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Gpx5: Sperm Shouldn't Leave The Testes Without This Protein
Joel Drevet and colleagues, at Clermont Universitç©, France, have identified a protein that helps protect immature mouse sperm after they have been released into a region of the testis known as the epididymis, which is where they undergo maturation. Although male mice lacking this protein, Gpx5, had normal looking sperm and were equally as efficient as normal male mice at fertilizing female mice, an increased incidence of miscarriages and fetal developmental defects were observed when normal female mice were mated with Gpx5-deficient males over 1 year old compared with normal male mice of the same age. Further analysis indicated that Gpx5 acts as an antioxidant in the epididymis, protecting the sperm from oxidative stress. As discussed by the authors, and, in an accompanying commentary, John Aitken, at the University of Newcastle, Australia, these data have immense clinical relevance as age-related DNA damage to human sperm has been associated with a range of adverse outcomes including decreased fertility, and increased rates of miscarriage and childhood disease.
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AVMA Response To PETA Protest At The Association's Annual Convention
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) respects and values PETA"s right to express an opinion and hold a peaceful demonstration at our 146th Annual Convention in Seattle. On the other hand, we disagree with their position on our use of fish during an educational and motivational presentation by the fishmongers of Pike Place Fish Market.
News of the day
Many U.S. Hospitals Fail To Report Physician Disciplinary Cases To National Databank
Many U.S. hospitals do not take sufficient disciplinary action against physicians for poor conduct or medical incompetence and fail to report such cases to the National Practitioner Data Bank, according to a report released Wednesday by Public Citizen, the Contra Costa Times reports. Congress established the databank in 1990 as a central repository for information about physicians whose hospital privileges had been withdrawn or limited for more than 30 days. The bank is closed to the public (Kleffman, Contra Costa Times, 5/27).For the report, Public Citizen"s Health Research Group analyzed studies by the HHS Office of Inspector General and the Citizen Advocacy Center, as well as medical journal articles and recommendations made during an October 1996 meeting on under-reporting by hospitals (Stark/Hallihan, ABCNews.com, 5/27). According to the report, nearly half of U.S. hospitals did not submit one physician"s name in 17 years to the databank. One purpose of the databank is to provide hospitals with background information about physicians they were considering hiring at their facilities. Under the initial expectations of the databank, federal officials estimated that at least 5,000 disciplinary cases would be reported annually. However, on average, about 650 reports have been made annually since the databank was created, the report found (Contra Costa Times, 5/27). The group on Wednesday sent a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius that included recommendations to improve the efficacy of the databank. The letter said that the reporting numbers are "unreasonably low, compared with what would be expected if hospitals pursued disciplinary actions aggressively and reported all such actions." The letter urged Sebelius to ensure that hospitals are conducting necessary peer reviews and oversight of physicians, taking proper disciplinary actions and reporting them to the databank so that physicians" track records are available to all hospital administrators. Penalties also should be established for hospitals that fail to comply with the reporting requirements, the group said.Al Levine, the author of the report, said some hospitals had found ways to avoid their physician reporting responsibilities, such as by limiting restrictions on hospital privileges to fewer than 30 days or giving physicians a "leave of absence" in place of suspending their privileges. Levine said, "Even in states with high levels of reporting," it "seems to be concentrated in a few facilities" (Contra Costa Times, 5/27).In a statement responding to the report, the American Hospital Association said, "The premise that the number of reports received by the National Practitioner Data Bank correlates to jeopardized patient care is inaccurate," adding, "Hospitals are actively involved in a wide variety of efforts to continuously improve care and talk publicly about the care we provide" (ABCNews.com, 5/27).
Nutrition

Cupping Therapy Alleviates Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Pain

A German study published in The Journal of Pain showed that an external suction technique mainly used outside the U.S., called cupping, is effective for providing temporary relief of pain from carpal tunnel syndrome (CPS). Researchers from Immanuel Hospital Berlin randomly divided fifty-two CPS patients into treatment and control groups. The treatment group was given wet cupping therapy in which cupping glasses are applied to skin overlaying the trapezius muscle following 5 to 10 skin punctures with a sterile lancet. A partial vacuum is created by electromechanical or manual suction within the cupping glass after it is applied to the skin. The technique is used as a healing method in China, India, Arabia, Central Europe and parts of Africa. Cupping is applied to defined zones of the shoulder triangle which are connective tissue zones at the shoulder-neck region. The technique is believed to increase microcirculation to help relieve CPS symptoms. Results showed that CTS patients given cupping treatment experienced a highly significant decrease in CPS pain and other symptoms. A single treatment improved functional ability and quality for life for a week. The authors offered three possible explanations for the positive therapeutic action: -- Local bloodletting cause by cupping altered tissue perfusion and metabolism and may have affected the medial nerve function -- Cupping may have antinociceptive effects -- Cupping therapy simply might generate a powerful placebo effect. Patient tolerated the treatments very well. In clinical practice, cupping can be performed conveniently and repeatedly. The authors noted that further studies are needed to assess the long-term value of cupping therapy for treatment of CPS pain. American Pain Society


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