003... As the humanitarian crisis in Liberia spirals, the United Kingdom has launched a multimedia emergency aid appeal. Coordinated by the UK disasters emergency committee (DEC), money raised from the Liberia crisis appeal will support 11 of the...

Hormone treatment increases breast cancer risk, study shows.(news)(hormone replacement therapy for menopause symptoms)
September 1, 2003... Long term use of combined hormone replacement therapy (HRT) doubles the risk of breast cancer, according to a major epidemiological study. It showed for the first time the higher risk with combined oestrogen and progestogen treatment. ...

Medical students prepared for bioterrorism.(news)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Medical students are to receive training to cope with bioterrorist attacks under plans drawn up by the Association of American Medical Colleges. The report comes after polls showed that the general public prefers to turn to their doctors...

A pizza a day may keep cancer away.(news)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Pizza, the perennial student favourite, may reduce the incidence of certain gastrointestinal cancers, say researchers in the International Journal of Cancer. Silvano Gallus and colleagues from the Pharmacology Institute in Milan, Italy,...

One third of young people try drugs.(news)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Thirty percent of 16-24 year olds in England and Wales admitted to using drugs in the last year according to a Department of Health statistical bulletin. The data, taken from the Home Office British Crime Survey, also show that almost half...

Overseas students to get free UK health care.(news)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Under new proposals announced by the government, overseas students on a full time course of study in England and Wales will be exempt from NHS charges. Currently overseas students who study at a recognised educational establishment are...

Television dramas are a source of medical education.(news)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Television audiences demand factual accuracy from medical dramas because they learn emergency medical skills while they watch, says a new report commissioned by the Broadcasting Standards Commission. The report looks at the way drama series...

Studying medicine is good for your health.(news)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Scientists and medics have a substantially lower risk of mortality, according to new research. A report by Peter McCarron and colleagues at Queen's University, Belfast claims science and engineering students have the best chances of...

Medical students don't practise safe sex on holiday.(Bits & pieces)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Medical students don't practice safe sex on holiday--Less than half of male students interviewed at St George's Hospital Medical School, London, who have sex with a new partner when on holiday always use a condom. "In our small survey,...

Children are at risk worldwide from the marketing of junk food.(Bits & pieces)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Children are at risk worldwide from the marketing of junk food--New research from the UK Food Commission found that the global advertising budget of the food industry is $40 000m (25 000 [pounds sterling]; 35 000 [euro]); an amount bigger...

Exposure to the sun during youth reduces risk of multiple sclerosis.(Bits & pieces)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Exposure to the sun during youth reduces risk of multiple sclerosis--A study in BMJ (2003;327:316-20) found that insufficient ultraviolet radiation or vitamin D, or both, may influence the development of multiple sclerosis.

Tenth of European patients with HIV are resistant to drugs.(Bits & pieces)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Tenth of European patients with HIV are resistant to drugs--Strains of HIV in 10% of newly diagnosed European patients are resistant to at least one anti-HIV drug, according to data presented at the 2nd International AIDS Society Conference....

Ties too tight for eyes.(Bits & pieces)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Ties to tight for eyes--A tight neck tie could lead to raised intraocular pressure, according to research in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. The study advised that patients should not wear a neck tie during routine eye examinations to...

Investigations: essential clinical chemistry: Suneeta Kochhar and William Marshall kick off a new series on basic clinical investigations. They explain what biochemistry results can tell you and how you should interpret them.(education)
September 1, 2003... We have all seen the bits of paper that come back from the laboratory full of endless numbers referring to many different biochemical ions. But what are they used for and what can they tell us? Clinical biochemistry is important to: ...

10 minute consultation: newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus.(education)
September 1, 2003... A 62 year old woman has returned to you for the results of blood tests. She had attended for a well woman check up two weeks earlier and had mentioned that she was experiencing persistent fatigue. A random plasma glucose test that day showed...

