Archive for the ‘Medical Curiosities’ Category

Did you know that carbonation has a distinct taste? According to new research from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research scientists have elucidated the fine intricacies of fizziness. When consuming a carbonated beverage the sensation of tiny bubbles bursting on your tongue is, in fact, misleading. If one were to drink a soda in a pressure chamber (thus preventing the bubbles from bursting) the sensation would actually be the same. What gives? The “taste” of carbonation involves the interaction of an enzyme, carbonic anhydrase 4, with the sour-sensing cells in your taste buds. This interaction sends signals to the brain where carbonation is perceived as the familiar fizz, followed by a sensation of tartness. [via NIH News]

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Scientists have discovered a potential retroviral link to chronic fatigue syndrome, known as CFS, a debilitating disease that affects millions of people in the United States. Researchers from the Whittemore Peterson Institute (WPI), located at the University of Nevada, Reno, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the Cleveland Clinic, report this finding online Oct. 8, 2009, issue of Science. “We now have evidence that a retrovirus named XMRV is frequently present in the blood of patients with CFS. This discovery could be a major step in the discovery of vital treatment options for millions of patients,” said Judy Mikovits, Ph.D., director of research for WPI and leader of the team that discovered this association. Researchers cautioned however, that this finding shows there is an association between XMRV and CFS but does not prove that XMRV causes CFS. [Continue reading at National Institutes of Health]

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Fact or fiction? Losing one’s ability to use a particular sense will heighten the other senses. Neuroscientists at McGill University, home of the world-renowned Montreal Neurological Institute, set out to test this idea and discovered that in certain circumstances blindness can, in fact, heighten the other senses. By testing blind and sighted subjects for pitch perception and their ability to locate sounds, researchers found that blind subjects generally scored higher, not surprisingly. However, they also discovered that those who were born blind performed the best, while those who became blind as young children were slightly worse, and those who lost their vision after age 10 did no better than the sighted subjects. The theory is that a young brain could be rewired so that visual-processing areas were used for other purposes. And sure enough, by looking at MRI scans of subjects’ brains, they discovered that blind subjects who performed the best were using both the visual and auditory regions of their brains. [via New York Times]

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Researchers report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal that there may be a seasonality of mortality. After combing through data from Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Sweden, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan they discovered that the lowest mortality rates occurred during the warm months of July to September in the Northern hemisphere and February to March in the Southern hemisphere. A multitude of factors may be at play, including better nutrition or less pandemic diseases during these months. However, the researchers offer up an intriguing thought – could environmental factors, such as taking a summer vacation, lead to decreased death rates? “Vacations can have both physiologic and psychological effects. The positive psychological effects of vacations consist of ameliorating mood, decreasing mental stress and providing a sense of recuperation and well-being that may last for at least a month after the vacation,” said the study authors. Do we really need scientific studies to tell us that vacations are good for the mind, body and soul? I think common sense can tell me that. But, it is interesting data that’s worth looking into. [CMAJ via Medical News Today]

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The results of a game of historical epidemiology has been published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The question: What did Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart die of? His early death at the age of 35 has intrigued historians around the world, and now researchers from Austria and the UK believe they may have solved the puzzle. According to eyewitnesses, Mozart’s body was very swollen before he died, suggesting he had edema (swelling due to excessive fluid build up in bodily tissues). By looking at historical death records around the time of Mozart’s death, the most common cause of death during that period that would have been associated with edema is streptococcal infection that led to kidney dysfunction, otherwise known in medical speak as acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis. During an infection with strep throat, your immune system can sometimes react in such a way that causes inflammation of the kidneys, leading to kidney failure, edema and even death (if left untreated). [ via Medical News Today]

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It is not a secret that beautiful people tend to receive preferential treatment. But, how does that impact our ability to parent? A study from Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital looks to explore this phenomenon. Study volunteers were shown pictures of conventionally attractive babies and others with distinct facial irregularities, such as skin problems or cleft palates. Each photo was shown on a screen for four seconds, but volunteers could extend or shorten the viewing time of each photo by pressing certain computer keys. The study found that women shortened the viewing time of “less-attractive” children 2.5 times more than men. Researchers theorize this is purely an evolutionary response that parents, especially women, would innately devote more energy to the offspring most likely to yield the highest genetic payoff. On the other hand it’s possible that women chose to not look at babies with facial defects because they are more empathetic and sensitive towards these children. Men, on the other hand, chose to extend the viewing time of more aesthetically beautiful children just as often as women, but they did not hurry through pictures of children with facial irregularities.

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Congenital Generalized Hypertrichosis Terminalis (CGHT) is a rare condition in which the majority of one’s body, including the face, is covered in hair. Some colloquially refer to it as ‘wolf man disease.’ Until now it wasn’t exactly clear what caused the condition. However, a study published in the American Journal of Human Genetics suggests that large scale DNA changes may be the cause. By looking at the DNA of people with the disease and their unaffected relatives, scientist noticed that those with CGHT were missing some 500,000 to 900,000 DNA bases on chromosome 17. As well, in one patient there was an additional 1.4 million DNA bases on the same chromosome. It’s still unclear how these large scale changes lead to the condition. However, researchers say that understanding its genetics will likely help those with other conditions characterized by excessive hair growth or loss. Read more.

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The parents of 11 month old twin boys disclosed this past week an incredible story – that their twins are actually step half brothers. Ms. Mia Washington of Dallas, Texas admitted that an act of indiscretion had resulted in the conception of her boys by two different fathers. This phenomenon, known as heteropaternal superfecundation, is extremely rare that only a few cases have been reported in medical literature. This is mostly because multiple eggs must first be released during one ovulatory period, and then fertilized by different fathers. DNA testing concluded that there was a 99.999% chance that the twins have different fathers. Read more.

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A study led by Johns Hopkins University researchers has found that eating broccoli sprouts can reduce the activity of H. pylori, a bacteria that often infects human stomachs and can lead to inflammation, ulcers, and even stomach cancer. Broccoli sprouts contain sulforaphane, a compound that has been found to act like an antibiotic. By reducing the activity of the bacteria, the inflammatory environment that can lead to cancerous growth may probably be reduced as well.

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Thirty six percent of East Asians (Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans) show a characteristic physiological response to consuming alcohol that includes facial flushing , nausea, and tachycardia. This “alcohol blush” is now considered a risk factor for esophageal cancer, one of the deadliest cancers worldwide with a 5-year survival rate of only 15.6% in the United States. Heavy alcohol consumption greatly increases the risk for esophageal cancer among these individuals, who comprise about 8% of the world’s population. Therefore, by simply knowing whether you have this this characteristic response to alcohol, you can decrease your esophageal cancer risk by limiting alcohol intake.

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