Health briefing

A round-up of today's other stories in brief

A spoonful of sugar 'can make the medicine work'

TAKING EXCESSIVE sugar on board can be bad news for teeth, waistlines and beyond, but a laboratory study shows that using specific sugars smartly may be able to help antibiotics tackle hard-to-shift bacterial infections.

The research, published in the journal Nature, looked at dormant "persister" bacteria that may tolerate antibiotic treatment, and used sugars to literally wake them up so they would become vulnerable to antibiotics.

In the laboratory, the Boston University team found the approach was effective against persisters in Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, both clinically important bacteria.

They also tested the approach in a mouse model and found that combining the sugars with antibiotic treatment reduced the viability of a biofilm-associated infection.

“Our goal was to improve the effectiveness of existing antibiotics, rather than invent new ones, which can be a long and costly process,” said researcher Kyle Allison in a statement.

Team leader Prof James Collins said: “You know the old saying, ‘A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down?’ This is more like, ‘A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine work’.”

According to a press release from Boston University, the researchers will now investigate whether the approach can improve the efficacy of drugs to treat tuberculosis.

Master 'regulator' fat gene identified

A NEW study has identified a “master regulator” gene, KLF14, that influences other genes expressed in fat in the body. Prof Mark McCarthy from the University of Oxford, who co-led the study, said: “KLF14 seems to act as a master switch controlling processes that connect changes in the behaviour of subcutaneous fat to disturbances in muscle and liver that contribute to diabetes and other conditions.”

The findings have just been published online in Nature Genetics.

Students sample what it's like to study medicine 

TRANSITION YEAR students from Cork got to experience what it’s like to study medicine by learning how to take blood pressure and watching live robotic surgery.

The School of Medicine at University College Cork hosted its first Prep-for-Med-School event last Friday. Eighty transition year students were given the opportunity to gain a unique insight into the medical school experience.

Dr Robert Gaffney, director of clinical skills at UCC, developed a programme which focused on the cardiovascular system. Students in small groups used specially designed teaching stations to learn how the heart works, how to take blood pressure and how to take a blood sample.

The students had the chance to observe the School of Medicine’s state-of-the-art Meti HPS, a human simulator which is used for emergency medicine and clinical skills training.

The second part of the day took place in Cork University Hospital where surgeon Mark Corrigan developed a programme which included discussions on the forensic examination of a crime scene, TV medical dramas and debates around tough medical ethical dilemmas.

The students also had the opportunity to watch live robotic surgery on video-link and to ask the surgeon questions as he worked.

Prof George Shorten, dean of the School of Medicine at UCC, said the event came about as a result of the interest expressed by second-level students, guidance counsellors and parents in what medical education was really like.