Know your anatomy--the femoral triangle.(Picture Quiz)
September 1, 2003... Case history A 25 year old man was brought into the emergency department by ambulance. He was involved in a road traffic incident and had an obvious site of blood loss from a fracture of an upper limb. On his arrival at the emergency...

Biomedical ethics: genetics: Pierre Mallia looks at the ethics behind genetic advances and explains what all the fuss is about.(education)
September 1, 2003... Debates about the ethics of genetics often lead us to think that we are talking about something that goes on in a laboratory. The word "engineering" is subconsciously linked to people in white coats ready to engineer people with more muscle...

Basic plastic surgery techniques and principles: flap surgery: in the fifth part of our series, Ben Taylor and Ardeshir Bayat explain the finer points of reconstructive flap surgery so there is no need for you to get yourself into a flap about it.(education)
September 1, 2003... Last month, we considered the lower rungs of the reconstructive ladder. (1) At times, however, the simple steps are not sufficient, and the art of plastic surgery comes to the fore. The plastic surgeon can move pieces of tissue, known as...

Thou shalt write legibly: Clare Hughes finds out why the Medical Defence Union sees doctors' illegible scrawls as a serious health hazard and suggests some practical tips for saving your patients from death by handwriting.(careers)
September 1, 2003... An old saying goes that doctors go to school to learn how to write illegibly and pharmacists go to school to learn how to read what doctors write. But where is the evidence that our writing is so bad? The hypothesis that medics write in a...

When life looks bleak: admitting you have a mental health problem can be traumatic for medical students. Despite these problems being common, stigma is still attached, which is why the medical student coauthor wants to remain anonymous. She and Laura Bennett give some practical advice about coping and seeking help.(careers)
September 1, 2003... Mental illness does not discriminate--it can affect anyone at any time. For doctors and medical students, prevalence is actually greater than among the general population. (1-4) Up to 36% of doctors working in the NHS have symptoms of minor...

Passionate about global awareness: Trevor Gibbs has taught medical students in Liverpool and Ukraine and is currently teaching undergraduates in South Africa, where nearly 40% of students are believed to be HIV positive. He shares his amazing experiences with Deborah Cohen.(careers)
September 1, 2003... Professor Trevor Gibbs, director of the educational development unit at Cape Town University's faculty of health sciences, wants to be a medical student again, graduating with a medical degree from the international trio of Liverpool, Kiev,...

The advice zone.(careers )
September 1, 2003... Got a career or university related problem that needs answering? Can't find the right person to point you in the right direction? Log on to the Advice Zone at www.bmjcareers.com/advicezone to post a question or to see if one of our experts...

Paper plus: which screening test is best? This month John Fletcher takes you through a cross sectional study comparing screening tests. The paper looks complicated but each part is carefully explained.(papers)
September 1, 2003... Abstract Objective--To compare the sensitivity, specificity, and interobserver reliability of conventional cervical smear tests, monolayer cytology, and human papillomavirus testing for screening for cervical cancer. Design--Cross...

Planning your elective: Solomon Islands: Mark Wilson gives you the low down on how to arrange your elective in the Solomon Islands.(life)
September 1, 2003... The Solomon Islands sound, like a tropical paradise, and in years gone by they were. But, unfortunately, that is not the case at the moment. With the civil unrest that has escalated in the past few weeks, the UK government is advising against...

Pidjin paradise: Sammy Radstone shares her experience of the Solomon Islands. Look out for the bigfala mangoes.(life)
September 1, 2003... The Solomon Islands, a tiny country made up of 992 islands in the Pacific Ocean, is where I chose to do my elective. The population is mostly Melanesian, whose forbears migrated from Papua New Guinea. The ancient traditions of worshipping...

Getting the most out of SSMs: special study modules are the most tantalising, intriguing, and occasionally disappointing part of a medical school's curriculum. As Peter Cross discovers, you can expect totally different placements in different schools.(life)
September 1, 2003... What are special study modules (SSMs) and how can you get the best out of this part of the medical student timetable? In 1992, the UK General Medical Council produced a historic document called Tomorrow's Doctors (1). It recommended that...

Erasmus: Alpine retreat: the Erasmus scheme was established in 1987 to promote the exchange of students between European countries and many medical students take part. Lewis Gray gives an overview of the programme and describes his experiences as a preclinical student in Switzerland.(life)
September 1, 2003... The European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students (Erasmus) is the cumbersome title of an excellent programme, named after Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466-1536), a Dutch humanist, and theologian, who travelled and...

Life's a beach: not content with speaking just German and English, Christiane Piepel spent time in Lisbon perfecting her Portuguese, her skills in international relations, and her suntan.(life)
September 1, 2003... I decided to go to Lisbon even though I have never been there. I had previously been to Brazil, where I started to learn Portuguese, and I really enjoyed the language. Going abroad would give me the chance to get to know another country,...

Du pain, du vin, du fashion: great food, wines, fashion, and the best healthcare system in the world. What better reason for Mitesh Desai to undertake an Erasmus exchange in France.(life)
September 1, 2003... Coming from a British medical undergraduate education system--partaking in the occasional ward round, taking a history, and examining the odd patient while constantly getting under the nurses' feet--my arrival in Rennes, France, was nothing...

Does my bum look big in this? Is the white coat doomed? Karen Hebert asks whether doctors need a new medical uniform.(life)
September 1, 2003... Medical students, like any other group, are a diverse mix of people--from the Prada clothed Jimmy Choo wearing clothes horse to the person who wears the same clothes four days in a row and always looks like they have just got out of bed. From...

UK medical students arrested in Israel.(letters)(Editorial)
September 1, 2003... Incident may end elective as we know it EDITOR--In the United Kingdom the medical elective is one of the most eagerly anticipated parts of a student's time at medical school. Academically it is an opportunity to study an area of interest...

Perceptions of Pain.(Book Review)
September 1, 2003... Deborah Padfield, Brian Hurwitz, and Charles Pither Dewi Lewis, 2003, 14.99 [pounds sterling], 128 pages ISBN 1 904 58702 X Rating: *** Medicine has never been the most sociable of professions for providing suitable dinner party chat. But...

What's on the web? Case studies.
September 1, 2003... How about going on a grand round in a virtual hospital with all its beds occupied by patients suffering from complicated cases? And trying your new found diagnostic and clinical management skills against leading medical experts in solving the...

Happiness[TM].(Book Review)
September 1, 2003... Will Ferguson Canongate, 2003, 6.99 [pounds sterling], 320 pages ISBN 1 841 95351 2 Rating: *** If the books in the mind, body, spirit section of your local bookshop are to be believed, most psychiatric and metabolic disorders can be...

One Man's Medicine.(radio series)
September 1, 2003... BBC Radio 4 Listen online at www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/onemansmedicine.shtml Rating: *** Cosmetics, that most female of indulgences, are tested in tissue culture obtained from the foreskins of newly circumcised baby boys. This seems...

Acid Row.(Book Review)
September 1, 2003... Minette Walters Pan, 2002. 6.99 [pounds sterling], 496 pages ISBN 0 330 48946 1 Rating: *** If clinical medicine has taught me one thing, it is that you should be prepared for the unexpected. Having said that, the general practices I...

Studying with the enemy.(effects of medical students self-diagnoses)
September 1, 2003... Over the past 10 months, my girlfriend has had rectal cancer, diabetes, amebiasis, mesentric ischemia, and even severe acute respiratory syndrome. No, she does not have familial polyps, she is not obese, she is not a senior citizen, and she...

Not my fault.(poor results on test attributed to spending time at pubs)
September 1, 2003... I have been quietly gutted ever since the results of A level exams I got in August 1996. My results were at the opposite end of the alphabet to those required for a place on a medical course. Seven years later I am delighted to discover it...

Minerva.(summaries of medical research in medical journals)
September 1, 2003... Fears about biological terrorism in the United States have led to health workers currently being offered vaccination against smallpox. The main hazard is eczema vaccinatum, a possibly life threatening reaction to the vaccine in people with a...